Daryl Braithwaite ‘IT REALLY IS A MYSTERY'

It may be 30 years since The Horses was released but not even the award-winning singer can tell you why it’s still so successful

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Ask Daryl Braithwaite just what it is about his hit The Horses that make it such a special song and, well, he can’t tell you.

“My son [Oscar, 35] and I were talking about this the other day... it really is a mystery why people gravitate towards it,” he says.

“There’s no rhyme or reason why it’s different from any other song, but it does connect with people.

“I’ve tried to fathom what it is. I just don’t know, besides the fact it’s a beautifully-written song,” the 72-year-old adds.

Whatever the secret, it’s a firm Aussie favorite – when it was released in 1991 it reached No. 1 – and as it celebrates its 30th birthday this year, the song has been certified nine-times platinum. What may come as a surprise to the thousands of people who still love – and sing along with – the masterpiece, is that it’s not actually Daryl’s own song at all.

In fact, The Horses was written by American songstress Rickie Lee Jones and Steely Dan’s Walter Becker.

“I heard the song after Dale, my very good friend, and pianist-vocalist, suggested I have a listen to the Rickie Lee Jones album