Music Friday: Locket Inscription Reflects Spirit of Amanda Marshall’s ‘Dark Horse’

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you hit songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Canadian songstress Amanda Marshall throws caution to the wind while wearing a very special locket in her 1995 chart-topper, “Dark Horse.”

In the song she co-wrote with Dean McTaggart and David Tyson, Marshall tells the story of a 19-year-old girl who enters into a whirlwind relationship with the new guy in town. The locals criticize her for being a crazy, romantic fool, but Marshall’s heart tells her that this could be “the lucky one.” Despite the long odds, she’s willing to put her money on this “dark horse.”

She sings, “I wear your locket, our picture’s inside / Inscription says ‘The joy’s in the ride’ / And I believe / That something so sacred / Is something worth this kind of fight / Cause love knows no patience / You can’t please everyone all the time.”

“Dark Horse” was the fifth single released from Marshall’s successful self-titled debut album, which sold more than one million copies in Canada alone. The single peaked at #5 on Canada’s RPM Top Singles chart and #1 on RPM‘s Adult Contemporary chart.

Interestingly, while appearing on The Rosie O’Donnell Show in 1995, Elton John commented that he was listening to Marshall’s just-released album and that “Dark Horse” would be a “guaranteed hit.”

Born in Toronto in 1972, Amanda Meta Marshall immersed herself in music as a child. She studied intensively, and her talents yielded her a spot at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. While performing on the Queen Street West bar scene in her teens, she met Canadian jazz and blues-rock guitarist Jeff Healey, who was impressed by her powerful voice. She eventually toured with Healey and then released her debut album a few years later. It was a monumental work that spawned six Top 40 hits.

A year later, in 1996, her song “This Could Take All Night” was included in the original soundtrack of the motion picture Tin Cup. One year later, Marshall’s “I’ll Be Okay” was featured on the original soundtrack of My Best Friend’s Wedding. She was nominated as Best Songwriter at the 2000 Juno Awards.

Marshall took a long break from the recording business as she worked through a dispute with her record label. In June of 2023, the 51-year-old Marshall finally returned to the music scene with the release of a new album, Heavy Lifting, supported by a Canada-wide tour.

Please check out the official video for Marshall’s “Dark Horse.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along.

“Dark Horse”
Written by Dean McTaggart, David Tyson and Amanda Marshall. Performed by Amanda Marshall.

Indian summer
Abilene
You were new in town, I was 19
And sparks flew

They called us crazy behind our backs
“Romantic fools” we just let them laugh
Because we knew

It may be a long shot
We may get lonely down the line
But love knows no reason
And I won’t let ’em make up my mind

My money’s riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is sayin’ it’s the lucky one
And its true color’s gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run

The stars are brighter in the desert sky
No need to wonder or justify
Where this will lead

I wear your locket, our picture’s inside
Inscription says, “The joy’s in the ride”
And I believe
That something so sacred
Is something worth this kind of fight
Cause love knows no patience, no
You can’t please everyone all the time

My money’s riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is saying it’s the lucky one
And its true color’s gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run

So rare
So sweet
Together baby, I know
We can
Disappear
Be free

Ohh, my money’s riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is saying it’s the lucky one
And its true color’s gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run

My money’s riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is saying it’s the lucky one
And its true color’s gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run

Indian summer
Abilene
You were new in town, I was 19

Credit: Photo by Allen McGregor from Brampton, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.