"Paint It Black" is a song by The Rolling Stones. The song was released as the first and only single from their fourth album Aftermath(1966).

The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, though Brian Jones contributed to the song's signature riff. Bill Wyman claims in his books that the song was a collective effort of the group, a 'Nanker-Phelge' one, but mistakenly credited to Jagger/Richards at the end.

The single reached number one in both the U.S. and the U.K. charts in 1966. In 2004 it was ranked #174 on Rolling Stonemagazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In the U.S., it was the first #1 pop single to feature a sitar on the recording.

The song title is most often given as "Paint It Black" without the comma. This variant has appeared on some reissues and compilations. Richards has stated that the song was not intended to have a comma in its title, and that it was added by the record label.

The song began with Wyman playing organ at a recording session, in parody of the group's former co-manager Eric Easton, who had been an organist. Charlie Watts accompanied the organ by playing a vaguely Middle Eastern drum part; Watts' drum pattern became the basis for the final song. Brian Jones contributed the song's signature sitar riff (having taught himself to play after a visit with George Harrison) and acoustic guitar, and Jagger contributed the lyrics, seemingly about a man mourning his dead girlfriend. The lead electric guitar and the background vocals are provided by Richards. The piano is played by Jack Nitzsche.

The bass was also overdubbed by Bill Wyman playing on the bass pedals of a Hammond B3 organ.

One of the Stones' early hit videos was "Paint in Black" filmed in a club. Brian Jones is not seen with a sitar in the video but instead is seen with a normal electric guitar.

In recent years, the song was used in the ending credits of Full Metal Jacketand the opening credits of Tour of Duty. It was also used in 2004 in an episode-ending montage in the NBC television show American Dreams, when a major character went missing in Vietnam. In the BBC Top Gear Vietnam special, aired in December 2008 the song is played briefly after an American decorated motorbike is unveiled as a threat to the presenters.

Its other film appearances include For Love of the Gameand 1997's The Devil's Advocate, played during the closing credits. The pilot of Nip/TuckTV show also uses the Rolling Stones' version of the song. The song, as covered by Gob, was also featured in the film Stir of Echoes. The Gob cover also plays over the end credits of the 2004 mini-series of Salem's Lot. A French version of the song, recorded by Marie Laforêt, appears in both The Devil's Advocateand the 2006 film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and an alternative version appears on commercials for The Sopranoson A&E.

"Paint It Black" was also used in six video game titles. Conflict: Vietnamused the song during the opening sequence, while Twisted Metal: Blackused the beginning of the song in the opening screen, then the whole song again in its end credits, and inserted into level music throughout moments of gameplay. A version of the karaoke game SingStaralso features "Paint It Black". The song is also featured in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rockas a playable track, with an extended ending to avoid fading out like the original did (the game makes use of the master track). However, it is unable to be played in Co-op mode, as the bass and guitar tracks could not be separated (this can be heard in single-player mode also; when one makes a mistake, both the guitar and bass cut out). It is also heard playing on some static radios in the Eve of Destruction total conversion for Battlefield 1942, Battlefield: Vietnamand Battlefield 2. In addition, it was used in the television commercial for Vietcong: Purple Haze. Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2allows players to sing it and unlock a video of it being performed on American Idol.

Isaac Brock's indie side project Ugly Casanova has referred to the song in "Barnacles".

American IdolTop 6 covered a short version of this for the Ford music video.

At 0:48 in the song "At This Hour" on the Spin Doctors' Turn It Upside Downalbum, they sing "You see a red door and you want to paint it black", a reference to this song.

The 1972 song "Thirteen" on the Big Star album #1 Recordcontains the lyrics "Won't you tell your dad to get off my back/Tell him what we said about 'Paint It Black.' "

Prior to being banned from The Howard Stern Show, Crazy Cabbie was often introduced to his own theme song, a variation of "Paint It Black", although with lyrics mocking Cabbie.

In the Stephen King series The Dark Tower, "Paint It Black" is heard by several characters as they pass the same music shop in New York at different time periods.

The Kaiser Chiefs' song "Heat Dies Down" is loosely based on the guitar riff of "Paint It Black".

In Good Charlotte's song "All Black", from their fourth album Good Morning Revival, the line "...like the Rolling Stones wanna paint it black" refers to the song.

