Posted by Wednesday is a popular TV series released on Netflix in November 2022, directed by Tim Burton and focused on the character of Wednesday, played by the American actress Jenna Ortega. The TV show has been quite popular among Netflix users since the first day, with many questions about the cast, the story, and the songs in the soundtrack. One track, in particular, caught everyone’s attention: the one Wednesday plays on the cello in the series’ first episode. It’s titled Paint It Black, a famous song that not everybody recognizes: today, we will discover more about it.
You can find the official trailer of Wednesday here on Youtube.
Paint It Black: the song Wednesday plays on the cello
The song Wednesday plays on the cello in the first episode of the TV series is Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones. You can find the song’s original version in full streaming below, from The Rolling Stones’ official Youtube channel.
Paint It Black is one of the most famous songs ever written by The Rolling Stones. Released in 1966 as a single from their album Aftermath, the track has a special place in modern popular culture, also as part of the soundtracks of famous movies: it’s the song featured in the end credits of the films Full Metal Jacket and The Devil’s Advocate.
The version played by Wednesday in Tim Burton’s series is instrumental. Still, the original song lyrics perfectly fit the young girl’s spirit: the song is about processing grief after the death of the singer’s girlfriend. In the song’s lines, the singing voice imagines the feelings of a man who just lost the person he loves and no longer wants colors in his life. His heart is black, and he wants to paint everything black as a sign of his mood.
Here are some of the most meaningful lyrics from the original song:
I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colours anymore, I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I see a line of cars and they’re all painted black
With flowers and my love, both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Like a newborn baby, it just happens every day
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door, I must have it painted black
Maybe then I’ll fade away and not have to face the facts
It’s not easy facing up when your whole world is black
As Wednesday removes all colors from her room’s window to have a more familiar environment, better matching her character, we understand why the song fits perfectly with the Addams protagonist. She’s “the girl in black and white,” as described in the series, and she wishes to live in a world made of the same colors.
The version of Paint It Black played by Wednesday on her cello has a unique dark energy that fascinated fans. Not everybody knew the backstory of this song: now they can better appreciate the choice made for the soundtrack.