I honestly felt the need to make a thread about the song, which is absolutely my favorite off of the new album. I kind of feel like it's perhaps the second most controversial song on the album (second only to Before the Storm because of Miley).

I've heard some very different opinions on this song.

Whether or not you agree with it, I think it's hard to deny that the depth and meaning of their lyrics has increased greatly.

I think we put a lot of value in color nowadays. Things are bright and pretty with color. When you're a "colorful" person, it means that you stand out, that you're different from the rest.

Which I think is awesome. Of course, if we were all the same...gosh, everything would be so boring.

But because of that, I think that some people write off the "black and white" as being boring, average. But in the song, it's something that Nick sort of puts up on a pedastal, the black and white.

Which, as much as I love color, I think is very true.

We live in a crazy world. We get caught up in what we do, what we say, what goes on around us. It's color, everywhere, and at the end of the day, we're dizzy from all the color, the business of the world.

So the black and white is simplicity. It's something that's just simple and pure and because of that, it's so incredibly beautiful because the sheer simpleness of it stands out in a busy, moving, constantly changing, world.

And that's what we all crave just a little bit, isn't it? Simplicity. We want things to be easy. It's one reason childhood memories are so fond. You know those quotes about drama being when someone stole the yellow crayon. Because once you grow up, once you become jaded, you start to miss those simple things, you pass them by.

Even past that, within the context of the song, there's obviously  this girl. And I think that beyond just representing simplicity, I think the black and white represents what's real. There's this girl, and the lyrics go, "and the black keys show me a world I never knew" . I think that the black and white is this other side of this girl, the side that's simple and who, at the heart of the matter, she really is, what's there for real before she paints on the color, the fake fronts, everything that's just a pose.

This is my interpretation of the song. What about you? What do you think? What do you get out of it? Do you agree with the point of view?

I definatley agree!

I remember when everyone was doing album reviews and such, someone, I tihnk it was Katie but I can't remember exactly, said something along the lines of "Screw you Nick, color is amazing!" But I think that the meaning of the song is much deeper than "i hate color so lets go black and white from now on", ya know? It's like you said, black and white represents the simplicity of things, a simplicity that is often ruined or overlooked.

Anyways, I love this song, it's so beautiful! And is it just me, or does something about Nick's voice seem so young and innocent in this song? I mean, not that he's old and.... un-innocent (I just made a new word!), but something about him in this song... IDK maybe it's just me, but let me know what you think!

i agree,

this song is amazing and amazingly written

ppl mess things up with color..

they try to color everything to hide its disadvantages, and color their personality to hide what they hate..

but it's better to be as u r, to be urself.. ur real person, not that person with the fake colors!!

it's better to be simple with black and white..

and you r right Hannah.. his voice is gr8 and cute in this song!!

i designed this photo (on Photoshop CS3) for Black keys

it's a great topic "perfervid heart"