About The Song
“Black and White” is a song written in 1954 by David I. Arkin and Earl Robinson, originally inspired by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision that outlawed racial segregation in public schools. Three Dog Night recorded their version, released on August 19, 1972, as the lead single from their seventh studio album Seven Separate Fools on Dunhill Records. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Easy Listening charts, holding the top spot for one week, and was ranked No. 63 for 1972 by Billboard. It marked the band’s third No. 1 hit, following “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)” and “Joy to the World.”
The recording took place in Los Angeles, produced by Richard Podolor, with a pop-rock arrangement featuring Danny Hutton on lead vocals and a children’s choir adding harmony in the closing chorus. The session included musicians like Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards and Michael Allsup on guitar, contributing to the song’s upbeat yet poignant tone. The track runs 3:49 on the album, with the single version slightly edited. Seven Separate Fools, released in April 1972, peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200, showcasing the band’s peak commercial success.
The lyrics promote racial harmony, with lines like “The ink is black, the page is white / Together we learn to read and write,” symbolizing unity. The original folk version by Pete Seeger included a verse about the judges’ robes, but Three Dog Night omitted this, making the song more universal. Robinson noted, “They condensed the most communicable parts into a single song number,” reflecting the adaptation’s focus on a broader message. The band was inspired to record it after hearing a 1971 reggae cover by Greyhound, which hit No. 6 in the UK.
The music video, though not officially released in 1972, features live performance footage from that era, often included in later compilations. Three Dog Night, formed in 1967 by vocalists Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton, was known for covering songs by diverse writers, and this track highlighted their ability to blend social commentary with catchy melodies. The song’s use of a children’s choir underscored its hopeful message during a time of ongoing civil rights struggles.
The track was released in multiple formats, including 7-inch vinyl, with B-sides like “Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer.” It was performed live during the 1972-1973 tour and later included on compilations like Celebrate: The Three Dog Night Story, 1965–1975.
Video
Lyric
The ink is black, the page is white
Together we learn to read and write
A child is black, a child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight
A beautiful sightAnd now a child can understand
That this is the law of all the land
All the landThe world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
Together they grow to see the light
To see the lightAnd now at last we plainly see
We’ll have a dance of liberty
LibertyThe world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight
A beautiful sightThe world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
Together they grow to see the light
To see the lightC’mon, get it, get it
Ohh-ohhhh yeah
Yeah
Keep it up now, around the world
Little boys and little girls
Yeah, yeah-eah, oh-ohhh