Sparro's debut single, Cottonmouth, was released in late 2007. Sam's first album, Sam Sparro, was released in April 2008, as was the single Black & Gold, which was critically acclaimed and performed well in the charts of many countries, reaching number 2 in the UK.
As a child, Sam was a low-mileage triple-threat Christian school boy who acted in commercials and plays, sang in church, and danced just about anywhere there was open space. After moving from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles at the age of 10, he continued to sing in church – learning from some of greatest session singers LA had to offer. Singers that had performed with Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Chaka Kahn and the likes were booking Sam to sing on Demos, TV Shows and records.
At 17 Sam left home and moved overseas again. He went back to Sydney and worked in a music PR company before relocating to London. He quickly developed a love for the city and its accompanying culture and soundtrack. He spent his days temping in Record Companies and such, his spare time making electronic music in his bedroom and his nights dancing at clubs and house parties. After a few years abroad, Sam’s visa was coming to an end so he returned to LA and continued producing and recording in his bedroom.
With his unique universal appeal Sam Sparro has already single-handedly wooed the rather spoiled Los Angeles music scene with his grace and signature wit. Currently featuring a semblance of laptops, keytar, and vocals, his presence is reminiscent of the funk greats of the 80s. His seductive, soulful vocals on top of post-modern electro beats however, make him distinctly 21st century.
Sparro announced his second album, Return to Paradise, on his newly redesigned website. It was described as being inspired by soul and funk from the late seventies and early eighties. A new video premièred, featuring a new track from the album. In January 2012, The Shallow End was uploaded onto VEVO and YouTube. It is "compiled of home video footage of the making of the record and was filmed in LA, New York, London and Spain." The album was released spring 2012, accompanied by tours in the United States and Australia. A video was filmed for the upcoming track, Happiness.
Black & Gold
Sam Sparro Lyrics
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And grew legs and they started walking
And the apes climbed down from the trees
And grew tall and they started talking
And the stars fell out of the sky
And my tears rolled into the ocean
And now I'm looking for a reason why
You even set my world into motion
'Cause if you're not really here
Then the stars don't even matter
Now I'm filled to the top with fear
That it's all just a bunch of matter
'Cause if you're not really here
Then I don't wanna be either
I wanna be next to you
Black and gold, black and gold, black and gold
I look up into the night sky
I see a thousand eyes staring back
And all around these golden beacons
I see nothing but black
I feel the weight of something beyond them
I don't see what I can feel
If vision is the only validation
Then most of my life isn't real
'Cause if you're not really here
Then the stars don't even matter
Now I'm filled to the top with fear
That it's all just a bunch of matter
'Cause if you're not really here
Then I don't wanna be either
I wanna be next to you
Black and gold, black and gold, black and gold
(Black and gold, black and gold, black and gold)
Black and gold, black and gold, black and gold (oh, oh)
'Cause if you're not really here
Then the stars don't even matter
Now I'm filled to the top with fear
That it's all just a bunch of matter
'Cause if you're not really here
I don't wanna be either
I wanna be next to you
Black and gold, black and gold, black and gold
In Sam Sparro's song "Black and Gold," the lyrics use fantastical scenarios to express the intensity of the singer's feelings towards their loved one. The opening stanza speaks of fish leaving the ocean to walk and apes speaking, allowing for the impossible to occur, but not being as important as the person they are singing about. The second stanza delves into the idea that there is more to the world than what we can see, as the singer experiences a feeling that transcends visual validation.
The chorus repeats the phrase "black and gold," which could be interpreted in a few different ways. One possibility is that it refers to the interplay between darkness and light, with "black" being the unknown or unseen, and "gold" being the validation or affirmation. Another interpretation is that it refers to the duality of the world, where things are either black or white, good or bad, but the singer's feelings are too complex to be boxed into these simple categories.
Throughout the song, the singer returns to the idea that their feelings towards their loved one are so intense that it's all that really matters. Without them, the world loses its beauty and becomes just a "bunch of matter." The repetition of the chorus emphasizes this point, driving home the importance of this person's presence in the singer's life.
Line by Line Meaning
If the fish swam out of the ocean
And grew legs and they started walking
And the apes climbed down from the trees
And grew tall and they started talking
The impossible is happening and the world is changing. It's a metaphor for how the singer's world has changed since meeting the person they are singing to.
And the stars fell out of the sky
And the tears rolled into the ocean
And now I'm looking for a reason why
You even set my world into motion
The singer is trying to understand why this person has such an effect on them, comparing it to the world coming apart. The tears themselves lack meaning, while the fact that they fell into the ocean is compared to the partner's effect on the singer—both disappeared and didn't matter beyond their initial impact.
'Cause if you're not really here
Then the stars don't even matter
Now I'm filled to the top with fear
That it's all just a bunch of matter
If the person the singer is singing to isn't really with them, then everything is meaningless. It's not just the stars, but everything. All that is left to fill this vacuum is fear, an existential question of what matters if nothing meaningful exists without this person the singer cares about so much.
'Cause if you're not really here
I don't want to be either
I wanna be next to you
Black and gold, black and gold, black and gold
Being close to this person means everything to the singer, and if they aren't around, the singer doesn't want to exist in the same world. Black and gold are a metaphor for what the singer imagines their life with this person to be—the two colors contrast like the person and the singer and they shine like precious metals.
I look up into the night sky
And see a thousand eyes staring back
And all around these golden beacons
I see nothing but black
The singer is lost and confused, trying to make sense of their feelings. The night sky is full of stars, but they offer no comfort. Instead, the void of space around these bright stars is the only thing the singer sees. The golden beacons are stars, reinforcing the theme of black and gold imagery throughout the song.
I feel a way of something beyond them
I don't see what I can feel
If vision is the only validation
Then most of my life isn't real
The singer feels something spiritual, beyond what they can rationally see. They are rejecting the idea that vision is the only way to believe in something; instead, the singer relies on an emotional reaction to the world around them. Without this emotional connection, the singer feels that they would be living a life of falsehood.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jesse Rogg, Samuel Falson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind