"The Colour of My Love" is a song written by Paul Ryan. Two artists first released it as a single on the same day, 14 March 1969. A version by Jefferson became a top-30 hit in the UK as well as charting in the UK.[1] The other, by Billy J. Kramer, was only released in the UK and failed to chart. Paul Ryan's brother Barry also recorded a version that was released as a single in several countries.
After leaving beat groupthe Rockin' Berries in 1968, Geoff Turton began a solo career under the pseudonym Jefferson. His first release, "Montage", failed to chart, but it was the follow-up "The Colour of My Love" that saw him first enter the charts as a solo artist. However, composer Paul Ryan was not impressed with Jefferson's version, saying "quite frankly, I think it's a load of rubbish. The production is terrible. Jefferson's a nice bloke, but it's very upsetting to hear what someone has done to your song. It's like someone framing a picture you're proud of in a tatty frame".[2]
Capitalising on the success of Barry Ryan's previous two singles "Eloise" and "Love Is Love" which were particularly successful in Europe, MGM released "The Colour of My Love" as a follow-up single from the album Barry Ryan Sings Paul Ryan. It was released in continental Europe, Scandinavia, South Africa and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) with the B-side "My Mama", also written by Paul Ryan.[9]
In late 1969, Danish singer Bjørn Tidmand released a Danish-language version titled "Et billed af min kærlighed" as a single which peaked at number 15 on the IFPI Danmark chart.[14]
In 1970, French singer Dalida released a French-language version titled "Les couleurs de l'amour" as a single.[15]
