Perone, although the introductory sitar passage is played in an Indian fashion, 'the rhythmic and melodic feel of the Eastern-sounding phrases actually call to mind the Middle East more than India'.

In a 1995 interview, commenting on the musical styles found on Aftermath, Jagger described 'Paint It Black' as 'this kind of Turkish song'. Problems playing this file? See media help. In the view of pop historian Andrew Grant Jackson, 'Paint It Black' bears a strong resemblance to the Supremes' 1965 hit ' My World Is Empty Without You', which used 'a foreboding minor key with harpsichord and organ'. He felt 'Paint It Black' should have been credited to the band's pseudonym, Nanker Phelge, rather than Jagger–Richards, since the song originated from a studio improvisation by Jones and Watts and himself, Jones providing the melody line. Wyman was later critical of Oldham listing Jagger and Richards as songwriters to the exclusion of the rest of the Stones. Soon after the recording session, Richards felt the track's conclusion was over-recorded and that it could have been improved. The sitar was brought into the mix when Harihar Rao walked into the studio with one in hand. During a session break, Bill Wyman twiddled with a Hammond organ in search of a heavier bass sound Wyman's playing inspired the uptempo and Eastern pentatonic melody. The Stones were dissatisfied with this version and considered scrapping the song altogether. The song was written originally as a standard pop arrangement in a minor key similar to ' The House of the Rising Sun', which Jagger humorously compared to 'songs for Jewish weddings'. It starts with five consecutive 16-bar verses before relaxing into a chanted section and finishing in a frantic coda. 'Paint It Black' follows a simple verse form that lacks a refrain. Andrew Loog Oldham produced each Aftermath track, including 'Paint It Black'. Sound engineer Dave Hassinger recorded the song on 6 and 9 March 1966 at RCA Studios in Los Angeles. Jagger and Richards wrote 'Paint It Black' on tour with the Stones in Australia. Following a discussion with the Beatles' lead guitarist George Harrison, who had recently recorded the sitar on ' Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)' in October 1965, Jones arranged basic melodies with the instrument that morphed over time into that featured in 'Paint It Black'. A multi-instrumentalist, Jones could develop a tune on the sitar in a short time he had a background with the instrument largely from his studies under Harihar Rao, a disciple of Ravi Shankar. To alleviate his boredom, he explored Eastern instruments, specifically the Indian sitar, with a view to bolstering the musical texture and complexity of the band's sound. Brian Jones, overshadowed by Jagger and Richards, grew bored attempting to write songs, and with conventional guitar melodies.

The Mick Jagger/ Keith Richards songwriting collaboration was producing more original material for the band, culminating in the sessions for Aftermath (1966) where, for the first time, the duo penned every track on the album. 'Paint It Black' came at a pivotal period in the Rolling Stones' recording history. The record was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018. The Rolling Stones have played the song on several tours. Many artists have covered 'Paint It Black' it is included on compilation albums, and appeared on film soundtracks. It received a platinum certification in the UK from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and from Italy's Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI). The song also topped charts in Canada and the Netherlands. It was the band's third number-one single in the US and sixth in the UK. It was in the UK Singles Chart for 11 weeks in 2007. A chart success for the Stones, the song spent eleven weeks – including two at number one – on the US Billboard Hot 100, and spent 10 weeks – including one atop the chart – on the Record Retailer chart in the UK. Retrospectively, critics have considered 'Paint It Black' more favourably, and Rolling Stone magazine has ranked it one of the greatest songs of all time. Reviews at the time were mixed and some music critics believed its sitar sound was an attempt to copy the Beatles. London Records included it as the opening track on the American version of the band's 1966 studio album Aftermath. London Records released the song as a single on in the United States Decca Records released it on 13 May in the United Kingdom. A product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership, it is an uptempo song with Indian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European influences and features lyrics about grief and loss. ' Paint It Black' is a song recorded in 1966 by the English rock band the Rolling Stones.

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