Celebrating Grandfathers: Jamey Johnson’s ‘In Color’

Inspiration for Jamey Johnson’s country hit came from vintage black-and-white photos. Steve Allen/Shutterstock

In the early 2000s, Nashville songwriter Lee Thomas Miller attended a Broadcast Music International awards ceremony. During the event, a series of black-and-white photos was featured on a screen for guests to view. Miller didn’t recognize many of the industry professionals in the photos from the 1960s, but he did pick out some of the artists, like pioneering country musician Kitty Wells.

As Miller thought about how much he would have loved to get to know all the people in the photos, the seeds of a country song were planted. Weeks later, when he chatted with fellow country music songwriter Jamey Johnson about the old photos and how there could be a song inspired by the images’ nostalgia, the two quickly came up with the future hit single’s concept. They planned to meet up later and write the track. As their conversation came to a close, Johnson said, “There’s your idea. … You should’ve seen it in color.”

When Miller chatted with country news site The Boot about cowriting “In Color,”  he explained the lyric idea that set off the progression of the moving country tune:

“You look for the phrase that gives you a reason to write a song,” he explained.

A Tribute to Grandfathers

It was months before the duo met up and wrote “In Color,” but when they finally did, they invited their friend and fellow songwriter James Otto to join them. As the trio worked on the concept and initial lyrics for the song, the conversation turned to the black-and-white photos of their own familial histories. Soon, the three musicians found themselves getting emotional as they shared stories about their loved ones.

Miller said of the track, “In a lot of ways, it’s a song about our grandfathers.”

The song’s opening lyrics set the stage for a conversation between a grandfather and his grandson:

“I said, ‘Grandpa, what’s this picture here?/ It’s all black and white, and it ain’t real clear/ Is that you there?’/ He said, ‘Yeah, I was 11’.”

The song then takes the listener on an image-rich journey, from the Great Depression and the battlegrounds of World War II to the grandfather’s marriage to his blushing bride. The song culminates in the lyrics’ two-line climactic bridge:

“That’s the story of my life/ Right there in black and white.”

Due to the narrative-driven nature of the single, Miller said that they worked longest on the lyrics. The lyrical couplet that ultimately became the bridge started as the song’s repeated hook at the end of each verse.

When talking with The Tennessean about how the trio achieved the song’s final draft, he emphasized, “We worked a lot on the language.”

Their hard work paid off. Not only did “In Color” receive multiple Grammy nominations after its successful release, it also won Song of The Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards in 2009. In 2010, “In Color” was certified gold.

Honoring Military Veterans

Insert and cover of Jamey Johnson's 2008 album "That Lonesome Song" featuring "In Color." Internet Archive. Public Domain

In 2008, “In Color” appeared on Johnson’s breakout album, “That Lonesome Song.” Both the rich imagery and clarity of the writing as well as Johnson’s masterful baritone performance of “In Color” have contributed to the song’s enduring popularity among country music listeners.

It has even become a part of families’ most emotional and intimate life events. Miller said, “Every now and then, people will tell me that their grandfather put it in his will to have that song played at his funeral.”

Over the years, interview requests for Miller regarding “In Color” have helped him keep alive memories of his own grandfather, a Kentucky farmer and veteran. Johnson is also a military veteran, and Miller will always be proud of the way they were able to honor veterans by telling their story with “In Color.”

Miller said that during the songwriting process, “We had a long conversation about how normal people were sent away to war. My grandfather was a … farmer in Kentucky, and he was drafted. He went in as a Private and came out as a Private. He literally went and saved the world and went back to the … farm. That was the beautiful thing about those who serve. They are just normal people. There was a lot of that conversation.”

Painting With Words

Jamey Johnson onstage during the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards' Artist of the Decade at the MGM Grand on April 6, 2009 in Las Vegas. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Since its release, “In Color” has become a perennial country song and one of Jamey Johnson’s signature closing tracks for his live shows.

It’s a celebration of grandfathers and men everywhere who demonstrate bravery in times of danger, love to those they cherish, and humble benevolence to humankind.

Thanks to the beautiful story of “In Color,” the black-and-white photos of men from what’s known as the Greatest Generation (those born in the early 1900s and who served in WWII), can now be viewed through a richly hued lens. The touching song brings to light lives of honor, dedication to family, and love of country.

American servicemen listening to a guitar player on the roof of an American Red Cross beach club, known as the 'Paradise,' in Ain El Turk District, Algeria, circa 1943. FPG/Getty Images

Paint isn’t the only thing that brings color to a black-and-white world. When talented songwriters like Miller, Johnson, and Otto get to work with an idea and create a bona fide lyric, they show that musicians have the ability to paint with words, giving vibrancy and color to our most precious memories. With the help of music, these memories will endure by being passed on from one generation to the next.

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