Lyr ADD: Remember the Horse (Oscar Brand)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Remember the Horse (Oscar Brand)
From: GUEST,David Usher
Date: 12 Oct 17 - 05:25 PM

I have a one-of-a-kind private recording of Oscar Brand doing Remember The Horse at the Fox Hollow festival in the late 1960's. I will post it to youtube soon. Search for Oscar Brand Remember The Horse.

I also have him doing "One Step Farther Than the Moon", which he wrote the night the first astronauts landed on the moon. That is a priceless tune. I will post that at the same time

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 05:27 PM

I've sent Iain this thread (he's not on the Net) and asked him could he shed some light on this. He explains that he didn't know who'd written the song when he recorded it for 'Just My Cup Of Tea' (in 1991, in the days before the web made research into such matters easy). He'd learned it from someone on the road and liked it, but re-wrote some of the lines. The recording, for a German label, was made during two days in the middle of a busy tour, so he left all the editing and artwork to the label. He thinks that their crediting the song to him in the notes was due to an unfortunate misunderstanding, one he is sorry about, particularly since learning later on that it was Oscar Brand's work. Iain's CD is no longer available, but he's glad this gave him a chance to put the record straight. As kytrad says above, mistakes sometimes happen - and Oscar Brand is a prolific songwriter some of whose songs have acquired 'trad' status, so maybe it wasn't an unavoidable mistake. I can think of several albums with a wrong attribution on them in my collection ...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Hollowfox
Date: 09 Aug 04 - 09:51 AM

Hey, Kytrad, Joe, the next time you talk to Mr. Brand, perhaps he could see his way to answer my question of so long ago (the link is at the top of this thread) about any hymns he's written (she said hopefully). Those that I've heard are very beautiful.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Aug 04 - 10:59 PM

The "American Dreamer" version is not the original song. It's a tribute to Harry Chapin - but it sure would be interesting to see both of Oscar's versions.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Leadfingers
Date: 08 Aug 04 - 06:44 PM

There is often a problem with re-writes of Folk Songs , especially when you got Transpond . Songs get into the repertoire of a singer , another singer partially remembers it and writes his own version on the same idea - Happens all the time . NOT neccessarily plagiarism but just a re-use of a good idea . I have an old Oscar Brand song book which credits him as the writer of songs which I know are traditional , but his copyright is for a re written lyric or tune .

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 08 Aug 04 - 05:49 PM

REMEMBER THE HORSE appeared on the album "American Dreamer" by Oscar Brand and the Secret Band, (Biograph LP BP-12067, 1963). This information is from allmusic. It can be ordered from Oscar Brand's website as a CD.

The BMI Repertoire credits Oscar Brand for REMEMBER THE HORSE, and says the publisher is Gypsy Hill Music. It also gives THE HORSE as an alternate title.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 04 Aug 04 - 12:42 PM

Now that we have settled the authorship question, I am still looking for the original lyrics that Oscar wrote for this song. Can sombody please post them ? Thank You SOL ZELLER

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Aug 04 - 12:36 AM

Looks like Jean and I are BOTH corresponding with Oscar on this one. I couldn't get him to stop by, but maybe Jean will be more persuasive. Here's what he said:

Joe,
    I wrote "Remember the Horse" for a CBC program forty years ago. Check with Doug MacDonald of the CBC, the producer. It was about the Queen E highway.
For my CD, "American Dreamer", I rewrote it as a memorial to Harry Chapin, a dear friend who died in an auto accident on the Long Island Expressway.   I'm proud of it.
"The Horse" is actually titled "Remember The Horse" and I'm happy to hear that it's being sung and amended in Canada. One of my Canadian songs, "Something To Sing About", was almost the national anthem.
Every Canadian of consequence knows the chorus.

