Why Keith Richards Hated ‘I Can’t Get No (Satisfaction)’

Why Keith Richards Hated ‘I Can’t Get No (Satisfaction)’ | I Love Classic Rock Videos

credits to youtube.com/KeithRichards

When “I Can’t Get No (Satisfaction)” first came out, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones absolutely hated it and didn’t think it would ever be successful. Yet to his astonishment, the song has become a defining moment for the band.

As soon as a band finishes a song, they usually know if they’ve created a hit or not. Yet, there are times when that is not the situation. The success of the track may be traced back to the Stones’ tour of the United States in 1965, which took place in venues that were not quite as grand as the stadiums they would later perform in. The adventure was thrilling for the whole party, but mayhem appeared to be following them around at every step. Every concert was crazier and more outlandish than the previous one, but there was one night in Clearwater, Florida, that especially stood out.

It is interesting to note that Richards left out of his memoir Life, his original disdain for the song. However, Mick Jagger took it upon himself to make this fact public knowledge in the BBC documentary, My Life as a Rolling Stone and revealed that Keith Richards did not want the track to be released as a single. Jagger also stated that Richards was not happy with the band’s decision to release the song.

In his words, the Stones’ frontman said: “There’s this motel in Clearwater, Florida, and I remember sitting with Keith and writing the song Satisfaction. [Our manager] Andrew Oldham said, ‘This is like a number one single, this is great!’ Keith was like, ‘I don’t really like it. It can’t come out as a single.’ And it went to number one like instantly.”

We’re just thankful that most of the members as well as their manager didn’t listen to Richards’ gut feel, and today, we get to listen and sing along to this fantastic gem of the Rolling Stones.