Dark Horse (Amanda Marshall song)

"Dark Horse" is a song co-written with Dean McTaggart and David Tyson, and originally recorded by Canadian pop singer Amanda Marshall. It was the fifth single from her 1995 self-titled debut album and became another hit for Marshall in Canada, reaching number five on the RPM Top Singles chart and peaking atop the RPM Adult Contemporary chart. It also became a minor hit in Australia and Germany. In 1997, American country music singer Mila Mason covered the song for her own debut album, That's Enough of That. Her version reached number 21 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and number 12 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.

"Dark Horse"
Single by Amanda Marshall
from the album Amanda Marshall
ReleasedJanuary 8, 1997
Recorded1995
GenreAdult contemporary
Length5:37
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Amanda Marshall
David Tyson
Dean McTaggart
Producer(s)David Tyson
Amanda Marshall singles chronology
"Beautiful Goodbye"
(1996)		 "Dark Horse"
(1997)		 "Sitting On Top of the World"
(1997)

Critical reception

Colin Larkin, in The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, wrote that it was "more personal" than the other story songs on Marshall's album.[1] Jeremy Helligar of Entertainment Weekly said that Marshall "drums up momentum with the gently percussive 'Dark Horse'".[2] While not a music critic, Elton John remarked on The Rosie O'Donnell Show that "Dark Horse" was a "guaranteed hit" after he mentioned that he was listening to Amanda Marshall's album.[3]

Chart performance

"Dark Horse" peaked at number five on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart on the issue of March 17, 1997.[4] The single also peaked at number one on the same publication's Adult Contemporary chart two weeks later.[5] It was the twenty-seventh most successful song of 1997 in Canada and the third-most successful adult contemporary hit of the year in the country.[6][7] The song also charted within the lower reaches on the charts of Australia and Germany, making it to numbers 70 and 93 respectively.[8][9] Despite its low peak on the German chart, it stayed in the top 100 for six nonconsecutive weeks.[9]

Weekly charts
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[8] 70
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[4] 5
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[5] 1
Germany (Official German Charts)[9] 93

Year-end charts
Chart (1997) Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] 27
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[7] 3

Mila Mason version
"Dark Horse"
Single by Mila Mason
from the album That's Enough of That
B-side"I Do"[10]
ReleasedFebruary 1997
GenreCountry
Length4:59
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Amanda Marshall
David Tyson
Dean McTaggart
Producer(s)Blake Mevis
Mila Mason singles chronology
"That's Enough of That"
(1996)		 "Dark Horse"
(1997)		 "That's the Kinda Love (That I'm Talkin' About)"
(1997)

Mila Mason's version appears on her 1996 debut album That's Enough of That. It was the second single from the album, entering the charts in February 1997.

Critical reception

Brian Wahlert of Country Standard Time described Mason's cover as "the least country song on the album" but said that "Mason's smoky voice works perfectly on the opening lyric […] and the pretty ensuing story of young love that lasted."[11]

Chart performance

Mason's version of the song spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, peaking at number 21. In Canada, it peaked at number 12 on the RPM Country Tracks charts dated for May 12, 1997.[12]

Weekly charts
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[12] 12
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[13] 21

Year-end charts
Chart (1997) Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[14] 86

References
  1. Larkin, Colin (1997). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. 5. MacMillan. p. 3477.
  2. Helligar, Jeremy (13 December 1996). "Amanda Marshall review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  3. "Sir Elton provided shocker". Archived from the original on November 21, 2014.
  4. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3155." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  5. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3162." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  6. "RPM '97 Year End Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  7. "RPM '97 Year End Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  8. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  9. "Offiziellecharts.de – Amanda Marshall – Dark Horse". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  10. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 258. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
  11. Wahlert, Brian. "That's Enough of That review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  12. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 3207." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. May 12, 1997. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  13. "Mila Mason Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  14. "RPM '97 Year End Top 100 Country Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
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