My Paint It Black old page

This is my old page about this my favorite song.

Wikipedia Article of the song

Paint It Black (also Paint It, Black) is a song recorded by The Rolling Stones in 1966. It reached Number 1 in both the U.S. and the UK charts. It was released as a single and on the album Aftermath (U.S. version).

As usual, the song was credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, although all of the bandmembers contributed substantially to it, especially Bill Wyman.

Jagger's and Richards' original conception of the song was that of a slow soul song from the viewpoint of a person who is depressed. He wants everything to turn black to match his mood.

The song began with Wyman playing organ at a recording session, in parody of the group's former co-manager Eric Easton, who had been an organist. Charlie Watts accompanied the organ by playing a vaguely Middle Eastern drum part; Watts' drum pattern became the basis for the final song. Brian Jones contributed the song's signature sitar riff (having taught himself to play), and Jagger contributed a lyric seemingly about a man mourning his dead girlfriend.

Without the contribution of their bandmates, Jagger's and Richards' original would have been a much slower, more conventional song without any exotic features.

The song had a comma in the title on some releases (thus being read as Paint It, Black), leading some to accuse the Stones of racism. Keith Richards remarked that the comma was inserted by Decca, their label.

The song has become associated with the Vietnam War due to its use in the ending credits of Full Metal Jacket and the opening credits of Tour of Duty. It was also used in 2004 in an episode-ending montage in the NBC television show American Dreams, when a major character went missing in Vietnam. Its other film appearances include the closing credits of 1997's The Devil's Advocate.

"Paint It Black" was also used in two PlayStation 2 titles. Conflict: Vietnam used the song during the opening sequence, while Twisted Metal: Black used the beginning of the song in the opening screen, then the whole song again in its end credits.

It has also been covered by many different bands and music artists up through the ages including (but not limited to); Inkubus Sukkubus, Glenn Tipton, Gob, The Vines, The Black Dahlia Murder, Kalan Porter, Firewater, W.A.S.P. Deep Purple, Earth Crisis, Ottmar Liebert, The Agony Scene, The Unseen, Rush, Led Zeppelin, The Tea Party, Karel Gott (in German as Schwarz und Rot), Eric Burdon and War, U2, London Symphony Orchestra with Marc Almond, Skrewdriver, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Residents, Vanessa Carlton, Three Sixes, Face to Face, and VNV Nation. The song was also covered by country singer Tracy Lawrence, as part of the Stone Country album, featuring prominent country acts covering Stones classics.

SongFacts entry

A describtion of the song (from the page): "[This song] is written from the viewpoint of a person who is depressed. He wants everything to turn black to match his mood."

Meanings behind the lyrics (also from the page): The song seems to be about a lover who died: "I see a line of cars and they're all painted black" - The hearse and limos. "With flowers and my love both never to come back" - The flowers from the funeral and her in the hearse. He talks about his heart being black because of his loss. "I could not foresee this thing happening to you" - It was an unexpected and sudden death. "If I look hard enough into the setting sun, my love will laugh with me before the morning comes" - This refers to her in Heaven.

Eric Burdon & The Animals cover

I said I know baby
Everything is black I know
Since you been gone
Eveything is black before my eyes
Baby
Everything is black I know
Turn to me
And help me see again baby
Help me walk once more
And help me talk again, walk again
Stand up like a man baby
Since you been gone, gone
There is no color in my life baby
Its turning so very very black

I walk down the street
And I see a line of cars
Maybe blue, maybe brown, maybe green
But they're turning black
Before my very eyes
And you could not know
What it's like when your whole world is black
When everything you see and touch
Turns so very very black
Oh baby now
I need you by my side
Bring some color into my life
Once again
I even tripped down and fell
Didn't see no colors anymore baby
Bad, bad scene
And I have to tell you baby
No more will my grey sea go turn a deeper blue
I cannot foresee this thing ever happening to you
No

Cover Songs

* Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones (April 15, 1966)
o Tutto nero by Caterina Caselli (1966)
o Paint It Black by Chris Farlowe (1966)
o Paint It Black by Eric Burdon & The Animals (1967)
o Paint It Black by Eric Burdon & War (1976)
o Paint It Black by Horst Jankowski und sein Rias-Tanzorchester (1977)
o Paint It Black by The Flamin' Groovies (1978)
o Paint It Black by Deep Purple (1988)
o Paint It Black by The Feelies (August 7, 1990)
o Paint It Black by Azucar Moreno (1991)
o Paint It Black by U2 (1992)
o Paint It Black by Inkubus Sukkubus (1997)
o Paint It Black by Tracy Lawrence (1997)
o Paint It Black by GOB (1999)
o Paint It Black by Jonny Lang (1999)
o Paint It, Black by Dennis Crouch, Gabe Witcher and Rudi Ekstein (August 1, 2000)
o Paint It Black by The Tea Party (December 12, 2000)
o Paint It Black by Vanessa Carlton (2002)
o Paint It Black by Stilluppsteypa (2003)
o Paint It Black by Acid Mothers Temple (2003)
o Paint It Black by Circle (2003)
o Paint It Black by Troum (2003)
o Paint It Black by Hrvatski (2003)
o Paint It Black by Kit Clayton (2003)
o Paint It Black by Mieskuoro Huutajaat (2003)
o Paint It Black by Joy of Disease (2003)
o Paint It Black by Loren Chasse (2003)
o Paint It Black by Public Works (2003)
o Paint It Black by Fennesz (2003)
o Paint It Black by The String Quartet (March 18, 2003)
o Paint It Black by Firewater (January 20, 2004)
o Paint It Black by Lola Lafon & Leva (February 9, 2006)

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