Black Horse and the Cherry Tree

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"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"
KT Tunstall - Black Horse & The Cherry Tree.jpg
Single by KT Tunstall
from the album Eye to the Telescope
B-side"Barbie"
Released21 February 2005 (2005-02-21)
Length2:51
LabelRelentless, Virgin (US)
Songwriter(s)KT Tunstall
Producer(s)Andy Green
KT Tunstall UK singles chronology
"Throw Me a Rope"
(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"
(2005) 		"Suddenly I See"
(2006)
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"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall that is featured on her debut album, Eye to the Telescope. It is one of many songs that reuses the famous Bo Diddley beat from the influential 1955 song of his own name. The track was released on 21 February 2005 as the lead single from the album, charting at No. 28 on the UK Singles Chart the same month. The following year, the single became a hit outside Europe, reaching No. 7 in Canada and No. 20 in the United States and New Zealand.

Song information[]

Tunstall 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, the original artist, with the layered guitar and vocals constructed piece-by-piece by sampling the parts live, and using a loop pedal unit to create the backing track. A performance of the song on Later... with Jools Holland (recorded before the release of Eye to the Telescope) was an important break in Tunstall's career. The song won Tunstall an award for Best Single of 2005 in Q, and it received a 2007 Grammy Award nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance".[2]

The album version was used as the opening theme song for the CBC Television drama Wild Roses. The song was later redone by Aly & AJ for Pepsi Smash, included on the Japanese only re-release of their second studio album Insomniatic. "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" was also used in advertisements for The WB show Pepper Dennis and the 2006 US Open. The song's video ranked No. 19 on VH1's 40 Greatest Videos of 2006. During the programme's airing, Tunstall stated that the day of the video shoot was the only time she had ever worn red lipstick.

Chart performance[]

In the United Kingdom, the single peaked at No. 28 in its first week and dropped out of the top 75 in three weeks.

In the United States, "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" was initially in the bottom half of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Only after Katharine McPhee sang the song on American Idol (in the 5th season) as part of a Billboard charts-based song selection did the tune rise rapidly in popularity; it jumped 56 positions on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, going from No. 79 to No. 23, and then moving to No. 20, becoming Tunstall's first single (and only, to date) to appear on that chart's Top 20. McPhee would go on to sing the song again in her final performance show on 23 May 2006, finishing second to Taylor Hicks.

Track listings[]

UK and European CD single[3][4]

  1. "Black Horse & the Cherry Tree"
  2. "One Day" (live)

UK 7-inch single[5]

A. "Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" – 2:51
B. "Barbie" – 2:23

US promo CD[6]

  1. "Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" (radio version) – 2:51
  2. "Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" (radio version instrumental) – 2:47

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[29] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[30] Platinum 10,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Silver 200,000double-dagger

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 21 February 2005 (2005-02-21) CD Relentless [32]
United States 3 October 2005 (2005-10-03) Triple A radio Virgin [33]
9 January 2006 (2006-01-09) Hot adult contemporary radio [34]
27 March 2006 (2006-03-27) Contemporary hit radio [35]

References[]

  1. ^ "KT Tunstall – Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, Video". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
  2. ^ "FOX Facts: Complete List of Grammy Award Nominations". Associated Press. 7 December 2006. Archived from the original on 29 January 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2006.
  3. ^ Black Horse & the Cherry Tree (UK CD single liner notes). KT Tunstall. Relentless Records. 2005. RELCD 14.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ Black Horse & the Cherry Tree (European CD single liner notes). KT Tunstall. Relentless Records. 2005. 0724386897329.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ Black Horse & the Cherry Tree (UK 7-inch single sleeve). KT Tunstall. Relentless Records. 2005. REL 14.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Black Horse & the Cherry Tree (US promo CD liner notes). KT Tunstall. Virgin Records. 2005. 7243 8 70767 2 3.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ "Austriancharts.at – KT Tunstall – Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Ultratop.be – KT Tunstall – Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Ultratop.be – KT Tunstall – Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  10. ^ "KT Tunstall Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Lescharts.com – KT Tunstall – Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – KT Tunstall – Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  13. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Black Horse & the Cherry Tree". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  14. ^ "Italiancharts.com – KT Tunstall – Black Horse & the Cherry Tree". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – KT Tunstall – Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  16. ^ "Charts.nz – KT Tunstall – Black Horse & the Cherry Tree". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Swisscharts.com – KT Tunstall – Black Horse & the Cherry Tree". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  20. ^ "KT Tunstall Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  21. ^ "KT Tunstall Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  22. ^ "KT Tunstall Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  23. ^ "KT Tunstall Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  24. ^ "KT Tunstall Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  25. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  26. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  27. ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  28. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  29. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  30. ^ "Canadian single certifications – KT Tunstall – Black Horse and the Cherry Tree". Music Canada.
  31. ^ "British single certifications – KT Tunstall – Black Horse and the Cherry Tree". British Phonographic Industry.
  32. ^ "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree [2 Track CD]". Amazon. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  33. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1626. 30 September 2005. p. 20. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  34. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1639. 6 January 2006. p. 21. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  35. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1650. 24 March 2006. p. 21. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
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