


About that time as well, around mid-May 1966, a new song titled “Paint It Black” by the British rock group the Rolling Stones, began to be heard across the U.S. In music, the Beach Boys had released their Pet Sounds album, and Bob Dylan his Blonde on Blonde album. Young Rolling Stones shown on German single, 1966. Louis Cardinals, had opened there earlier that spring. In the world of boxing, late May, Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, would knock out the U.K.’s Henry Cooper in a six-round heavyweight match in London. Louis on May 25th, 1966. Busch Stadium, home to baseball’s St. Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall dedicated the new Gateway Arch in St. In America, Vice-President Hubert Humphrey and U.S. In Vietnam, meanwhile, the military government of South Vietnam under Premier Ky was doing battle with Buddhist rebels in Da Nang in mid-May. China at this time had made its Cultural Revolution pronouncement.ĭespite these woes, the day-to-day rhythms of life went on as normal throughout much of the world. involvement in Vietnam, had given his famous “Arrogance of Power” speech at Johns Hopkins University, critical of the “might-makes-right” approach and more, aimed squarely at the U.S.

William Fulbright (D-AR), one of the few Senators challenging U.S. troop strength had reached 200,000 by then, and draft quotas at home had doubled.Įarlier that spring, in April, U.S.

In the spring of 1966, all was not well in the world. The Vietnam War was then raging and American involvement there was escalating. U.S. Click for Rolling Stones “Hot Rocks” album. It has been played on a number of Rolling Stones tours.Record sleeve for ‘Paint It Black’ single issued in South Africa, 1966. It has been included on many of the band's compilation albums and several film soundtracks. Many artists have covered "Paint It Black" since its initial release. In 2011, the song was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of " The Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". "Paint It Black" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018, and Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song number 213 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. 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. Upon a reissue in 2007, it reentered the UK Singles Chart for 11 weeks. "Paint It Black" was a major chart success for the Rolling Stones, remaining 11 weeks (including two at number one) on the US Billboard Hot 100, and 10 weeks (including one atop the chart) on the Record Retailer chart in the UK. Reviews of the song at the time were mixed, and some music critics believed its use of the sitar was an attempt to copy the Beatles, while others criticised its experimental style and doubted its commercial potential. 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. This instrumental experimentation matches other songs on Aftermath. 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.
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Originating from a series of improvisational melodies played by Brian Jones on the sitar, the song features all five members of the band contributing to the final arrangement although only Jagger and Richards were credited as songwriters.
