Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have … Read Full Bio ↴Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Other commercially successful singles include "Glittering Prize" (1982), "Someone Somewhere in Summertime" (1982), "Waterfront" (1983) and "Alive and Kicking" (1985), as well as the UK number one single "Belfast Child" (1989).

Simple Minds have achieved 24 top 40 singles on the UK Singles Chart, including eight top 10 and one number one, and 26 albums on the UK Albums Chart, including 22 top 40 albums, 12 top 10 albums and five number one albums: Sparkle in the Rain (1984), Once Upon a Time (1985), Live in the City of Light (1987), Street Fighting Years (1989), and Glittering Prize 81/92 (1992). They have sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, and were the most commercially successful Scottish band of the 1980s. Simple Minds have also achieved considerable chart success in the United States, Australia, Germany, Spain, Italy and New Zealand. Despite various personnel changes, they continue to record and tour.

In 2014, Simple Minds were awarded the Q Inspiration Award for their contribution to the music industry and an Ivor Novello Award in 2016 for Outstanding Song Collection from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors (BASCA). Other notable recognitions include nominations for both the MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction and MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" in 1985, nomination for the Brit Award for British Group in 1986 and for the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group in 1987. "Belfast Child" was nominated for the Song of the Year at the Brit Awards 1990.

The nucleus of Simple Minds consists of the two remaining original members, Jim Kerr (vocals) and Charlie Burchill (electric and acoustic guitars, occasional keyboards after 1990, saxophone and violin). The other current band members are Ged Grimes (bass guitar), Cherisse Osei (drums), Sarah Brown (backing vocals), Gordy Goudie (additional guitar and keyboards) and Berenice Scott (keyboards). Notable former members include Mick MacNeil (keyboards), Derek Forbes (bass guitar), Brian McGee and Mel Gaynor (drums).

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Minds

Discography
Life in a Day (1979)
Real to Real Cacophony (1979)
Empires and Dance (1980)
Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call (1981)
New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (1982)
Sparkle in the Rain (1984)
Once Upon a Time (1985)
Street Fighting Years (1989)
Real Life (1991)
Good News from the Next World (1995)
Néapolis (1998)
Our Secrets Are the Same (1999/2004)
Neon Lights (2001)
Cry (2002)
Black & White 050505 (2005)
Graffiti Soul (2009)
Big Music (2014)
Acoustic (2016)
Walk Between Worlds (2018)
Direction of the Heart (2022)

Bring on the Dancing Horses
Simple Minds Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Jimmy Brown
Made of stone
Charlie Clown
No way home
Bringing on the dancing horses
Headless and all alone
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

Billy stands
All alone
Sinking sand
Skin and bone
Bring on the dancing horses
Wherever they may roam
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

Brittle heart
Brittle heart
And my little heart
Goes

Jimmy Brown
Made of stone
Charlie Clown
No way home

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

Bring on the new messiah
Wherever he may roam
Brittle heart
Brittle heart

And our little hearts
Go

Overall Meaning

Bring on the Dancing Horses by Simple Minds is a song about the elusive and transient nature of life. The song is a metaphorical journey through life, from birth to death, represented through images of headless, dancing horses, sinking sand, and broken, brittle hearts. The chorus "First I'm going to make it, then I'm going to break it, till it falls apart, hating all the faking, and shaking while I'm breaking, your brittle heart" captures the struggle to find meaning and purpose in life, while also acknowledging the inevitability of ultimate failure and loss.

The song opens with Jimmy Brown, a character made of stone, and Charlie Clown, who has no way home, bringing on the dancing horses, headless and all alone. This imagery is symbolic of the journey through life, where we are often faced with challenges and obstacles that we must navigate on our own. The reference to "bringing on the dancing horses" suggests a desire for celebration and revelry despite the difficulties encountered.

The second verse introduces the character Billy, who stands all alone in sinking sand, representative of the feeling of isolation and helplessness experienced during challenging times. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the theme of the song, emphasizing the idea that life is a cycle of creation and destruction, growth and decay.

Line by Line Meaning

Jimmy Brown
Refers to a person named Jimmy Brown

Made of stone
Suggests that Jimmy Brown is strong and unyielding

Charlie Clown
Refers to a person named Charlie Clown

No way home
Suggests that Charlie Clown is lost or without direction

Bringing on the dancing horses
Inviting or introducing excitement and energy to a situation

Headless and all alone
Metaphorically suggests that the excitement is aimless or misguided

Shiver and say the words
Implies fear or discomfort while communicating lies

Of every lie you've heard
The lies being communicated are not unique and are repeated

First I'm gonna make it
Expresses confidence in achieving a goal

Then I'm gonna break it
Suggests a desire to dismantle or destroy what was just achieved

Till it falls apart
Indicates a negative or destructive outcome

Hating all the faking
Disapproving of insincerity or deceit

And shaking while I'm breaking
Possibly involves fear or nervousness while carrying out the destructive actions

Your brittle heart
Refers to the target of destruction as weak, fragile, or easily broken

Billy stands
Refers to a person named Billy

All alone
Suggests that Billy is isolated

Sinking sand
Describes a situation that is unstable and unreliable

Skin and bone
Implies that Billy is weak or malnourished

Wherever they may roam
Indicates that the dancing horses are free to move and explore

Brittle heart
Repeats the earlier reference to a weak and fragile heart

And my little heart
Refers to the singer's heart, possibly as a contrast to the targets of destruction

Goes
Implies that the singer's heart is moved or affected by the situation being described

Bring on the new messiah
Introduces the idea of a savior or powerful figure

Brittle heart
Repeats the theme of vulnerability and weakness

And our little hearts
Implies that others share the singer's vulnerability or weakness

Go
Concludes the song with a statement that suggests continued vulnerability or uncertainty

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE THOMAS PATTINSON, PETER LOUIS VINCENT DE FREITAS, WILLIAM ALFRED SERGEANT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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