Record sleeve for ‘Paint It Black’ single issued in South Africa, 1966. Click for Rolling Stones “Hot Rocks” album.
Earlier that spring, in April, U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright (D-AR), one of the few Senators challenging U.S. involvement in Vietnam, had given his famous “Arrogance of Power” speech at Johns Hopkins University, critical of the “might-makes-right” approach and more, aimed squarely at the U.S.
In Vietnam, meanwhile, the military government of South Vietnam under Premier Ky was doing battle with Buddhist rebels in Da Nang in mid-May. China at this time had made its Cultural Revolution pronouncement.
Despite these woes, the day-to-day rhythms of life went on as normal throughout much of the world. In America, Vice-President Hubert Humphrey and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall dedicated the new Gateway Arch in St. Louis on May 25th, 1966. Busch Stadium, home to baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals, had opened there earlier that spring. In the world of boxing, late May, Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, would knock out the U.K.’s Henry Cooper in a six-round heavyweight match in London.
Young Rolling Stones shown on German single, 1966.
Music Player
“Paint It Black”
“Paint It Black,” written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, is not a happy tune in its lyrics, but in 1966 its musical appeal pushed it to the top of the pop charts. Released as a single, the record reached No. 1 in the U.S. and the U.K. in late May, holding the top position for two weeks or so. It remained in the Top 40 for ten weeks through the summer. The song became popular throughout Europe and around the world.
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“Paint It Black” I see a red door and I want it painted black I see a line of cars and they’re all painted black I look inside myself and see my heart is black No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue I see a red door and I want it painted black I wanna see it painted black, painted black |
Hot Group
The Rolling Stones by this time already had two big breakthrough hits in 1965 — “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” and “Get Off of My Cloud” — along with two top albums that year; Out of Our Heads and December’s Children. Their third album Aftermath, which included “Paint It Black” in the U.S version, was also a hit.
“Paint It Black” is about a man whose lover has died, and is beside himself with grief, seeing his whole world “painted black.” He even wants the sun “blotted out.” He’s depressed, feeling down, worthless, and without direction or connection. Some say that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were then on an introspective writing streak partly influenced by Bob Dylan’s work. “Paint it Black” came out a few months after the Stones had released their last single, “19th Nervous Breakdown.”
“Paint It Black” also has some eastern musical influences, as a sitar is used in the song. The sitar’s use came about through Brian Jones, then the group’s lead guitarist, who had visited with the Beatles’ George Harrison who was also then using the Indian instrument. The sitar’s use in the song, says music critic Richie Unterberger, “qualifies as perhaps the most effective use of the Indian instrument in a rock song. The exotic twang was a perfect match for the dark, mysterious Eastern-Indian melody. . .”
'Paint It Black' single sleeve, Italy, 1966.
“Paint it Black” would become one of those songs from the Rolling Stone’s catalogue that would enjoy a second and third sales life, in some cases, 30 and 40 years after its initial release. It would be re-issued as a single on at least two other occasions — once in June 1990 when it hit the U.K charts for three weeks, and again in May 2007 when it hit the U.K. charts for a week or so, reaching No. 70. The song has also appeared on at least a dozen Stones albums and compilations. Billboard rated “Paint it Black” No. 21 on its list of the 100 top songs of 1966.
But beyond the conventional record business, pop chart performance, and awards, “Paint It Black” has also found its way into a number of other uses, particularly in film, television, and video games. These uses have kept the song very much alive and well for many years beyond the 1960s.
Vietnam Association
 The ‘Tour of Duty’ TV show, late 1980s, used ‘Paint It Black’ as theme song. Click for DVD. |
 Later packaging of ‘Paint It Black’ with red banner corner note that reads: ‘As Featured on the TV Series Tour of Duty’. Click for 'Aftermath' album |
In the late 1980s, “Paint It Black” became associated with the Vietnam War due to its use in both Hollywood films and TV shows. It was used in the ending credits of the 1987 film Full Metal Jacket and it also became the theme song for the CBS-TV show, Tour Of Duty, a Vietnam war era series that ran from 1987-1990. The airing of the song on the TV show especially — which played around the world — contributed to the song’s revised popularity in the late 1980s-early-1990s. In May of 1990 in the Netherlands, after “Paint It Black” was re-released there as a single again, it hit No.1 on the Dutch Top 40 chart. Later marketing and packaging of the song in those years also referred to the Tour of Duty TV show.
