Black and White (Niall Horan song)

"Black and White"
Stripped single cover
Single by Niall Horan
from the album Heartbreak Weather
Released21 April 2020 (2020-04-21)
GenrePop rock
Length3:13
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Julian Bunetta
  • Teddy Geiger
Niall Horan singles chronology
"No Judgement"
(2020) 		"Black and White"
(2020) 		"Moral of the Story"
(2020)
Music video
"Black and White" on YouTube

"Black and White" is a song by Irish singer Niall Horan from his second studio album Heartbreak Weather (2020), which it appears as the album's second track. The song additionally serves as the album's fifth and final single, being released on 21 April 2020.[1]

Composition

Musically, "Black and White" has been described as a pop rock ballad.[2] The song was compared to the works of Ed Sheeran[3] and Horan's former band One Direction.[2][4] Lyrically, it is "a soaring declaration of eternal devotion" with visions of a wedding day and golden hour.[5] In terms of music notation, "Black and White" was composed using 4
4 common time in the key of D major, with a tempo of 148 beats per minute.[6] 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 on 13 March 2020.[7] Horan also performed the song on 18 April 2020 on the Lady Gaga-curated One World: Together At Home television special, a benefit event by Global Citizen to raise funds for the World Health Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.[8]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[9]

Charts

Chart performance for "Black and White"
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[10] 12
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 18
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tiparade)[12] 20
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[13] 10
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 91

Certifications

Certifications for "Black and White"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[15] Platinum 70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[16] Gold 20,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[17] Gold 40,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[18] Gold 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Black and White"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 21 April 2020
[1]
United Kingdom 25 April 2020 Adult contemporary radio Capitol [20]
Italy 1 May 2020 Contemporary hit radio Universal [21]
Various 22 May 2020
  • Digital download
  • streaming
(stripped version)
  • Capitol
 [22]
9 June 2020
  • Digital download
  • streaming
(Oliver Nelson remix) 		[23]

References

  1. ^ a b @NiallOfficial (20 April 2020). "Delighted to share that Black And White is the next single off Heartbreak Weather. Love this one more and more every time i listen to it . Video out tomorrow at 6pm UK" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 April 2020 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b Wass, Mike (20 April 2020). "Niall Horan Picks "Black And White" As Next Single". Idolator. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  3. ^ DeVille, Chris (9 March 2020). "Niall Horan 'Heartbreak Weather' Review: The Forecast Is Improving". Stereogum. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  4. ^ Cragg, Michael (15 March 2020). "Niall Horan: Heartbreak Weather review – 1D's quiet one comes good". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  5. ^ Moreland, Quinn (20 March 2020). "Niall Horan: Heartbreak Weather Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Key & BPM for Black And White by Niall Horan". TuneBat. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  7. ^ Zemler, Emily (13 March 2020). "See Niall Horan Confront His Fear of Pigeons on 'Carpool Karaoke'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  8. ^ Legaspi, Althea (21 April 2020). "Niall Horan Hits the Studio and the Road to Perform in New 'Black and White' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Credits / Heartbreak Weather / Niall Horan". Tidal. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  10. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 34. týden 2020 in the date selector. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Tiparade Week 22". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  13. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  15. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Niall Horan – Black and White" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Niall Horan – Black and White". Music Canada. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  18. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Niall Horan – Black and White". Radioscope. Retrieved 7 January 2025. Type Black and White in the "Search:" field.
  19. ^ "British single certifications – Niall Horan – Black and White". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  20. ^ "BBC – Radio 2 New Music Playlist". BBC. Archived from the original on 30 April 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  21. ^ "Niall Horan "Black and White"". radiodate.it. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  22. ^ "Black and White (Stripped) – Single by Niall Horan on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Black and White (Oliver Nelson Remix) – Single by Niall Horan on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 29 March 2021.