Black

Album: Solace (1991)
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Songfacts®:

  • In "Black," Sarah McLachlan takes on corrupt politicians and world leaders, wondering if they feel guilt about the injustice they inflict on the innocent.

    The song was inspired by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, an ecological disaster in Prince William Sound, Alaska.
  • Some unusual instruments were employed on this track to create a sense of disorientation. Pierre Marchand, McLachlan's producer, played mandolin and accordion, and there's also a harmonica in the mix.
  • "Black" is part of Sarah McLachlan's second album, Solace, which did pretty well in her native Canada and got her some attention in America. She took a big step forward with her next album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (1993), and broke big with Surfacing in 1997, the same year she started Lilith Fair.

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