The Horses

Album: Flying Cowboys (1989)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Rickie Lee Jones wrote this about her daughter, Charlotte, who was born in 1988, the year before the song was released. Jones is telling her that she will always be there for her. It's a song of love and commitment where she anticipates the challenges her daughter will face, as Jones was indeed a "wild one."

    Rickie Lee raised Charlotte as a single mom (she split from her husband, Pascal Nabet-Meyer, in 1990). Charlotte inherited her mom's vocal prowess, and often joined her on stage to sing backup.
  • Horses are an important image for Jones. She had a recurring dream as a child that she described to the Daily Telegraph: "It was a dream of a cowboy coming down the road, driving a trailer, and a horse got out and ran down the road, and I caught it. It wouldn't let anyone touch it but me, because it loved me. And I'd say, you have to go back with the man now and the horse would turn sadly to go back; and the cowboy would say, you can have it – it loves you. I dreamt that a lot. And now I'm scared of horses."
  • Jones wrote this song with Walter Becker of Steely Dan, who produced the album.
  • This song was featured in the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire. When Jones' daughter Charlotte saw the film for the first time, she didn't know her mom's music was a part of it and was shocked to hear her voice.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jonathan Cain of Journey

Jonathan Cain of JourneySongwriter Interviews

Cain talks about the divine inspirations for "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Faithfully."

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Prince

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Sam Hollander

Sam HollanderSongwriter Interviews

The hitmaking songwriter/producer Sam Hollander with stories about songs for Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Train, Pentatonix, and Fitz And The Tantrums.