“Black and Gold” by Sam Sparro

“Black and Gold” is a song that reads as if it may be religious in nature, though actually classifying it as such would be a bit of a stretch. The sentiments being relayed were written as the result of Sam Sparro going through sort of an existential crisis at the time. 

And what they primarily center on is the idea of the vocalist being lost if the addressee is not by his side or if this person doesn’t exist, or something like that. It seems as if to some degree he is questioning reality itself. And again, considering the background of the track, it may be that he’s even addressing/praising a higher power or whoever/whatever it is that may have helped Sam maintain hope even at a time when the vocalist’s life was woefully unfulfilling.

“Black and Gold” Facts

On the 14th Day of April 2008, Sam Sparro released this song. It was issued as a single.  

“Black and Gold” was written and produced by Sparro in collaboration with Jesse Rogg.

The following are the music genres in which “Black and Gold” can be placed:

• Neo soul
• Dance-pop
• Synth-pop

In 2009, “Black and Gold” contested for a Grammy in the “Best Dance Recording” listing. The category included the following songs:

• Hot Chip’s “Ready for the Floor”
• Lady Gaga and Colby O’Donis’ “Just Dance”
• Madonna’s “Give It 2 Me”
• Rihanna’s “Disturbia”
• Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”

“Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” was eventually crowned winner of the category.

“Black and Gold” was featured on “FIFA 09”, a very popular football video game.

Chart Performance of “Black and Gold”

• US (Dance) – 12
• UK – 2
• Scotland – 1
• Ireland – 5
• Denmark – 10
• Australia – 4

The “Sam Sparro” Album

Australian singer Sam Sparro released the dance and synth-pop song “Black and Gold” as his debut song in 2008. The song is also the lead single from his first and self-titled studio album, Sam Sparro.

Modus Vivendi and Island Records released the album on April 28, 2008. Sam produced the whole album in collaboration with the following music producers:

• Jesse Rogg
• Paul Epworth
• Eg White
• Richard X

Many music critics generally rated the album very high, stating that it was an impressive work by a debut artist. For example, AllMusic and Digital Spy rated gave it a 3 out of 5 rating.

Sam Sparro was a huge success for Sam. For example, it made it to number 4 on the United Kingdom’s official albums charts. On the United States’ Billboard Dance Albums chart, it managed to reach position 9.

In addition, the album was nominated for the Breakthrough Artist Album of the year at the 2008 ARIA Awards.