"Goodbye Horses" is a 1988 song sung by Q Lazzarus. It was written and produced by William Garvey. Four versions of the song exist, which last 3:12, 4:20, 5:40 and 6:28. According to its writer, "the song is about transcendence over those who see the world as only earthly and finite. The horses represent the five senses discussed in the Bhagavad Gita and the ability to lift one’s perception above these physical limitations and to see beyond this limited Earthly perspective." The song was featured in the 1991 filmThe Silence of the Lambs, and was released as a single in the UK via All Nations Records. In 2008, a set of remixes by William Garvey was released, titled "Goodbye Horses - The Garvey Remixes". It includes the remix made exclusively for the film Clerks II.
Cover versions
In 1996, Psyche's cover version of "Goodbye Horses" was released as the B-side to their single "You Ran Away". This recording became popular enough that the band decided to make an extended version and include it on their album Strange Romance at the end of the same year. When the trailer for Clerks II appeared promoting the movie, Psyche entered the top ten downloads on the iTunes Electronic chart. The song is featured on two "best of" compilations, Misguided Angels and Legacy, as well as a recent limited Australian tour CD collection entitled Club Salvation, and remains a staple in the band's live repertoire to this day. In 2009, a compilation on Metropolis Records entitled Until the Shadows contains Psyche's re-recording entitled "Goodbye Horses " which corrects the previously misinterpreted verse "lying over you" to "flying over you". Over the last decade, the song has been covered by other performers including Gil Mantera's Party Dream. In 2009, The Airborne Toxic Event began performing a cover of the song in their live performances. The Whitest Boy Alive covered the song during Lowlands '09. In October 2009, Brad Sucks released a cover of "Goodbye Horses" on his website. At their NYE 2010/2011 show, Snowden debuted a cover featuring Corinne on lead vocals. However, aside from the original, only Psyche's interpretation has maintained its popularity. Electronic bandFan Death and garage-revival band Harlem have also covered the song. Liverpudlian band Lovecraft, signed to the Probe Plus label, performed the song at live shows. In 2010, indie band Venus Infers released two different mixes of their version of the song on their album You'll Understand When You're Older. Also, Island Def Jam artists The Airborne Toxic Event released a live CD/DVD, entitled All I've Ever Wanted, containing a performance of the song. In 2011, Kele Okereke of Bloc Party released a cover of "Goodbye Horses" on his EP The Hunter. This cover of the song is 4 minutes and 12 seconds long. It was produced by Daniel Lindegren, with additional production by Fred Falke. A fan made video for the song was uploaded to YouTube on March 25, 2011, many months before the release of the EP. Kele posted the video on his blog. On March 5, 2012, Psyche released an updated extended mix of their 2009 re-recording of "Goodbye Horses", now retitled "21st Century Immortality Mix". This version is featured on the A-side of "All Things Pass Into the Night" on the Optimo music label, and distributed by Kompakt. There is also an official video for the "Immortality Mix" on YouTube. In 2013, Wild Beasts frontman Hayden Thorpe and Jon Hopkins recorded a sparse piano-driven cover of the track which accompanied the re-release of Lazzarus's original. In 2018, indie duo Belle Mare recorded a cover of the song to celebrate the reemergence of Q Lazzarus earlier in the year.
