For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday theme Jim is inviting us to play a song with black in the title, as he tells us in his post, Black Sunday. For an aging rock fan like me that gives so many possibilities: Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Doobie Brothers, Alannah Myles – I could go on. But I have instead chosen to play some of my other favourites which might be less familiar to you, to add in a bit of variety in case others play some of those today. As you can see from the header image, this one is pretty obscure if you weren’t around in the UK in 1971, but it is a song which I have always loved, and it has a message for the ages:

And here are the lyrics:

The ink is black, the page is white
Together we learn to read and write
To read and write

A child is black, a child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight
A beautiful sight

And now a child can understand
This is the law of all the land
All the land

The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
It turns by night
And now at last we plainly see
The alphabet of liberty
Liberty

The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
Together they grow to see the light
To see the light

Yeah, yeah, yeah!
Everybody! (See the light)
This is the message to all you people!
Listen now!
I’m shoutin’ out! (See the light)
Peace and love!
Heyey, yeah!
All in the wide world!
Live in peace!
Let’s live in peace!

The song is Black And White, by Greyhound, with lead singer Glenroy Oakley giving it absolutely everything. It was written in 1954 by David I. Arkin (lyricist and father of actor Alan Arkin) and Earl Robinson (music), and was first recorded by Pete Seeger in 1956. Greyhound released their reggae version in the summer of 1971, and it peaked at #6 on the UK Singles chart. American readers may recall the song too, as it was covered the following year by Three Dog Night after they heard Greyhound’s record. They got a US #1 out of it, but – and I’m sorry to say this, American readers – I’ve never rated the band, and judging by their chart performances here I’m not alone in that on this side of the pond. They were one of those bands which were hugely successful over there but achieved the square root of diddly squat here, managing a #3 and a #25 – and that was all. And I didn’t like either of those records! But let’s not detract from the message of the song, which was originally inspired by the United States Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which outlawed racial segregation of public schools. Any guesses on when that might be overturned in the present day US? Sadly, I fear it might, but its message deserves to be heard and followed by everyone.

For my second tune today I’m giving you something by one of my favourite singer-songwriters, who I have featured here before, but not with this song:

Frank Turner, with Blackout, which was a track on his wonderful album Be More Kind. This was his seventh studio record, released in May 2018, reaching #3 in the UK and #95 in the US, though it also made #8 in the US Top Alternative Albums chart and #15 in their Top Rock listings. In an unusual move, five of its tracks were released as digital singles before the album came out, including this one. It wasn’t a UK chart hit – he’s seen here as an albums artist, with great success – though this track did make #19 on the US Adult Airplay listings. They were all accompanied by videos, and a fun fact about this one is that it was filmed on the George Lucas stage at Elstree Studios, the location used for Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. The metaphor of the power cut, causing darkness and a death, is powerful, but Frank gives us some cause for optimism with his call to share a candle and overcome our fears. Given that the album also included his song Make America Great Again, which was his suggestions for a way of doing that which were completely at odds with the way it was used then and now, you can probably tell where he was coming from. 

I don’t always play three songs for Song Lyric Sunday but I’m doing that today, if only to show that I didn’t need to go mainstream to find three! And any excuse to play this lot, and their gorgeous singer, is always welcome:

That was Cowboy Junkies with Black Eyed Man, the title track of their fourth album, which was released in February 1992 and peaked at #8 in their native Canada, #21 in the UK and a rather shameful #76 in the US – you should have been more welcoming to music from your claimed 51st state, guys! It is a rather sad tale of a man taking the blame for something he didn’t do, out of a sense of honour, and like everything else the band has done it is lovely and played to perfection.

That’s my three for today – a fairly eclectic mix and I’m hoping you don’t hear them anywhere else today. Now there’s a challenge!

See you again for some Tuesday Tunes 🎶