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The Rolling Stones – “Paint It Black”

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards on 'Goats Head Soup' and Lockdown – Rolling Stone

About the Song

The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” is a groundbreaking song that ushered in a new era of rock and roll. Released in 1966, it marked a departure from the band’s earlier blues-based sound, embracing a darker, more experimental approach.

The song’s haunting melody, combined with the insistent rhythm and Mick Jagger’s raw vocal delivery, creates a powerful and unsettling atmosphere. The lyrics, filled with imagery of darkness and despair, reflect the turbulent times of the mid-1960s. The song’s use of Eastern-inspired instrumentation, such as the sitar, was revolutionary for its time and added to the song’s exotic and mysterious quality.

Beyond its musical innovation, “Paint It Black” has become a cultural touchstone. It’s a song that speaks to the universal human experience of loss and despair. The song’s enduring popularity is a testament to its raw emotional power and its ability to connect with listeners on a deep level.

Who are the Rolling Stones members and where are they now? | The US Sun

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Lyrics: Paint It Black

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colours 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 every day

I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door, I must have it painted black
Maybe then I’ll fade away and not have to face the facts
It’s not easy facing 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 setting sun
My love will laugh with me before the morning comes

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colours 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

Hmm, hmm, hmm…

I wanna see it painted, painted black
Black as night, black as coal
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black

Yeah!

Hmm, hmm, hmm…

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Long before the iron gates of Graceland, Hollywood spotlights, and hysterical fans, a young Elvis was soaking in every musical current around him in Tupelo, Mississippi. He listened to spiritual gospel in church, traditional country tunes, and the raw rhythm and blues of Black artists that ultimately molded his artistic DNA. Those diverse sounds seeped straight into his soul. Decades later, when he stepped up to a microphone, it rarely felt like a standard performance—instead, it seemed as though he was completely breathing and living inside the music.

In his twilight years, Elvis Presley found himself trapped in a heartbreaking paradox. While roaring crowds would leap to their feet the second he stepped on stage, the moment the show ended, he retreated to a physical shell that was quietly failing him. Chronic exhaustion, deep-seated health struggles, insomnia, and an overreliance on prescription drugs had woven a web of declining well-being. The titan the world viewed as larger than life was revealing an intensely vulnerable, fragile humanity.

While other vocalists boasted flawless technique or the ability to hit breathtaking high notes, Elvis Presley was gifted with an uncoachable magic. His voice possessed a chameleon-like quality, shifting its character in a heartbeat. It could ooze mischief and menace one second, melt into tender vulnerability the next, and then swell with enough force to command a massive stadium. You didn’t even need to catch a glimpse of him to recognize that unmistakable sound.

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