Black is a colour which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic colour, without hue, like white and gray. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have often been used to describe opposites. Since the Middle Ages, black has been the symbolic colour of solemnity and authority, and for this reason is still commonly worn by judges and magistrates. Black ink is the most common colour used for printing books, newspapers and documents, as it provides the highest contrast with white paper and thus is the easiest colour to read. Similarly, black text on a white screen is the most common format used on computer screens. As of September 2019, the darkest material is made by MIT engineers from vertically aligned carbon nanotubes.
“That Old Black Magic” is a 1942 song written by Harold Arlen (music), with the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. They wrote it for the 1942 film Star Spangled Rhythm, when it was sung by Jonny Johnston and danced by Vera Zorina. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1943. It was first recorded by Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra in July 1942, and was released as a single by Judy Garland in January 1943 – in advance of the movie’s release. Five other recordings (also made in 1942) followed within the next two weeks.
“Paint It Black” is a song recorded by the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is an uptempo song with Indian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European influences featuring a sitar part played by multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones. The lyrics are about grief and loss. The song was released as a single in May 1966 in the United States by London Records and in the United Kingdom by Decca. It was included as the opening track on the American version of the band’s 1966 studio album Aftermath. Contemporary reviews at the time were mixed, with some music critics believing its sitar sound was an attempt to copy the Beatles. Retrospectively, critics have considered “Paint It Black” more favourably, with Rolling Stone ranking it one of the greatest songs of all time. A chart success for the Stones, the song spent eleven weeks – including two at number one – on the US Billboard, and spent a total of 21 weeks – including one atop the chart in the UK.
“Black Is Black” is a song by the Los Bravos, released in 1966 as the group’s debut single for Decca. Produced by Ivor Raymonde, the song reached number two in the UK, number four in the US, and number one in Canada. With the song’s success, Los Bravos became the first Spanish rock band to have an international hit single. A dance remix of the song was released as a single in 1986.
“Black Magic Woman” is a song written by British musician Peter Green, which first appeared as a Fleetwood Mac single in various countries in 1968. Subsequently, the song appeared on the 1969 Fleetwood Mac compilation albums English Rose (US) and The Pious Bird of Good Omen (UK), as well as the later Greatest Hits compilation. Although not as popular as Santana’s arrangement two years later, “Black Magic Woman” nevertheless became a fairly popular blues rock hit peaking at No. 37 in the UK. It was featured in Fleetwood Mac’s live set-lists even after Green had left the band, when it was usually sung by Danny Kirwan.
“Blackberry Way” is a 1968 single by The Move. Written by the band’s guitarist/vocalist Roy Wood, “Blackberry Way” was a bleak counterpoint to the sunny psychedelia of earlier recordings. It nevertheless became the band’s most successful single, reaching number 1 in the UK in February 1969. The Move vocalist Carl Wayne refused to sing on the song, so Wood handled the lead vocal. Richard Tandy, who later played keyboards with Wood’s next band ELO, played harpsichord on “Blackberry Way”. Despite the success of the single, the style of psychedelia-tinged pop sat uneasily with guitarist Trevor Burton. He left the group shortly after.
“Black Night” is a song by Deep Purple, first released as a single in June 1970 and later included on the 25th Anniversary version of their 1970 album, Deep Purple in Rock. It became a hit following its release, peaking at No. 2 on UK charts, and remains Deep Purple’s highest charting UK single. It topped the charts in Switzerland, and is one of only two singles from the band to chart in Ireland, peaking at No. 4, thus making it the group’s only Irish Top 10 hit. It was also the second non-album single penned by the band and also reached number 6 in South Africa.
“Black Velvet” is a song written by Canadian songwriters Christopher Ward and David Tyson, and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Alannah Myles. It was released in January 1990 as one of four singles from Myles’ 1989 eponymous from Atlantic Records. It became a number-one hit for two weeks on the Billboard charts in 1990 as well as number ten in her native Canada and number two in the UK. The song also reached number one in Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland and was a major success in several other countries. It contains blues verses with a rock chorus. Myles won the 1991 Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal for the song and the 1990 Juno Award for Single of the Year. Since its release, the power ballad has received substantial airplay, receiving a “Millionaire Award” from ASCAP in 2005 for more than four million radio plays.
“Men in Black” is a song by American rapper and actor Will Smith from the 1997 film Men in Black, in which he also starred. The song was released in June 1997 as the lead single from both the Soundtrack and Smith’s debut solo album, and was his first solo single. The song plays during the movie’s closing credit and samples “Forget Me Nots” by Patrice Rushen. It features Smith rapping about how the Men in Black “Walk in shadow, move in silence” and play the role of “first, last and only line of defence, against the worst scum of the universe”, while SWV singer Coko sings the chorus and background vocals. “Men in Black” reached number one in several countries and won Smith a Grammy Award in 1998 for the Best Rap Solo Performance.
“Black Coffee” is a song by English-Canadian girl group All Saints from their second studio album, Saints and Sinners (2000). It was released in October 2000. The track was produced by William Orbit, and written by Tom Nichols, Alexander von Soos and Kirsty Bertarelli. It is a mellow electro-pop song, unique for its production-laden sound featuring breathy keyboards. The track was met with general acclaim from music critics who likened it to the group’s previous single “Pure Shores” for their wistful chorus delivery and Orbit’s distinctive production. A commercial success, “Black Coffee” marked All Saints’ fifth and final number-one single in the UK. It also reached the top 10 in Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Sweden.
“Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall that is featured on her debut album, Eye to the Telescope. It is one of many songs that reuses the famous Bo Diddley beat from the influential 1955 song of his own name. The track was released in February 2005 as the lead single from the album, charting at No. 28 in the Uk, the same month. The following year, the single became a hit outside Europe, reaching No. 7 in Canada and No. 20 in the United States and New Zealand.
“Back to Black” is a song by Amy Whitehouse from her second and final studio album of the same name (2006). It was released in April 2007 as the album’s third single. The song was written by Winehouse and Mark Ronson, and produced by the latter. “Back to Black” was inspired by Winehouse’s relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil, who had left her for an ex-girlfriend. “Back to Black” received universal acclaim by music critics, who generally praised its throwback sound to girl groups from the 1960s. It was included on several compiled year and decade-end lists of the best in music and was further considered to be one of Winehouse’s signature songs. The single peaked at number eight in the UK in the United Kingdom and is Winehouse’s third best-selling single in that country.
