Many Shades of Black (song)

“Many Shades of Black”
Song by The Raconteurs featuring Adele from the album 19
A-side	"Many Shades of Black" (Solo version)
Released	August 25, 2008
Genre	Alternative rock, hard rock, blues rock, jazz fusion
Length	4:24
Label	Third Man, Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Jack White III
Producer(s)	Jack White III, Brendan Benson
19 track listing
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"Many Shades of Black" is a song by the band The Raconteurs. It appears as the eighth track on their second album, Consolers of the Lonely. It is also the second single from the album and was made available in 7" vinyl format. The cover art depicts Mary Todd Lincoln or Abraham Lincoln depending on the way the inner sleeve is turned. The track is also available as downloadable content for the music video game Rock Band 2. The release of the single contains a version of the song performed by British soul singer Adele. Adele has performed this song live several times, including during her tour, and it was included in the deluxe edition of her album 19. The Adele version was featured in the ending of 90210 episode, "Wild Alaskan Salmon" (episode 6, season 2). The song was also the first track on the 90210 soundtrack. The song peaked at number 37 on the U.S. Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Adele's collaboration with The Raconteurs almost resulted in future work between Adele and the band's lead singer, Jack White, on Adele's sophomore album, 21, however, Adele stated they never got around to finishing collaborations they had planned in 2009 following the Grammy Awards.

Alternative cover

The single had two covers, depending on which way the inner sleeve turned. One features Abraham Lincoln (pictured above) and one features Mary Todd Lincoln, which is shown below:

Charts

Chart	Peak position
US Hot Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)	37

Credits

Personnel

• Adele – vocals
• Neil Cowley – piano
• The Memphis Horns, Jack Hale, Tom McGinley – horns
• Wayne Jackson – horns, horn arrangements 
• Tom Elmhirst – producer, mixer
• Kevin Metcalfe – mastering
• Joe Chiccarelli – engineer
• Vance Powell – engineer
• Lowell Reynolds – engineering assistant
• Brendan Benson, – songwriting, producer, horn arrangements
• Jack White III – songwriting, producer, mixer, horn arrangements

Lyrics

Go ahead, go ahead and Smash it on the floor Take whatever is left And take it with you out the door See if I cry See if I shed a single sorry tear Can't say that it's been that great No, in fact it's been a wasted worried year Everybody sees And everyone agrees That you and I are wrong And it's been that way to long Take it as it comes And be thankful when it's done 'Cause there's so many ways to act And there's many shades of black There's so many shades of black There's so many shades of black Let it out, let it all out Say what's on your mind You can kick and scream, and Shout and say things that are so unkind Yeah, See if I care See if I stand firm or if I fall 'Cause in the back of my mind And on the tip of my tongue Is the answer to it all Everybody sees And everyone agrees That you and I are wrong And it's been that way to long So take it as it comes And be thankful when it's done There's so many ways to act And there's many shades of black Yeah, there's so many shades of black Yeah, there's many shades of black..... Everybody sees And everyone agrees That you and I are wrong And it's been that way to long Baby, take it as it comes And be thankful when it's done There are many ways to act And you cannot take it back (many shades) Oh, you cannot take it back (of black) 'Cause, there's many shades of black (many shades) You have many shades of black (of black) You have many, You have many (shades of black) You have many shades of black (shades of black) There's so many shades of black (many shades) And so many shades of black (of black) There's so many shades of black There's so many shades of black Ooohhh ohhhh...