"Ride a White Horse" is a song by English

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

duo

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...

. The song was written by

Alison Goldfrapp Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp (born 13 May 1966) is an English musician and record producer, known as the vocalist of English electronic music duo Goldfrapp. Early life Goldfrapp was born on 13 May 1966, in Enfield, London, the youngest o ...

Will Gregory William Owen Gregory (born 17 September 1959) is an English musician and record producer. He is best known as the lead keyboardist, producer, and composer of the electronic music duo Goldfrapp. Early life Gregory was born in Bristol, the son ...

and Nick Batt for Goldfrapp's third album '' Supernature'' (2005). The song was inspired by the

disco era Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

nightclub

Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theater and a former disco nightclub at 254 West 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Operated by the Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 has 1,006 seats on two levels. The theater was ...

.Timmermans, Arjan
"Interview with Goldfrapp
ArjanWrites.com. 9 December 2005. Retrieved 31 December 2008. The song was released as the album's third single in February 2006 to positive reviews from music critics. It was a commercial success, reaching the top forty on the majority of the charts it entered. The song has been remixed a number of times and was featured in the American television program ''

The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama that aired on Showtime from January 18, 2004 to March 8, 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated with Ilene Ch ...

''.

Background and writing

"Ride a White Horse" is an

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

–

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

song that was inspired by the

. Alison Goldfrapp had grown up listening to

T.Rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...

and Polish disco music, and many assumed that she based the song's lyrics around

Bianca Jagger Bianca Jagger (born Blanca Pérez-Mora Macías; 2 May 1945)

's infamous entrance into

on a white horse. The song was composed as a collaborative effort between Goldfrapp and

in late 2004 in a rented cottage in the countryside of Bath, England.Lash, Jolie
"Goldfrapp Unleash ''Supernature''"
''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

''. 7 March 2006. Retrieved 31 December 2008. The song was written and recorded while Goldfrapp and Gregory were "jamming in the recording studio, bouncing song ideas off each other".Gallant, Michael
"Retro Disco Ooh La La"
. ''

Keyboard Magazine ''Keyboard'' is a magazine that originally covered electronic keyboard instruments and keyboardists, though with the advent of computer-based recording and audio technology, they have added digital music technology to their regular coverage, inc ...

''. Retrieved 31 December 2008. "Ride a White Horse" is written in the common verse-chorus form and features instrumentation from

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s and a

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

.''Supernature'' (CD liner notes).

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, Grinderm ...

. August 2005. The US maxi CD single featured a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of " Boys Will Be Boys" as its

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

. The song was originally performed by British

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

group

the Ordinary Boys The Ordinary Boys are an English indie rock band from Worthing, West Sussex. Originally a hardcore outfit named Next in Line, they are influenced by punk rock and Britpop music, as well as the bands the Clash, the Specials, the Jam, the Kinks ...

Music video

The music video for "Ride a White Horse" was directed by Diane Martel and filmed in London, England in December 2005. The video features Alison Goldfrapp, dressed in a white

romper A romper suit, usually shortened to romper, is a one-piece or two-piece combination of shorts and a shirt. It is also known as a playsuit. Its generally short sleeves and pant-legs contrast with the long ones of the adult jumpsuit. History ...

, in multiple disturbing situations. The video begins with Goldfrapp, her back to the camera, trailing toilet paper from one of her spike heels, singing into a microphone made of a cardboard roll and aluminium foil. As she sings, footage of rotting food is displayed behind her. She is then shown eating a slice of pizza covered in cigarette butts and bottlecaps. The next scenes feature Goldfrapp pulling a large plastic dog; singing in front of a man bandaged in toilet paper eating from a garbage can; and dancing with dirty men that came out of a trashbin dressed in their underwear. The video concludes with Goldfrapp forcing the leg of the bandaged man into a toilet. In 2006, the video was nominated at the Festival International des Arts du Clip in the "Off Competition" category for its audacity and off beat sense of humour. The complete version of "Ride a White Horse" featured in the music video has been released commercially through

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

s and digital downloads, and some include remixes by Serge Santiágo and Ewan Pearson. An alternate music video was also filmed live at the

Brixton Academy Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...

in London, England on 6 October 2005. The video was directed by Matthew Amos and released on the song's

DVD single A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

Critical reception

"Ride a White Horse" received positive reviews from music critics. MusicOMH.com's Michael Hubbard called the song "one of the most glamorous and erotic tracks" on ''Supernature'', and

Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...

described it as "memorable" because of its "combination of a decently danceable groove and some nicely arch vocals". In a review for

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

, Adrien Begrand wrote that "Ride a White Horse" was "destined for club hit status", comparing Alison Goldfrapp's "cold, husky croon" to

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

Marketing and release

In March 2007, "Ride a White Horse" was featured on an episode of the American television program ''

''. The episode titled "Literary License to Kill" featured the group performing the song at The Planet while the characters celebrated a birthday. A radio edit of the song was also featured on the program's soundtrack released in January 2007. "Ride a White Horse" was released as a various formats throughout the world. While most territories received a

and digital download release, the single was released as two

s on 13 February 2006 in the UK. A

was also issued and included behind the scenes footage of Goldfrapp on tour and a live music video for "Ride a White Horse". On 27 February 2006, two 12-inch vinyl singles were issued. In Australia, a CD single was issued on 6 March 2006.

