Paint It Black - wikipedia Paint It Black For other uses, see Paint It Black ( disambiguation ). `` Paint It Black '' Single by the Rolling Stones B - side `` Stupid Girl '' ( US ) `` Long, Long While '' ( UK ) Released 6 May 1966 ( 1966 - 05 - 06 ) ( US ) 13 May 1966 ( UK ) Format 45 rpm record Recorded 6 -- 9 March 1966 Studio RCA, Hollywood, California Genre Psychedelic rock raga rock Length 3 : 19 ( mono single mix ) 3 : 22 ( stereo album mix ) Label Decca ( UK ) London ( US ) Songwriter ( s ) Jagger / Richards Producer ( s ) Andrew Loog Oldham Rolling Stones US singles chronology `` 19th Nervous Breakdown '' ( 1966 ) `` Paint It Black '' ( 1966 ) `` Mother 's Little Helper '' / `` Lady Jane '' ( 1966 ) Rolling Stones UK singles chronology `` 19th Nervous Breakdown '' ( 1966 ) `` Paint It Black '' ( 1966 ) `` Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow ? '' ( 1966 ) Audio sample file help Alternative cover US picture sleeve `` Paint It Black '' ( originally released as `` Paint It, Black '' ) is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Jointly credited to the songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was first released as a single on 6 May 1966, and later included as the opening track to the US version of their 1966 album Aftermath. `` Paint It Black '' reached number one in both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. The song became the Rolling Stones ' third number one hit single in the US and sixth in the UK. Since its initial release, the song has remained influential as the first number one hit featuring a sitar, particularly in the UK where it has charted on two other occasions, and has been the subject of multiple cover versions, compilation albums, and film appearances. Contents 1 Background and composition 2 Recording 3 Release 4 Personnel 5 Charts and certifications 5.1 Weekly charts 5.2 Year - end charts 5.3 Certifications 6 Eric Burdon & War version 6.1 Chart performance 7 References 8 External links Background and composition The song 's lyrics are, for the most part, meant to describe bleakness and depression through the use of colour - based metaphors. Initially, `` Paint It Black '' was written as a standard pop arrangement, humorously compared by Mick Jagger to `` Songs for Jewish weddings ''. The song describes the extreme grief suffered by one stunned by the sudden and unexpected loss of wife, lover or partner. It is often claimed that Jagger took inspiration from novelist James Joyce 's 1922 book, Ulysses, taking the excerpt, `` I have to turn my head until my darkness goes '', referring to the novel 's theme of a worldwide view of desperation and desolation. The song itself came to fruition when the band 's leader Brian Jones took an interest in Moroccan music. It was their first song to feature a sitar instrumental. `` Paint It Black '' came at a pivotal period in the Rolling Stones ' recording history, a time that saw the songwriting collaboration of Jagger and Keith Richards assert itself as the principal composer of the band 's original material. This is evident from the sessions for the album Aftermath, where for the first time the duo penned the complete track list. In addition, Jones, overshadowed by Jagger and Richards, grew bored with attempting to write songs, as well as conventional guitar melodies. To alleviate the boredom, Jones explored eastern instruments, more specifically the sitar, to bolster the group 's musical texture and complexity. A multi-instrumentalist, Jones was able to develop a tune from the sitar in a short amount of time, largely due to his studies under Harihar Rao, a disciple of Ravi Shankar. Not long after a discussion with George Harrison, who had recently recorded sitar on `` Norwegian Wood '', Jones arranged basic melodies with the instrument that, over time, morphed into the one featured in `` Paint It Black ''. In a 1995 interview, Jagger commented on the musical styles on Aftermath -- `` ' Paint It, Black ' was this kind of Turkish song '' -- but did not elaborate. Recording The master take of `` Paint It Black '' was recorded on 8 March 1966, at RCA Studios in Los Angeles, with record producer Andrew Loog Oldham present throughout the process. Much of the early recorded arrangements, and keys of the track were modeled after The Animals ' version of `` The House of the Rising Sun '', but The Rolling Stones were unsatisfied with the song, and considered scrapping it. However, while twiddling with a Hammond organ, Bill Wyman searched for a heavier bass sound, while playing the part on his knees. Wyman 's playing clicked with the group, and inspired the up - tempo and Eastern pentatonic melody. By all accounts, the sitar was brought into the mix when Harihar Rao happened to walk in the studio with the instrument in hand. The sitar was featured in the song. However, contrary to popular belief, the opening riff is played by Keith Richards on guitar, as seen on The Ed Sullivan show and other live performances of the time. Jones ' sitar is still heard throughout the song. In his book Brian Jones : The Making of the Rolling Stones, Paul Trynka has noted that the influence of Harrison 's sitar playing, and, in particular, The Beatles ' song `` Norwegian Wood '' on the Rubber Soul album, draws parallels in `` Paint It Black '' - most noticeably in Jones ' droning sitar melody. In response to claims that he was merely imitating the Beatles, however, Jones said : `` What utter rubbish ! '' His sitar part on the track immediately became influential in developing a whole subgenre of minor - key psychedelic music. Coupled with this striking instrumental motif, it is complemented by Jagger 's droning, and slight nasal vocalization. In addition, `` Paint It Black '' was highlighted by Wyman 's heavy bass, Charlie Watts 's low - pitch drumming, and Richards ' bolero - driven acoustic guitar outro. Soon after, Richards noted that the conclusion of the track was over-recorded, and a different guitar could have potentially improved the song. Release `` Paint It Black '' was released to the US on 7 May 1966, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 during a stay of 11 weeks. In the UK, the song was released on 13 May 1966, and also became a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart throughout a chart stay of ten weeks. It was originally released as `` Paint It, Black '', the comma being an error by Decca Records, but, nonetheless, stirred controversy among fans over its racial interpretation. Upon further reissues to the UK in 1990 and 2007, `` Paint It Black '' charted at number 61 and 70, respectively. `` Paint It Black '' has appeared on numerous Stones compilations, including Hot Rocks 1964 -- 1971 ( 1971 ), 30 Greatest Hits ( 1977 ), Singles Collection : The London Years ( 1989 ), Forty Licks ( 2002 ), and GRRR ! ( 2012 ). Live recordings are featured on the concert albums Flashpoint ( 1991 ), Live Licks ( 2004 ), Shine a Light ( 2008 ), Hyde Park Live ( 2013 ), and Havana Moon ( 2016 ). The song was featured in the music video games Guitar Hero III : Legends of Rock, Guitar Hero Live, and Rocksmith 2014, as well as the video games Conflict : Vietnam, Twisted Metal : Black and Mafia III. The song plays during the end credits of the films Full Metal Jacket and The Devil 's Advocate. In TV, it was used as the opening theme song to the series Tour of Duty and for the end credits to part five of The Vietnam War documentary series. It was featured in the Call of Duty : Black Ops III and The Mummy trailers. The Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball use the song as part of their `` Black Out '' promotions. An orchestral arrangement of the song has been used in multiple episodes of the TV series Westworld. R&B singer Ciara would later cover the song for the soundtrack of the 2015 film The Last Witch Hunter. An instrumental version was used in 2018 as background in a TV spot, The Future is Built for Ford Motor, featuring Bryan Cranston, as a subtle nod to Henry Ford 's famous comment : `` Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black. '' Personnel Mick Jagger -- lead vocals Keith Richards -- electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals Brian Jones -- sitar Bill Wyman -- bass Charlie Watts -- drums Charts and certifications Weekly charts Chart ( 1966 ) Peak position Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) Ireland ( IRMA ) Germany ( Official German Charts ) Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) New Zealand ( Listener ) Norway ( VG - lista ) UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) US Billboard Hot 100 Chart ( 1990 ) Peak position Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 11 Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 61 Chart ( 2007 ) Peak position Germany ( Official German Charts ) 49 Chart ( 2012 ) Peak position France ( SNEP ) 127 Year - end charts Chart ( 1966 ) Rank US Billboard Hot 100 21 Certifications Region Certification Germany ( BVMI ) Gold Italy ( FIMI ) Gold United Kingdom ( BPI ) Gold Eric Burdon & War version `` Paint It Black '' Single by Eric Burdon & War from the album The Black Man 's Burdon B - side `` Nights in White Satin '' Released 1971 ( 1971 ) Format 45 rpm record Recorded 1970 Genre Rock Length 4 : 04 Label Liberty Songwriter ( s ) Jagger / Richards Producer ( s ) Jerry Goldstein Eric Burdon & War singles chronology `` Tobacco Road '' ( 1970 ) `` Paint It Black '' ( 1971 ) `` They Ca n't Take Away Our Music '' ( 1971 ) Before Eric Burdon & War 's 1970 version reached the charts in Netherlands, Eric Burdon covered it on the 1967 Eric Burdon & The Animals debut album, Winds of Change. They also performed a 12 : 40 version on German TV in 1970. 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 31 References Jump up ^ DeRogatis, Jim ( 2003 ). `` The Stones ' Ten Best Psychedelic Rock Songs ''. Turn On Your Mind : Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 54. ISBN 0 - 634 - 05548 - 8. Jump up ^ `` ' 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 ^ Jump up to : Rice, Jo ( 1982 ). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits ( 1st ed. ). Enfield, Middlesex : Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 101. ISBN 0 - 85112 - 250 - 7. Jump up ^ Richie Unterberger. `` Aftermath - Review ''. allmusic.com. Retrieved June 1, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Rolling Stones - Hot 100 ''. billboard.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Official Charts - Rolling Stones ''. officialcharts.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Visconti, Tony ( 2014 ). 1,001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die ( 4th ed. ). New York, NY : Universe Publishing. p. 175. ISBN 9780789320896. ^ Jump up to : JanovitzIt, Bill ( 2013 ). Rocks Off : 50 Tracks That Tell the Story of the Rolling Stones. Google.com ( 1st ed. ). New York, New York : St. Martin 's Press. pp. 92 -- 95. ISBN 9781250026316. Retrieved June 1, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Aftermath ( UK ) ''. rollingstones.com. Retrieved June 1, 2015. Jump up ^ Bryan Wawzenek. `` Top 10 Brian Jones Rolling Stones Multi-Instrumentalist Songs ''. ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved June 1, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Brend, Mark ( 2005 ). Strange Sounds : Offbeat Instruments and Sonic Experiments in Pop. Google.com ( 1st ed. ). San Francisco, CA : Backbeat Books. pp. 151 -- 152. ISBN 9780879308551. Retrieved June 2, 2015. Jump up ^ Perone, James E. ( 2012 ). The Album. Google.com ( 1st ed. ). Santa Barbara, CA : ABC - CLIO. p. 92. ISBN 9780313379062. Retrieved June 2, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Jann S. Wenner Archives The Rolling Stone Interview : Jagger Remembers ''. www.jannswenner.com. Retrieved 2018 - 08 - 03. Jump up ^ Sullivan, Steve ( 2013 ). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 2. Google.com ( 1st ed. ). Plymouth, UK : Scrarecrow Press Inc. ISBN 9780810882966. Retrieved June 2, 2015. Jump up ^ Trynka, Paul ( 2014 ). Brian Jones : The Making of the Rolling Stones ( 1st ed. ). New York, New York : Viking Penguin. ISBN 9781101614723. Jump up ^ Robert Greenfield, The Rolling Stone Interviews. St. Martin 's Press / Rolling Stone Press. 1981. p. 172. ISBN 0 - 312 - 68955 - 1. Jump up ^ `` Team Music pirates.com ''. M.mlb.com. 2016 - 01 - 20. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 29. Jump up ^ `` Westworld Soundtrack ( Season 1 ) ''. Lyricsoundtrack. Retrieved October 3, 2016. Jump up ^ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hear-ciaras-moody-revamp-of-the-rolling-stones-paint-it-black-35253/ Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- The Rolling Stones -- Paint It, Black '' ( in German ). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 17 June 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Ultratop.be -- The Rolling Stones -- Paint It, Black '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 17 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` Top RPM Singles : Issue 5759. '' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 May 2018. Jump up ^ `` The Irish Charts -- Search Results -- Rolling Stones ''. Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 June 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Offiziellecharts.de -- The Rolling Stones -- Paint It, Black ''. