Black Horse and the Cherry Tree
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| "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by KT Tunstall | ||
| from the album Eye to the Telescope | ||
| Released | 29 August 2005 | |
| Format | 7", CD | |
| Recorded | 2004 | |
| Genre | Alternative rock | |
| Length | 2:51 | |
| Label | Relentless Records | |
| Producer(s) | Steve Osborne | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| KT Tunstall UK singles chronology | ||
| "False Alarm" (2004) |
"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" (2005) |
"Other Side of the World" (2005) |
| KT Tunstall US singles chronology | ||
| "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" (2006) |
"Suddenly I See" (2006) |
|
"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and is featured on her debut album, Eye to the Telescope. It was released 21 February 2005 as the lead single from that album, charting at #28 in the UK Singles Chart (see 2005 in British music).
Contents |
[edit] Song information
KT said of the song [1]:
| "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" is inspired by old blues, Nashville psycho hillbillies & hazy memories. It tells the story of finding yourself lost on your path, and a choice has to be made. It's about gambling, fate, listening to your heart, and having the strength to fight the darkness that's always willing to carry you off. |
The song is usually performed solo by Tunstall, with the layered guitar and vocals constructed piece-by-piece by sampling the parts live, and using a digital delay unit to create the backing track. A performance of the song on Later with Jools Holland was an important break in Tunstall's career. It won KT an award for Best Single of 2005 in Q magazine.
[edit] Track listings
- 7"
- "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"
- "Barbie"
- CD
- "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"
- "One Day"
 7" |
 CD |
[edit] Chart performance
Initially, the song was in the bottom half of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Only after American Idol season 5 runner-up Katharine McPhee sang the song on the show as part of a Billboard charts-based song selection did the song become really popular; the song jumped 56 positions on the U.S. Hot 100 chart, going from #79 to #23, and becoming Tunstall's first single (and only, to date) to appear on that chart's Top 30. McPhee would sing the song again in her final performance show on May 23, 2006. During her first performance of the song on May 2, 2006, McPhee sang the song while barefoot on her knees, with box drum players near her on the stage. The box drums players were brought back for McPhee's performance on the final performance night, but she did not sing the song on her knees nor was she barefoot as she had originally done. The song was also used in advertisements for The WB show Pepper Dennis.
[edit] Chart Positions
| Chart (2005/2006) | Peak position[1] |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 20 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | 26 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Songs | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Tracks | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 | 22 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Airplay | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 17 |
| U.S. Arc Weekly Top 40 | 11 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Charts | 20 |
| Official Chart Holland | 80 |
| Official Chart Italy | 10 |
| Official Chart Ireland | 16 |
| Official Chart France | 23 |
| Official Chart Austria | 31 |
| Official Chart Belgium | 35 |
| Official Chart Germany | 51 |
| Official Chart Switzerland | 92 |
| Official Chart UK | 28 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 trajectory[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | |||||||
| Chart position | 91 | 85 | 83 | 86 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 79 | 23 | 23 | 27 | 20 | 22 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 27 | 30 | |||||||
