Paint it Black was first released on the 6 May 1966
There was no specific inspiration for the lyrics. When asked at the time why he wrote a song about death and depression, Jagger replied: “I don’t know. It’s been done before. It’s not an original thought by any means. It all depends on how you do it.”
The song's lyrics are mainly meant to describe bleakness and depression through the use of colour-based metaphors
“Paint It Black” became associated with the Vietnam War due to its use in the ending credits of Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket
Jagger got the line “I turn my head until my darkness goes” from James Joyce’s Ulysses
Ronnie Wood disclosed that Keith Richards has trouble remembering how to play this song: “We always have this moment of hesitation where we don’t know if Keith’s going to get the intro right.”
Brian Jones, overshadowed by Jagger and Richards, meant to
explore eastern instruments. A natural multi-instrumentalist, Jones was able to
develop a tune from the sitar in a short amount of time, not long after a
discussion with George Harrison who had recently recorded sitar in Norwegian
Wood
“Paint It, Black” is one of the tunes they no longer control, as they sold its rights during the Sixties, to the ex-manager Allen Klein
Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Peter Tosh - 1978. Photo by Peter Simon
