"Paper Sun" was the British band Traffic's

Traffic (band)

Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...

 debut single, released in May 1967. It was a number 5 hit in the United Kingdom

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

. It is famous for its time-typical sitar

Sitar

The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...

 riff, played by Dave Mason

Dave Mason

David Thomas "Dave" Mason is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic...

, and its soulful vocals by composer Steve Winwood

Steve Winwood

Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...

.

The B-side, "Giving to You," was later released in a modified version (4:20) on their album Mr. Fantasy

Mr. Fantasy

-Original US album :# "Paper Sun" – 3:26# "Dealer" – 3:13# "Coloured Rain" – 2:46# "Hole in My Shoe" – 3:04# "No Face, No Name, No Number" – 3:38...

. The original B-side version, which opens with a brief vocal section, was later released as a bonus track on a CD reissue of the album. The album version omits the vocal section, and begins and ends with overdubbed spoken parts (probably by Chris Wood

Chris Wood (rock musician)

Christopher Gordon Blandford 'Chris' Wood was a founding member of the English rock band Traffic, along with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Dave Mason....

).