Marshall studied music extensively in childhood, attending the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, but she first grabbed attention while attending high school at Jarvis Collegiate, often performing as an 'opening act' for other local bands performing cover songs by artists like Janis Joplin at venues like The Concert Hall, The Horseshoe Tavern, and Lee's Palace. While performing on the Queen Street West bar scene she eventually met guitarist Jeff Healey, who was struck by her powerful voice and took her on tour. She was subsequently signed to a management contract by Jeff's drummer, Tom Stephen, who had formed Forte Management and Forte Records to handle Jeff's career, and Tom successfully negotiated a record deal with Sony's Epic Records.
In 1995, Marshall released her self-titled debut album, and it was a massive hit in Canada, spawning six Top 40 hits -- "Let It Rain", "Beautiful Goodbye", "Dark Horse", "Fall From Grace", "Sitting on Top of the World" and "Birmingham". Unfortunately, it was not immediately released in the USA, and it did not receive the same radio attention when it eventually hit the shelves; although it did crack Billboard's Heatseekers Chart for several months. The album remains her biggest hit internationally. Elton John described Amanda as "his favourite new American artist" while being interviewed on Late Night with David Letterman, when asked who he's listening to.
In 1999, she released her follow-up album, Tuesday's Child, which was produced by Don Was (B-52's, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Michael McDonald, Iggy Pop, Bonnie Raitt, The Rolling Stones), and features collaborations by songwriting heavyweights Carole King and Eric Bazilian. It followed in the same vein as her debut, with a mix of soulful pop songs and ballads, highlighting her powerful voice. Her song "Ride" would be featured in the film The Replacements and on its soundtrack. Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi was the guest guitarist on the track called "Why Don't You Love Me". Another one of the CD's hit singles, "Believe In You," which she co-wrote with Eric Bazilian, was featured on the TV show `Touched By An Angel` and its official soundtrack, and the song is currently on the Believe fund-raising compilation marketed by CharityCDs.com.
In 2001, she released her third album, Everybody's Got A Story, which was produced by Peter Asher (Cher, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Chantal Kreviazuk, Bonnie Raitt, Diana Ross, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor). It marked a change in style and sound for Marshall, with a more noticeable R&B direction. Her singles "Everybody's Got a Story" and "Sunday Morning After" received major Canadian airplay.
In 2003, Sony released a 16 song singles compilation entitled Intermission - The Singles Collection. Unfortunately, shortly after this release Sony BMG did not renew Amanda's contract, and she has been without the support of a major record label. On November 28, 2006, Sony BMG released another greatest hits "anthology" entitled Collections.
Amanda is currently in a legal dispute with her former management that has prevented her from releasing new material.
Fans of Amanda Marshall can join her fan group at Last.fm by clicking this link:
http://www.last.fm/group/Amanda+Marshall
Dark Horse
Amanda Marshall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were new in town, I was nineteen
And the sparks flew
They called us crazy behind our backs
Romantic fools, we just let them laugh
Because we knew
It may be a long shot
Love knows no reason
And I won't let 'em make up my mind
My money's riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is saying it's the lucky one
And it's true color's gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run
Stars are brighter in the desert sky
No need to wonder or justify
Where this will lead
I wear your locket, our picture's inside
Inscription says "The joy's in the ride"
And I believe
Something so sacred
Is something worth this kind of fight
'Cause love knows no patience, no, no
You can't please everyone all the time
My money's riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is saying it's the lucky one
And it's true color's gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run
So rare
So sweet
Together baby, I know
We can disappear
Be free
Ooh-ooh
My money's riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is saying it's the lucky one
And it's true color's gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let it run, baby
My money's riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is saying it's the lucky one
And it's true color's gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run
Indian summer, Abeline
You were new in town, I was nineteen
Yeah, baby
In the summertime
Hey, yeah
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
"Dark Horse" is a song that Amanda Marshall released in the year 1995 on her debut album with the same name. The song discusses the prosperous, carefree, and hopeful spirit of two young lovers who embark on a new affair in their small Texas city of Abilene. The song is filled with imagery, from the “brighter stars in the desert sky” to the “sacred” fighting for true love despite the odds. The song encourages people to take risks and follow their hearts, regardless of the difficulties they may encounter, and that love is worth fighting for. Marshall emphasizes her confidence and conviction in their love and states that her money is on this “dark horse,” which is the metaphor for the odds against them, which describes how she’s willing to go against the odds if it means they’ll be together.
