"Blue on Black" is a song by American blues rock band Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band. Written by Shepherd with songwriters Mark Selby and Tia Sillers; Noah Hunt provides the lead vocal. The song was originally released on their second studio album, Trouble Is... (1997).
On April 7, 1998, it was released as a single and spent 42 weeks on the US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and rose to number one, remaining there for six non-consecutive weeks. In 2019, Shepherd teamed up with American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch, along with country singer Brantley Gilbert and Queen guitarist Brian May for a reworked version of "Blue on Black".
"Blue on Black" was regarded as the best rock song of 1998 by various media, including winning the Billboard Music Award for Rock Track of the Year and the song's popularity helped make Trouble Is... the 1999 Blues Album of the Year in Billboard.
Lyrics
Night
Falls and I'am alone
Skin
Yeah chilled me to the bone
You
Turned and you ran
Oh yea
Oh slipped
Right from my hand
Blue on black
Tears on a river
Push on a shove
It don't mean much
Joker on jack
Match on a fire
Cold on ice
As a dead man's touch
Whisper on a scream
Doesn't change a thing
Doesn't bring you back
Blue on black
Blind
Oh now I see
Truth
Lies and in between
Wrong
Can't be undone
Slipped
From the tip of your tongue
Blue on black
Tears on a river
Push on a shove
It don't mean much
Joker on jack
Match on a fire
Cold on ice
As a dead man's touch
Whisper on a scream
Doesn't change a thing
Doesn't bring you back
Blue on black
Songwriters: Tia Sillers / Mark Selby / Kenny Shepherd
Blue on Black lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group