Some Vietnam veterans have identified with the song as well. One writer to SongFacts.com — “Bill,” from Queens, New York — made the following observation about the song’s Vietnam association:
“…While the Rolling Stones’ song “Paint It Black” was not written about the Vietnam War, it has great meaning for many combat veterans from that war. The depression, the aura of premature death, loss of innocence, abandonment of all hope are perfectly expressed in the song. When you walk off the killing fields, still alive, physically intact, you want everything painted black, like your heart, your soul, you mind, your life.”
“Paint it Black” was also used on the NBC-TV show American Dreams in a 2004 episode when a central character in the show — young J.J. Pryor from Philadelphia, PA — goes missing in Vietnam.
Other Uses
The song’s other film appearances, either in its original or cover versions, include: 1997’s The Devil’s Advocate, a thriller/horror film starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, and Charlize Theron; 1999’s For Love of the Game, a film about baseball with Kevin Costner; and, Stir of Echoes, a supernatural thriller, also in 1999, starring Kevin Bacon. In that film, the song is used as plot device, as Kevin Bacon’s character hears the first few chords of the song in a memory, but he can’t name the song.
On television, “Paint It Black” has also had more recent uses, as in a July 2003 pilot episode of the cable TV show Nip/Tuck — a show described by New York Times writer Alessandra Stanley as “a ‘Miami Vice”-style drama about two dashing and unscrupulous plastic surgeons in South Florida.” In the pilot episode, as a facial reconstruction takes place, “Paint It Black” plays on.
“Paint It Black” is heard in the 2022 film, “Black Adam,” starring Dwayne Johnson. Click for film.
The song is also used in the 2022 American superhero film, Black Adam, based on the DC Comics character of the same name, starring Dwayne Johnson.
In February 2020, a cover version of “Paint it Black” was used by Missy Elliott and H.E.R. in a Super Bowl 54 commercial for Pepsi Zero Sugar.
In the ad, R&B singer H.E.R. is seen among a countless number of people dressed in red who hold a red can of that “other cola” (i.e., Coca-Cola) and sing the opening words to “Paint It Black.” The red can suddenly turns into a black can of Pepsi Zero Sugar. H.E.R. takes a sip, breaks away from the pack and runs through a wall into a black room with the Pepsi logo in the background. Elliott then appears, rapping over the music as the two stars lead a group dance.
Writer Stephen King has used “Paint It Black” in his Dark Tower series of novels; the song is heard by several characters as they pass the same music shop in New York at different time periods. Janet Fitch’s 2006 novel Paint It Black is named after the song, and uses the first four lines from the lyrics as a quote preceding the first chapter.
‘Paint It Black’ is used in the popular ‘Guitar Hero’ video game. Click for copy.
The video game industry has also discovered “Paint It Black.” The song is used in a number of games — either during game play or heard in the background. Among games using the song are: Conflict: Vietnam; Twisted Metal: Black; Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock; and the Eve of Destruction modules for Battlefield 1942; Battlefield: Vietnam; and Battlefield 2. “Paint It Black” is also used in one version of the karaoke game SingStar. The song has also been used in some video game advertising. A number of video game players have stated that their first experience with the song was hearing it on one of the games. A parent named “Viki” from Liberty, Texas wrote SongFacts.com to share her view of the song as used on the Guitar Hero game:
“…I love hearing this song come out of my 12-yr-old kid’s room when he’s playing Guitar Hero 3. He asked me if I’d ever heard of it. I laughed so hard and told him I was raised on it!! You can diss Guitar Hero all you want, but it’s introducing a whole new generation of kids to classic rock songs — which are WAY better than the crap they’re coming out with now!!”
