"Black and White" is a song by Irish singer

Niall Horan Niall James Horan ( ; born 13 September 1993) is an Irish singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence as a member of the boy band One Direction, formed in 2010 on the singing competition ''The X Factor''. The group released five albums and went ...

from his second studio album ''

Heartbreak Weather ''Heartbreak Weather'' is the second studio album by Irish singer Niall Horan, released through Capitol Records on 13 March 2020. It was promoted with four singles: " Nice to Meet Ya", "Put a Little Love on Me", "No Judgement" and "Black and Whi ...

'' (2020), which it appears as the album's second track. The song additionally serves as the album's fourth single, being released on 21 April 2020.

Composition

Musically, "Black and White" has been described as a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

. The song was compared to the works of Ed Sheeran and Horan's former band

One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the gr ...

. Lyrically, it is "a soaring declaration of eternal devotion" with visions of a wedding day and golden hour. In terms of music notation, "Black and White" was composed using common time in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

of D major, with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 148 beats per minute. Horan's vocal range spans from the low note A2 to the high note of D5 (in the backing).

Live performances

Horan first performed the song on ''

The Late Late Show with James Corden ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' (also known as ''Late Late'') is an American late-night talk show on CBS. It is the fourth and current iteration of '' The Late Late Show''. Airing in the U.S. from Monday to Friday nights at 12:37:28am ...

'' on 13 March 2020. Horan also performed the song on 18 April 2020 on the

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

-curated '' One World: Together At Home'' television special, a benefit event by

Global Citizen Global citizenship is the idea that one's identity transcends geography or political borders and that responsibilities or rights are derived from membership in a broader class: "humanity". This does not mean that such a person denounces or waives ...

to raise funds for the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund was a global fund for supporting the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) in containing the COVID-19 pandemic. It was launched on 13 March 2020 by the United Nations Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy F ...

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * ...

. * Niall Horan – songwriting, vocals, backing vocals * Julian Bunetta – production, songwriting, drums, guitar, piano * Teddy Geiger – production, songwriting, guitar, programming *

Alexander Izquierdo Alexander Izquierdo, better known by the stage name Eskeerdo, is a Cuban-American rapper and songwriter from Hialeah, Florida. He released his first EP, ''Eskeerdo'', in 2015. He is known for being a member of the production team The Monsters & ...

– songwriting * Scott Harris – songwriting * Nate Mercereau – bass, guitar * Erynn Hill – A&R * Elizabeth Isik – A&R admin *

Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sheeran ...

– mixing, studio personnel * Mike Wolach – assistant mixing, studio personnel * Michael Freeman – assistant mixing, studio personnel * Chris Gehringer – mastering, studio personnel * Will Quinnell – assistant mastering engineering, studio personnel

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2020 singles 2020 songs Niall Horan songs Songs written by Niall Horan Songs written by Julian Bunetta Songs written by Teddy Geiger Songs written by Eskeerdo Songs written by Scott Harris (songwriter)