The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black

"Paint It Black" (originally released as "Paint It, Black") is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is an uptempo song with Indian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European influences featuring a sitar part played by multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones. The lyrics are about grief, death, and loss. The song was released as a single on 7 May 1966 in the United States by London Records and 13 May in the United Kingdom by Decca Records. It was included as the opening track on the American version of the band's 1966 studio album Aftermath. Contemporary reviews at the time were mixed, with some music critics believing that its sitar sound was an attempt to copy the Beatles. Retrospectively, critics have considered "Paint It Black" more favourably, with Rolling Stone ranking it one of the greatest songs of all time. A chart success for the Stones, the song spent eleven weeks – including two at number one – on the US Billboard Hot 100, and spent a total of 21 weeks – including one a top the chart – on the UK Singles Chart. It was their third number-one single in the US and sixth in the UK. The song also topped charts in Canada and the Netherlands. It received a platinum certification in the UK from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and gold from Italy's Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI).