In Color (song)
Encyclopedia
"In Color" is the title of a single
co-written and recorded by American country music
artist Jamey Johnson
. It is the first single from his second album, That Lonesome Song
, which was initially released to digital retailers in 2007, and was released on August 5, 2008 on Mercury Nashville Records. Johnson co-wrote the song with James Otto
and Lee Thomas Miller
. In January 2009, "In Color" became Johnson's first Top Ten country hit. The song was later included on the compilation album, Now That's What I Call Country Volume 2
, in 2009.
The song won awards for Song of the Year in both the 2008 ACM Awards and the 2009 CMA Awards.
centralizing on an elderly man who is showing black-and-white photographs to his grandson, each photograph showing a various part of the man's life. Describing the instances in each photos, such as fighting in World War II
, he recalls his own life story to his grandson, telling him, "you should have seen it in color" (i.e., that the grandson would have had to be there himself to know what each experience was truly like). Trace Adkins
was originally slated to record the song, until Johnson asked Adkins' permission to record the song himself. Adkins did record the song as an iTunes
exclusive bonus track on his 2008 album, X
.
was shot for "In Color" in May 2008. It portrays Johnson sitting on a stool, playing acoustic guitar
and singing, with various black-and-white photographs (which Johnson borrowed from his grandmother) spread out on the floor around him. Eventually, color begins to sweep across the photos from the outside, working its way in until Jamey himself is also in color.
"In Color" won "Song of the Year" at the Academy of Country Music Awards on April 5th, 2009. It was also nominated for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song at the 51st Grammy Awards
.
In June 2010, the song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
chart dated April 19, 2008. The song spent a total of 40 weeks as an active single on the country charts, and became the first Top 10 hit of Johnson's career, peaking at number 9 on the week of January 10, 2009. In addition, the song peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100
the same week.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
co-written and recorded by American country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Jamey Johnson
Jamey Johnson
Jamey Johnson is an American Grammy Award nominated country music artist. Signed to BNA Records in 2005, Johnson made his debut with his single "The Dollar," the title track to his 2006 album The Dollar...
. It is the first single from his second album, That Lonesome Song
That Lonesome Song
That Lonesome Song is the third studio album by American country music singer Jamey Johnson. Initially released to digital retailers in 2007 without the promotion of a record label, the album was physically released on August 5, 2008 via Mercury Nashville Records...
, which was initially released to digital retailers in 2007, and was released on August 5, 2008 on Mercury Nashville Records. Johnson co-wrote the song with James Otto
James Otto
James Allen Otto is an American country music artist who is a member of the MuzikMafia, a group of country musicians known for their "country music without prejudice"...
and Lee Thomas Miller
Lee Thomas Miller
Lee Thomas Miller is an American country music songwriter and occasional record producer. His credits include the Number One country hits "The World" and "I'm Still a Guy" for Brad Paisley and "You're Gonna Miss This" for Trace Adkins, as well as Top Ten hits for Terri Clark, Joe Nichols, and...
. In January 2009, "In Color" became Johnson's first Top Ten country hit. The song was later included on the compilation album, Now That's What I Call Country Volume 2
Now That's What I Call Country Volume 2
Now That's What I Call Country Volume 2 is the second country music compilation album from the Now! series, released on August 25, 2009....
, in 2009.
The song won awards for Song of the Year in both the 2008 ACM Awards and the 2009 CMA Awards.
Content
The song is a largely acoustic balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
centralizing on an elderly man who is showing black-and-white photographs to his grandson, each photograph showing a various part of the man's life. Describing the instances in each photos, such as fighting in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he recalls his own life story to his grandson, telling him, "you should have seen it in color" (i.e., that the grandson would have had to be there himself to know what each experience was truly like). Trace Adkins
Trace Adkins
Tracy Darrell "Trace" Adkins is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1996 with the album Dreamin' Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since then, Adkins has released seven more studio albums and two Greatest Hits compilations...
was originally slated to record the song, until Johnson asked Adkins' permission to record the song himself. Adkins did record the song as an iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
exclusive bonus track on his 2008 album, X
X (Trace Adkins album)
-Album:-Singles:-Other charted songs:...
.
Music video
A music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was shot for "In Color" in May 2008. It portrays Johnson sitting on a stool, playing acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and singing, with various black-and-white photographs (which Johnson borrowed from his grandmother) spread out on the floor around him. Eventually, color begins to sweep across the photos from the outside, working its way in until Jamey himself is also in color.
Reception
The song received a "thumbs up" rating from Brady Vercher of The 9513. Vercher described the lyrics favorably, saying that they contained "vivid and emotive imagery without becoming overwrought", also saying "[t]he production stays out of the way of the vivid stories and adds a richness and expressiveness[…]Johnson may not be the most gifted vocalist as far as range goes, but he is more than capable and knows how to interpret a song for good effect. Needless to say, he nails the delivery in this song.""In Color" won "Song of the Year" at the Academy of Country Music Awards on April 5th, 2009. It was also nominated for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song at the 51st Grammy Awards
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
.
In June 2010, the song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Chart performance
"In Color" debuted at number 57 on the Hot Country SongsHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart dated April 19, 2008. The song spent a total of 40 weeks as an active single on the country charts, and became the first Top 10 hit of Johnson's career, peaking at number 9 on the week of January 10, 2009. In addition, the song peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
the same week.
| Chart (2008-2009) | Peak position |
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