Crazy Horses

"Crazy Horses"
Single by The Osmonds
from the album Crazy Horses
B-side	"That's My Girl"
Released	October 14, 1972
Format	7" vinyl
Recorded	June 23, 1972
Genre	Hard rock
Length	2:40
Label	MGM
Writer(s)	Alan Osmond, Merrill Osmond, Wayne Osmond
Producer(s)	Alan Osmond, Michael Lloyd
Certification	Silver (UK)
The Osmonds singles chronology
"We Can Make it Together" (with Steve and Eydie) (1972) "Crazy Horses" (1972) "Goin' Home" (1973)

"Crazy Horses" is a 1972 hit by The Osmonds reaching number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100^[1] and number 2 in the UK Singles Chart.^[2] It is a heavy rock style which was a major stylistic departure from the type of music for which The Osmonds were known; it is also unusual in that Jay Osmond sings lead vocals on most of the track (with Merrill Osmond, the band's usual lead singer, singing the short choruses, and Donny, the usual co-lead, having no vocal parts). The record was co-produced by Alan Osmond and Michael Lloyd, who had previously been in psychedelic rock group The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band.

The song is claimed to be a protest about the amount of pollution created by cars, and several 1970s-vintage automobiles spewing smoke appear on the single's and album's cover artwork.^[3] It is one of their best known hits and has been covered by numerous other bands including The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The Mission, Tank, Lawnmower Deth, Neal Morse, The Frames, KMFDM, Electric Six, and Lifescreen. Westlife covered the song live in 2003, and even performed the song alongside Donny Osmond. English band Pop Will Eat Itself sampled the record on their 1988 single Def Con One. The song was also covered by Tigertailz on the 2010 live album Bezerk: Live...Burnin' Fuel. The song was also covered by Mat Sinner on the solo album Back to the Bullet 1990. Donny Osmond recorded a new version of the song as a hidden bonus track on his 2002 covers album Somewhere In Time^[4] and performs the song frequently on his tours. He did not sing on the original record.

Chart performance

Chart (1972/1973)	Peak position
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[5]	1
Canadian RPM Top Singles[6]	12
Dutch GfK chart[7]	1
Dutch Top 40	1
France (IFOP)[8]	1
Irish Singles Chart[9]	17
Swiss Singles Chart[10]	5
UK Singles Chart[2]	2
US Billboard Hot 100[1]	14

References

1. "The Osmonds > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". allmusic. Retrieved 13 August 2009. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
2. "Chart Stats - The Osmonds - Crazy Horses". Retrieved 13 August 2009.
3. "Crazy Horses by The Osmonds Songfacts". Retrieved 13 August 2009.
4. "Ink 19: Donny Osmond". Retrieved 13 December 2002.
5. The Osmonds, "Crazy Horses" Belgian Chart Position Retrieved February 21, 2015
6. "RPM Volume 18 No. 16, December 02 1972". Retrieved 13 August 2009.
7. "dutchcharts.nl - The Osmonds - Crazy Horses" (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 August 2009.
8. http://www.infodisc.fr/Number1_70.php
9. "irishcharts.ie search results". Retrieved 13 August 2009.
10. "The Osmonds - Crazy Horses - hitparade.ch" (in German). Retrieved 13 August 2009.