Indigo

Label

Atlantic Records

Genre

Country

Media Type

DD

Duration

3:44

Composer(s)

Sam Barber;Avery Anna;Andy Sheridan

Entered Chart

Dec 21, 2024

Peak Date

Apr 26, 2025

Released

October 31, 2024

"Indigo" is a collaborative country song by Sam Barber featuring Avery Anna, released in 2024 as part of Barber's debut album, Restless Mind. It depicts Barber grappling with the consequences of leaving a relationship. He feels miserable and wonders if his suffering is a divine lesson. I used to shine bright like gold, now I'm all indigo My colors are darker and cold Indigo is a deep shade of blue, and in the context of this song it's an emotional paint swatch hovering somewhere between sad and utterly crushed. The darker tones, as Barber points out, are the natural habitat of melancholia - a place where the happy yellows and sunlit oranges have gone AWOL. The song is structured as a duet, with Avery Anna taking the lead as the girl Barber walked out on. Originally from Flagstaff, Arizona, Avery Anna is a country music artist known for her expressive songwriting and piano-forward sound. Her debut EP, Mood Swings, released in 2022, includes the viral hit "Narcissist," which did well on SiriusXM radio. Anna performed at the 2023 CMT Music Awards where she was nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Along with "Indigo," she also duets with Barber on Restless Mind's title track. Thematically, "Indigo" dwells on the universal feeling of regret after a breakup. It might be inspired by Barber's own observations, though not his state of affairs at the time. He married in 2023, suggesting that the song is more likely a product of fiction or secondhand inspiration. Barber and Anna co-wrote "Indigo" with the Ohio-based songwriter Andy Sheridan, who also co-wrote Anna's "Narcissist" and has lent his talents to acts like Parmalee ("Gonna Love You") and Dustin Lynch ("Somethin' That Makes You Smile"). Producer Joe Becker keeps the production in "Indigo" simple, letting the raw emotion shine. There's a gradual build-up, particularly as the song rolls into its chorus, but nothing that overshadows the intimate, stripped-back style that has become Barber's hallmark. "Indigo" went viral on TikTok in December 2024 thanks to a trend where users latched onto the "I used to shine bright like gold, now I'm all indigo" lyric, which they used to soundtrack stories of grieving parents and partners. Some subvert the lyrics with an uplifting twist, describing how their lives have become "like gold."

And I know you're worried at night I won't find my way
And I'm tired of lying to myself just to get through each day
My head says I shoulda never left
And that my feet will soon lead to my death

I'm starting to question if God's trying to teach me a lesson
I'm starting to wonder if my true colors changed since I left ya

I used to shine bright like gold, now I'm all indigo
My colors are darker and cold, I think it's time that I went home
And I don't understand why I always feel dead and alone
Well, I used to shine bright like gold, now I'm all indigo

I gave up a piece of my heart, then I turned to run
Oh, my head's in the clouds, but I don't feel close to the sun
And the light fades away from my face, and the tears fall like rain
And so I turn my words all into faith, hope it's me that they save

Oh, I'm starting to question if God's trying to teach me a lesson
Lord knows I'm starting to wonder if my true colors changed since I left ya

And I used to shine bright like gold, now I'm all indigo
My colors are darker and cold, I think it's time that I went home
And I don't understand why I always feel dead and alone
Well, I used to shine bright like gold, now I'm all indigo

I'm starting to question if God's trying to teach me a lesson
Lord knows I'm starting to wonder if my true colors changed since I left ya

And I used to shine bright like gold, and now I'm all indigo
My colors are darker and cold, I think it's time that I went home
And I don't understand why I always feel dead and alone
I used to shine bright like gold, now I'm all indigo

Now I'm all indigo