Throughout the song, Amanda Marshall uses playful and casual language, such as “yeah, baby” and “ooh yeah” to emphasize the light-heartedness of the early stages of love. The song appears to be inspired by her true experiences since she was nineteen years old when she released her first album. Her personal life, marriage, and struggle with depression had a significant impact on her songwriting, and this track appears to be about finding love despite the outside pressures and challenges. She sings a message of pure, unadulterated love and encourages listeners to believe in their path and the feelings that guide them, regardless of what anyone else may say.
Line by Line Meaning
Indian summer
It was a warm and beautiful summer day
Abeline
Abeline is the place where they met
You were new in town, I was nineteen
He was new in town at that time and she was nineteen years old
And sparks flew
There was an instant connection between them
They called us crazy behind our backs
People were talking bad things about them
"Romantic fools," we just let them laugh
They both were in love, and they didn't care what other people were saying
Because we knew
They both knew that their love was true
It may be a long shot
It may seem difficult
We may get lonely down the line
They might feel lonely in the future
But love knows no reason
Love cannot be explained logically
And I won't let 'em make up my mind
They won't let other people decide for them
My money's riding on this dark horse, baby
They are betting on their relationship even if it seems uncertain
My heart is saying it's the lucky one
They are confident that their feelings and intuition are correct
And it's true color's gonna shine through someday
Their relationship will reveal its true nature one day
If we let this, let this dark horse run
If they continue to nurture their relationship, it will improve and succeed
The stars are brighter in the desert sky
The desert sky is so beautiful and clear that the stars look brighter
No need to wonder or justify
No need to question their love or explain it to others
Where this will lead
No need to know where their relationship will take them
I wear your locket, our picture's inside
She wears his locket with their picture inside of it
Inscription says 'the joy's in the ride'
The inscription on the locket says that the happiness is in their journey together
And I believe
She believes their journey will be worth it
That something so sacred
Their love is something special and meaningful
Is something worth this kind of fight
Their love is worth fighting for
Cause love knows no patience
Love doesn't require patience or waiting, it just happens naturally
You can't please everyone all the time
It's impossible to make everyone happy, so they shouldn't try to please others at the cost of their relationship
So rare
Their love is special and unique
So sweet
Their love is pure and delightful
Together baby, I know
They are together, and she is confident that their relationship will last
We can disappear
They can forget about the world and focus on their love for each other
Be free
They can be free to love each other without any doubts or fears
In the summertime
During the summer, they enjoyed their love and each other's company
Yeah, yeah
An expression of excitement and enthusiasm
Ooh, yeah
An expression of satisfaction and contentment
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Anthem Entertainment, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Amanda Marshall, Dean McTaggart, David Michael Tyson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jacquidoucet8308
Still one of my favorites in 2023. She's amazing and still putting out great music. ❤
@staceychutskoff1232
Yess!
@jeffreybarkin3177
AMANDA is currently Touring again...
She's AWESOME #Live!
❤
@mariochanderbhan1792
I bought her CD : Amanda Marshall back in the 90s. I never regretted it. Every SINGLE song was a masterpiece. Beautiful lady; Beautiful Voice.
@eugeniaolt7426
Couldn't agree more!
@staceychutskoff1232
Yess!
@peace-and-quiet
Love this ENTIRE album! I walked into Tower Records one day feeling the need for something new and different than what I'd been listening to. This CD was featured as one of those free listens in the store. I took a chance and bought the new CD. Never looked back. Still play it.
Amanda pls, pls pls come to N. California! Still sounding spectacular. Much ❤ !
@autk
Walked into Coconut's in the mall as usual looking for new music when this first came out, ...was my Spring and Summer soundtrack 96, with some Jann Arden, ...rock and roll guitarist and this album gave me peace away from that world...still doing it. Thanks Amanda 🖤
@bobhill3941
I loved this song and video as a 90's kid and I still come back to it.
@Vapour38
I saw her in concert before and unlike all the autotuned and over produced garbage some people call music, her talent was undeniable. Amazing voice..