Dark Horse (song)

Dark Horse (song)

"Dark Horse" is a song by George Harrison and the title track of his 1974 album on Apple Records. The song was released as the album's lead single in North America, becoming a top 20 hit in the United States, but it was Harrison's first single not to chart in Britain when issued there in early 1975. Harrison also used the name for his record label, Dark Horse, and his 1974 North American tour with Ravi Shankar would come to be known as the Dark Horse Tour. Commentators and biographers recognise the song as Harrison's rebuttal to a number of possible detractors: reviewers who criticised the spiritual content of his Living in the Material World album, first wife Pattie Boyd, and even former Beatles bandmates John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Harrison recorded the song during rehearsals for his 1974 concerts, at a time when his overcommitment to business and musical projects had resulted in him losing his voice and contracting laryngitis. Harrison's singing was similarly affected throughout the ensuing tour. A number of music critics rate "Dark Horse" as one of Harrison's finest compositions from his solo career and believe that the single would have achieved greater success had Harrison been able to give a cleaner vocal performance. The recording reflected Harrison's embracing of the jazz-funk musical genre, thanks to contributions from musicians such as Tom Scott, Jim Horn, Billy Preston, Willie Weeks and Andy Newmark.

Harrison played "Dark Horse" throughout both the 1974 tour and his 1991 Japanese tour with Eric Clapton, which was Harrison's only other series of concerts as a solo artist. A live version of the song appears on his 1992 album Live in Japan. Recordings also exist of Harrison performing the song during radio and television appearances, although none of these versions have been released officially. The studio recording has yet to be remastered since Dark Horse and the 1976 compilation The Best of George Harrison were issued on compact disc in the early 1990s.