20 FEBRUARY 2020: DAVE – Black
After his immensely powerful performance stole the show at the BRITs earlier this week, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this track.
‘Black’ was first released as a promotional single this time last year, in the run-up to Dave’s award winning debut album ‘Psychodrama’. However, the track has been catapulted back into the public eye thanks to a truly incredible live rendition at the BRIT awards on Tuesday night. Dave’s lyrics pulled no punches to start with, soaring with pride in the black excellence all around him, and equally visceral in their criticism of society which makes everyday life unnecessarily complicated for ethnic minorities. This message was made even clearer with the addition of new lyrics for the live performance, referencing the murder of Jack Merritt in the London Bridge terror attack of last year, the government’s treatment of Grenfell Tower victims, the media’s treatment of Meghan Markle, and calling out Boris Johnson for his blatant racism. Every single one of these things needed to be said, and needed to be heard.
This performance was a cultural MOMENT, and deserved nothing but universal appreciation. And yet, there has still been a backlash. Which is partly why I want to highlight it myself. I want to add my voice to the support this song and this message deserves. I don’t want to sound like another uneducated white voice chiming in on something that has nothing to do with me here: the thing is, it is something to do with me. This song is hugely important for everyone. We all need to hear perspectives like Dave’s, we all need to make sure we are not part of the problem, and we all need to do our bit to make the world a kinder and safer place to live in – for everyone. I think to some degree, we are all already aware of the massive racial prejudices which still exist in our society, but if it takes something like this to kickstart real change, then so be it. Because this is one of the most powerful, eloquent and brutal pieces of art the country has witnessed for a long time, and in such a turbulent social climate as we are living through, everyone needs to listen.
OneSongEveryDay 