"Black Like Me" is a song by American country music artist

Mickey Guyton Mickey Guyton (; born Candace Mycale Guyton; June 17, 1983) is an American country music artist. Raised in Texas, Guyton was exposed to various types of music at a young age, and her material subsequently incorporates elements of contemporary cou ...

. It was released on June 2, 2020, amidst the

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. It was included on her third EP ''

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'', and her debut studio album '' Remember Her Name''. The title of the song is taken from the 1961 novel of the same name by

John Howard Griffin John Howard Griffin (June 16, 1920 – September 9, 1980) was an American journalist and author from Texas who wrote about and championed racial equality. He is best known for his 1959 project to temporarily pass as a black man and journey throug ...

Content

Guyton wrote "Black Like Me" with Fraser Churchill, Emma Davidson Dillon, and Nathan Chapman, the latter of whom also co-produced the song with Forest Whitehead. It is a piano ballad that details Guyton's experiences as a black woman navigating life and a career in country music (she is the only black female artist signed to a major country music label), highlighting racial inequality with the song's chorus ("If you think we live in the land of the free/You should try to be black like me"). The song's title was inspired by '' Black Like Me'', a book exposing racial inequality in the Southern United States in the 1960s written by

. Written on a writer's retreat in 2019, it was not released until June 2, 2020, eight days after the

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and amidst widespread protests. It was originally slated to be released as a bundle alongside " What Are You Gonna Tell Her?" earlier in the year, but its release was postponed in part due to the

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. Instead, Guyton posted a snippet of the song on social media and

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contacted Capitol Nashville requesting the song's full release, which they then put on top of their Hot Country playlist. Guyton said the response to the song left her overwhelmed with messages from others: "There’s tears of joy, tears of sadness. There’s a guilt that I’m feeling. I keep thinking, “I don’t deserve this.” There's also guilt when I see the pain other people are feeling as their eyes open and see the oppression that I’ve experienced, having to see that pain in them as I'm talking about it. It's all so heavy."

Reception

"Black Like Me" received a nomination for

Best Country Solo Performance The Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is design ...

at the

63rd Annual Grammy Awards The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 201 ...

, making Guyton the first black woman to receive a Grammy nomination in that category. On her nomination, Guyton said it was "a testament to never give up and live your truth. I can't think of a better song to make history with than 'Black Like Me' and I hope that I can continue to help open doors for other women and people who look like me." Guyton also performed "Black Like Me" on the Grammy Awards broadcast on March 14, 2021. Following the performance and a rise in sales, a new version of the song titled "Black Like Me (Our Voices)" was sent to

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radio stations by Guyton's record label EMI Nashville in partnership with Republic Records.

Track listing

Digital download # "Black Like Me" – 3:30 Digital download – re-release # "Black Like Me (Our Voices)" – 2:58

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 2020s ballads 2020 songs 2020 singles Capitol Records Nashville singles Country ballads Mickey Guyton songs Pop ballads Songs about black people Songs against racism and xenophobia Songs written by Mickey Guyton Songs written by Nathan Chapman (record producer) Song recordings produced by Nathan Chapman (record producer)