Commercial performance

"Ride a White Horse" entered the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

on 25 February 2006 at number 15, remaining on the chart for three weeks. The song proved popular on UK radio, charting at number 23 on the airplay chart. In Ireland, the song reached number 36 on the singles chart before exiting the following week. In the United States, "Ride a White Horse" was released as the album's final single. The song did not perform as well as its predecessors on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Dance Chart, reaching only number 29. The song, however, did peak at number three on the

Hot Dance Singles Sales In the issue dated March 16, 1985, '' Billboard'' magazine debuted its first chart devoted exclusively to 12-inch Singles Sales. The 50-position weekly ranking joined ''Billboard''s established Club Songs chart, reduced to the same 50 positions, ...

chart.

Track listings

* CD single 1 (UK) # "Ride a White Horse" (Single Version) – 3:46 # "Slide In" ( DFA Remix (Edit)) – 5:24 * CD single 2 (UK) # "Ride a White Horse" (Serge Santiágo Re-Edit) – 8:09 # "Ride a White Horse" ( FK- EK Vocal Version) – 7:48 # "Ride a White Horse" (FK Disco Whores Dub) – 7:40 # "Ride a White Horse" (

Ewan Pearson Ewan Pearson (born 1 April 1972) is an English electronic music producer/remixer who works under various aliases including Maas, Sulky Pup, Villa America, World of Apples, and Dirtbox. He is also in Partial Arts with Al Usher. He has remixed ...

Disco Odyssey Parts 1 + 2) – 15:13 * DVD single (UK) # "Ride a White Horse" (Live in London)* – 7:12 # "Supernature Tour Access All Areas" – 4:25 # "Number 1" (

Múm Múm (stylized in lowercase) () is an Icelandic indietronica band whose music is characterized by soft vocals, electronic glitch beats and effects, and a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments. History The band was formed in 1 ...

Remix) (Audio) – 2:37 * 12-inch single 1 (UK) # "Ride a White Horse" (Serge Santiágo Re-Edit) – 8:05 # "Ride a White Horse" (FK-EK Vocal Version) – 7:45 * Filmed at

, 6 October 2005. * 12-inch single 2 (UK) # "Ride a White Horse" (Ewan Pearson Disco Odyssey Parts 1 + 2) – 15:12 # "Ride a White Horse" (FK Disco Whores Dub) – 7:37 * Digital single # "Ride a White Horse" (Single Version) – 3:44 # "Slide In" (DFA Remix) (Edit) – 5:21 # "Ride a White Horse" (Serge Santiágo Re-Edit) – 8:07 # "Ride a White Horse" (FK-EK Vocal Version) – 7:48 # "Ride a White Horse" (FK Disco Whores Dub) – 7:41 # "Ride a White Horse" (Ewan Pearson Disco Odyssey Pt. 1) – 6:53 # "Ride a White Horse" (Ewan Pearson Disco Odyssey Pts. 1 + 2) – 15:13 # "Number 1" (Múm Remix) – 2:33

Personnel

The following people contributed to ''Ride a White Horse'': * Alison Goldfrapp – lead

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, backing vocals,

Nick Batt DNA was the name taken by English electronic music producers Nick Batt and Neal Slateford, best known for releasing a remix of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner" in 1990. As well as "Tom's Diner", the duo remixed two other Suzanne Vega tracks: " ...

– synthesizer, programming *

– synthesizer * Daniel Miller – synthesizer *

Charlie Jones Charles, Charlie, Charley or Chuck Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Chuck Jones (1912–2002), American animator, director, and producer * Charles Jones (c. 1889–1942), American actor better known as Buck Jones * Charles Jones (pho ...

– bass *

– programming *

Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sheeran ...

– mixing * Ted Jensen – mastering

Charts

Release history

References

External links

official website. {{Authority control 2005 songs 2006 singles Disco songs Goldfrapp songs Music videos directed by Diane Martel Mute Records singles Songs written by Alison Goldfrapp Songs written by Will Gregory