When Stella Jang released her 2016 EP Colors and its title track, she sang, “I could be every color you like.” Unfortunately for orange lovers, the lyrics omitted the best color of them all. Orange fans left comments on its music video for years, saying “Orange: Am I a joke to you?” Luckily for them, their thoughts came in handy years later. Stella Jang turned past comments into inspiration when she released the single “Orange, You’re Not a Joke to Me!” on June 18, 2023.  

The Origin of “Orange, You’re Not a Joke to Me!” 

The story of this track goes back more than a decade. She made “Colors” on November 17, 2012, a day before her birthday. This date even precedes Stella Jang’s official solo debut by almost two years. “Colors” serves as the latest single’s predecessor, which mentions red, yellow, blue, purple, green, pink, black, and white, but not orange. Like its orange successor, Jang wrote, composed, and arranged “Colors” by herself. 

The song’s instrumental uses items found within her dorm room, like using a pencil and a rubber band to produce sounds. The complete project turned out as an acapella track discussing the artist’s various sides. As stated in an Instagram post, the creation process of “Colors” felt satisfying on its own due to its enjoyable and valuable nature. If “Colors” sounds familiar, you’re not alone. While it took a couple of years for “Colors” to gain traction, many people grew fond of the song: it became a viral hit on TikTok in 2019 and into the pandemic.

The Silly Sequel  

Orange’s time in the spotlight finally arrived in 2023. “Orange, You’re Not a Joke to Me!” makes up for any disappointment orange and their fans felt many years ago. Opting for a rock sound this time, a band backs up the love letter to orange. The simple lyrics tell of such admiration (despite orange’s lack of rhymes) that even extends to orange’s family.  

The first verse references orange’s absence during the creation process of “Colors,” but the second verse tells of the present situation of orange taking center stage. In an interview with Orange (yes, an orange expressed their thoughts on the song), they said listening to the new single made them finally feel like the protagonist. Not every color gets a whole song dedicated to them. Can any song go wrong with over three minutes of singing about orange? “Orange, You’re Not a Joke to Me!” succeeds in making orange fans go bananas over their new anthem.

Edited by Omani