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 Artist: Mercedes, Jack Dunn Title: The Horse You Rode In On Genre(s): Folk-Pop, Indie Rock, Post-Britpop Length: 5:48 Writer(s): M.Payne, J.Dunn Producer(s): Jack Dunn Label: Five Pesky Kids* *Jack Dunn appears courtesy of Head South RecordsFrom The Album: TBA INFORMATION"The Horse You Rode In On" is a song recorded by British singer-songwriters Mercedes and Jack Dunn. The track was released on September 10th, 2025 through Five Pesky Kids Records. "The Horse You Rode In On" serves as the third single from Mercedes' long-awaited debut album, following on from successful chart-topping singles "No Guts, No Glory" and "Makeshift Chemistry", the former track featuring Riley Hamilton who in turn introduced Mercedes and Jack. The track was written by both Mercedes Payne and Jack Dunn, with Dunn handling the production of the song. "The Horse You Rode In On" was initially crafted with the intention of it serving as a solo track before Mercedes presented her idea to Dunn, believing that he would be the "perfect fit" for the highly outspoken, politically-charged lyricism within the song. Lyrically, "The Horse You Rode In On" is a political protest song with Payne and Dunn speaking out against "corrupt" and "greedy" politicians. No specific public figure or party is named within the song, however, it is seen as a commentary on an amalgam of present day politics in Britain - the homeland of both artists. Throughout the track, Mercedes and Jack express their disdain and disappointment in elected officials, calling out unprofessional behaviours and "cruel" policies, seemingly aimed towards right wing ideologies. Mercedes' opening lines highlight "pick me" culture, addressing those who follow politicians and parties due to their own prejudices and hatred despite not even having their own best interests at heart. Mercedes goes on to highlight hypocrisy within the government; slating how they hoard wealth but claim poverty when it comes to tackling social issues as well as the strong anti-immigration rhetoric woven throughout political campaigns despite many figureheads spending time and owning property abroad. Dunn also tackles issues of poverty as well as the "crumbling" health services in the United Kingdom. He highlights the ongoing talks of selling and privatising the NHS as well as the underfunding and underappreciation of its staff. The pair leave behind their "manners" in the chorus, swapping out articulated arguments for a simple "fuck you" to those in power. The song's bridge ironically references the Seven Deadly Sins according to Roman Catholic theology, a religion often brought into Western political legislation and campaigns. "The Horse You Rode In On" is a folk-pop song which combines elements of indie rock as well as flirting with a post-Britpop soundscape. The song has a runtime of five minutes and forty-eight seconds, almost doubling in length when compared to Payne's previous, poppier releases earlier in the year. The song is set to a "breezy" and "anthem" instrumental track which features live instruments such as piano, guitar and a saxophone, giving a "freeing" and "organic" sound to the production. The instrumentation gradually builds, with the saxophone being introduced in the later half of the track which allows the song to "soar" towards its climax. It is less upbeat in comparison to Payne's previous effort, serving as her first mid-tempo release. "The Horse You Rode In On", however, still contains elements of the indie-pop, guitar-driven sound which Mercedes began introducing into her work as part of her musical comeback.
SONG COMMENTARYMercedes wrote:"Ever since returning to music, I've found it more freeing than ever before. Back when I first launch, I had this huge team around me and was being marketed as a very traditional pop act, finding myself more and more boxed in. It was hard to push back against that especially as a new artist and even when I was having some downtime, I couldn't quite envision getting around or over that hurdle of the expectations people had for me if I decided to return to the scene. It took me many years and several tries to get to where I am today. I had to slowly inch my way towards liberation and I'm grateful that I persisted and dabbled with writing songs again. I wouldn't have been able to create "The Horse You Rode In On" had I not taken some baby steps. Being this honest and politically charged was a daunting idea for the longest time. Now that I've done it, I can't believe I haven't been penning tracks like this for years. It's incredibly cathartic and freeing."
"Even if I wasn't a woman, part of the LGBTQ+ community and the daughter of immigrants, I like to think I'd still be enraged by the state of politics and society in the big year of 2025 and want to champion for change. Sadly, I have even bigger personal stakes in the abysmal disarray going on. This track is longer than usual for me and that's with it being condensed. I can't fit all my thoughts, feeling and ideologies into a song and definitely not as eloquently as I would like. That's why the chorus of the track has a real 'caution to the wind' feel to it. I just give into frustration and get straight to the point. Fuck those guys. I know it doesn't solve anything or provide much needed answers but sometimes a good middle finger to the face of fascists suffices. I like to think of this track as the sonic equivalent of seeing a politician getting egged. It's not professional, it's rather childish in a way but my goodness, it's utterly satisfying!"