“…Every kid these days knows ‘Paint It Black’ because it’s in Guitar Hero…”
Another writer, responding in late October 2008 to a short story in the New York Times about some Beatles music being planned for a new interactive video game, raised concerns about which songs should be included in video games, noting the prominence of “Paint It Black”:
“…I’m a music teacher, and lately I’ve been finding that Guitar Hero and similar games actually help and inspire kids to learn to play real instruments — they don’t necessarily replace real instruments in kids’ minds. My only concern is the extent to which Guitar Hero creates a rigid repertoire of songs that kids know — every kid these days knows “Paint It Black” because it’s in Guitar Hero, but it’s strictly a matter of opinion whether that’s a better Rolling Stones song than “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” or “Street Fighting Man,” which no kid knows or cares about. Similarly, the producers of the new Beatles game need to take very seriously their responsibility of passing on the right songs to the next generation….” – I. Barry D’Paul
Oct 1989 edition of Forbes business magazine featuring Mick Jagger & Keith Richards. Click for story.
“Paint it Lost”
In any case, “Paint It Black” has had a long and varied career since it was first launched in May of 1966. In 2004, the song was ranked No. 174 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” But sadly for the Rolling Stones, “Paint It Black” is one of the tunes they no longer control; losing rights to the song during their younger years.
In a legal settlement with an earlier manager named Allen Klein, the Stones relinquished their publishing rights, along with lucrative royalties, to this song and others. In 1965, Klein, a New York manager also involved with other rock groups, had helped the Stones negotiate a new contract with Decca Records, then winning the group their first million-dollar payday. But in the process, Allen Klein also helped himself. Subsequent lawsuits over the years between the Stones and Klein have brought some relief to the Stones, but Klein’s company, ABKCO, still retains the rights to the Stones’ early songs from the 1960s to 1971.
The Stones parted ways with Klein in 1970, and have long since become a much more sophisticated and business-savvy rock ‘n roll group. See, for example, “Stones Gather Dollars, 1989-2008.”
Other stories about the Rolling Stones at this website include: “…No Satisfaction, 1965-1966,” “Start Me Up, 1995,” and the trailer for the Martin Scorsese film, “Shine A Light, 2008.” For additional stories on music see the Annals of Music category page. Thanks for visiting – and if you like what you find here, please make a donation to help support the research and writing at this website. Thank you. – Jack Doyle
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Date Posted: 19 March 2009
Last Update: 6 July 2023
Comments to: jackdoyle47@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopHistoryDig
Article Citation:
Jack Doyle, “Paint It Black, 1966-2000s,”
PopHistoryDig.com, March 19, 2009.
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Rolling Stones at Amazon.com…
 Best-selling, remastered Rolling Stones album, “Let It Bleed.” Click for copy. |
 Rolling Stones - “All The Songs” book. Click for copy. |
 Rolling Stones classic album, “Hot Rocks: 1964-1971”. Click for copy. |
Sources, Links & Additional Information
A CD compilation of Rolling Stones hits, 1964- 1971, ABKCO Records, 2013. Click for copy.
“Paint It Black,” Song Facts.com.
Alessandra Stanley, Television Review, “Snipped, Implanted, But Short Of Perfect,” New York Times, July 22, 2003.
Richie Unterberger, “Paint It Black, Rolling Stones,” Song Review, All Music.com, as of February 2009.
I. Barry D’Paul, comment to the New York Times, October 30, 2008.
“Allen Klein,” Wikipedia.org.
Jack Doyle, “Stones Gather Dollars, 1989-2008,” The Pop History Dig.com.
“J. William Fullbright,” Wikipedia.org.
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Books at Amazon.com…
 Rich Cohen’s book on the Rolling Stones. Click for copy. |
 Keith Richards’ best-selling book, “Life.” Click for copy. |
 Stanley Booth, “True Adventures of the Rolling Stones.” Click for copy. |