21 Best Songs About Colors

The best songs about colors capture the full spectrum of colors on offer and how these can be used as metaphors across a broad range of musical styles and genres.

With so many colors to choose from, it’s no surprise that the biggest names in the music industry have tackled the subject in various ways over the decades.

Read on, and we’ll break down these iconic songs about colors from modern music history, each offering its unique take on the topic.

The 21 Best Songs About Colors

Whether you’re a fan of hard-hitting rock, laid-back soul, or upbeat pop music, there’s a song about color that will suit your taste.

We’ve ensured this playlist includes music from the best singers and bands of all time to reflect the diversity of songs about colors in all their glory.

So, with that said, here’s our playlist of the 21 best songs about colors:

21. “Mr. Blue Sky” – Electric Light Orchestra

We’re kicking off this playlist of songs with a color in the title with “Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra, one of the most upbeat songs ever.

Featuring exuberant lyrics about the warm feeling the narrator experiences when meeting the titular character, it was released on the 1977 album Out of the Blue.

With its uplifting, Beatles-like arrangements, it’s no surprise that “Mr. Blue Sky” has been voted the “happiest song of all time” by music fans.

20. “Mellow Yellow” – Donovan

Another easy-going song about colors is “Mellow Yellow” by Donovan, a huge hit that charted high on the Billboard Hot 100 charts released in 1967.

With its saucy reference to an “electrical banana” that we’ll leave to your imagination, this great song perfectly captures the laid-back vibe of the hippy movement.

Pay attention to the backing vocals, and you will hear Paul McCartney in the background, who also played uncredited bass guitar on the Mellow Yellow album.

19. “Blue Jeans” – Lana Del Ray

Lana Del Ray’s “Blue Jeans” gives us a more contemporary take on colors, released five years after her seminal song about birds, “Swan Song.”

It’s a powerful piece of music incorporating multiple genres to create a unique sound, from sadcore and trip hop to gothic pop and rock.

A popular single featured on her album Born to Die, “Blue Jeans,” received widespread acclaim from critics for blending nostalgia and realism.

18. “Orange Crush” – R.E.M.

R.E.M.’s color-themed album Green played host to one of their most iconic tracks from the era, “Orange Crush,” and was released as the first single from the 1988 album.

It’s a profoundly political, anti-war song from the American band, and its title refers to the chemical defoliant Agent Orange used during the Vietnam War.

As such, “Orange Crush” was produced with a relatively sombre tone and a black-and-white music video in which the band doesn’t appear.

17. “White Horse” – Taylor Swift

Another moving and heartfelt song with a colored theme is “White Horse” by Taylor Swift, released on her second studio album, Fearless, to critical acclaim.

It’s a song that incorporates elements of fairy tales and imagery of princesses with lyrics about a heartbroken woman who realizes her boyfriend isn’t who she thought he was.

“White Horse” captures the essence of Taylor Swift’s developing country music style at the time and peaked at the number two spot on the Hot Country Songs chart in 2008.

16. “Yellow Submarine” – The Beatles

Released one year before “Here Comes the Sun,” the Beatles’ famous song about heat, “Yellow Submarine,” showcases the band’s fun and exuberant side.

It’s among their most playful tunes, with a sing-along vibe and catchy lyrics that perfectly match the absurdist style of the accompanying music video.

Originally intended to be a children’s record, “Yellow Submarine” retains the appeal for youngsters and is one of the band’s most entertaining songs.

15. “Black Magic Woman” – Santana

The Santana song “Black Magic Woman” is a great example of the band’s knack for fusing elements of jazz and folks with distinct Latin rhythms.

Originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac frontman Peter Green, “Black Magic Woman” stands out with its vibrant lead guitaring set to complex percussion patterns.

Mexican-born guitarist Carlos Santana’s long and impressive career saw him collaborating with many great musicians, with the band among the best-selling of all time.

14. “Red Red Wine” – UB40

One of the most popular songs from UB40’s discography, “Red Red Wine,” was a standout release from their 1983 album Labour of Love.

The song’s lyrics bring in the imagery of intoxication from wine as a metaphor for the love the narrator feels for a woman and how this love makes them feel blessed.

It’s a fine example of the way UB40 brings together contemporary pop music with a hint of reggae. It’s all wrapped up in a cover version of a Neil Diamond classic.

13. “Blue Velvet” – Bobby Vinton

Bobby Vinton’s “Blue Velvet” is another excellent cover version of a song about colors, this time updating the top 20 hits from Tony Bennett in 1951.

Released in 1963, this dreamy pop song is another work that covers themes of romance and love, based on the narrator’s sighting of a beautiful woman in the titular blue velvet dress.

“Blue Velvet” was also widely used in the David Lynch movie of the same name, where its surface-level sweetness took on a sinister tone.

12. “Back To Black” – Amy Winehouse

One of the best-loved singers of her generation, Amy Winehouse, was responsible for some of the best karaoke songs of all time, with “Back to Black” up there with her best work.

Featuring throwbacks to the girl groups of the 1960s, “Back to Black” was inspired by Amy Winehouse’s failed relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil.

Released in 2007 on the album of the same name, “Back to Black” is one of the finest songs from Amy Winehouse’s discography, fully deserving its universal critical acclaim.

