Black and White Town

"Black and White Town" is the lead single on Doves' third album, Some Cities. The single was released as a promo CD on 13 December 2004, and as a full single on 7 February 2005. The song scored the band their second Top 10 hit, charting at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. The atmospheric single is noted for its heavy piano and guitars played in unison, with Andy Williams' percussion maintaining a driving beat. The music video for "Black and White Town", directed by Lynne Ramsay, was filmed on the Summerston council estate in Glasgow. There also exists a "director's cut" of the video, featuring different footage, which can be found on the DVD in the limited edition box set version of the Some Cities album.

"Black and White Town"
Single by Doves
from the album Some Cities
Released	7 February 2005
Recorded	2004
Genre	Indie rock
Length	4:15
Label	Heavenly Records
Songwriter(s)	Jez Williams, Jimi Goodwin, Andy Williams
Producer(s)	Doves, Ben Hillier
Doves singles chronology
"Caught by the River" (2002) "Black and White Town" (2005) "Live at Eden" (2005)
Music video
"Black and White Town" on YouTube
Alternative cover
Maxi-CD cover

The song was used prominently by the BBC during their coverage of the 2005 Six Nations rugby tournament. Not only was it used in the 2005 Six Nations championships, but it is still used in the BBC's coverage of all international rugby. It is also used for Sky's coverage of the UEFA Champions League, as well as being used in the video game FIFA 06 and BBC's Top Gear.

Track listings

All tracks are written by Jez Williams, Jimi Goodwin, and Andy Williams, except where noted.

Promo CD (HVN145CDRP)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Black and White Town"	4:23
2.	"Black and White Town" (Instrumental)	4:23

UK 2-track CD (HVN145CD)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Black and White Town"		4:23
2.	"At the Tower"	Williams, Goodwin, Williams, Hazlewood	4:37

UK limited edition CD with fold-out poster (HVN145CDS)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Black and White Town"	4:23
2.	"45"	4:17
3.	"Eleven Miles Out"	4:32
4.	"Black and White Town" (Enhanced Video)

UK 7-inch vinyl in fold-out poster sleeve (HVN145)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Black and White Town"	4:23
2.	"45"	4:17

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2005) Peak position Ireland (IRMA)[1] 11 Scotland (OCC)[2] 6 UK Singles (OCC)[3] 6

Year-end charts Chart (2005) Position UK Singles (OCC)[4] 213

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[5]	Silver	200,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Black and White Town". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
2. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
3. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
4. "The Official UK Singles Chart 2005" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
5. "British single certifications – Doves – Black and White Town". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 18 January 2021.