Paramore pen heartfelt note on the meaning of "Rose-Colored Boy"

May 3, 2018

Paramore took to Twitter today to explain the meaning behind their new single, “Rose-Colored Boy.”

Make sure to grab a box of tissues before you read it below.

“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 & your part in it,” the band wrote.

“Adding shame to sadness is a pretty toxic cocktail,” they continued. “It’s important & more healing to meet people where they’re at – EMPATHY – than to try & paint everything rosy.”

Paramore also added they hope their performance of the song on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert helped people feel less alone.

Be prepared to cry as you read the tweets below:

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 & your part in it. there is so much social pressure to be (or appear to be) “happy” that we can actually feel shame when we aren’t. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/STiu3U44eZ

— paramore (@paramore) May 3, 2018

Adding shame to sadness is a pretty toxic cocktail. It’s hard enough to deal with sadness, depression, or any type of anxiety without the added societal expectations. It’s important & more healing to meet ppl where they’re at – EMPATHY – than to try & paint everything rosy. 2/3

— paramore (@paramore) May 3, 2018

Thx @colbertlateshow for letting us perform our song on television. We hope that somewhere out there, staring into a screen, someone was made to feel less alone by the ideas in Rose-Colored Boy. 3/3 https://t.co/KYBxSUrR1Q

— paramore (@paramore) May 3, 2018

The late show was their TV debut performance of the song and called back to the band's morning news show-inspired music video for “Rose-Colored Boy.”

Singer Hayley Williams also replied to a fan who asked about the meaning of the performance.

“The promotional side of what we do can feel pretty uncomfortable to us,” she wrote.

the promotional side of what we do can feel pretty uncomfortable to us. think the colbert set was about us performing in an alternate world that v much looks like our own bubble- and me representing the nervousness of having people poke a hole in the bubble and peer in…

— hayley from Paramore (@yelyahwilliams) May 3, 2018

Watch the performance below:

The band recently announced they'll be bringing Soccer Mommy and Jay Som along for the After Laughter Summer Tour in North America.

The tour kicks off June 12 in St. Augustine, Florida, wrapping up July 24 in Morrison, Colorado. Plus, Paramore will be joined by Foster The People. An epic summer tour? We think yes. Check out the full list of cities and dates below!

Dates:
06/12 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre
06/14 – Simpsonville, SC @ Heritage Park Amphitheater
06/15 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater *
06/18 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
06/20 – Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
06/21 – Bangor, ME @ Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
06/23 – Columbia, MD @Merriweather Post Pavilion
06/24 – Philadelphia, PA @ Festival Pier
06/26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
06/28 – Columbus, OH @ Express Live!
06/29 – Detroit, MI @DTE Amphitheater
07/01 – Indianapolis, IN @ Farm Brook Pavilion *
07/02 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Beach Pavilion at Northerly Park
07/05 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory
07/07 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Amphitheater
07/08 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Zoo Amphitheater
07/10 – New Orleans, LA @Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square
07/11 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Amphitheater
07/13 – Houston, TX @Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
07/14 – Irving, TX @The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
07/18 – Los Angeles, CA @The Forum
07/19 – San Diego, CA @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
07/21 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
07/23 – Salt Lake City, UT @USANA Amphitheatre
07/24 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre