"Goodbye Horses" is a song recorded by American singer Q Lazzarus. It was written by Q Lazzarus's bandmate, William Garvey, and released in 1988, with an extended version released three years later. It is a

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

dark wave Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, ro ...

, and new wave song with lyrics based on "transcendence over those who see the world as only earthly and finite" and androgynous vocals from Q Lazzarus. After Q Lazzarus played a demo tape for

Jonathan Demme Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker, whose career directing, producing, and screenwriting spanned more than 30 years and 70 feature films, documentaries, and television productions. He was an ...

while driving him in her taxi, which included a demo of "Goodbye Horses", he featured the song in his

crime comedy Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...

film ''

Married to the Mob ''Married to the Mob'' is a 1988 American crime romantic comedy film directed by Jonathan Demme, written by Barry Strugatz and Mark R. Burns, and starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Modine, Dean Stockwell, Mercedes Ruehl, and Alec Baldwin. P ...

'' (1988). It then became a

cult hit A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

after he used it in a scene of his film '' The Silence of the Lambs'' (1991), which was widely lauded for the usage. Since then, it has been used in various films, television series, and video games, often with references to its use in ''The Silence of the Lambs'', and has been covered by numerous artists.

Composition and writing

"Goodbye Horses" was written by songwriter William Garvey and performed by Q Lazzarus, both of whom were bandmates in the band Q Lazzarus and the Resurrection and according to friends of Garvey, had a tumultuous relationship with one another. Q Lazzarus disappeared from the public eye after the band disbanded in 1996, while Garvey died in 2009. The song, a "haunting", "dreamlike"

, new wave, and

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

ballad, features Q Lazzarus's androgynous vocals, picked guitar,

snare drum The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often u ...

s, and drum pads. Its lyrics were based by Garvey on "transcendence over those who see the world as only earthly and finite", with the "horses" in the song representing "the five senses from

Hindu philosophy Hindu philosophy or Vedic philosophy is the set of philosophical systems that developed in tandem with the first Hinduism, Hindu religious traditions during the Iron Age in India, iron and Classical India, classical ages of India. In Indian ...

". Evan Sawdey of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' wrote that "Goodbye Horses" has a "strangely entrancing thump" and "sad, tragicomic elements" in the lyrics, describing it as "quirky". It was described by Tracy Moore in '' Vanity Fair'' as a "gothy, somber ode", and by Tyler Jenke of ''Tone Deaf'' as "rather creepy".

''The Silence of the Lambs'' appearance

In the 1980s, Q Lazzarus worked as a taxi driver in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and was unsigned, with record labels allegedly turning her away due to her

dreadlocks Dreadlocks, also known as dreads or locs, are a Hairstyle, hairstyle made of rope-like strands of matted hair. Dreadlocks can form naturally in Hair#Texture, very curly hair, or they can be created with techniques like twisting, Backcombing, ba ...

. One day, in 1985, she picked up director

and producer Arthur Baker in her taxi during a blizzard after the two finished doing the final mix on

Little Steven Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has appeared i ...

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for his song " Sun City". After dropping off Baker, Q Lazzarus asked Demme if he was in the music business, then proceeded to play her demo tape, which included "Goodbye Horses". After listening to the tape, Demme was impressed, saying, "Oh my God, what is this and who are you?" "Goodbye Horses" quickly became a

after Demme used it in a scene from his 1991 film '' The Silence of the Lambs''. In the scene, the film's antagonist, serial killer

Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend at the young age ...

(portrayed by

Ted Levine Frank Theodore Levine (born May 29, 1957) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Jame Gumb (Buffalo Bill) in the film '' The Silence of the Lambs'' (1991) and Leland Stottlemeyer in the television series ''Monk'' (2002–2009 ...

) puts on makeup in the mirror and plays with his nipple ring while his victim, Catherine Martin ( Brooke Smith), attempts to escape from a deep pit. As the song plays, Buffalo Bill says to himself, "Would you fuck me? I'd fuck me. I'd fuck me so hard", and then begins dancing naked into a video camera with his penis and testicles tucked between his legs as Catherine cries in the background. "Goodbye Horses" was not in the script, and other songs by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

and

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

were also considered for the scene. It was originally rehearsed to

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is a retired American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded with the groups Bob Seger and the Last Heard and the Bob Seger System throu ...

's 1980 song "

Her Strut "Her Strut" is a song written by Bob Seger that was first released on his 1980 album ''Against the Wind (album), Against the Wind''. It was also released as the B-side of his single "The Horizontal Bop." The song was inspired by feminist icon Ja ...

", but "Goodbye Horses" was eventually chosen, with Levine saying that it became "a little gentler", "stranger", and "more feminine" as a result.

