George Collins Paints Outside the Lines on "Black and White World"

Some artists mellow with age. George Collins has done the opposite.

After decades in a high powered finance career, he’s thrown himself into songwriting with the kind of energy most musicians only dream of. And his new single, “Black and White World” proves it.

The track, which is from his forthcoming album New Ways of Getting Old, is a brassy, buoyant pop rock gem that delivers a big idea with an even bigger hook.

On first listen, “Black and White World” sounds like the soundtrack to an endless summer drive. With horns popping like sunlight through clouds and guitars slinking around a rhythm section built for dancing, Collins’s warm tenor riding on top with effortless charm. It’s the kind of song that recalls Huey Lewis at his punchiest and Joe Jackson at his slyest, full of classic FM radio DNA yet sounding utterly contemporary. By the second chorus you’re already singing along, even if you don’t know the words yet.

But underneath that irresistible groove lies a clear eyed message. Collins is taking on our culture’s reflex for division with the the easy slogans and the “us versus them” thinking that dominates newsfeeds, and offering something richer.

Rather than scolding, he’s inviting. “Black and White World” is like that pep talk from a trusted friend who believes in you enough to tell you the truth, but also wants you to have a good time while you’re hearing it.

The lyrics push back against today’s culture of oversimplification and division. While some may hear a jab at a certain public figure “whose name rhymes with jump,” Collins makes clear his target is a mindset, not a person.

“No one and no party has a monopoly on narrow-mindedness or arrogant self-righteousness,” says Collins. “Black and White World is a defiant rejection of that worldview - an invitation to step out of our silos and come together.”

Collins wrote the song in response to what he calls a growing sense of fragmentation and manipulation in public life:

"I didn't set out to write about any one person or party," he explains. "I was distressed by how we've surrendered our sovereignty to gatekeepers and influencers who push us into one dimensional, monochromatic thinking. I wanted to reassert the wisdom of our individual judgments, which, when nurtured, tend to lean towards love, compassion and understanding."

A mix of wisdom and joy comes naturally to Collins these days. Becoming a father at fifty has reshaped his outlook and, by his own admission, reawakened his sense of wonder.

He’s approaching big themes like aging, change and empathy with the curiosity of someone seeing the world through his daughter’s eyes, and that’s exactly what makes “Black and White World” hit so hard. It’s hopeful, but in a grounded way.

As a first taste of New Ways of Getting Old, the single sets a high bar.

Collins’s earlier work, including Songs for Grown-ups, showed his skill for melody and reflection. But “Black and White World” sounds very much like an artist hitting his stride. Collins is confident enough to tackle heavy ideas, skilled enough to make you dance while you think and generous enough to share the view from his “second act” with the rest of us.

In a climate full of one dimensional noise, George Collins has made a track bursting with color.

"Black and White World" is a reminder that grown up rock and roll can still groove, sparkle and say something worth hearing.

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