10/19 Paint It Black

Artist: The Rolling Stones

Track: Paint It Black

Mick Jagger – Lead vocals

Brian Jones – sitar, percussion

Keith Richards – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals

Bill Wyman – bass pedals, bass guitar, Hammond B3

Charlie Watts - drums

Note: the quotes below, presented in italics, are taken from the comments section of an article detailing “Paint It Black,” by The Rolling Stones, on songfacts.com. None of the text they typed and shared has been edited or changed in any other way, other than them having been italicized. It should be said that while the credibility of the commenters quoted cannot be supplied, it is assumed that the response of each author is a fairly honest and genuine response to the subject matter being discussed. 

I have no idea what this song is about—depression? A funeral? War? Nihilism? For all we know keith and mick went out for something to eat—

–Wavy – Tuscon, Az.

I think this song was about Acid or have something to do with Acid This song was written as Mick Jagger quoted”Around the so called Acid Times”So it could be about Acid or well enough more about Death of a loved one

–Scott – Wyandotte, Mi.

Probably Brian Jones’s greatest piece. RIP.

            –Brian – Springfield, Va.

The song’s haunting melody is in the harmonic minor scale. . .  which is why it sticks in your head.

­–Eddie – Lachine, Mi.

     If you listen to it in headphones, you’ll first hear Brian Jones’ sitar creep in, a little louder in your right ear than in the left, with the song’s dangly hook; he plays alone, noodling a tiny runaround in a minor key. The moment it settles, a purposefully panned snare drum comes alive in the left-side channel, all four beats of each measure marked by it’s echoing smack, propelling the song at an insisting pace much like a whip driving a horse. The entire thing comes alive; it thrums hypnotically and plays around with various dynamic extremes, each part threaded together to create a wholly original texture. Jagger sings careful, then roars, and then croons, and then howls. He has complete control of his intensity and timbre. The instruments mirror his mood, or perhaps vice versa, though the subject matter of the lyrics might lead one to think the music is following the emotional rise and falls in the words. 

Like a newborn baby it just happens every day…and what’s the opposite of being born? Great song.

–Aylin – Montreal, Canada.

Eh this song is ok. A bit creepy. 4.5/10

–Ivy - Springfield, NE.

when it says “I see a red door” it is referring to blood

–Christian – Taylor, Canada.

A friend of mine just told me the song was written after the death of Tara Browne, crashed in his car while passing a red light (in his onor?). The Teatles too wrote “A Day In The Life” thinking about Tara’s Death … then Keith named his last son (dead him too 6 months old) after Tara Browne. So it could be definitively a song about death, and the funerale black car line fit perfectly.

–Moorow – Rimini, Italy.

   The lyrical content of the song is rife with themes of death and depression. But the words themselves are not completely specific, and they leave room for interpretation.  The band’s construction and presentation gives the song an air of angst or passionate frustration rip for accessibility and applicable possibility. It is a magnetic force that has pulled on all kinds of different ears. It is a dense animal with its own gravity. It entangles itself in your current situation. It begs you to tango. But if it does one thing to the listener, it asks a question. The question is different at times, sometimes starting with “what” or other times with “who.” On every level through its composition the song engages the listener’s curiosity, and ego, and imagination. Keep the level up on the volume control when you listen; this piece rockets when it’s cranked.

Lyrics:

Paint It Black - The Rolling Stones

I see a red door and I want it painted black

No colors anymore I want them to turn black

I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes

I have to turn my head until my darkness goes

I see a line of cars and they're all painted black

With flowers and my love both never to come back

I see people turn their heads and quickly look away

like a newborn baby it just happens ev'ry day

I look inside myself and see my heart is black

I see my red door I myst have it painted black

Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts

It's not easy facin' up, when your whole world is black

No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue

I could not foresee this thing happening to you

If I look hard enough into the settin' sun

My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes

I see a red door and I want it painted black

No colors anymore I want them to turn black

I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes

I have to turn my head until my darkness goes

I want to see it painted, painted black

Black as night, black as coal

I want to see the sun, blotted out from the sky

I want to see it painted, painted, painted, painted black

Sources:
SongFacts.com - Paint It Black