Tune du Jour: “Horse Outside” – The Rubberbandits
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Kelly’s Men vs. Katelin Tierney vs. Thom Dunn
VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF
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While in Ireland last July, blissfully hunkered down in a Killarney pub with about 200 of my newfound best friends, I was enjoying the hell out of a surprisingly good solo musician playing a mix of Irish songs and a selection of truly great tunes from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, when late into the evening he careened off into a bizarrely hysterical ballad that I was not familiar with. Well the drunkard gallery was certainly familiar with it as everyone in the place enthusiastically sung along. It looked like Victory Over Europe Day in there as the mob drank, swayed and gayly crooned to the gem of a tune.
I described it to our resident musicologist, Pete Black, and Mr. Black recently got back to me with its origin. A goofball Irish musical comedy team, The Rubberbandits (featuring the esteemed maestros Blindboy Boatclub and Mr. Chrome) released the bawdy, satirical hip-hop parody in 2010 with it only to become a demented Irish standard that nearly claimed the Irish Christmas No. 1 spot, accumulating over 25 million YouTube viewers.
Well there’s no shortage of Irish musicians who have appropriated it on YouTube with one proud family filming their eight-year old kid belting it out, lyric for lyric. Gotta love the Irish!!!
The Original
The Rubberbandits:
THE CLASH of Cover Tunes
Three of the best from the multitude of covers …
Kelly’s Men vs. Katlin Tierney vs. Thom Dunn
Kelly’s Men:
Katelin Tierney:
Thom Dunn:
SPACE
Oh the disharmony! Much like Harlan County there are no neutrals here. It is your solemn responsibility to decide which cover song prevails. In other words … Which Side Are You On!??!
Disclaimer: Votes cast from Florida may or may not be counted.
cover me impressed 
Oh what a song!!!
That bar scene that Kelly’s Men played to looked like what I experienced, although, I was in a smaller, more intimate pub and the clientele were clearly older than the wild lads in this video. Good vocals and cover. Just wish the singer would have looked like he was having more of a good time 😦
Like the idea of a woman taking on this bawdy number. Katelin seems like she has the right attitude to pull it off.
Such a defeated looking lad portrayed on Thom Dunn’s video. Thom gives the song more of the Celtic treatment and it works nicely. You could easily hear this bellowing in an old-school Irish Pub.
I give Katelin Tierney kudos for her verve and feminine touch. But have to go with Thom Dunn’s rollicking interpretation of this ridiculous ballad 🙂
I hadn’t seen The Rubberbandits video before. Definitely some funny moments and dance moves, as well as extras from Peaky Blinders. Something to appreciate among all covers. Nice to hear a pretty blonde say fuck so many times without being castigated in a parking lot at 2am. Love her accent. Kelly’s Men did it very well in a packed public house with little room to move. I voted for Thom Dunn. The tin whistle was a factor but I like his singing and it was the first version I heard. Slainte!