"Paint It Black" (also "Paint It, Black") is a song recorded by The Rolling Stones in 1966. It reached number one in both the U.S. and the UK charts. It was released as a single and on the album Aftermath (U.S. version).

As usual, the song was credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, although all of the bandmembers contributed substantially to it, especially Bill Wyman.

Jagger's and Richards' original conception of the song was that of a slow soul song from the viewpoint of a person who is depressed. He wants everything to turn black to match his mood.

The song began with Wyman playing organ at a recording session, in parody of the group's former co-manager Eric Easton, who had been an organist. Charlie Watts accompanied the organ by playing a vaguely Middle Eastern drum part; Watts' drum pattern became the basis for the final song. Brian Jones contributed the song's signature sitar riff (having taught himself to play), and Jagger contributed a lyric seemingly about a man mourning his dead girlfriend. The song has become associated with the Vietnam War due to its use in the ending credits of Full Metal Jacket and the opening credits of Tour of Duty. It was also used in 2004 in an episode-ending montage in the NBC television show American Dreams, when a major character went missing in Vietnam. Its other film appearances include the closing credits of 1997's The Devil's Advocate. The song, as covered by Gob, was also featured in the film Stir of Echoes.

"Paint It Black" was also used in two PlayStation 2 titles. Vietnam used the song during the opening sequence, while Black used the beginning of the song in the opening screen, then the whole song again in its end credits.

It has also been covered by many different bands and music artists, including (but not limited to); Inkubus Sukkubus, Judas Priest, Glenn Tipton, Gob, The Vines, The Black Dahlia Murder, Kalan Porter, Firewater, W.A.S.P., Deep Purple, Ottmar Liebert, The Agony Scene, Anti-Nowhere League, The Unseen, Rush, Led Zeppelin, 3 Steps Ahead, The Tea Party, Karel Gott (in German as Schwarz und Rot), Eric Burdon and War, U2, London Symphony Orchestra with Marc Almond, Skrewdriver, Earth Crisis, Echo and the Bunnymen, Hikaru Utada, Half Japanese, Vanessa Carlton, Three Sixes, Face to Face, Spanish band M-Clan, Bullet Train to Moscow,No Friends Of Harry and others. The song was also covered by country singer Tracy Lawrence, as part of the Stone Country album, featuring prominent country acts covering Stones classics.

The Rolling Stones songs | 1966 singles | Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles | The Rolling Stones songs