In The Dresden Dolls' song, "Jeep", Amanda sings "I see a red jeep and I want to paint it black" in reference to the "Paint It Black" line "I see a red door and I want to paint it black".

The second chapter in Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Centuryis set in 1966 and titled "Paint it Black".

The song "Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance makes reference to it in the line "... so paint it black and take it back..."

Japanese pop star Hikaru Utada revamps the first line at the end of "Amai Wana: Paint It, Black".

Janet Fitch's 2006 novel Paint It Blackis named after the song; also, the quote before the first chapter is the first four lines of the Rolling Stones song.

The music website Last.FM has two skins, Simply Red and Paint It Black.

The Lee Mead version of "Paint It Black" was used by Vincent Simone & Louisa Lytton due to represent the United Kingdom at the 2008 Eurovision Dance Contest.

The web comic Order of the Stick, strip #635, is entitled, "I See a Red Robe and I Want to Paint it Black", clearly in reference to this song.

In “The Christmas Show” episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Studio 60 co-executive producer Matt Albie (Matthew Perry) is complimenting Studio 60 cast member Harriet Hayes (Sarah Paulson) on being cast as Anita Pallenberg in a new movie about the Rolling Stones. He says “…you’re great casting for that…It’s a great part. Brian, Keith, Mick Jagger – they all considered her a musical confidante. ‘Paint It Black’ was all her.”

The song was once used in a promotional campaign for the All Blacks by one of their corporate sponsors, Steinlager beer, in the late 1990s.

The song was used as the entrance song for Johny Hendricks at UFC 101.

The third book in the Sonja Blue series ( Midnight Blue: The Sonja Blue Collection), by Nancy A. Collins, is titled Paint It Black.

Before Eric Burdon & War's 1970 version reached the charts in Netherlands, Eric Burdon & The Animals covered it in 1967 for their debut album, Winds of Change. The original album version of Eric Burdon & War had a length of 13:41.

Eric Burdon & The Animals performed it at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. This version was cut and included in the motion picture of the festival. They performed it also on the BBC.

In 1969 the song was a highlight performed live by Eric Burdon & War. After releasing their first album they recorded shortly a second featuring "Paint It Black medley" with a length of over 13 minutes. In 1971 they released it as a single.

Eric Burdon performed it also on his "Hippiefest" tour in 2008.

"Paint It Black" has been covered by many other bands and music artists, including:

1963: "Come On" / "I Want to Be Loved"  ·"Poison Ivy" / "Fortune Teller"  ·"I Wanna Be Your Man" / "Stoned", 1964: "Not Fade Away" / "Little by Little" (UK)  ·"Not Fade Away" / "I Wanna Be Your Man" (US)  ·"It's All Over Now" / "Good Times, Bad Times"  ·"Tell Me" / "I Just Want to Make Love to You"  ·"Time Is on My Side" / "Congratulations"  ·"Little Red Rooster" / "Off the Hook"  ·"Heart of Stone" / "What a Shame", 1965: "What a Shame" / "Heart of Stone"  ·"The Last Time" / "Play with Fire"  ·"Play with Fire" / "The Last Time"  ·"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" / "The Under-Assistant West Coast Promotion Man" (US)  ·"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" / "The Spider and the Fly" (UK)  ·"Get Off of My Cloud" / "I'm Free" (US)  ·"Get Off of My Cloud" / "The Singer Not the Song" (UK)  ·"As Tears Go By" / "Gotta Get Away", 1966: "19th Nervous Breakdown" / "As Tears Go By" (UK)  ·"19th Nervous Breakdown" / "Sad Day" (US)  ·" Paint It, Black " / "Stupid Girl" (US)  ·" Paint It, Black " / "Long Long While" (UK)  ·"Mother's Little Helper" / "Lady Jane"  ·"Lady Jane" / "Mother's Little Helper"  ·"Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?" / "Who's Driving Your Plane", 1967: "Let's Spend the Night Together" / "Ruby Tuesday"  ·"Ruby Tuesday" / "Let's Spend the Night Together"  ·"We Love You" / "Dandelion"  ·"Dandelion" / "We Love You"  ·"In Another Land" / "The Lantern"  ·"She's a Rainbow" / "2000 Light Years from Home", 1968: "Jumpin' Jack Flash" / "Child of the Moon"  ·"Street Fighting Man" / "No Expectations"  ·, 1969: "Honky Tonk Women" / "You Can't Always Get What You Want"

