"Colored People" is a song written and recorded by

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. This music is typically performed by Christians, Christian individuals. The extent to whi ...

band DC Talk. The song was one of several

radio single In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standal ...

s released from their 1995

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, ''

Jesus Freak The Jesus movement was an evangelical Christian movement that began on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s and primarily spread throughout North America, Europe, Central America, Australia and New Zealand, befo ...

''.

Music and lyrics

"Colored People" is a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

song primarily based on

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

s, a background

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

, and occasional strings. The verses are sung by

Kevin Max Kevin Max Smith (born August 17, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group dc Talk. As a solo artist following the band going on hiatus, he has recorded 12 full-length st ...

, while the chorus vocals are shared by all three members with

Michael Tait Michael DeWayne Tait (born May 18, 1966) is an American contemporary Christian music artist. Tait met Toby McKeehan in 1984 when he was in high school. Both Tait and McKeehan and Michael met Kevin Max while attending Liberty University in the ...

leading. Lyrically, the song is about appreciation of

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

variety, promoting unity and a "kaleidoscopic take on race relations".

Release and acclaim

The song was released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

in 1996 and received positive comments from music critics. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' editor Laura Jamison said that the album ''Jesus Freak'' "combines textured vocals, aggressive guitar, and solid songwriting, especially on 'Colored People. In addition to "

" and " Between You and Me", "Colored People" was considered instrumental in breaking DC Talk into the mainstream.

Other releases

Various versions of "Colored People" have appeared on several DC Talk official releases, including the band's greatest hits album ''

Intermission An intermission, also known as an interval in British and Indian English, is a break between parts of a performance or production, such as for a play (theatre), theatrical play, opera, concert, or film screening. It should not be confused with ...

''. A live version of "Colored People" was included on the 1997 live release ''

Welcome to the Freak Show ''Welcome to the Freak Show'' is a live audio and video recording by DC Talk. Chronicling the Jesus Freak Tour in the spring of 1996, they were released separately two months apart in 1997 on CD and VHS, respectively. A DVD version was later r ...

''. "Colored People" also appears on the

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

WOW 1998 ''WOW 1998'' is a compilation album of 30 contemporary Christian music hits which was released on November 4, 1997. WOW 1998 peaked at chart position 52 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in 1997, and also at No. 2 on the Top Contemporary Christian albu ...

''.

Cover versions

On the DC Talk tribute album, ''

Freaked! ''Freaked!: A Gotee Tribute to DC Talk's'' Jesus Freak is a 2006 tribute album primarily featuring covers of songs from the American Christian rap and rock trio DC Talk's 1995 album ''Jesus Freak'', performed by various artists signed to the ...

'',

Ayiesha Woods Ayiesha Woods (born July 2, 1979) is a contemporary Christian musician signed to Gotee Records. She has released two studio albums on Gotee: ''Introducing Ayiesha Woods'' (2006) and ''Love Like This (Ayiesha Woods album), Love Like This'' (2008). ...

recorded a cover of "Colored People" featuring

The Gotee Brothers The Gotee Brothers was a Contemporary Christian music trio formed of the three founders of the Gotee Records label: Toby McKeehan (tobyMac), Joey Elwood Joey Elwood is an American Christian music producer and former recording artist. Career Elw ...

and

John Reuben John Reuben (born John Reuben Zappin; January 14, 1979) is an American Christian hip hop artist signed to Gotee Records until late 2010. Reuben has sold over 200,000 copies of his first four albums.Breimeier, Russ (May 2002)"John Reuben - ''Hinds ...

Track listing

#"Colored People" (Radio Edit) #"Colored People" (Album Version) #Call Out Research Hook

References

{{authority control 1996 singles DC Talk songs Virgin Records singles 1996 songs Songs written by TobyMac Songs about racism and xenophobia ForeFront Records singles