‘Daryl is getting himself some glory . . . I would like to have my name mentioned as the writer’

While “ownership” of The Horses has been awarded to Daryl Braithwaite, a U.S. rocker penned and first sang the song, and now she wants merit.

The Horses is having a renaissance since Harry Styles fever came to town, but the song’s original musician says Daryl Braithwaite needs to give credit, where credit is due.

The unofficial Aussie anthem was originally penned and sung by Grammy-award winning US rocker Rickie Lee Jones in 1989, on her album Flying Cowboys.

Braithwaite has lived off the song for decades after releasing a chart-topping pop cover version the following year with the late singer Margaret Urlich, in a memorable video clip with horses galloping down the beach.

The song has become steeped in Aussie folklore and been belted out by the former Sherbet frontman at Moonee Valley almost every year before the Cox Plate.

The Horses has had another revival on stage with Harry Styles, who covered it while Down Under for his Harry’s House tour, with Braithwaite joining the UK superstar on stage to perform with him on the Sydney leg.

Jones, who was named in VH1’s top 100 female rockers of all time, this week told Page 13 in an interview from her US base, she felt Braithwaite needed to start owning up more that the song is originally by her.

“Daryl is getting himself some glory and that’s fine,” Jones said.

“He had a big hit with the record. But when you see it on the verge of having another life, and another way with Harry putting it down so well, I do confess, I would like to have my name mentioned as the writer of this.”

Harry Styles ended his Australian tour in iconic style by belting out The Horses alongside Daryl Braithwaite. Picture: Supplied

While Braithwaite has credited Jones with the song in the past, many Down Under are unaware The Horses, sung across every Aussie pub when the jukebox gets cranking and beers get swilled at closing hour, is not his original.

“People have assigned to him the ownership and writing of it. And at that point, I think it is Daryl’s responsibility. He should say ‘I love this song, I had such a hit, but it is Ricky Lee Jones’ song’ every time he goes out to sing it. I think he has nothing to lose by doing that.”

Jones said she and Braithwaite “attempted” to sing the song, which she originally wrote as an ode to her daughter, together on stage at the Recital Centre in 2017 when she was touring Australia.

Following a somewhat long pause Jones, who will release her new album Pieces Of Treasure next month, said it would be “unseemly” to diss Braithwaite’s cover, which she said was similar to her own.

“Look, that song has its own life and implanted itself on lots of other people,” she said.

“I’m very proud of this song and mostly enchanted that an entire country has made it an anthem. I hope that soon they know I wrote it. But it’s not the end of the world if they don’t.”

She did, however, praise Styles’ rendition.

“Harry Styles’ version was very moving. It was really, really good.”