Weller's eleventh studio album, Sonik Kicks, was released on 19 March 2012. The Green Songfacts reports that it was recorded in Weller’s own Black Barn Studios in Ripley, Surrey, with co-producer Simon Dine and engineer Charles Rees.
Born John William Weller in Stanley Road, Woking, he was also a central figure in the Mod revival. As the leader of the Jam, Paul Weller fronted the most popular British band of the punk era, influencing legions of English rockers that ranged from his mod-revival contemporaries to the Smiths in the '80s and Oasis in the '90s. During the final days of the Jam, he developed a fascination with Motown and soul, which led him to form the sophisti-pop group the Style Council in 1983. As the Style Council's career progressed, Weller's interest in soul developed into an infatuation with jazz-pop and house music, which eventually led to gradual erosion of his audience — by 1990, he couldn't get a record contract in the UK, where he had previously been worshipped as a demi-god. As a solo artist, Weller returned to soul music as an inspiration, cutting it with the progressive, hippie tendencies of Traffic. Weller's solo records were more organic and rootsier than the Style Council, which helped him regain his popularity within Britain. By the mid-'90s, he had released three successful albums which were both critically-acclaimed and massively popular in England, where contemporary bands like Ocean Colour Scene were citing him as an influence. Just as importantly, many observers, while occasionally criticizing the trad-rock nature of his music, acknowledged that Weller was one of the few rock veterans that had managed to stay vital within the second decade of his career.
Black Is The Colour
Paul Weller Lyrics
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Her lips are like some roses fair
She has the sweetest smile and the gentlest hands
And I love the ground whereon she stands
I love my love and well she knows
I love the ground whereon she goes
I wish the day it soon would come
I go to the Clyde and I mourn and weep
For satisfied I never can be
I'll write her a letter just a few short lines
And I owe death a thousand times
Black is the color of my true love's hair
Her lips are like red roses fair
She has the sweetest smile and the gentlest hands
And I love the ground whereon she stands
The song "Black Is the Colour" by Paul Weller is a cover of a traditional Scottish folk song that has been recorded by many artists throughout the years. The lyrics speak of the singer's love for a woman, describing her physical beauty and gentle nature. The repeating line, "Black is the color of my true love's hair," serves as a motif throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's devotion to his love.
As the song progresses, the tone shifts to one of longing and sadness as the singer expresses his desire to be with his love, wishing for the day when they can be together. He mourns and weeps, feeling unsatisfied without her, and even contemplates his own mortality, saying that he owes death a thousand times. The song ends on a bittersweet note, with the singer reaffirming his love for his true love's beauty and the ground beneath her feet.
Overall, "Black Is the Colour" is a beautiful and haunting love song that captures the intensity and complexity of human emotions. It speaks to the universal theme of love and the yearning for connection that is inherent in all of us.
Line by Line Meaning
Black is the color of my true love's hair
My true love has hair as dark as night
Her lips are like some roses fair
Her lips are as red as a rose
She has the sweetest smile and the gentlest hands
My true love is the most gentle and kind-hearted woman I know
And I love the ground whereon she stands
I love everything about my true love, including the very ground she walks on
I love my love and well she knows
My true love is aware of my deep love for her
I love the ground whereon she goes
I love every place that my true love walks or goes to
I wish the day it soon would come
I am eagerly waiting for the day when I can be with my true love
When she and I could be as one
When we can finally be united and become one entity
I go to the Clyde and I mourn and weep
I am filled with sorrow and grief when I visit the river Clyde
For satisfied I never can be
I can never be fully content without my true love by my side
I'll write her a letter just a few short lines
I will send a brief letter to my true love
And I owe death a thousand times
I would gladly give up my life a thousand times over for my true love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL JOHN WELLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind