Originating from a series of improvisational melodies played by Brian Jones on the sitar, the song features all five members of the band contributing to the final arrangement although only Jagger and Richards were credited as songwriters. In contrast to previous Rolling Stones singles with straightforward rock arrangements, "Paint It Black" has unconventional instrumentation, including a prominent sitar, the Hammond organ and castanets. This instrumental experimentation matches other songs on Aftermath. The song was influential to the burgeoning psychedelic genre as the first chart-topping single to feature the sitar, and widened the instrument's audience. Reviews of the song at the time were mixed, and some music critics believed its use of the sitar was an attempt to copy the Beatles, while others criticised its experimental style and doubted its commercial potential.
"Paint It Black" was a major chart success for the Rolling Stones, remaining 11 weeks (including two at number one) on the US Billboard Hot 100, and 10 weeks (including one atop the chart) on the Record Retailer chart in the UK. Upon a reissue in 2007, it reentered the UK Singles Chart for 11 weeks. It was the band's third number-one single in the US and sixth in the UK. The song also topped charts in Canada and the Netherlands. It received a platinum certification in the UK from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and from Italy's Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI).
"Paint It Black" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018, and Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song number 213 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2011, the song was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of "The Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". Many artists have covered "Paint It Black" since its initial release. It has been included on many of the band's compilation albums and several film soundtracks. It has been played on a number of Rolling Stones tours.
Paint It Black
The Rolling Stones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No colors anymore, I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
With flowers and my love, both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Like a new born baby, it just happens every day
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door, I must have it painted black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
It's not easy facing up, when your whole world is black
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
If I look hard enough into the settin' sun
My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes
I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore, I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
I wanna see it painted, painted black
Black as night, black as coal
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black
Yeah
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
The Rolling Stones' hit "Paint It Black" released in 1966, deals with depression, loss, and the overwhelming need to shut out the world. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who experiences the world in shades of black, reflecting his inner turmoil. The song begins with the singer expressing a desire to have a red door painted black, while narrating that he sees the world in black and has no desire for colors. In his depression, he even wishes to blot out the sun from the sky.
The verse, 'I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes, I have to turn my head until my darkness goes,' is a reference to the endless human interactions that are overwhelming and exhausting to the singer, who wishes to turn away and escape into the darkness. The following lines, 'With flowers and my love, both never to come back,' suggest that the girls represent a memory of a lost love that he can't face. He talks about his heart being black, feeling hopeless, and wanting to fade away.
Throughout the song, he shows a sense of longing to escape his reality, and to find some kind of release from his agony. Only in the setting sun does he find brief respite where he is with his love and able to experience a fleeting moment of happiness before the morning comes again.
Line by Line Meaning
I see a red door and I want it painted black
I desire to paint a red door black
No colors anymore, I want them to turn black
I want everything to be black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I observe women walking in their seasonal outfits
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I avoid looking at them until my gloomy outlook subsides
I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
I see a procession of black automobiles
With flowers and my love, both never to come back
I reminisce about lost love with accompanying funeral bouquets
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Observers avert their gazes from the presented image
Like a new born baby, it just happens every day
This casual tragedy is an everyday occurrence
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I realize my inner emotions are bleak
I see my red door, I must have it painted black
The door represents a need to erase the past by making it black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
Perhaps the blackness will allow me to escape reality and its demands
It's not easy facing up, when your whole world is black
It is challenging to confront things when everything is bleak
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
The singer's ocean of possibilities is darkening
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
The singer is unexpected or incapable of anticipating an event regarding you
If I look hard enough into the settin' sun
If I concentrate enough on the setting sun
My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes
My love will share joy with me by the morning
I wanna see it painted, painted black
I want it to be painted fully black
Black as night, black as coal
I want it to be as black as the darkest things
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I want the sun to be obscured from the sky
Yeah
An exclamation of agreement or enthusiasm
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Keith Richards, Michael Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Greg Halder
on 2000 Light Years From Home
Totally underrated track and album..