Fifties painter Mark Rothko, known for his large solid swaths of color, onc… Read Full Bio ↴Fifties painter Mark Rothko, known for his large solid swaths of color, once claimed to have no real interest in the color itself or whatever form it took, only in expressing simple human emotions. In a similar sense, Colouring is the culmination of several sonic hues—instrumental and electronic, pop and underground, heart and body—but the aim is all feeling. London's Jack Kenworthy imbues his work with a wide-eyed relatability, whether he's exploring elation, obsession, or even melancholy over a swirl of lush house rhythm, post-dubstep atmosphere, art rock eclecticism, and sticky hooks. And as for form, the singer/pianist/producer isn't alone. Colouring is rounded out by bassist Dom Potts, guitarist Sean Reilly, and drummer Alex Johnson—a lithe, powerful team for this mercurial but driven music.

It all goes back to Melton Mowbry, a small British town known more for churning out pork pies than gifted musicians. Jack's mom and dad were a psychologist and a professor, but both played as well. There was always music on the turntable—her Joni Mitchell, his Cannonball Adderley—plus guitars lying around and a piano in the corner. When he was about 4, just tall enough to reach the keys, Jack would use two hands to hit the bass notes for his brother's 12-bar blues. But he really wanted to play football or teach himself Beatles songs on guitar, so after a year of lessons on the ivories, age 6, he let it go. Then he heard Oscar Peterson, and his tiny mind was blown. By 14 he was collecting records, reading liners, and learning scales—the littlest jazz fiend in the English countryside, or so he thought.

Enter Dom, 9, who ripped bass despite its being nearly bigger than his frame. He and Jack played rock and blues covers in various bands until they got serious about writing, added a member, and called it Kenworthy. But though Jack was of age, Dom was a 50-year-old bassist trapped in the braces-having, baggy-panted body of a tween. So they lied and played local pubs anyway. It was at Goldsmiths, University of London, that Jack met Sean and Alex and relaunched the band, in 2014, as OSCA, named for the jazz giant who set him on this path. He found other influences there too—Caribou, Jamie xx, Atoms for Peace, and recent grad James Blake. Plus, Rothko and his Color Fields were eliciting unpredictable emotions from Jack. He was making beats in his bedroom, and his bandmates liked them: Why not just start over?

Colouring would be the name, of course, as the quartet forged their sound using all that old-school ability and new-school tech. They joined Interscope in 2015, as Jack was wrapping finals. Nowadays a song might begin on Jack's laptop or piano, or in a production mindmeld with the likes of Luca Buccellati (Yellerkin, Tei Shi) or Rhye's Robin Hannibal, and come to life with the band on the road. We could explain how, exactly, all that fits together, but the form isn't the point. What matters is the immediate undeniable feel of Colouring's richly layered, often joyous, yet still intimate music—that, and Jack's crystal-clear voice, which gives the whole thing an extra layer of inexplicable magic. After all, it was Rothko who said, "Music must be miraculous." Actually, he said "pictures," but what's the difference, really?

I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Colouring Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I bet you're wonderin' how I knew
'Bout your plans to make me blue
With some other guy you knew before
Between the two of us guys
You know I loved you more
It took me by surprise I must say
When I found out yesterday
Don't you know that I heard it through the grapevine

Not much longer would you be mine
Oh I heard it through the grapevine
Oh I'm just about to lose my mind

Honey, honey yeah.
I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine baby

I know a man ain't supposed to cry
But these tears I can't hold inside
Losin' you would end my life you see
'Cause you mean that much to me
You could have told me yourself
That you loved someone else
Instead I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine
Oh, I heard it through the grapevine
And I'm just about to lose my mind

Honey, honey yeah
I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine, baby

People say believe half of what you see
Son and none of what you hear
But I can't help but be confused
If it's true please tell me dear
Do you plan to let me go
For the other guy you loved before?

Don't you know I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah
I heard it through the grapevine
I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey, yeah
I heard it through the grapevine,
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah

Honey, honey, yeah
I heard it through the grapevine,
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah yeah

I heard it through the grapevine,
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah yeah

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" are about a man who learns through rumor and hearsay that his lover is leaving him for another man. He expresses his hurt and confusion, wondering why she couldn't have told him herself. He also talks about his deep feelings for her and how losing her would end his life. Despite the warnings that he should only believe what he sees, not what he hears, he can't help but be upset by the news. The repeated phrase "I heard it through the grapevine" emphasizes the idea that the singer learned this news through rumor and suggests a sense of betrayal.

The song was originally recorded in 1966 by Gladys Knight and the Pips but was later covered by Marvin Gaye in 1968, which became his biggest hit at the time. The song has since become a classic, with numerous covers by artists across multiple genres. The lyrics and melody capture the feelings of heartbreak and betrayal that people can relate to. The song has even been used in popular culture, such as in the film Apocalypse Now.

Line by Line Meaning

I bet you're wonderin' how I knew
You're probably curious about how I found out

'Bout your plans to make me blue
About your intentions to hurt me

With some other guy you knew before
You're seeing someone you knew before me

Between the two of us guys
In terms of us two guys

You know I loved you more
I loved you more than the other guy

It took me by surprise I must say
I was shocked to hear the news

When I found out yesterday
I just heard yesterday

Don't you know that I heard it through the grapevine
I found out through gossip

Not much longer would you be mine
Our relationship won't last much longer

Oh I heard it through the grapevine
I heard the news through gossip

Oh I'm just about to lose my mind
I'm about to go crazy

Honey, honey yeah.
Endearing term for the person he's singing to

I know a man ain't supposed to cry
Men aren't expected to cry

But these tears I can't hold inside
But I can't keep from crying

Losin' you would end my life you see
Losing you would be the death of me

'Cause you mean that much to me
Because you mean everything to me

You could have told me yourself
You could have informed me directly

That you loved someone else
That you had feelings for someone else

Instead I heard it through the grapevine
Instead, I found out through gossip

And I'm just about to lose my mind
I'm on the brink of going insane

People say believe half of what you see
People say to only trust half of what you see

Son and none of what you hear
And none of what you hear

But I can't help but be confused
But I can't help being confused

If it's true please tell me dear
If what I heard is true, please tell me

Do you plan to let me go
Are you planning on breaking up with me?

For the other guy you loved before?
For the person you had feelings for before me?

Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah
We don't have much time left, baby

Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah yeah
We don't have much time left, baby

Honey, honey, yeah
Endearing term for the person he's singing to

I heard it through the grapevine
I heard the news through gossip

Writer(s): Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield

Contributed by Samuel D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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01Symmetry4:02

02In Motion4:38

03Everything Has Grown5:19

04About You3:08

05I Heard It Through The Grapevine3:49

PT3M49S

Colouring

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clau

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Oh I bet you're wonderin' how I knew
'Bout your plans to make me blue
With some other that guy you knew before
Between the two of us guys
I loved you more
It took me by surprise I must say
When I found out yesterday
Oh I heard it

I know a man ain't supposed to cry
But these tears I can't hold inside
Losin' you would end my life you see
'Cause you mean that much to me
You could have told me yourself
That you loved somebody else
Instead I heard it
Oh I heard it

I heard it through the grapevine
I heard it through the grapevine
And I'm just about to lose my mind

I heard it through the grapevine
Oh I heard it through the grapevine
And I’m just about to lose my mind