Johnny the Horse

Infobox Single
Name=Johnny The Horse


Artist=Madness
from Album=Wonderful
Released=October, 1999
Format=CD
Recorded=
Genre=Pop
Length=3:19
Label=Virgin Records
Writer = Carl Smyth
Producer= Clive Langer
Alan Winstanley
Chart position=UK #44
Reviews=
Artist=Madness
Last single="Lovestruck"
(1999)
This single="Johnny The Horse"
(1999)
Next single="Drip Fed Fred"
(2000)

"Johnny The Horse" is a single by British band Madness from their 1999 album "Wonderful". The song struggled to make an impact in the charts after the success of "Lovestruck", and peaked at #44.

Carl Smyth explained that "The song Johnny the Horse was inspired by a couple of tramps who I used to see often sitting and drinking cheap booze on a wall locally. One day one of them was crying and, after asking him what was the problem, he told me that his friend had been beaten and killed whilst trying to sleep in an empty building. The name is the kind of tag that Scots or Irish might give to a strong drinking hard man type." Another quote states that "...it's funny how people's lives can unravel y'know. So that's what it's about. Who remembers them, they've had a life and then sort of fall between the cracks."

Although bonus track "You're Wonderful" is listed as a remix, this is the only version of the song to be released. It might be considered to be the title track of the album from which this single is taken; although the track itself did not actually appear on "Wonderful", a snippet does appear in the preview medley featured on the "Lovestruck" single.

Track listing

Two versions of the single were released on CD.

CD1
# "Johnny The Horse" (Smyth) - 3:19
# "You're Wonderful (Remix)" (Smyth) - 3:40
# "Johnny The Horse (Enhanced Video)"

CD2
# "Johnny The Horse" (Smyth) - 3:19
# "I Was The One" (Barson) - 3:07
# "Dreaming Man" (Smyth/Foreman) - 3:07