The Rolling Stones: "Paint It Black"

June 13, 1966 (1 week)

The Rolling Stones would eventually go on to rack up eight number one hits on Canada's RPM charts. While a far cry from Elvis, The Beatles or Madonna, this is no mean feat. Yet, this total is surprisingly spread out, leaving the pickings slim for what is their best period as a singles act. While six of their seven UK chart toppers were during Brian Jones' time with the band — with the seventh, "Honky Tonk Women", reaching the top spot just a few weeks after his death — just three of their Canadian number ones were during the sixties. (They would have three more in the seventies and another two — improbably — in the eighties) Following "Paint It Black", the Stones wouldn't top the charts in Canada for another five years.

Though the Stones would go on to record their most critically acclaimed set of albums - the run from Beggars Banquet through to Exile on Main Street as well as the 1978 tour-de-force Some Girls — and would become the greatest live attraction in rock 'n' roll, the shadow of the Brian Jones era still looms (to the extent that Ron Wood has been a member of the group for nearly fifty years but it still feels like he's the new guy). It was between 1963 to '69 that they had their initial burst of fame, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards developed as songwriters and they had the standard of The Beatles to try to measure up to.

"Paint It Black" is perhaps the first sign that the group was changing. Jones found himself becoming sidelined by the Jagger-Richards partnership as well as manager Andrew Loog Oldham's maneuvering. (The suspcious, sidelong look he gives his bandmates on the UK cover of Aftermath says it all) Bored with being a blues guitarist in a pop group, he spent the remaining years of productivity as the group's brilliant all-arounder, contributing immeasurably to their burgeoning sound. Left off of "As Tears Go By", he contributes a hypnotic sitar part to "Paint It Black", easily its most memorable feature. Yet, the group seemed to be laying the groundwork for the era ahead without him.

The song's darkness hints at the likes of "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Midnight Rambler", albeit without the same kind of musical dynamics beyond Jones' playing. It also lacks that swagger that typically marks out the finest Stones' songs: Jagger's voice snarls and spits out bitterness but he doesn't have that same vocal command. (For all the love I have for the Stones in the sixties, there's no denying that Mick was at his peak during the following decade) More significantly, the darkness here smacks of him trying to come across as profound when Jagger really didn't have all that much to say to begin with. He sees a bleak world around him and spends the next three minutes hammering the point home. I guess it's commendable that he recognizes a darkness in himself as well. The Stones frequently got away with having a good deal more depth to them than the more pop friendly Beatles but I'm not buying it.

Squaring these thoughts of mine with the score below is difficult, I know. Plainly, this is a song that I really like even if it reads like I'm trashing it. The Rolling Stones were on a hot streak at the time with "Paint It Black" being but one of many top quality songs they had churned out. I prefer their more reflective ("I Am Waiting", "Lady Jane") or funnier ("Mother's Little Helper", "Think") material of the time but there's always a place for some hard-hitting, raga-flavoured rock — especially with Jones' sitar and Charlie Watts' tribal drum part. Much like The Beatles with "Eight Days a Week", the Stones could seemingly piss out any old thing and make it far more appealing than the bulk of the competition.

Finally, a word on the title. Due to a record company error, pressings of the single had it as "Paint It, Black" which to this day is sometimes how you'll see it written. But given the discrepancy between the title and the lyric "I want it painted black", I wonder if there was another mistake involved. "Painted Black" may seem wrong but that's only because we've had the better part of sixty years to get used to it the other way. Plus, this speaks to the fact that the Stones had to prioritize writing, recording, performing and living the rock 'n' roll lifestyle to the max rather than concern themselves with trivial matters like record sleeves and credits and all that nonsense.

Score: 8