Paint It Black

"Paint It Black"^[a] is a song by the Rolling Stones, an English rock band. Keith Richards and Mick Jagger wrote the song. The song was inspired by Indian music. London Recordings released the song as a single in the United States on 7 May 1966. Decca Records released the single in the United Kingdom on 13 May 1966. Later, "Paint It Black" was the first song on the American version of Aftermath (1966). The song is not on the UK version of the album.

The song is based on music that Brian Jones made on the sitar. All five members of the Rolling Stones helped make the song. However, only Jagger and Richards were listed as songwriters. "Paint It Black" is different from many other songs made by the band. It has musical instruments that people do not use a lot in rock music. They are the sitar, organ, and castanets. The song had good and bad reviews from music critics. Some people thought the band was copying the Beatles by making music with the sitar.

"Paint It Black" was very successful. It was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart for eleven weeks. It was also number one on music charts in the UK. When the song was released again in 2007, it was on the UK Singles Chart for eleven weeks. It was the band's third number one single in the US. It was the band's sixth number one single in the UK. "Paint It Black" was platinum certified by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

The song was put in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song 213 on a list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Many people who make music have made cover versions of "Paint It Black". It has been on many of the band's compilation albums. The band plays "Paint It Black" at many of their concerts.

1. ↑ Greenfield 1981, p. 172.