domenica 10 gennaio 2016

Paint it Black


Creativity walks on its own paths.

  • 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