"The Colour of My Love" is a song written by

Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member o ...

. Two artists first released it as a single on the same day, 14 March 1969. A version by

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

became a top-30 hit in the UK as well as charting in the UK. The other, by

Billy J. Kramer William Howard Ashton (born 19 August 1943), known professionally as Billy J. Kramer, is an English pop singer. With The Dakotas, Kramer was managed by Brian Epstein during the 1960s and scored hits with several Lennon–McCartney compositions ...

, was only released in the UK and failed to chart. Paul Ryan's brother

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

also recorded a version that was released as a single in several countries.

Jefferson version

Release

After leaving

beat group Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle ...

the Rockin' Berries The Rockin' Berries are a beat group from Birmingham, England, who had several hit records in the UK in the 1960s. A version of the group, emphasising comedy routines as well as music, continues to perform to the present day. History The Rockin ...

in 1968, Geoff Turton began a solo career under the pseudonym Jefferson. His first release, "Montage", failed to chart, but it was the follow-up "The Colour of My Love" that saw him first enter the charts as a solo artist. However, composer Paul Ryan was not impressed with Jefferson's version, saying "quite frankly, I think it's a load of rubbish. The production is terrible. Jefferson's a nice bloke, but it's very upsetting to hear what someone has done to your song. It's like someone framing a picture you're proud of in a tatty frame".

Track listing

# "The Colour of My Love" – 2:32 # "Look No Further" – 2:35

Charts

Barry Ryan version

Release

Capitalising on the success of Barry Ryan's previous two singles " Eloise" and " Love Is Love" which were particularly successful in Europe,

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

released "The Colour of My Love" as a follow-up single from the album ''Barry Ryan Sings Paul Ryan''. It was released in continental Europe, Scandinavia, South Africa and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) with the B-side "My Mama", also written by Paul Ryan.

Track listing

# "The Colour of My Love" – 2:46 # "My Mama" – 3:46

Charts

Other versions

* In late 1969, Danish singer

Bjørn Tidmand Bjørn Tidmand (born 24 January 1940 in Copenhagen) is a Danish singer, best known for his participation in the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest. After being a member of the Copenhagen Boys Choir as a child, Tidmand began performing in local night ...

released a Danish-language version titled "Et billed af min kærlighed" as a single which peaked at number 15 on the

IFPI Danmark IFPI Danmark is the Danish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Denmark. Certification Gold and platinum awards were first award ...

chart. * In 1970, French singer

Dalida Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida, was an Italian-French singer and actress born in Egypt. She sang in eleven languages and sold millions of records internationally. Her best known son ...

released a French-language version titled "Les couleurs de l'amour" as a single.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colour of My Love 1969 singles 1969 songs Pye Records singles MGM Records singles Song recordings produced by John Schroeder (musician) Songs written by Paul Ryan (singer)