Living Colour is an American Funk Metal band from New York City, formed in 1983.
A prominent black band of that movement, which also included Jane's Addiction, Faith No More, Fishbone, Primus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and 24-7 Spyz in the late 1980s, Living Colour rose to fame with their debut album Vivid in 1988. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by Heavy Metal, Funk, Hard Rock, Free Jazz, Hardcore Punk, and Hip-Hop, containing lyrics that attack the Eurocentrism and racism of America.
Although the band scored a number of hits, they are best remembered for their anthemic single "Cult of Personality", which won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1990 and is also known these days for being the entrance theme of professional wrestler CM Punk, and their highest-charting single "Type". They were also named Best New Artist at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. They disbanded in 1995 but reunited in 2000 and have been active since.
Not to be confused with the American TV show In Living Color!. If it helps, Living Colour use the British spelling of "colour", and the TV show uses the American one.
Members:
- Corey Glover - Vocals
- Vernon Reid - Guitar
- Muzz Skillings - Bass (1988-1992)
- Doug Wimbish - Bass (1992-present)
- Will Calhoun - Drums
Discography:
- Vivid (1988)
- Time's Up (1990)
- Stain (1993)
- Collideøscope (2003)
- Everything is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour (2006) (Greatest Hits album)
- The Chair in the Doorway (2009)
- Shade (2017)
"Look in my eyes, what do you see, the tropes of personality:"
- Anti-Love Song: "Love Rears Its Ugly Head."
- Anti-Police Song: "This Little Pig," which also repeats "See You in Hell."
- Broken Record: "I'm the cult of...I'm the cult of...I'm the cult of...I'm the cult of...I'm the cult of...I'm the cult of...I'm the cult of...I'm the cult of...personality!"
- Cover Version: "Memories Can't Wait" on Vivid, "Sunshine of Your Love" for the True Lies soundtrack, "Crosstown Traffic" and "Back in Black" on Collideøscope.
- Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Gangster!: The character in "New Jack Theme."
- Eagleland: "Which Way to America?" questions why everything on TV is Type 1 and everything outside the character's window is Type 2.
- Elvis Lives: "Elvis is Dead."
- Fake-Out Fade-Out: At the end of Cult of Personality: quoted Kennedy, a guitar explosion, and then a quote from FDR.
- Green Aesop: "Time's Up."
- Heävy Mëtal Ümlaut: For their first two albums, the band stylized their name as Living Coloür.
- Hydra Problem: From "Glamour Boys:""The glamour boys whole life is a gambleThey might get over or fall flat on their faceBut if one does, there's no need to worryAnother g-boy will take his place"
- Instrumentals: "Ology."
- The Not-Remix: They released a re-recording of "Cult of Personality" (promoted as a "remaster") on November 24, 2023. Not so coincidentally, CM Punk used the new recording for his return to WWE the very next day at Survivor Series: WarGames.
- Pop-Culture Isolation: Criticized in the song "Wall."
- Protest Song: "Open Letter to a Landlord," "Time's Up," "Funny Vibe," "Which Way to America?", etc.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "I'M! THE! CULT! OF! PER! SO! NA-LITY!"
- Sampling: Hit single "Cult of Personality" samples speeches by Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Malcolm X.
- Scary Black Man: Defied; See "Funny Vibe:""No I'm not gonna rob you
No I'm not gonna beat you
No I'm not gonna rape you" - Silly Love Songs: "I Want to Know" and "Solace of You."
- Singer Namedrop: "What's Your Favorite Color?""What's your favorite color baby?
Living Colour" - Special Guest: Guest vocalists have included Chuck D and Flavor Flav ("Funny Vibe"), Queen Latifah ("Under Cover of Darkness"), and Little Richard ("Elvis is Dead").
- Spoken Word in Music: In "Cult of Personality." See Sampling, above.
- Stalker with a Crush: "I Want to Know" is sung in the perspective of one.
- Stop and Go: "Cult of Personality" seems like it will end on a Kennedy sample... then comes a Big Rock Ending, right before finishing on a Franklin D. Roosevelt sample.
- Together in Death: The song Flying is told from the perspective of a man who gets the nerve to ask out a woman in the World Trade Center moments before the first plane hits, and the couple then jump from the burning building to their deaths
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" is about hoping it stays unresolved.
- War Is Hell: From "Fight the Fight:""Well, war is hell, peace is hell, love is hell"
- Written by the Winners:"History's a lie that they teach you in school" ("Pride")
