Rose-Colored Boy

Album: After Laughter (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was written as a call for people to be more open about their mental health. "'Rose-Colored Boy' is a song about feeling pressured to look at the world with blind optimism when you actually feel very hopeless about the world and your part in it," the band explained "There is so much social pressure to be (or appear to be) "happy" that we can actually feel shame when we aren't."

    "Adding shame to sadness is a pretty toxic cocktail," they added. "It's hard enough to deal with sadness, depression, or any type of anxiety without the added societal expectations. It's important and more healing to meet people where they're at – EMPATHY – than to try and paint everything rosy."
  • The pretense of pretending to be happy in order to mask sadness is a recurring theme throughout After Laughter, especially on the single "Fake Happy."
  • The song's music video was directed by The Weeknd and Haim collaborator Warren Fu. The clip features Paramore hosting a cheery local morning news program. The happy, upbeat nature of the show is juxtaposed with the drama happening behind the scenes, as the band are hounded by TV executives to "smile more" to increase ratings.

Comments: 1

  • Willy from Planet EarthI can't stress enough how much I LOVE this song!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Eagles Lyrics Quiz

Eagles Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Lots of life lessons in these Eagles lyrics - can you match them to the correct song?

Tanita Tikaram

Tanita TikaramSongwriter Interviews

When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.

16 Songs With a Heartbeat

16 Songs With a HeartbeatSong Writing

We've heard of artists putting their hearts into their music, but some take it literally.

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Amy Lee of EvanescenceSongwriter Interviews

The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.

Alice Cooper

Alice CooperFact or Fiction

How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?