Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 63

Echo & the Bunnymen - "Bring on the Dancing Horses"



(Single Release: November 1985)
Ta-da! Here now is the last entry in my survey of great songs from 1985. In my opinion, I saved the best for last. I have already mentioned this band as one of my holy triumvirate, along with the Smiths and New Order, which completely opened my world to a brand new kind of musical experience. Not that this is some kind of transcendental thing, but I suppose it is as close as pop music comes in my personal experience. Though I am not really one for nonsensical lyrics, "Bring on the Dancing Horses" is an exception, especially because they seem to be literary, either metaphors for another experience, or allusions to past material (it always makes me think of Equus). I have not tried that hard to find an interpretation because I think it might be ruined for me. Whether it's about the realization of the end of a relationship or about drug abuse (as nearly every commenter on song lyric sites seem to think about EVERY song), it doesn't seem to matter to me. I'd rather listen to this gorgeous song in blissful ignorance, then sing along with "Shiver and say the words / of every lie you've heard / First I'm gonna make it / Then I'm gonna break it / Till it falls apart / Hating all the faking / And shaking while I'm breaking / Your brittle heart." I first heard this track as I was just discovering Echo. I picked up their compilation album, Songs to Learn and Sing and it shook me to the core. "Bring on the Dancing Horses" was not only a brand new single, but it was also included on this compilation. It was originally recorded specifically for the John Hughes film (a running theme), Pretty in Pink, but the band released it four months early. I have saved this song for last as it pretty much defines 1985, and most of 1986 for me. It is a musical shove beyond Top 40 radio and into what was then called either college rock or alternative. I ended up seeing Echo & the Bunnymen perform twice, and they have remained one of my go-to bands over the successive years. For some, the inclusion of just one new song on a compilation album of past singles might have been a gimmick, but for me, in this instance, it was a touchstone and a symbol of what would be a lifelong passion. "Bring on the new messiah / Wherever he may roam."