Billboard #1 Hits: #161: “Paint It Black”- The Rolling Stones. June 11, 1966. #1 for 2 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100.
- Single: “Paint It Black”- The Rolling Stones
- Record Company- London
- Genre: Rock
- Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richard
- Time: 3:19
- B-side:”Stupid Girl”
- Album-Aftermath
- Grade: A+
- Peaked at #1 2 weeks in Billboard Hot 100. #1 in UK Singles Chart and in Canada and Netherlands.
The founder of The Rolling Stones Brian Jones was still engaged in 1966 and was like George Harrison of The Beatles learning to play the sitar. George had already included the sitar on The Beatles “Norwegian Wood”- and on “Paint It Black” Brian introduced it here on “Paint It Black”- a great example of something great coming out of the Beatles/ Stones friendship-rivalry. It was the first #1 with the sitar in it. The music is to me the key to this song- even more than the lyrics- The Stones are at the top of their game musically here with Jones sitar, Watts drums, Wyman’s heavy bass sound and Keith Richards acoustic guitar. “Paint It Black” became the 3rd #1 in the US and 6th #1 in the UK for The Rolling Stones. At one point early in its recording history the Stones were dissatisfied with the recording and considered just strapping it. Luckily they stayed with it and worked it out. A Stones classic!
slicethelife 
You can’t beat these guys. Nobody plays rock and roll like The Rolling Stones. Seriously!
This song is a masterpiece, and one of my many favorite Stones songs.
It feels more like a later 60’s Stones song- like say 1969 instead of as early as 1966- to me.
Like the Beatles in 1966, the Stones were ahead of their time.