"In Color" is a song co-written and recorded by American
country music artist
Jamey Johnson. It was released in March 2008 as the first single from his 2008 album ''
That Lonesome Song
''That Lonesome Song'' is the second studio album by American country music singer Jamey Johnson. Initially released to digital retailers in 2007 without the promotion of a record label, the album was physically released on August 5, 2008 (see 2 ...
''. Johnson co-wrote the song with
James Otto
James Allen Otto (born July 29, 1973) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Otto began his career on Mercury Nashville Records in 2002, charting three minor singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts and recording his deb ...
and
Lee Thomas Miller. In January 2009, "In Color" became Johnson's first Top 10 country hit with a peak at number 9.
The song won awards for ''Song of the Year'' in both the 2009
ACM Awards and the 2009
CMA Awards.
Content
The song is a largely acoustic
ballad centralizing on an elderly man who is showing black-and-white photographs to his grandson, each photograph showing a various part of the man's life. Describing the instances in each photos, such as fighting in
World War II, the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
and the day he and his wife first got married, he recalls his own life story to his grandson, telling him that "
eshould have seen it in color" (i.e., that the grandson would have had to have been there himself to understand what each experience was truly like).
Trace Adkins was originally slated to record the song, until Johnson asked Adkins' permission to record the song himself.
Adkins did record the song as an
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
exclusive bonus track on his 2008 album, ''
X''. This story concept parallels the 2006
Carbon Leaf song "The War Was in Color".
Music video
A
music video was shot for "In Color" in May 2008. It portrays Johnson sitting on a stool, playing
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, ...
and singing, with various black-and-white photographs (which Johnson borrowed from his grandmother) spread out on the floor around him.
Eventually, color begins to sweep across the photos from the outside, working its way in until Johnson himself is also in color.
Reception
Critical
Brady Vercher of Engine 145 gave the song a "thumb up". Vercher described the lyrics favorably, saying that they contained "vivid and emotive imagery without becoming overwrought" and that "
e production stays out of the way of the vivid stories and adds a richness and expressiveness
��" Vercher also went on to say, "Johnson may not be the most gifted vocalist as far as range goes, but he is more than capable and knows how to interpret a song for good effect. Needless to say, he nails the delivery in this song."
Commercial
"In Color" debuted at number 57 on the
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
chart dated April 19, 2008. The song spent a total of 40 weeks as an active single on the country charts, and became the first Top 10 hit of Johnson's career, peaking at number 9 on the week of January 10, 2009. In addition, the song peaked at number 52 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 the same week. The song was certified Gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
on June 9, 2010. It has sold 1,340,000 copies in the United States as of February 2016.
Awards and nominations
"In Color" won "Song of the Year" at the Academy of Country Music Awards on April 5, 2009. It was also nominated for
Best Male Country Vocal Performance and
Best Country Song at the
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 8, 2009, honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the b ...
.
Chart performance
Year-end charts
References
{{authority control
2008 singles
Jamey Johnson songs
Songs written by Jamey Johnson
Songs written by Lee Thomas Miller
Songs written by James Otto
Trace Adkins songs
Music videos directed by Shaun Silva
Mercury Nashville singles
2008 songs
Songs about old age