11. “Nights In White Satin” – The Moody Blues

The Moody Blues became prominent in the progressive rock movement of the late 1960s, with “Nights in White Satin” among their most popular releases.

Initially released in 1967, “Nights in White Satin” tells the tale of a man who yearns for love from a distance and tells a tale of unrequited love.

“Nights in White Satin” was reissued as a single in 1972, where it reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and enjoyed additional successes over the following years.

10. “Blue Suede Shoes” – Elvis Presley

The multiple Grammy Award-winning singer Elvis Presley is known for many great songs, but perhaps none are as instantly recognizable as “Blue Suede Shoes.”

Initially recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955, this rockabilly classic was later covered by Elvis Presley in 1956 and released with “Tutti Fruitti” as the B-side.

Various versions of “Blue Suede Shoes” have received widespread acclaim, with the Presley and Perkins renditions ranked among the greatest songs ever.

9. “Brown Sugar” – The Rolling Stones

Given their notoriety surrounding drug taking at its release, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Rolling Stones song “Brown Sugar” was based on illicit substances.

In fact, “Brown Sugar” is a song about everything and nothing at all, with Mick Jagger describing it as a mishmash of random subjects with deliberate ambiguity.

Like their great song about narcissists, “Under My Thumb,” “Brown Sugar” is classic rock and roll from the Rolling Stones at the peak of their creative powers.

8. “Purple Rain” – Prince

Before changing his name to the artist formerly known as Prince, he released the exceptional rock classic “Purple Rain” along with his backing band, the Revolution.

“Purple Rain” is a standout power ballad from Prince’s discography, written initially as a country song but transformed into something utterly unique in his hands.

Released on the 1984 album of the same name, “Purple Rain” represents Prince at his most commercially accessible without compromising his distinct musical vision.

7. “Pink Triangle” – Weezer

The Weezer song “Pink Triangle” delivers a beautiful slice of mid-1990s indie pop-rock and was the American band’s final single from the album Pinkerton.

The song captures the feeling of falling in love with a woman but realizing that the feelings aren’t reciprocated and dealing with the feeling of being let down.

Often ranked among the best Weezer songs of all time, “Pink Triangle” is a must for indie fans who can’t get enough of songwriter Rivers Cuomo’s work.

6. “Tangled Up In Blue” – Bob Dylan

While Bob Dylan has released many albums over the decades, few have received the same critical and commercial acclaim as Blood on the Tracks.

A standout release from this iconic album was “Tangled Up in Blue,” a lyrically poetic folk song that encapsulates Dylan’s writing prowess in style.

Released in 1975, “Tangled Up in Blue” is a brilliant, haunting song from folk music’s true master, frequently ranked among Dylan’s most significant ever works.

5. “Big Yellow Taxi” – Joni Mitchell

Like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell played an instrumental role in bringing folk music to the forefront of the American music scene during the 1970s.

Her classic song “Big Yellow Taxi” kicked off the decade in style, topping the charts worldwide while spreading a much-needed message about environmental protection.

Also, often ranked among the best songs about greed, “Big Yellow Taxi” is as timely and relevant today as it was on its initial release in 1970.

4. “Green Light” – Lorde

Another great female vocalist who based one of her songs around color is Lorde, with “Green Light” one of the notable tracks released in 2017.

Featured on the album Melodrama, “Green Light” is a catchy electro-pop song that references the green traffic light as a symbol for moving on with your life.

It’s an uptempo track that Lorde has described as her antidote to the proliferation of downtempo songs that had characterized her output up to that time.

3. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – Elton John

We’ve featured many titans of the music industry on this playlist, and Elton John is a name that needs little introduction to fans of popular, mainstream music.

“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was released by Elton John in 1973, with lyrics that unsurprisingly allude to the yellow bricks found on the road in The Wizard of Oz.

Released on the album of the same name, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” features exceptional chord progressions that perfectly complement John’s sweet vocals.

2. “Purple Haze” – Jimi Hendrix

One of the most famous rock music albums of all time is Are You Experienced by Jimi Hendrix, with “Purple Haze” among the highlights of this influential release.

Combining elements of classic rock with psychedelia, “Purple Haze” showcased Hendrix’s revolutionary approach to guitaring and Eastern modal influences.

Frequently ranked among the best songs of all time, “Purple Haze” represents Jimi Hendrix at his most dynamic and expressive best, delivering a true rock song for the ages.

1. “Brown Eyed Girl” – Van Morrison

Last but by no means least, we’re rounding up this playlist of the best songs about colors with “Brown Eyed Girl” by the legendary Irish songwriter Van Morrison.

Released in 1967, “Brown Eyed Girl” faced controversy, with many radio stations finding its suggestive lyrics too suggestive to be played on air.

It’s since become one of Van Morrison’s best-loved songs, finding a place on many lists of the greatest rock songs ever recorded, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Summary

So, that’s a wrap on this comprehensive playlist of classic and contemporary songs with a color in the title from the world’s leading singer-songwriter.

With so many colors, it’s a theme that has inspired music on a diverse range of topics and various composition styles.

Whether you’re an old-school rock and roll fan or prefer jazz-infused pop music, these great songs are essential for your next playlist.

What’s the best song about colors, in your opinion? Leave a comment below