Summary
"Horse Outside" is a song by Irish comedy group The Rubberbandits. It was released on 8 December 2010,[1] after its accompanying music video was aired on RTÉ Television programme Republic of Telly. The video gained almost 2.5 million views in ten days on YouTube[2] and by November 2023 over 22 million views. It was targeted to become the Irish Christmas number one single of 2010, ultimately finishing second.[3][4]
| "Horse Outside" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Rubberbandits | ||||
| from the album Serious About Men | ||||
| Released | December 8, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop, comedy | |||
| Length | 3:36 (single version) | |||
| Label | Lovely Men | |||
| Songwriter(s) | The Rubberbandits | |||
| The Rubberbandits singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official video | ||||
| "Horse Outside" on YouTube | ||||
It has also resulted in first one then two lifesize models of a horses, painted by young people aged 10–18, being an art installation outside the Hunt Museum in Limerick. The models, which are made of fibreglass, are kept inside overnight.[5]
Promotion edit
On 17 December 2010, the Rubberbandits appeared on The Late Late Show but did not perform the song.[6] "If you go on The Late, Late Show they make you perform without cursing," main member Blindboy Boat Club said. "There are 17 instances of the word "fuck" in the our song and we don't want to perform it without those curses so we're not doing it." RTÉ insisted the reason was that the programme was "fully booked" for live performances, and The Rubberbandits had been a "last-minute" addition. Instead, the programme aired a portion of the video.[7]
Video edit
The video, directed by Peter Foott, shows a wedding scene and used exterior shots from Milford Church, with interior shots filmed in a contemplative centre at the University of Limerick. The video features Irish model Madeline Mulqueen playing the sought-after bridesmaid at the wedding.[8]
Campaign for the Christmas number one edit
International press (such as the Spectator and CNBC)[9] picked up on the phenomenon running blog pieces on the video and its content after its success on YouTube. Paddy Power placed the track at 8/11 and as favourite for Christmas number one single in Ireland.[10][11] However, the effort fell short, finishing at #2 on the Christmas chart and losing to The X Factor winner Matt Cardle by over 25,000 sales, in part because the record companies failed to deliver the 25,000 extra singles to record stores until one day after the deadline for the Christmas charts. Most stores were sold out of the existing stocks, which originally had only 5,000 available.[4]
Charts edit
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[12] | 2 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[13] | 160 |
References edit
- ^ "therubberbandits.com". therubberbandits.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-15. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ^ "Rubberbandits profess X-Factor ignorance". The Irish Times. 2010-12-12.
- ^ "Limerick's Rubberbandits could deny X-Factor winner Matt the Christmas No 1 in Ireland". Limerick Leader. 2010-12-13. Archived from the original on 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
- ^ a b Muldoon, Molly (2010-12-25). The Rubberbandits lose out on Christmas number one to X factor winner.
- ^ Limerick Leader 5 Jul 2012 Limerick’s ‘Horse Outside’ continues to inspire
- ^ "Byrne and Bandits for Late Late". RTÉ News. 2010-12-17. Archived from the original on 2010-12-19. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
- ^ Sweeney, Ken; Duggan, Barry (2010-12-17). "Bandits' horseplay too hot to handle for Late Late". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
- ^ Sweeney, Ken (2010-12-18). "Model steals limelight from Bandits". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
- ^ "News Headlines". Cnbc.com. 2010-12-10. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ^ Average Response Time. "Christmas No.1s Betting". Paddypower.com. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ^ "Rubberbandits hoping for Christmas No 1". RTÉ News. 2010-12-13. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Horse Outside". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
External links edit
- Alex Massie, "A Horse Outside," The Spectator blog (12 December 2010)