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Paint It Black

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"Paint It Black" redirects here. For other uses, see Paint It Black (disambiguation).
"Paint It Black"
Song
B-side"Stupid Girl" (US)
"Long Long While" (UK)

"Paint It, Black" is a song released by The Rolling Stones on 13 May 1966 as the first single from the US version of their fourth album Aftermath.[3] It was originally titled "Paint It Black" without a comma. Keith Richards has stated that the comma was added by the record label, Decca.[3]

At a book signing in Nashville in 2001, Bill Wyman explained that the comma was simply a typographical error that stuck.

The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Mick Jagger wrote the words and Keith Richards wrote the music.[4]

Bill Wyman claims in his books that the song was a group effort although it was credited to Jagger/Richards.[citation needed]

The single reached number one in both the United States and the United Kingdom charts in 1966. In 2004 it was ranked number 176 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In the US and UK, it was the first number one single to feature a sitar on the recording.

History and composition

The song acquired its distinctive rhythm when Wyman, looking for a way to "fatten up" the bass sound, began playing with his fists on the pedals of an organ during the recording session.[5] Richards said Wyman was doing a take-off of their first manager who started out as an organist in a cinema pit.[4] Brian Jones played the song's signature sitar riff, and Jagger contributed to the lyrics, which he has said are about a girl's funeral. Both electric and acoustic guitars and the background vocals are provided by Richards. The piano is played by Jack Nitzsche.[6]

Keith Richards has also been quoted as saying "we cut it as a comedy track". He said they started out playing it in a kind of "funky rhythm" which didn't work. They then played around with it to how it appears on the record. He says that "Brian playing the sitar makes the whole thing".[4]

The song is in chromatic-minor.[7]

The bass was also overdubbed by Bill Wyman playing on the bass pedals of a Hammond B3 organ.

Chart performance

Chart (1966) Peak
position
Canada RPM Chart 1
Dutch Top 40[8] 1
Irish Singles Chart[9] 2
UK Singles Chart 1
US Billboard Hot 100 1
Chart (1990) Peak
position
Dutch Top 40[10] 1
UK Singles Chart 61

Personnel

Eric Burdon & War version

"Paint It Black"
Song
B-side"Nights in White Satin"

Before Eric Burdon & War's 1970 version reached the charts in Netherlands, Eric Burdon & The Animals covered it in 1967 for their debut album, Winds of Change; they also performed a 12:40 version on German TV in 1970.[11] The original album version of Eric Burdon & War had a length of 13:41.

Eric Burdon & The Animals performed it at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. This version was cut and included in the motion picture of the festival. They performed it also on the BBC.

Eric Burdon performed it also on his "Hippiefest" tour in 2008.

Chart performance

Chart (1971) Peak
position
Dutch Top 40[12] 31

Other cover versions

Template:ORList

Single releases

  • In 1966, Marie Laforêt did a French cover called "Marie-douceur, Marie-colère".
  • In 1968, Chris Farlowe released a cover version, produced by Mick Jagger, as a single.
  • The Mo-dettes released a version on the Deram label in 1980. It reached Number 42 on the UK singles chart.
  • Punk band the Avengers released a cover of the song in 1983, first as the A-side of a single, then on their self-titled album.
  • Indie bubblegum girl band Supercute! covered the song, and filmed a music video for it in 2011.
  • Caterina Caselli had some success with an Italian version of "Paint It, Black", titled "Tutto nero", in 1966.

Album tracks and single B-sides

Digital releases

  • Reggae rock band The Dirty Heads released a cover of the song on their web site.
  • Rock duo Everything Else released a cover on Youtube.

Live performances

Other appearances

  • "Paint It, Black" plays under the closing credits of the movie Full Metal Jacket.
  • The movie The Devil's Advocate also uses the song during its closing credits.
  • In the movie Stir of Echoes, Kevin Bacon plays a character who is haunted by visions of a teenage girl's murder. During the visions, Bacon's character hears the opening chords of the song, though he is unable to identify it. Gob's cover of the song is on the film's soundtrack album.
  • "Paint It, Black" was used as the opening theme of the CBS television series Tour of Duty.
  • An episode of CSI: Miami, from the series's ninth season, is titled "Paint It Black".
  • The song is used in the opening screen and closing credits of the videogame Twisted Metal: Black.
  • It is also used in the opening sequence of the videogame Conflict: Vietnam.
  • An achievement in the Xbox 360 game Fruit Ninja Kinect is named "I Want To Paint It Black".
  • The song was used in a commercial for Dior Homme Sport cologne.
  • Cincinnati Reds All-Star first baseman Joey Votto's walkup song is "Paint It, Black".

References

  1. ^ "The Top Psychedelic Songs". Allmusic.
  2. ^ ""Paint It, Black" a glorious Indian raga-rock riot that will send the Stones back to #1", Nicholas Schaffner, The British invasion: from the first wave to the new wave, (McGraw-Hill, 1982) ISBN 0-07-055089-1
  3. ^ a b Mark Paytress, The Rolling Stones: off the record, pp 108-109. Omnibus Press, 2003, ISBN 0711988692. Retrieved March 17, 2010. {{cite book}}: horizontal tab character in |publisher= at position 26 (help)
  4. ^ a b c Keith Richards – In His Own Words by Mick St Michael, Omnibus Press, 1994, page 26. ISBN 0-7119-3634-X
  5. ^ "Track Talk: Paint It Black", Time Is On Our Side, Ian McPherson, retrieved 17 April 2012
  6. ^ Thomas Forget, The Rolling Stones, pp 53-54. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2003, ISBN 0-8239-3644-9. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  7. ^ Stephenson, Ken (2002). What to Listen for in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis, p.89. ISBN 978-0-300-09239-4.
  8. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40, week 24, 1966 (Dutch)". Retrieved 26 April 2009 (2009-04-26). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. ^ "irishcharts.ie". Retrieved November 16, 2008 (2008-11-16). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  10. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40, week 21, 1990 (Dutch)". Retrieved 26 April 2009 (2009-04-26). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  11. ^ "Eric Burdon & War: 'Paint It Black'". Dangerous Minds. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  12. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40, week 20, 1971 (Dutch)". Retrieved 26 April 2009 (2009-04-26). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
Preceded by UK number-one single
26 May 1966 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
June 11, 1966 		Succeeded by
Preceded by RPM Top 100 number-one single
June 13, 1966 		Succeeded by
"Green Grass" by Gary Lewis
Preceded by Dutch Top 40 number-one single
May 28, 1966 (1966-05-28) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Dutch Top 40 number one single
May 12, 1990 (1990-05-12) 		Succeeded by
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