Reception

'' Under the Radar'' and '' Time Out'' included the use of "Goodbye Horses" in ''The Silence of the Lambs'' on their lists of the best usages of songs in films. Lauren Down wrote for ''Under the Radar'' that it was "nigh on impossible" to separate "Goodbye Horses" from the film's scene, remarking they become "inextricable" once "he uffalo Billsteps backwards in self-admiration". Howard Gorman of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' included the song on his list of songs that "became inextricably linked to the horror movies they were ultimately featured in", writing, "Regardless of how great a track this is...not even an ''

MIB The byte is a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits. Historically, the byte was the number of bits used to encode a single character of text in a computer and for this reason it is the smallest addressable un ...

'' neuralyser can prevent us from recreating uffalo Bill'sunsettling mangina-meets-

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

moment in our heads whenever we hear it." ''

Bustle A bustle is a padded undergarment or wire frame used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skir ...

''s Jack O'Keeffe wrote that Levine's performance was "etched into pop culture history through...the song 'Goodbye Horses' in other media". "Goodbye Horses" was included on ''

Flavorwire ''Flavorwire'' was a New York City-based online culture magazine. The site includes original feature articles, interviews, reviews, as well as content recycled from other sources. ''Flavorwire'' describes themselves as "a network of culturally ...

''s list of the creepiest soundtrack songs, where they wrote that the "infamous 'tuck' scene" in ''The Silence of the Lambs'' is "invariably associated" with the song. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s Ron Hart wrote that the inclusion of "Goodbye Horses" in ''The Silence of the Lambs'' "immortalized" the song as a "classic". ''Time Out''s Keith Uhlich labeled the song "enrapturing" and called the scene "a pop-cultural touchstone". For ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', Joe Coscarelli wrote that "Goodbye Horses" "adds an extra layer of eeriness" to what many consider the "indelible shot" of ''The Silence of the Lambs''. Moore wrote that the scene was "played as a moment of dark degeneracy" as Q Lazzarus "warbles on the soundtrack". Max O'Connell of '' IndieWire'' called the use of "Goodbye Horses" in the film a "smart choice" due to how it foreshadowed Buffalo Bill's eventual failure and how its "melancholy...underscores how pitiful Bill's existence is, showing him trying to be something he's not just to get away from what he is".

Other appearances

Before using "Goodbye Horses" in ''The Silence of the Lambs'', Demme included the song on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

for his 1988 film ''

''. The ''Silence of the Lambs'' scene was parodied in an episode of ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...

''; Garvey later sued

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

for the show's use of the song. The song appeared in a scene from the 2006 film ''

Clerks II ''Clerks II'' is a 2006 American black comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the sequel to his 1994 film ''Clerks'', and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosa ...

'', in which

Jay and Silent Bob Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by American actors Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively. They appear in the View Askewniverse, a fictional universe used in most of the films, comics, and television programs written and ...

(played by

Jason Mewes Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse franchise. E ...

and

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...

, respectively) parody the ''Silence of the Lambs'' scene repeatedly whenever Jay (

) hears the song, on their boombox he puts on chapstick and begins dancing to the song and quoting the movie, including a flash scene with a tuck. It was also later used in another parody of the scene from the 2019 film ''

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot ''Jay and Silent Bob Reboot'' is a 2019 American satirical buddy stoner comedy film written, directed, edited by, and starring Kevin Smith. A sequel to '' Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', it is the eighth film in the View Askewniverse. The film ...

''. "Goodbye Horses" also appeared in the 2012 slasher film ''Maniac'', a remake of the 1980 film of the same name, as a tribute to the ''Silence of the Lambs'' scene. The

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

television series ''

Clarice Clarice is a female given name, an anglicization of the French Clarisse, derived from the Latin and Italian name Clarissa, originally used in reference to the nuns of the Roman Catholic Order of St. Clare, whose own name ultimately derives fro ...

'', a spin-off of ''The Silence of the Lambs'', featured the song in a 2021 episode. "Goodbye Horses" was also featured in the video games ''

Grand Theft Auto IV ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's ''Grand Theft Auto: San And ...

'' (2008) and ''

Skate 3 ''skate 3'' is a 2010 skateboarding video game, the third installment in the '' skate'' series and the sequel to 2009's '' skate 2'', developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. It was released worldwide in May 2010 for PlayStati ...

'' (2010). , the house in Perryopolis, Pennsylvania, used as Buffalo Bill's house in the film is a vacation rental, and, when visitors enter the basement, "Goodbye Horses" plays as a disco ball lights up.