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 17 June 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Dutchcharts.nl -- The Rolling Stones -- Paint It, Black '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Retrieved 17 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` flavour of new zealand - search listener ''. Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 29. Jump up ^ `` Norwegiancharts.com -- The Rolling Stones -- Paint It, Black ''. VG - lista. Retrieved 17 June 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Rolling Stones : Artist Chart History ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` The Rolling Stones Chart History ( Hot 100 ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved 17 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` Lescharts.com -- The Rolling Stones -- Paint It, Black '' ( in French ). Les classement single. Retrieved 17 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits of 1966 / Top 100 Songs of 1966 ''. Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 29. Jump up ^ `` Gold - / Platin - Datenbank ( The Rolling Stones ; ' Paint It Black ' ) '' ( in German ). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 15 May 2018. Jump up ^ `` Italian single certifications -- The Rolling Stones -- Paint It Black '' ( in Italian ). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 21 November 2016. Jump up ^ `` British single certifications -- The Rolling Stones -- Paint It Black ''. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 November 2016. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Paint It Black in the `` Search BPI Awards '' field and then press Enter. Jump up ^ `` Eric Burdon & War : ' Paint It Black ' ''. Dangerous Minds. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012. Jump up ^ `` Nederlandse Top 40, week 20, 1971 ( Dutch ) ''. Retrieved 26 April 2009. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics The Rolling Stones Mick Jagger Keith Richards Charlie Watts Ronnie Wood Brian Jones Ian Stewart Mick Taylor Bill Wyman Tony Chapman Ricky Fenson Colin Golding Carlo Little Dick Taylor Video releases Let 's Spend the Night Together ( 1983 ) Stones at the Max ( 1992 ) The Rolling Stones : Voodoo Lounge Live ( 1995 ) The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus ( 1996 ) Bridges to Babylon Tour ' 97 -- 98 ( 1998 ) Four Flicks ( 2003 ) The Biggest Bang ( 2007 ) Ladies and Gentlemen : The Rolling Stones ( 2010 ) Some Girls : Live in Texas ' 78 ( 2011 ) Sweet Summer Sun : Live in Hyde Park ( 2013 ) The Rolling Stones : Havana Moon ( 2016 ) Documentaries Charlie Is My Darling ( 1966 ) The Stones in the Park ( 1969 ) Gimme Shelter ( 1970 ) Cocksucker Blues ( 1972 ) Video Rewind ( 1984 ) 25 × 5 : the Continuing Adventures of the Rolling Stones ( 1989 ) Shine a Light ( 2008 ) Stones in Exile ( 2010 ) Crossfire Hurricane ( 2012 ) Olé Olé Olé ! : A Trip Across Latin America ( 2017 ) Tours British Tour 1963 1964 tours 1965 tours 1966 tours European Tour 1967 American Tour 1969 European Tour 1970 UK Tour 1971 American Tour 1972 Pacific Tour 1973 European Tour 1973 Tour of the Americas ' 75 Tour of Europe ' 76 US Tour 1978 American Tour 1981 European Tour 1982 Steel Wheels / Urban Jungle Tour Voodoo Lounge Tour Bridges to Babylon Tour No Security Tour Licks Tour A Bigger Bang 50 & Counting 14 On Fire Zip Code Tour América Latina Olé Tour 2016 No Filter Tour Associated places Redlands Stargroves Nellcôte The Wick Downe House The Mick Jagger Centre Related Discography Songs The Rolling Stones concerts Jagger / Richards Nanker Phelge Rolling Stones Records Promotone Altamont Free Concert Rolling Stones Mobile Studio The Rolling Stones : An Illustrated Record Andrew Loog Oldham Allen Klein Peter Meaden John Pasche Instruments played Book Portal The Rolling Stones singles discography Decca ( UK ) and London ( US ) singles `` Come On '' `` I Wanna Be Your Man '' / `` Stoned '' `` Not Fade Away '' / `` Little by Little '' `` It 's All Over Now '' `` Tell Me '' / `` I Just Want to Make Love to You '' `` Time Is on My Side '' `` Little Red Rooster '' `` Heart of Stone '' `` The Last Time '' / `` Play with Fire '' `` ( I Ca n't Get No ) Satisfaction '' / `` The Spider and the Fly '' `` Get Off of My Cloud '' / `` I 'm Free '' `` As Tears Go By '' `` 19th Nervous Breakdown '' / `` As Tears Go By '' `` Paint