From the cowboy songs of the old west to more recent rock and roll and pop, horses are featured frequently in music. This continuing series takes a look at some of those songs and the people who recorded them.
In October, we started with songs about the Old West from Gene Autry. This time, we are completely changing genres and examining a rock song where horses were used as a symbol. And, ironically, of how a band known for their clean living and ethics had their song banned over a misunderstanding of that very symbolism.
Crazy Horses by The Osmonds
Written by Alan, Wayne, and Merrill Osmond, Crazy Horses showed that The Osmonds were more than a bubblegum or boy band group, and the song has had many covers by other rock bands since it was first released in 1972. Ozzie Osbourne is reported to have said it is one of his favorite rock songs of all.
Crazy Horses was a song about ecology and the environment. Jay Osmond (who sang lead), says that the phrase "crazy horses" is actually a reference to "...gas guzzling cars destroying the planet..." (The Guardian, January 23, 2017.)
If you didn't experience the 1970s, then you may not realize the extent pollution had gotten to. I remember going up to Gary and Chicago and getting headaches from the fumes coming from the factories, the particulate matter that fell constantly from the smokestacks, and the yellow-brown color of the sky due to all the pollution from the factories and the city. It was awful.
This photo is from Inner Mongolia, China (Google Images) but it illustrates how the skies looked back then .
Ironically, South Africa banned sales of the song, claiming that the phrase "crazy horses" was a reference to heroin. France, too, banned the song over the phrase, "smoking' up the sky," believing it was a reference to drugs.
Like Ozzie Osbourne, Crazy Horses is one of my favorite rock songs of all time. Take a listen and see what you think.
