History of the song- Paint It Black

History of the song- Paint It Black

Paint it black is a song written by The Rolling Stones was first released as a single in the US in 1966. The song was later released in the UK on the 3th of May of 1966. Paint it black was most famous for being the first number one hit featuring a sitar. Paint it black has appeared in numerous games and films and is one of the most iconic songs written by The Rolling Stones. It has appeared in games such as: Black Ops lll, Guitar Hero lll Legends of Rock, Rocksmith 2014. This song is iconic to the music world and is one of the bands most popular hits.

The song Paint it Black wasn’t created with a specific message. Over the years, different artists and the consumers came up with different theories of what they thought the song was based around and was left down to listeners interpretations to figure out what they believed the meaning of the song was. The song seems to be written from a viewpoint of someone depressed. The message of wanting everything “To turn black” is clearly hinting at everything turning miserable and wanting to stay sad. On further analysis on the lyrics, the clear theme of the song is about death; a lover who has passed away.

This song is traditionally slower than most of their other songs which further implies the message of sadness as slower songs tend to feel more like a ballad, this is apparent in this song as it feels as if a story is being told.

The song is a verse chorus structure which means that it keeps coming back to the main riff of the song. The lyrics that accompany the riff are all about hope. “summer sun” is an example as the sun is bright and lights up the dark. By keep reverting to the main riff. It can imply they are hoping that the pain will go away and that they keep reflecting on the current situation and procrastinate about how the situation could be different.

The title of the song “Paint it black” in my opinion is the most emphasized phrase in the song. Not only because it is said throughout the song but also because it reinforces the message of the song. It backs up the theme of darkness and death. This makes me feel empathy for whoever the song is written about because the song is very dark and are trapped with depression that long to break free. This to me makes the song feel very powerful which for me makes the lyrics of the song more interesting and gripping.