The legendary Q Lazzarus — whose "Goodbye Horses" elevates an already chilling scene in Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs to otherworldly proportions — died in 2022 at the age of 61 after spending decades out of the public eye. Now, we're finally getting a proper celebration of her legacy.
The singer, real name Diane Luckey, had been out of the spotlight since the mid-'90s and was working as a bus driver in Staten Island when she died, having briefly broken her silence in 2018 to share that she had no plans to return to music.
However, Luckey's obituary revealed that, "At the time of her death, Diane was finishing work on a feature documentary about her life and music with filmmaker and friend, Eva Aridjis. The film will be released in 2023, along with an album of songs spanning her entire musical career."
That film and album never materialized, but it seems like they just needed a little more time. Both film and album are arriving in early 2025, and today — on what would have been Luckey's 64th birthday — you can hear an alternate version of "Goodbye Horses."
Sacred Bones will be releasing Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus in February. The longest version, in 2CD format, contains 23 tracks, many previously unreleased and all recorded between 1985 and 1995. The vinyl edition is just 10 tracks, while 21 are listed on the album's Bandcamp page.
Last week, it was reported by Brooklyn Vegan that screenings of the documentary have been scheduled, including one sold-out showing tonight at New York's Roxy Cinema. Last week, the film was screened in L.A. at Brain Dead Studios. The screenings include a Q&A with director Eva Aridjis Fuentes and Luckey's son, James Luckey Lange.
"Goodbye Horses (New Wave Version)" is a more hopeful, airborne version of Lazzarus's signature song, featuring entirely new vocals and some alternate lyrics. It's beautiful.
Listen to it below and check out the Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus tracklist.
Vinyl tracklist:
1. Goodbye Horses (Single Edit)
2. Heaven
3. I See Your Eyes
4. A Fools Life
5. Summertime
6. My Mistake
7. Hellfire
8. Don't Let Go
9. Bang Bang
10. Goodbye Horses (New Wave Version)
CD Tracklist:
1. Goodbye Horses (Single Edit)
2. Heaven
3. I See Your Eyes
4. A Fools Life
5. Summertime
6. My Mistake
7. Hellfire
8. Don't Let Go
9. Bang Bang
10. Goodbye Horses (New Wave Version)
11. Flesh for Sale
12. I Don't Want to Love You Anymore
13. The Candle Goes Away
14. Fathers, Mothers, and Children Dying in the Street
15. Love Lust
16. Home
17. Momma Never Said
18. The Time Is Right (Dare)
19. Only You Can Light the Candle
20. Love Dance
21. Take the Time
22. Be Mine
23. It Don't Mean Nothing
Digital tracklist:
1. Goodbye Horses (New Wave Version)
2. Heaven
3. I See Your Eyes
4. A Fool's Life
5. Summertime
6. My Mistake
7. Hellfire
8. Don't Let Go
9. Bang Bang
10. Flesh for Sale
11. I Don't Want to Love You Anymore
12. Fathers, Mothers, and Children Dying in the Street
13. Love Lust
14. Home
15. Momma Never Said
16. The Time Is Right (Dare)
17. Only You Can Light the Candle
18. Love Dance
19. Take the Time
20. Be Mine
21. It Don't Mean Nothing