Track listings

Original release

* All Nations Records 7-inch single (1991) # "Goodbye Horses" (7" version) – 4:20 # "White Lines" – 4:35 * All Nations Records 12-inch single (1991) # "Goodbye Horses" – 6:28 # "Goodbye Horses" (7" version) – 4:20 # "White Lines" – 4:35

Reissues

* Mon Amie Records 12-inch single (2013) # "Goodbye Horses" (Single Edit) – 3:07 # "Goodbye Horses" (Cover version by

Jon Hopkins Jonathan Julian Hopkins (born 15 August 1979) is an English musician and producer who writes and performs electronic music. He began his career playing keyboards for Imogen Heap, and has produced but also contributed to albums by Brian Eno, Co ...

and Hayden Thorpe) – 4:03 * Mon Amie Records 12-inch extended play (2017) # "Goodbye Horses" (Single Edit) – 3:07 # "Goodbye Horses" (Demo 1) – 4:06 # "Goodbye Horses" (Demo 2) – 4:56 # "Tears of Fear" (Demo) – 4:12 # "Transformation" (Demo) – 4:29 # "Love Dance" (Demo) – 5:48 * Dark Entries 12-inch extended play (2025) # "Goodbye Horses" (Extended Mix) – 5:55 # "Goodbye Horses" (Instrumental) – 5:54 # "Hellfire" (Edit) – 4:45 # "Summertime" (Edit) – 3:35 # "Goodbye Horses" (Acapella) – 4:23

Releases and legacy

"Goodbye Horses" was first released in 1988, and, in 1991, Q Lazzarus released an extended version of the song, with her song "White Lines" as a B-side. In 2021, Ryan Leas wrote for ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

'' that the "cult icon status" of the "beloved" "Goodbye Horses" "seems to keep strengthening over the years". Q Lazzarus has been described as a

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music performers with ...

by ''IndieWire'' and ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' due to the success of "Goodbye Horses". In 2024, a documentary film Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus released by director

Eva Aridjis Eva Aridjis Fuentes is a Mexican and American filmmaker. She attended the American School Foundation in Mexico City, Princeton University, and New York University. She has made many prize-winning short and feature-length films. Early life and ...

. The soundtrack was songs that Q Lazzarus had recorded, including a new wave version of "Goodbye Horses". Electronic band Fan Death released a

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

cover of the song in 2009 for their first European tour, which was praised by ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'' as a "bang-up cover" with "deep and husky" vocals. In 2011,

Kele Okereke Rowland Kelechukwu "Kele" Okereke (born 13 October 1981), also known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Kele, is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the indie rock band Bloc Part ...

Bloc Party Bloc Party are an English Rock music, rock band that was formed in London, England, London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, sampler) and Russell Lissack (lead guitar). Their first four albums all featur ...

included a cover of "Goodbye Horses" on his EP '' The Hunter''. In 2012, Psyche's cover of "Goodbye Horses" was released through

Optimo Optimo Espacio ('Optimum Space') was a weekly Sunday-night club based in Glasgow, Scotland at the Sub Club on Jamaica Street, as well as a collective moniker for the night's resident DJ duo. Having run every week since it was founded in 1997, on ...

. In 2013, American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band the Delta Mirror included a cover of the song on their 2013 album ''Better Unsung'', which the staff of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' described as "appropriately

Ian Curtis Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, lyricist and occasional guitarist of the band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums ''Unknown Pleasures'' (197 ...

-y" and Zach Kelly from ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' viewed as "more than a little silly". A 25th anniversary re-release of the single, issued by Mon Amie Records in 2013, included a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of a

minimalist In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

cover of the song by Hayden Thorpe and

. Their cover was later included on ''The Longest Day'', a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

released by Mon Amie Records in 2020, with proceeds all going towards the

Alzheimer's Association The Alzheimer's Association is a nonprofit voluntary health organization that focuses on Alzheimer's disease care, support and research. History Jerome H. Stone founded the Alzheimer's Association with the help of several family support groups ...

. In 2014, Crosses, the musical side project of

Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by frontman Chino Moreno, lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter and drummer Abe Cunningham, with bassist Chi Cheng and keyboardist and tu ...

singer

Chino Moreno Camillo "Chino" Wong Moreno (born June 20, 1973) is an American musician who is best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the alternative metal band Deftones. He is also a member of the side-project groups Team Sleep, Crosses, ...

, Far guitarist

Shaun Lopez Shaun Michael Lopez is an American music producer, composer, and musician. Life and career Lopez is a founding member and guitarist for post-hardcore band Far (band), Far. After a number of local releases, including their first demo tape, ''Swea ...

, and bassist Chuck Doom, released a cover of "Goodbye Horses" shortly after releasing their self-titled debut album. In 2021, in anticipation of a new album, the band released a second cover of the song. Ryan Leas of ''Stereogum'' called the latter cover "a pretty faithful rendition" that was "a little grainer and more haunting" than the original. Rappers Sematary and Ghost Mountain released a

witch house ''Witch House'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Evangeline Walton. It was published in 1945 by Arkham House in an edition of 3,000 copies. It was the first full-length novel to be published by Arkham House and was listed as the initial ...

cover of "Goodbye Horses" on their 2020 collaborative album ''Hundred Acre Wrist'' ''Hosted By DJ Sorrow''. This cover would be the 9th song on the album, performed entirely by Ghost Mountain, and produced by Sematary.

References

{{authority control 1988 songs 1988 singles American synth-pop songs American new wave songs Dark wave songs American dance songs Hannibal Lecter (franchise) 1980s ballads Synth-pop ballads New wave ballads Indian mythology in music Post-punk songs