One Horse Town
"One Horse Town" is a song by Elton John with lyrics written by Bernie Taupin. It is the third track of his 1976 album, Blue Moves. The song tells a story about a man who lives in a small village in Alabama, and how there's nothing to do; simply a "one horse town".[1] It might reference the civil war; "They ain't too well acquainted with the stars and stripes". Musically, it uses a lot of instruments; a string section, xylophones, vibraphones, organs and more. The first one and a half minutes is a slow-tempo intro with heavy orchestration, before settling into the main upbeat tempo which could remind a little bit of disco.[1] It was also performed at his last concert before his throat surgery in Sydney, on December 14, 1986.
It is just about six minutes long. The song bears resemblance to "I Don't Care" from his next album, A Single Man.
| "One Horse Town" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Elton John | |
| Released | 1976 |
| Genre | Progressive rock, symphonic rock, hard rock, disco |
| Length | 5:56 |
| Label |
MCA (US/Canada) The Rocket Record Company |
| Writer | Elton John, James Newton-Howard, Bernie Taupin |
References
- 1 2 Rosenthal, Elizabeth J. (2001). His song. New York City, New York: Billboard Books. p. 136. ISBN 0-8230-8893-6.