Feature Song: “Paint It Black”
If you are keeping track, this is the third installment of the “mini” Rolling Stones feature that began with DUTC#32 and the busking band, The Big Push, covering “Sympathy for the Devil.” For this week’s offering, I am revisiting these four very talented musicians from Brighton, England with their extremely energetic and entertaining cover of “Paint it Black” from the Stones 1966 album, Aftermath. Interestingly enough, although the song was released as a single in both the US and the UK (May 1966), it did not appear on the original UK album release.
Given that this is the third Stones song that I am featuring from their early contributions, I am not sure why it took me this long to realize that the longer a song has been around and covered, the more “theories” there are as what the song really means. Now, while some of these may be legit, or a direct result of an interview with the writers of the song, in this case Jagger and Richards, others can be, shall we say, “out there!” But I’m getting ahead of myself. “Paint It Black” is a raga rock song with Indian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European influences and lyrics about grief and loss. Originating from a series of improvisational melodies played by Brain Jones on the sitar, the song features all five members of the band contributing to the final arrangement, although only Jagger and Richards are credited as songwriters. In contrast to previous Rolling Stones singles with straightforward rock arrangements, “Paint It Black” has unconventional instrumentation, including a prominent sitar, the Hammond organ, and castanets. This instrumental experimentation matches other songs on Aftermath. The song was influential to the burgeoning psychedelic genre as the first chart-topping single to feature the sitar and widened the instrument’s audience. When it was released, reviews of the song were mixed, and some music critics believe its use of the sitar was an attempt to copy The Beatles, while others criticized its experimental style and doubted its commercial potential. These would be the same critics that could be seen years later eating those words.
Some theories. One critic mentions that by using color-based metaphors, the song’s lyrics describe the grief suffered by someone stunned by the sudden and unexpected loss of a partner, leading to a “blanket worldview of desperation and desolation, with no hint of hope.” Another postulated that the lyrics “have also given rise to alternative interpretations ranging from a bad trip (no, not that road trip to Niagara Falls!) on hallucinogens to the Vietnam War.” Yet another, noted that “the lyrical content – a character so entrenched in his depression and rage, that he has lost all hope – establishes a rough concept for Aftermath’s American edition, the following songs offering insight into the darkness of his psyche and possible reasons for its darkness.” If you followed that, you’re a better person than I am. The interesting thing about the three theories above is that they are from 2012, 2013, and 2014. That’s 46, 47, and 48 years after the song’s release. There are many more of these, but I will spare you. You’re welcome!
The other bonus to a song being around that long, coupled with the fact that the Stones are still around – my favorite meme these days is one with side-by-side pictures of Mick Jagger and Mitch McConnell saying one is 80 the other 81, living proof that we might need to rethink a life of drugs and rock and roll…indeed – meaning that they have been playing “Paint It Black” at live shows for quite some time. So, for this installment, rather than just providing the original from 1996 and then the cover, you get 1966, 1990, and 2022, that’s 24 and 56 years after the original.
As far as The Big Push cover goes, the frenetic energy that these four musicians exude is certainly present here as they “slay” this cover. What really stood out for me this time was not only how much the crowd was into their performance, but the fact that a large number of the assembled crowd’s parents weren’t even born when this song was first released! Let that sink in for a moment. Enjoy.
The Rolling Stones. “Pain It Black.” Live 1966.
The Big Push. “Paint It Blacks cover. Live 2021
The Rolling Stones. “Paint It Black.” Live 1990
The Rolling Stones. “Paint It Black.” Live Berlin, 2022.
Los Angeles 2023
One of my favourite Stones songs and as I recall it prompted my older brother to paint his bedroom black, I mean the walls, ceiling, door. That’s an interesting look at the Stones over time, I heard them do it in 2012, very similar to the 1996 one I think. Was it Big Push? Very energetic!
One of mine too. I painted a bathroom black in a rental apartment. When I was moving the manager almost had a heart attack when he saw it! Took me several coats of white to cove it up before I moved. Ah, the good old days!
Lol that was a thing with you guys apparently!
This post prompts so many responses in me. First off, “Paint It, Black” is a rock masterpiece that’s stood the test of time, and one of the Stones’ finest songs. Second, with their strong charisma and unbridled energy, The Big Push give an exhilarating performance that the song deserves. Finally, I must once again state what a terrific writer you are Irwin. Great post!
It certainly is a masterpiece, and I would also argue one of their best. When I listen to it today it literally transports me back in time! I am blown away every time I watch a Big Push performance. Exhilarating is the word that comes to mind. You are too kind, thank you for the compliment, it means a great deal.