It Black '' / `` Stupid Girl '' `` Mother 's Little Helper '' / `` Lady Jane '' `` Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow ? '' `` Let 's Spend the Night Together '' / `` Ruby Tuesday '' `` We Love You '' / `` Dandelion '' `` In Another Land '' `` She 's a Rainbow '' / `` 2000 Light Years from Home '' `` Jumpin ' Jack Flash '' `` Street Fighting Man '' / `` No Expectations '' `` Honky Tonk Women '' / `` You Ca n't Always Get What You Want '' Rolling Stones / Atlantic singles `` Brown Sugar '' / `` Bitch '' / `` Let It Rock '' `` Wild Horses '' / `` Sway '' `` Tumbling Dice '' / `` Sweet Black Angel '' `` Happy '' / `` All Down the Line '' `` Angie '' / `` Silver Train '' `` Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo ( Heartbreaker ) '' / `` Dancing with Mr. D '' `` It 's Only Rock ' n Roll ( But I Like It ) '' `` Ai n't Too Proud to Beg '' / `` Dance Little Sister '' `` Fool to Cry '' `` Hot Stuff '' Rolling Stones `` Miss You '' / `` Far Away Eyes '' `` Beast of Burden '' / `` When the Whip Comes Down '' `` Respectable '' / `` When the Whip Comes Down '' `` Shattered '' `` Emotional Rescue '' `` She 's So Cold '' / `` Send It to Me '' `` Start Me Up '' `` Waiting on a Friend '' / `` Little T&A '' `` Hang Fire '' / `` Neighbours '' `` Going to a Go - Go '' ( live ) / `` Beast of Burden '' ( live ) `` Time Is on My Side '' ( live ) / `` Twenty Flight Rock '' ( live ) `` Undercover of the Night '' `` She Was Hot '' `` Too Much Blood '' `` Harlem Shuffle '' `` One Hit ( To the Body ) '' `` Mixed Emotions '' `` Rock and a Hard Place '' `` Almost Hear You Sigh '' `` Highwire '' / `` 2000 Light Years from Home '' ( live ) `` Ruby Tuesday '' ( live ) / `` Play with Fire '' ( live ) `` Jumpin ' Jack Flash '' ( live ) / `` Tumbling Dice '' ( live ) Virgin singles `` Love Is Strong '' `` You Got Me Rocking '' `` Out of Tears '' `` I Go Wild '' `` Like a Rolling Stone '' ( live ) / `` Black Limousine '' / `` All Down the Line '' `` Wild Horses '' ( live ) / `` Live with Me '' ( live ) / `` Tumbling Dice '' ( live ) `` Anybody Seen My Baby ? '' `` Saint of Me '' / `` Gimme Shelter '' ( live ) `` Out of Control '' `` Do n't Stop '' / `` Miss You '' ( remix ) `` Streets of Love '' / `` Rough Justice '' `` Rain Fall Down '' `` Biggest Mistake '' / `` Before They Make Me Run '' ( live ) Universal singles `` Plundered My Soul '' / `` All Down the Line '' `` No Spare Parts '' / `` Before They Make Me Run '' `` Doom and Gloom '' `` One More Shot '' Other countries `` Let It Bleed '' / `` You Got the Silver '' ( London Japan ) `` Rocks Off '' / `` Sweet Virginia '' ( Japan ) `` Star Star '' / `` Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo ( Heartbreaker ) '' ( France, Germany ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paint_It_Black&oldid=865923400 '' Categories : 1966 singles 1971 singles 1990 singles The Rolling Stones songs Decca Records singles Liberty Records singles London Records singles The Animals songs War ( band ) songs W.A.S.P. songs Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles Dutch Top 40 number - one singles Single Top 100 number - one singles RPM Top Singles number - one singles UK Singles Chart number - one singles Songs written by Jagger / Richards Song recordings produced by Andrew Loog Oldham British psychedelic rock songs Songs about death Songs about depression Song recordings produced by Jerry Goldstein ( producer ) Raga rock songs Versa ( band ) songs The Last Witch Hunter Hidden categories : CS1 German - language sources ( de ) CS1 Italian - language sources ( it ) Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Austria Singlechart usages for Belgium ( Flanders ) Singlechart usages for Canadatopsingles Singlechart usages for Ireland2 Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Germany2 Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart usages for Norway Singlechart usages for UKsinglesbyname Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100 Singlechart usages for France Certification Table Entry usages for Germany Certification Table Entry usages for Italy Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն Italiano ქართული Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська 14 more Edit links This page was last edited on 27 October 2018, at 02 : 12 ( UTC ). 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Question: who sings paint it black in the last witch hunter
Answer: R&B singer Ciara