Blue is a colour lying between green and indigo on the visible spectrum. It is defined as the perception of light of wavelength between approximately 440 and 470 nanometres. Blue is also a primary colour, along with red and green, however, it is by far superior to these in terms of its influence on our everyday lives. So what is it about this colour that makes it so special?

We live on a planet commonly known as the “blue planet”. The earth appears blue due to the effects of absorption spectra, in which light from the sun is absorbed and re-emitted by gases in the atmosphere. Light waves with higher frequencies, such as blue, are emitted more often and are dominant over the other colours. This effect is called Rayleigh scattering, named after the English physicist John Rayleigh who was the first to describe this phenomenon. The seas and oceans, which constitute seventy-four percent of the Earth’s surface, also appear blue due to a combination of Rayleigh scattering and reflection of the atmosphere. Considering these facts, it’s only logical that the majority of what we see around us is blue.

The first life forms on this blue planet were, believe it or not, blue-green algae; single-celled organisms which started appearing around two and a half billion years ago and which used sunlight and water to make food. Plants are the basis of all life on Earth due to the fact that they can create their own food. Any food chain will always lead down to a plant, meaning that life as we know it would be impossible without plants to provide food. It is commonly misunderstood that plants require green light for photosynthesis, or food generation, to occur. However, green light is simply reflected off the chlorophyll in the plant causing it to appear green. The chlorophyll pigments actually absorb blue and red light so, it could safely be stated that blue, along with red, is one of the main reasons we are here today. We live in a blue world dependent on blue, so it’s no wonder really that this colour has such a major impact on everything we think and do. Blue affects our thoughts, expressions and methods of communication. It has integrated itself into every aspect of modern society. From medicine to music and from politics to religion, blue reigns supreme.

In Greek mythology, blue was associated with the god Zeus and was further related to rain as a consequence of Zeus’ crying. This appears to be the first documented association of blue with misery or sadness. Nowadays, experts agree that the colour blue has a soothing effect on people and that this effect is so powerful that it can also lead to depression if taken in excess. This belief is also adopted by some religions which suggest staring at blue objects in order to clear the mind and aid in meditation. It has also been recommended as a good colour to paint bedroom walls as it has been proved to create a feeling of tranquility, allowing sleep to be more peaceful. Also, since it is the colour of the sea and sky, blue has often represented divinity.

The symbolism of blue is widely varied and overused throughout society. It can represent anything from nations to football teams, or both as in the case of the French national football team, or the Italian national football team which won the World Cup back in 2006 and whose blue shirts were proudly displayed by supporters around the world for days on end.

Blue can also represent political parties such as the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, the Democratic Party in the United States and the Nationalist Party in Malta – all hoping that blue will help pave their way in their next bid for power. Blue is also traditionally used to represent power within the Christian faith. Blue can also be a symbol of social status such as the “blue-collar” working class citizens or the “blue-blooded” nobility, termed so due to the fact that in medieval times, nobility was expected to stay indoors and not be exposed to the sun, leaving the skin very white and allowing blue veins to show through. Whatever the purpose, from street gangs to ethnic races, blue is a constant sign of power to all those whose eyes are captured by its steadfast blueness.

Since media is one of the main methods of communication, it is of no surprise that blue is dominant in this sector also. The 1986 film “Blue Velvet”, written and directed by David Lynch is an example of this. Nominated for an Oscar and winning another seventeen prizes and receiving a further ten nominations, it is often described as “the most talked about film of the decade”. The 2002 film “Blue Crush” and the 2005 film “Into the Blue” are also examples of blue deeply involved within the plot of films. The fact that both were directed by John Stockwell raises suspicions that he could possibly be fascinated by the colour, although then again, this could simply be pure coincidence. Cartoon Network’s “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends”, starring Bloo as a blue imaginary friend is yet another glaring example of the way this colour affects the way an object is perceived. Bloo is considered cute and cuddly. He would surely not remain half as sweet if he were coloured in alternate diagonal stripes of brown and highlighted-green!

In the music industry blue is, once again, constantly on the scene. Eiffel 65’s hit “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” is one no one can possibly forget. Reaching number one in seventeen countries, this song portrays a figure that is so blue that it starts to affect his world and life. The ambiguity of the chorus’ lyrics led to confusion about the real meaning. The popular suggestion “if I were green I would die” implies that the blue figure would have to be blue in his blue world in order to survive. However, the official lyrics state clearly that the chorus’ words are “da ba dee da ba die”. The English boy band “Blue” can’t be forgotten either with number one albums such as “One Love” in 2002 and “Guilty” in 2003. Originating from vocal expressions of slaves in the nineteenth century, “The Blues” is a musical reference to a type of music linked with misery and oppression. Extremely popular during the first decades of the twentieth century as well as in the 1960s and 1970s, it would pave the way for most types of modern music such Heavy Metal, Jazz and Rock.

Blue is also dominant within the technological world. The Blu-ray disc is one of the most advance methods of creating portable storage. One single-layered disc can store up to 25GB, which is over five times the storage capacity of a regular DVD. The Blu-ray disc takes its name from the blue-violet laser required to read it. Another example of blue in modern technology is in Bluetooth. Bluetooth is a communication system which is very common in mobile phones, laptops and other external devices requiring secure and fast data transfer. This technology is named after Harald the first of Demnark supposedly nicknamed “Bluetooth” after being involved in an accident causing discolouration of his teeth. Both of these technologies are constantly changing the way we live as such technological advances continue to drive us forward, blue leading the way.

We have been brainwashed by blue since the beginning of time. We have blue to thank for our existence and it would only be fair for blue to lead us to our downfall too. A reasonable scenario would be that when we do finally manage to communicate with aliens (who are blue), not through radio but through an advanced descendent of Bluetooth technology, they would receive our message and appear out of the blue, award us a blue ribbon for being the bluest planet in the universe and inform us that they were the type of aliens who blew up other planets. This news would leave half of us speaking profanities in blue language and the others singing the blues. In general, it would leave the blue planet feeling very blue. The end is blue.