The Rolling Stones are one of the biggest bands in music history. Additionally, “Paint It Black” and the album it came from, Aftermath, are two of the most important Rolling Stones records in their extensive catalog.
The meaning behind “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones is an interesting story. There are a couple of obvious explanations that are widely accepted, and I will go into those in some detail. I will also look at the backstory of the recording of “Paint It Black” and the history surrounding it. So, let’s get to it and take a look at this fascinating song.
History of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are one the most established Rock bands in history. They were formed in London in 1962, and incredibly, they are still recording and performing to this day. Furthermore, they are still one of the most highly regarded live acts in current times. An incredible feat considering most of the band members are now in their 80s.
The current band lineup consists of Mick Jagger on vocals, Keith Richards on lead guitar, and Ronnie Wood on bass. Of these, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are original band members.
Their list of released albums, world tours, and chart success is immense. The main highlights are that they are in the Top 20 most successful artists of all time. And they are one of the few bands to have sold more than 200 million records. What an achievement!
More amazing is that they are the highest-grossing live act in history…
They have pulled in over 22 million concertgoers and took in more than two billion dollars in ticket sales. However, U2 is very close behind, and they are, on average, about a hundred years younger. Therefore, The Rolling Stones’ current position is undoubtedly under threat.
They have won a ton of awards. But, possibly most important are their four Grammys alongside the other seven songs that have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. “Painted Black” was included among them, and I will get to that very shortly.
They have a history and catalog of work that any artist would be proud of. However, ask Mick Jagger about his proudest moment, and he might tell you that being knighted in 2003 was the ultimate accolade. He is now known as Sir Mick Jagger, and within the UK, there is no greater civilian honor than this.
Chart Success
“Paint it Black” was released in 1966 and appeared on the album, Aftermath. The single came shortly after The Rolling Stones hit songs “Get Off of My Cloud” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” both released a year earlier in 1965.
They released three singles after these. But, with no #1’s, they were hoping that “Paint it Black” would take them back to the top of the charts. Happily, it was in the US, the UK, and several other European countries.
“Paint it Black” was the third #1 for the band in the US and the sixth in the UK. The single stayed for ten weeks in the charts in the US and the UK. It also went platinum for them at home and in Italy. All around, it was a huge success.
And, the album, Aftermath, was similarly popular…
That also went to #1 in the US and the UK. Again, like the single, it also made it to #1 on several other charts in Europe. The end-of-year charts for 1966 also saw the album hovering at around #20 in most places.
Recording “Paint it Black”
Most of the writing for the song was down to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. But, in fairness, it is far from the whole story. Although the pair laid down the basics of the song’s structure, chords, and lyrics, they did have problems with coming up with a groove.
This is where Bill Wyman brought the song to life…
He experimented with a Hammond organ that eventually would be used to give the song more of a powerful bass line. It also gave it more of a mysterious Middle Eastern feel, which helped to soften the otherwise harshness of the overall message of “Paint it Black.”
The song slowly began to take shape. Unusually, up until this point, the band had the luxury of time to polish up the recording to what it was to become. In a moment of downtime, Harihar Rao, an American musician born in India, walked in with a sitar.
That sitar promptly piqued the interest of their then-founding member, singer, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist, Brian Jones. Jones picked up the sitar, and with no hesitation, played it. Then, he used it to lay down a backing track which introduced yet another mood.
The result is what we hear and love today…
The whole recording process occurred under the guiding hand of producer Andrew Loog Oldham and sound engineer Dave Hassinger. When it was finished, the recording credits were given solely to Jagger/Richards. Not surprisingly, both Bill Wyman and Brian Jones were far from happy about this.
This period represented a crucial point in the band’s history. That is because this writing duo was increasingly beginning to take over the role of the main songwriters. If you look at Aftermath, all the tracks are attributed to this pair. The reduced role of Brain Jones, along with increased drug taking and reliability problems, had a big part to play in his quitting the band in 1969.
Finally, it is worth noting that the track does have a striking resemblance to the 1965 hit “My World Feels Empty Without You” by the Supremes. If you don’t believe me, take a listen.
Lyrics and Meaning
The meaning behind “Paint It Black” by the Rolling Stones is open to interpretation. And the true meaning of the song “Paint it Black” is something that we may never know. However, what we can all agree on is that the lyrics of “Paint it Black” are brutal.
From both a musical and lyrical perspective…
This song is filled with doom and darkness. The first two verses deal with someone who is clearly suffering from depression. Suffering to such a degree that they cannot even find simple pleasures in colors or anything remotely pleasant or appealing. I feel that we are witnessing the total withdrawal of someone who is wholly grief-stricken and past being able to communicate on a normal level.
However, we have to wait for the third verse until this is affirmed…
Then, we learn of the reason behind his despair. All his suffering is due to the death of his lover. This is laid before us in the image of someone observing a funeral. The reference to a line of black cars is an indication of a line of funeral cars in a procession.
He mentions his lover, and flowers, which reaffirms that this is a song about the death of a loved one. It is a highly disturbing piece of imagery that sets the depressing tone for the rest of the song.
The song continues to lay out his pain and disconnection from events and the people around him. You are hearing someone who is completely defeated and feels like they have nothing to live for. This is something alluded to later in the song as the singer talks about fading away and not feeling that they have the strength to continue.
These are signs of a pained and potentially suicidal mind…
This dark place he is living in might also be further explained when it is revealed that he possibly blames himself for whatever happened to his lover. Although he states that it wasn’t something that couldn’t have been reasonably foreseen, there is more than a hint of guilt that maybe he could have done more.
Some have interpreted the lyrics as being a reference to the Vietnam War that was raging at the time. It is thought that it could have been written as a protest song to bring to light the brutality and darkness of war.
Although the song has a strong and almost psychedelic feel, full of despair and anger, plus it was brought out at the right time, I think that it is a much less likely explanation. Unfortunately, this is something we will never know. Mick Jagger has steadfastly remained tight-lipped (pun intended) as to what the lyrics of “Paint it Black” truly mean.
Despite this…
It didn’t stop the song from being used at the end of the classic 1987 movie Full Metal Jacket. The movie was a harrowing story, directed by Stanley Kubrick, about the horrors of the Vietnam war. The inclusion of “Paint It Black” at the end of the movie has undoubtedly solidified the theory in many people’s minds that the song had always been associated with the war.
Want More Songs with Deep and Thoughtful Messages?
If so, check out our thoughts on the Best Songs About Monsters, the Best Songs About Soldiers, the Best Songs About Death, the Best Songs About Depression, the Best Songs About War & Anti-War, and the Top Songs About Losing Someone for more emotionally-charged song selections.
The Meaning Behind “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones – Final Thoughts
There is no doubt that “Paint It Black” was one of The Rolling Stones’ most pivotal songs. It represented a new era for this incredible band that would pave the way for their future career. However, at this point, no one could have anticipated that they would still be together and playing music almost 60 years later.
The story and meaning of “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones is an interesting part of their journey. I hope you enjoyed this little piece of history, and I hope you enjoyed being reconnected with this amazing song.
Until next time, happy listening.
