60 Years Ago Today: The Rolling Stones Lost No. 1 Spot to Music Icon
Today marks the 60th anniversary of the Rolling Stones' hit song "Paint It Black" reaching the top spot on a prominent American magazine.
Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones recorded "Paint It Black" over a four-day period from March 6-9 at the RCA Studios in Los Angeles, California. The song would be released in the United States two months later, on May 7.
"Paint It Black" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 11, 1966, and held that spot for two consecutive weeks. Additionally, "Paint It Black" reached No. 1 on the Cash Box magazine in the United States that same week.
But just one week later, on June 18, 1966? Cash Box had a new No. 1 hit that knocked "Paint It Black" off its perch.
The new top song on Cash Box was Frank Sinatra's latest hit, "Strangers in the Night." He recorded the song on April 11, 1966, at the United Western Recorders in Hollywood. The song was released on his album of the same name on May 30.
How 'Strangers in the Night' Became Another Signature Frank Sinatra Hit
Interestingly, it wasn't actually Sinatra who wrote the song.
German composer Bert Kaempfert wrote the melody of "Strangers in the Night" for A Man Could Get Killed, a 1966 Hollywood comedy adventure blockbuster film starring James Garner, Sandra Dee and Melina Mercouri. Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder wrote the lyrics for the song.
Mercouri actually turned down an offer to record the song, per Paul Sexton of UDiscoverMusic.com. Jimmy Bowen, Sinatra's producer, learned that Jack Jones was working on "the song "Strangers in the Night" and arranged for his client to get a quick recording in.
Sinatra finished the recording in a timely matter, and the rest is history.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 7:30 AM.