Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones is an unquestioned classic

It was the sixth song to hit #1 for the group in the UK, and their third in the US. According to the Website Who Sampled Who Paint It Black has been covered a remarkable 108 time. And In addition it was ranked by Rolling Stone Magazine as the 176th greatest song of all time. Vulture also voted it as the 6th greatest Rolling Stones song. 

The accolades for Paint It Black are almost as numerous as the amount of times it’s been covered. Not bad for a song originally panned by some critics for being reminiscent of the Beatles song Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown). 

With over 100 versions of the song to be found making a list of the best is both daunting and subjective. Here though are 10 that We Talk Music consider to be among the best.

Hidden Citizens Featuring Ranya

Perhaps no cover version is more emotionally powerful than what the Hidden Citizens bring us. A self described shadow organization of underground creators, their music is often found in television and movies.

The orchestral music Hidden Citizens have created here meshes perfectly with Ranya’s powerhouse vocals. It makes for an experience that could bring you chills.

Sebastian Bohm

Sebastian Bohm is another artist whose work is often featured in movies, TV ads and the like. 

This orchestral, instrumental version of the song was used in the Destiny 2: Beyond The Light trailer. Germany’s Sebastian Bohm creates a fast paced and hard hitting symphony of sound. This rendition reminds you just how beautiful the song truly is.

Robyn Adele Anderson

Singer and actress Robyn Adele Anderson truly puts her own spin on the song. 

It’s a largely upbeat, piano and horn driven orchestration with a jazzy feel. The highlight is the bridge she creates. There she slows down the song to convey the emotion of the lyrics while seamlessly putting something original into the mix. Well done by one of Postmodern Jukebox’s founding members.

Anvil

Infamous heavy metal group Anvil provides a smart, lean and mean version of the tune.

They’re mostly remembered for the sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil. In it the band was portrayed as a group of dreamers whose success never matched their aspirations.

With all that it’s easy to forget they truly are a talented group. This rendition of Paint It Black will remind you of that fact.

Mike Masse

There’s a couple of versions of Paint It Black by Mike Masse, but the one you’ll want is the live acoustic version.

PIB is just one of those songs that screamed to be sung with nothing more than unplugged guitars and a passionate singer. If you like what Mike Masse did with this song check out some of the other live cover versions he’s done. They’re an acoustic treat.

ELEW

Another powerful instrumental version of the song is done by the creator of “RockJazz”, Eric Robert Lewis, known to his fans as ELEW.

What makes this version such a standout? Well, it’s that ELEW doesn’t so much play the song on his piano he as attacks it with a fury and vengeance. A terrific version that gives it the power the song deserves.

After Hours

If you ever thought to yourself what Paint It Black would sound like if it was played by an 80’s hard rock party band then After Hours has you covered.

Loud and bombastic, it’s got a retro feel with a new take, and manages to make the moody song somewhat fun. I doubt this version will be for everybody, but we enjoyed the seemingly out of place take on the song.

Jody Grind

Imagine an extremely talented garage jam band taking on Paint It Black and you’ll know what to expect from Jody Grind’s version.

The UK outfit was a prog rock band that released two very different albums, 1969’s One Step On and 1970’s Far Canal. It’s on that second album that PIB is featured as the last song. I can’t necessarily recommend either album in their entirety to you as they may be too weird for most listeners. But I can definitely recommend their version of The Rolling Stones standard.

Africa 

This is unquestionably the oddest version of the song on the list. It features laughing, chanting and plenty of other sounds you don’t associate with Paint It Black.

At 7:29 it’s a long, laid back, Latin tinged psychedelic take on the song by the group known as Africa. This band’s only record was Music From Lil’ Brown, featuring plenty of original takes on cover songs. Definitely worth checking out when you’re in the mood for something a little different. Or perhaps a lot different, but unquestionably catchy and cool.

Carmine Appice

And we wrap it up with my personal favorite cover version of Paint It Black. This version comes from one of the greatest and most influential drummers in the history, Carmine Appice.

If you’re somehow not aware of Carmine Appice, he has a career lasting more than 5 decades. He’s drummed for Rod Stewart, Ted Nugent, Sly Stone, Michael Schenker, Vanilla Fudge and Ozzy Osbourne.

The list of who has been influenced by him is too long to mention, but includes John Bonham, Tommy Lee, and Neil Peart. Ian Pace and Phil Collins are two others he’s help shape. Basically a list of the greatest drummers of all time have Carmine Appice’s DNA flowing through them.

Now hiss version of Paint It Black was originally released on the awesome but obscure Rockers album. But luckily for you is now available on the Turn It Up: Carmine Appice Essentials release.

As would be expected Carmine’s rendition puts the drums at the forefront and mixes it with smart orchestration on this no voices version. Simply put, it rocks.

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