                                                Oscar Brand

(posted with permission)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Turlough
Date: 03 Aug 04 - 10:33 AM

Thanks, Kytrad! I'm really looking forward to that. That horse was starting to give me nightmares ;-)

T.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie)
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 06:45 PM

I have invited Oscar Brand to write in as Guest and help with details of the poor Horse's beginnings. Ian MacIntosh probably just didn't know who wrote it- sometimes that happens.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 03:42 PM

I was thinking the wording sounded British, but it's just a few words and spellings. Anybody know of an Oscar Brand recording of the song that's currently available? What LP was Oscar's recording of the song on? http://www.oscarbrand.com/ has only a very few recordings available. I'd sure like to see more.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Turlough
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 02:15 PM

Oh, sorry Sol, I didn't answer your question. He has recorded it in '91, which would indeed suggest that Brand wrote it. Still, this is not a satisfying conclusion, at least not for me. I've always been stubborn, blame my parents for that ;-)

T.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Turlough
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 02:05 PM

Hello Sol,

well, I never doubted kytrad, really. But, then again, I never doubted Iain MacKintosh either :-) There must be some kind of explanation for this, other than plagiarism. From looking at the songs he recorded, one can safely say that he was strongly influenced by American singer/songwriters, the most obvious of these influences is probably Harry Chapin. Iain has recorded at least five of Chapin's songs, always correctly listing Chapin as the composer. So, what I don't understand is why he would risk a lawsuit by committing plagiarism in this particular case. I'm still trying to find an explanation, I'll be sure to keep you and kytrad informed.

Regards,

T.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 12:41 PM

Turlough: In what year did MacKintosh record the song ? I heard Oscar Brand do it 30 years ago. Kytrad is a very close friend of Oscar Brand. In addition, she is a respected authority on folk music as well as a legendary performer in her own right. The times that I heard Oscar do the song, she appeared on the same program with him. If she says it is Oscar's song, I think she knows what she is talking about. SOL ZELLER

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Turlough
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 02:40 AM

kytrad,

you may be right, but still it IS credited as a MacKintosh song on his Cd "Just my cup of tea". For instance, see:

http://users.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/perf/singers1/ianm2.html

Iain MacKintosh is not just some young upstart busker, but an important figure in the Scottish folk scene (even though he has now retired). I am convinced that he wouldn't commit plagiarism, so I guess there might be some other kind of explanation. Can anybody help us out here?

T.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 01 Aug 04 - 08:24 PM

Yes Turlough, that is the general song. However, Oscar has Americanized it somewhat and his lyrics are a little different. One of his stanzas actually mentions speed limits like " I'm pushing 80 cause the car can do it". Of course he is referring to miles per hour as opposed to kilometers. SOL ZELLER

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie)
Date: 01 Aug 04 - 08:23 PM

Turlough, better brush up on your songwriters. This is definitely an Oscar Brand song, and if it is credited otherwise on anyone else's recording, perhaps tell him/her it ought to be corrected.

Subject: ADD: The Horse
From: Turlough
Date: 01 Aug 04 - 07:18 PM

Hello!

Hm, Oscar Brand doesn't ring a bell, but I DO know a song called "The Horse", written by Iain MacKintosh. I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but it does seem to match your description. Here it is:

The Horse

I'm driving down this motorway
No one's passed me yet
My arm on the edge of the window ledge
Makes the wind whistle like a jet
I got one finger on the steering wheel
To keep her steady on course
And I'm rolling like thunder but I sometimes wonder
Does anyone remember the horse

Then if you dozed, the reins went slack
The horse knew the way, he'd bring you back
Maybe you got there a little late
But the folks didn't mind if they had to wait
Does anyone remember the horse
Does anyone remember the horse

My foot's on the floor, she won't do any more
There's no use wasting time
Eyes fixed like a rifle sight
On that neverending centre line
My headlights are cutting through the night
And I'm moving like a natural force
And I'm rolling like thunder but I sometimes wonder
Does anyone remember the horse

Then the sun shone down from a clear blue sky
You tipped your head if a friend walked by
The horse didn't need any oil or gas
Just a drink of water and a feed of grass
Does anyone remember the horse
Does anyone remember the horse

A diesel on my tail, right behind me
In the mirror headlights blind me
He hits the button, the airhorns blast
But I'm in front, he won't get past
I won't slow down I don't know how
I won't slow down it's too late now
I curse the car the truck and the bus
They've killed the horse and they're killing us

Subject: Lyr Req: Does Anyone Remember The Horse
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 01 Aug 04 - 07:00 PM

I need the lyrics to this song that was written by Oscar Brand. He has perfomed it regularly in recent years but I have not been able to get all the words. It contrasts the modern mayhem of road rage on the highway today with the quiet times of a relaxed drive in a horse and buggy, in past years. SOL ZELLER