1971: "Brown Sugar" / "Bitch" / "Let It Rock" (live) (UK)  ·"Brown Sugar" / "Bitch" (US)  ·"Wild Horses" / "Sway"  ·"Street Fighting Man" / "Surprise, Surprise", 1972: "Tumbling Dice" / "Sweet Black Angel"  ·"Happy" / "All Down the Line", 1973: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" / "Sad Day"  ·"Angie" / "Silver Train"  ·"Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" / "Dancing with Mr. D", 1974: "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" / "Through the Lonely Nights"  ·"Ain't Too Proud to Beg" / "Dance Little Sister", 1975: "I Don't Know Why" / "Try a Little Harder"  ·"Out of Time" / "Jiving Sister Fanny", 1976: "Fool to Cry" / "Crazy Mama"  ·"Hot Stuff" / "Fool to Cry"

1978: "Miss You" / "Far Away Eyes"  ·"Beast of Burden" / "When the Whip Comes Down"  ·"Respectable" / "When the Whip Comes Down"  ·"Shattered" / "Everything Is Turning to Gold", 1980: "Emotional Rescue" / "Down in the Hole"  ·"She's So Cold" / "Send It to Me", 1981: "If I Was a Dancer (Dance Pt. 2)" / "If I Was a Dancer (Dance Pt. 2)"  ·"Start Me Up" / "No Use In Crying"  ·"Waiting on a Friend" / "Little T&A"  ·"Little T&A" / "Waiting on a Friend", 1982: "Hang Fire" / "Neighbours"  ·"Going to a Go-Go" (live) / "Beast of Burden" (live)  ·"Time Is on My Side" (live) / "Twenty Flight Rock" (live), 1983: "Undercover of the Night" / "All the Way Down", 1984: "She Was Hot" / "Think I'm Going Mad"  ·"Think I'm Going Mad" / "She Was Hot"  ·"Too Tough" / "Miss You"  ·"Brown Sugar" / "Bitch"  ·"Too Much Blood" / "Too Much Blood", 1986: "Harlem Shuffle" / "Had It With You"  ·"Winning Ugly" / "Winning Ugly"  ·"One Hit (To the Body)" / "Fight", 1989: "Mixed Emotions" / "Fancy Man Blues"  ·"Sad Sad Sad" / "Sad Sad Sad"  ·"Rock and a Hard Place" / "Cook Cook Blues", 1990: "Almost Hear You Sigh" / "Break the Spell" (US)  ·"Almost Hear You Sigh" / "Wish I'd Never Met You" (UK)  ·" Paint It, Black " / "Long Long While"  ·"Terrifying" / "Wish I'd Never Met You", 1991: "Highwire" / "2000 Light Years from Home" (live)  ·"Ruby Tuesday" (live) / "Play with Fire" (live)  ·"Sex Drive" / "Sex Drive"

1994: "Love Is Strong" / "The Storm"  ·"Love Is Strong" / "So Young"  ·"You Got Me Rocking" / "Jump On Top of Me"  ·"Out of Tears" / "I'm Gonna Drive" / "So Young"  ·"Out of Tears" / "I'm Gonna Drive" / "Sparks Will Fly", 1995: "Sparks Will Fly" / "Sparks Will Fly"  ·"I Go Wild" / (remixes)  ·"Like a Rolling Stone" (live) / "Black Limousine" / "All Down the Line", 1996: "Wild Horses" (live) / "Live with Me" (live) / "Tumbling Dice" (live), 1997: "Anybody Seen My Baby?" / (remixes)  ·"Flip the Switch" / "Flip the Switch", 1998: "Saint of Me" / "Gimme Shelter" / "Anyway You Look At It"  ·"Out of Control" / (remixes)  ·"Gimme Shelter" (live) / "Gimme Shelter" (live), 2002: "Don't Stop" / "Miss You" (remix), 2003: "Sympathy for the Devil" (remix) / (remixes), 2005: "Streets of Love" / "Rough Justice"  ·"Oh No Not You Again" / "Oh No Not You Again"  ·"Rain Fall Down" / (remixes), 2006: "Biggest Mistake" / "Dance Pt. 1" (live) / "Before They Make Me Run", 2007: " Paint It, Black " / " Paint It, Black "