"As I was writing and the lyrics developed, and the tone revealed itself, I actually parked it halfway. A lightbulb went off in my mind. This song just had Jack all over it. My good friend Riley [Hamilton] introduced me to Jack last year. We opened up Ri's community centre in Leeds together last year and have all met up in social settings a couple times. Not only do I think he's an incredible talent but a good soul. He's incredibly emotionally intelligent and his beliefs align with a lot of mine. If there's one thing I've also learned and taken away from getting to know Jack is that he doesn't hold back or sugar coat his feelings about injustice both in conversation and within his lyrics. He was the perfect fit for this song. I arranged to meet with him and once I presented the idea, we practically started writing there and then. It was incredibly fluid and natural. We evidently had a lot to get off our chests! He toyed around with his guitar as he worked to my rough demo and, sheepishly, I asked if he would be interested in producing the final product. I just knew he would do it more justice than I ever could. I like to think of myself as a competent producer these days but there's just a certain magic in Jack's fingertips." Jack wrote:“I’d say sorry if this offends you … but I’m not. I’m proud of my friend for coming up with this, I’m proud that this is a song that Mercedes thought was important enough to write and I’m really fucking honoured that she thought I could add something to it. It’s not a song that politely walks you through it, it’s a war cry with a guitar. It’s not anti-UK it’s not even anti-establishment, it’s just a song borne of exhaustion. You can only watch so much shite get passed off as leadership before you snap and it feels like the entire country is at that point right now.
The track already had that bite to it when Mercedes brought it to me, it was already perfect. Honestly, it’s possible that I’ve brought the quality down a little bit, it's that fucking good a track. I was enamoured by the brutality of it, the honesty of it. Not this wishy-washy, sit-on-the-fence type of political fluff, it’s an aim at the entirety of the political system, left, right, center, the whole fucking lot of them. They’ve lost sense of their role in serving the citizens and instead have become more interested in self-serving themselves. The track angered me, it pissed me off in all the right ways. That’s when the song connected to me, and I knew it would connect to a lot of people that feel this way.
My part in this came out like a venting session, it didn’t feel like your typical recording session. The NHS bit especially. I've got family in it. My mam was a nurse. I’ve seen her come home in tears more times than I can count. This government treats her like a burden, like all she’s worth is a Thursday night clap. Meanwhile, they’re floggin’ it off to their mates behind closed doors. And the public’s either too exhausted or too distracted to clock on.
Honestly, I feel like I’m a small piece of this because that line in the chorus, “Anyone who wants to be a politician shouldn’t be one”. For me, that’s the line that set the whole thing on fire. I first heard it in a voice note, she sent over a rough recording of that chorus on the phone and it’s the most honest thing I’ve heard in a real fucking long time. It’s fucking spot on. Who wants to be a politician in this country right now? Only the ones who want power, not change.
Never has a song felt more relevant, never has a song felt more for the everyday people on the street. It’s a privilege to have been asked to be on the track, it was already fucking perfect. This is so clearly a song for the everyday hard working person that has been let down by the system. For every nurse, teacher, and carer that’s been mugged off by empty promises.
If you’re offended, you’re probably the type that the track is aimed at. If you feel seen, you’re who the track was written for. No regrets, no apologies, just honesty.”
CRITICAL RECEPTIONCritical reception for "The Horse You Rode In On" was universally positive upon its surprise release, with reviewers favourably commenting on multiple aspects from the vocal performances, to the lyricism, to Dunn's production. Writing for Billboard, Anika Cann described the song as "monolithic" in sound as well as deeming it as "an instant classic with immeasurable crossover appeal". Harrison Sparks of NME was overwhelmingly positive in the review, lauding the creative team of Payne and Dunn. He wrote; "The Hardest Working Woman and the tenacious up-and-comer have concocted a track that exceeds the already high expectations you set upon first hearing the news of their collaboration." Sparks described the song as "heartfelt, brutally honest, anthemic" and a "blinding mirror held up to society". Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Carly Monaghan claimed that the pairing of Mercedes and Jack was "unexpected" but further opined that "upon hearing the track, the unlikely duo make total sense once their biting lyrics bounce back and forth together." Monaghan rounded off her review by claiming; "if it's one thing Mercedes is going to do, it's surprise."Kasia Oles from Consequence awarded it the publication's "Song of the Week" title before claiming that the collaboration and song were both simultaneously "sincere" yet "smart". Oles went on the write; "With Mercedes' predominantly female and LGBTQ+, meme-loving, social media consuming fanbase, Dunn being a beacon of hope to a new demographic of aspiring working class men and a classic post-Britpop, stadium-ready sing-along soundscape to appease mums and dads, they have every base covered." She further stated that; "This hard-hitting message is going to hit the masses in an unavoidable way". Rhiannon Driver of Gigwise highlighted the vocal performances, writing; "Dunn sings as impassioned and pained as ever while the earnest subject matter and production allows listeners to appreciate Payne's voice in a way they perhaps haven't before." Rolling Stone UK included the song in their weekly Hot New Songs playlist and Jason McGowan from the publication branded the song as "a showcase of two unique titans proving why they're worth their salt and then some."
"The Horse You Rode In On"Mercedes
Jack
Both
Are you going down with a case of Cherry Blossom poisoning?
All that bootlicking you're doing is astounding
Dirty swollen fingers dunking into the pot of gold
Your elderly constituent's trying to battle through the cold
Another food bank supply is laid out on the kitchen table
And you have the nerve to think she should be fucking grateful?!
Flutter your eyes at your main man like it shines from his backside
Your loyalty's unwavering until you bail before the landslide
Manufacturing all that chaos just to impose some order
Life seems rosier from your villa across those bloody borders
I'm trying to think of the nicest thing to say
Try to conjure up the words but they seem to all escape
Isn't it a let down when someone falls through on a promise?
It's a real kick in the teeth, if we're being honest
Anyone who wants to be a politician shouldn't be one
It's all self-serving, ego-stroking and then some
Tried to find the positives but there's no more room for nuance
Oh, just fuck you and that horse you rode in on
Rode in on, oh-uh-uh-oh
Claim there's no magic money tree
But you're good to bail out a mate of three
Man, fuck you and that horse you rode in onAnother suit on telly, full of polished rage
Reads the headlines like a monologue, dodges our questions like we’re throwing grenades
They’ve never missed a meal, but they talk of “belt-tight times”
From a second home in Sussex paid by our public dimes
They shake a hand, they cut the ribbon, smile through gritted teeth
Then they ghost the town when those cameras go and all the same old problems trouble the streets
They privatise our oxygen, then charge you for the air
Then blame the single mums and their kids for why there’s nothing there
They sold the NHS in bits, and called it “reform plan”
While nurses cried in corridors with trembling, empty hands
And every year we march and shout and vote and hope they’ll change
But deep inside, we know they’re all
Just the fucking same
We’re just names on your paper trail
Numbers in a fairy tale
You read the lines, we live the cost
You count the votes, we count the loss
Anyone who wants to be a politician shouldn't be one
It's all self-serving, ego-stroking and then some
Tried to find the positives but there's no more room for nuance
Oh, just fuck you and that horse you rode in on
Rode in on, oh-uh-uh-oh
Claim there's no magic money tree
But you're good to bail out a mate of three
Man, fuck you and that horse you rode in onPride, Greed and WrathIt's a well known but covered up pathEnvy and Lust, Gluttony and SlothBathing in sin while trying to play GodAnd for that, I have a simple solutionI think it's time for a revolutionAnyone who wants to be a politician shouldn't be one
It's all self-serving, ego-stroking and then some
Tried to find the positives but there's no more room for nuance
Oh, just fuck you and that horse you rode in on
Rode in on, oh-uh-uh-oh
Claim there's no magic money tree
But you're good to bail out a mate of three
Man, fuck you and that horse you rode in onAnyone who wants to be a politician shouldn't be one
It's all self-serving, ego-stroking and then some
Tried to find the positives but there's no more room for nuance
Oh, just fuck you and that horse you rode in on
Rode in on, oh-uh-uh-oh
Claim there's no magic money tree
But you're good to bail out a mate of three
Man, fuck you and that horse you rode in onI think it's time for a revolution
I think it's time for a revolution
I think it's time for a revolution
I think it's time for a revolution
I think it's time for a revolution
I think it's time for a revolutionCan Be Compared To:
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