"Rose-Colored Boy" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Paramore Paramore is an American rock band formed in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2004. Since 2017, the band's lineup includes lead vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Taylor York, and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of ...

. It was released on March 2, 2018, through Fueled by Ramen as the fourth single off their fifth studio album, ''

After Laughter ''After Laughter'' is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Paramore. It was released on May 12, 2017, through Fueled by Ramen, as a follow-up to their 2013 Paramore (album), self-titled album. ''After Laughter'' was produced by guit ...

'' (2017).

Composition

"Rose-Colored Boy" has been described as new wave by Rockfreaks.net,

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 ...

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

and

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''.

Release and live performances

The band performed the song at ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

'' on August 25, 2017, along with four other tracks from ''After Laughter''. The band released a radio edit of the song on March 2, 2018, titled "Mix 2", with small changes. "Rose-Colored Boy" impacted American

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

on March 27, 2018. Williams often interpolates the lyrics of

Tom Tom Club Tom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth as a side project from Talking Heads. Their best known songs include the UK top 10 hit " Wordy Rappinghood" and the US top 40 hi ...

Genius of Love "Genius of Love" is a song by American new wave band Tom Tom Club, released in September 1981 by Sire and Warner Bros. as the second single from their eponymous debut studio album (1981). The song is written by Adrian Belew, Chris Frantz, Ste ...

into the chorus.

Music video

A music video for the song was released on February 5, 2018. The video surrounds a fictional 80s

talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...

called ''Wake Up! Roseville'', with the band members hosting. As hosts, the band members are under constant stress from executives, who scold the band (particularly vocalist

Hayley Williams Hayley Nichole Williams (born December 27, 1988) is an American singer and songwriter. She is the lead vocalist and only constant member of the rock band Paramore, which she co-founded in 2004. Williams was born and raised in Meridian, Miss ...

) for not creating a more positive environment, matching the lyrics "I ain't gon' smile if I don't want to". Williams at one point, frustrated, yells "F*ck it! We'll do it live," parodying an outtake from political commentator Bill O'Reilly on ''

Inside Edition ''Inside Edition'' is an American tabloid television program that is distributed in Broadcast syndication, first-run syndication by CBS Media Ventures. Having premiered on January 9, 1989, it is the longest-running syndicated-newsmagazine progr ...

''. The video ends with the band shown playing the song and causing chaos on set, before resuming the show the very next day, ending with Williams' smile fading.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. * Kevin "K-Bo" Boettger – assistant engineer *

Dave Cooley Dave Cooley (David J. Cooley) is an American mastering engineer and audio restoration specialist. His numerous mastering credits include J Dilla's ''Donuts'' and '' The Diary'', Paramore's ''After Laughter'', 40th anniversary release of Bob Marl ...

– mastering engineer *

Carlos de la Garza Captain Carlos de la Garza (1807–1882), also known as "Don Carlos," was a fourth generation Tejano rancher and entrepreneur in Goliad, Victoria and Refugio counties of Texas. His participation in the Mexican Army leading to the Battle of Col ...

– mixer, engineer *

Zac Farro Zachary Wayne Farro (born June 4, 1990) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Paramore. He is the younger brother of Josh Farro, who is Paramore's former lead guitarist and backing vocalist. After he and his broth ...

– drums, bells, keyboards, percussion, background vocals *

Justin Meldal-Johnsen Justin Meldal-Johnsen (born March 26, 1970) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter and musical director. He is best known for his work with artists such as Beck, Nine Inch Nails, M83, Air, St. Vincent, Wolf Alice, and Deafheave ...

– producer, engineer, bass guitar, keyboards, programming * Zelly Meldal-Johnsen – additional background vocals * Mike Schuppan – engineer, additional mixer * Hayley Williams – vocals, keyboards, percussion, background vocals *

Taylor York Taylor Benjamin York (born December 17, 1989) is an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist for the rock band Paramore. Biography York was born the youngest of three boys on December 17, 1989, and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. His ...

– producer, additional mixer, engineer, guitar, keyboards,

marimba The marimba ( ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the mari ...

, percussion, programming, background vocals

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control Songs written by Hayley Williams 2017 songs Songs written by Taylor York Paramore songs American new wave songs American synth-pop songs Songs written by Zac Farro Songs about depression Music videos directed by Warren Fu