Living in Colour

Song Meaning

Alexz Johnson's "Living in Colour" isn't just a song; it's a vivid snapshot of fleeting moments, a rebellion against the monochrome grind of everyday existence. The track opens with intimate, after-hours details—shared meals at dawn, Beatles on the screen, the sensory cocktail of smoke and lime—painting a picture of a world deliberately constructed to defy the ordinary. This isn't just about pleasure; it's about creating a temporary sanctuary, a pocket of intense experience where rules are suspended ("Forgot to pay, don't care this time"). Johnson captures that electric feeling of youthful abandon, where stolen shades and chewed gum become emblems of a shared, defiant joy. The undercurrent of awareness—"It's over, we all know we're getting older"—doesn't negate the vibrancy but rather intensifies it. It’s a race against time, a conscious choice to embrace the present before it fades. The verses explore the push and pull between reckless indulgence and a nagging sense of futility. Lyrics like "Never used and underpaid / Spending money everyday" highlight the paradox of chasing pleasure in a system that seems designed to drain you. There's a sense of trading dreams for fleeting thrills ("All your dreams are poker chips"), yet the call to action is still to dive in, to abandon plans and embrace the intoxicating chaos. The repeated chorus, with its melancholic acknowledgement of aging and loss, serves as a constant reminder of the stakes. But it's precisely this awareness that fuels the desire to "live in colour," to resist the inevitable fade. The inclusion of spoken-word snippets further enriches the song's meaning. The 'dolly girl' monologue speaks to the heart of the song's ethos: freedom, self-expression, and a rejection of convention. The final snippet, a simple yet profound declaration of liberation—"You just go there, you drink, you talk, relax / Do what you like, no one cares"—encapsulates the song's core message. "Living in Colour" is a celebration of living authentically, of finding joy and connection in a world that often feels gray. It's a reminder that even as time marches on, we have the power to paint our lives with vibrancy and intention.