"Colourblind" is the debut single of Scottish singer-songwriter

Darius Campbell Darius Campbell Danesh (19 August 1980 – 11 August 2022) was a Scottish singer-songwriter, actor and film producer. He first came to prominence as Darius Danesh when he appeared in the first series of ''Popstars'' in 2001, and the 2002 inaug ...

, who finished third on the first series of ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and pa ...

'' in 2002. It is the first song taken from his debut solo album, ''

Dive In ''Dive In'' is the debut album by Darius Danesh, released on 2 December 2002. It was a huge success and went platinum in the UK, charting at number 6 on the UK Albums Chart during the competitive pre-Christmas sales. He wrote all 12 songs on t ...

'' (2002).

Release

It was released on 29 July 2002 and reached number one in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

for two weeks. It also peaked at number 13 on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are b ...

. Following Campbell's death on 11 August 2022, the song debuted at number two on both the UK Official Single Download and Official Single Sales Charts on 19 August 2022.

Song history

After turning down an offer of a multimillion-dollar record deal by ''

'' judge

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and '' Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...

to sign with his record label, Darius began work on his solo album on which "Colourblind" would be included. Darius had been working on the song pre-''Pop Idol'' and was originally ignored by Cowell, however after meeting with

Pete Glenister Pete Glenister is an English guitarist, songwriter and producer, known for his work with Alison Moyet and Kirsty MacColl. He has also worked with a number of other artists including Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Bruce Foxton, Terence Trent D'Arby, Bros, ...

and Deni Lew as well as

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Bi ...

, the song began to be considered as a possible single.

Music video

The video for the single was shot over four days in

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. It follows Darius as he is thrown out of a car in the middle of the countryside. He changes his outfit from a black suit to jeans, to signify he is leaving his ''Pop Idol'' image behind. He meets a girl whose car has stalled, played by model

Jacqui Ainsley Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter. His work includes British gangster films, and the '' Sherlock Holmes'' films starring Robert Downey Jr. Ritchie left school at age 15 and wo ...

. After the two meet, a romance ensues, whilst also cutting away to a close up of Darius singing the track as well as playing his guitar. Ainsley later became Darius' girlfriend in real-life, although the couple broke up in 2004.

Track listings

UK CD1 # "Colourblind" # "

It's Not Unusual "It's Not Unusual" is a song written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknown Tom Jones, after having first been offered to Sandie Shaw. He intended it as a demo for her, but when she heard it she was so impressed with hi ...

" (live) # "Colourblind" (acoustic) # "Colourblind" (video) UK CD2 # "Colourblind" # "Chrysalis to Butterfly" # Video interview UK cassette single # "Colourblind" # "It's Not Unusual" (live) # "Chrysalis to Butterfly" European and Australasian CD single # "Colourblind" # "Chrysalis to Butterfly" # "Colourblind" (Almighty mix) # "Colourblind" (8 Jam remix) # "Colourblind" (video)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2002 songs 2002 debut singles Darius Campbell songs Mercury Records singles Number-one singles in Scotland Songs written by Darius Campbell Songs written by Deni Lew Songs written by Pete Glenister UK Singles Chart number-one singles