‘Blue on Black’ is a song by American blues rock group Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band. Written by Shepherd with Mark Selby and Tia Sillers, it was originally released on their second studio album, Trouble Is... (1997). In 1998, the song was released as a single and reached the top position on the US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. ‘Blue on Black’ was regarded as the best rock song of 1998 by various media. It won the Billboard Music Award for "Rock Track of the Year" and the song's popularity helped make Trouble Is... the 1999 "Blues Album of the Year" in Billboard. The song continues to be a top download of the Kenny Wayne Shepherd catalog, ranking at number one on Rhapsody. It is also his most-listened to song on Spotify with over 60 million streams.
In 2019, Shepherd teamed up with American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch, along with country singer Brantley Gilbert and Queen guitarist Brian May for a reworked version of "Blue on Black". It also performed well on the record charts and proceeds were donated to the Gary Sinise Foundation to benefit first responders.
In an August 2017 interview, Shepherd discussed the song's origins: “We wrote that when we were down in New Orleans – me, Mark and Tia. I had the music, and Mark and I were just rolling with the music and tried to develop things up. Tia came up with this idea based on a shirt that I was wearing that was blue and black. She noticed the two colors that were dominant on my shirt, and if you mix those two colors together, black consumes the blue. It doesn't amount to anything if you put the two together: You still have one color, instead of creating a new color. So she built on that idea, and it became this really deep song. It's really up to the listener to determine how they apply it. So many people have applied it to a death in the family, an abusive relationship, a broken relationship, or whatever. There are so many different ways. That's what's beautiful about music and lyrics is trying to write a song that the listener can apply to their own experience in whatever way seems fit. And that's one of those songs.”
‘Blue on Black’ reached number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It also reached the top position on the magazine's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. A review in Billboard, described the song as a "widely appealing meld of brooding southern rock, searing blues guitar and alt-country touches". In honor of the hit single, the Martin Guitar Company issued its Kenny Wayne Shepherd Limited Edition Signature model JC-16KWS, a distinct jumbo model in dark blue, in January 2001. The guitar design was inspired by the imagery evoked in the song's lyrics. Proceeds from the model were to be donated to Providence House, a Shreveport, Louisiana shelter and development program for homeless families with children.
Labels – Revolution, Giant, Warner Bros.
Songwriters – Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Mark Selby, Tia Sillers
Producer – Jerry Harrison
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]Night falls and I'm alone
Skin, yeah, chilled me to the bone
You turned and you ran, oh yeah
Oh, slipped right from my hand
[Chorus]
Hey, blue on black, tears on a river
Push on a shove, it don't mean much
Joker on jack, match on a fire
Cold on ice, it's a dead man's touch
Whisper on a scream
Doesn't change a thing
Don't bring you back
Blue on black, oh yeah, blue on black
[Verse 2]
Blind, oh, now I see
Truth, lies, and in between
Wrong can't be undone
Oh, slipped from the tip of your tongue
[Chorus]
Hey, blue on black, tears on a river
Push on a shove, it don't mean much
Joker on jack, match on a fire
Cold on ice, it's a dead man's touch
Whisper on a scream
Doesn't change a thing
Doesn't bring you back, yeah
Blue on black, oh blue on black, oh yeah
[Guitar Solo]
[Chorus]
Blue on black, tears on a river
Push on a shove, it don't mean much
Joker on jack, match on a fire
Cold on ice, it's a dead man's touch
Whisper on a scream
Doesn't change a thing
Don't bring you back
Blue on black, oh yeah, blue on black
[Chorus]
Hey, blue on black, tears on a river
Push on a shove, it don't mean much
Joker on jack, match on a fire
And cold on ice, it's a dead man's touch
Whisper on a scream
Doesn't change a thing
Doesn't bring you back
Blue on black, oh, blue on black
Oh, blue on black
Oh, blue on black