Song Meaning: I Can't Get No Satisfaction by Rolling Stones

The Beatles set the tone for the 1960s. Their songs, dress code and attitude was the protocol at the time. They were so popular to point where all the bands wanted to be like them. Those who tried to imitate the Fab Four, however, failed miserably. One such band was the Rolling Stones. But after realizing they couldn't out-Beatle the Beatles, the Stones took a very different approach. The Rolling Stones wanted to establish themselves as the anti-Beatles. They never dressed like part time lawyers or had greasy hair on stage. Unlike John Lennon or Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger had some of the craziest moves on stage that rock n' roll had never seen before.

The Stones' anti-Beatle attitude also extended to their songs. When the Beatles wrote "I Want to Hold Your Hand," the Stones sang "I Can't get No Satisfaction." This song was fairly controversial in the US due it's explicit sexual suggestions. Sex was/is somehow bad in a country where a large portion of the population still believes that Jesus is retuning to Earth in their life time :-). But I think this is a PERFECT rock n' roll song, and absolutely nothing should be changed.

Lyrically the song is very straightforward: it's about no getting laid!

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I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm drivin' in my car
And that man comes on the radio
He's tellin' me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to fire my imagination
I can't get no, oh no, no, no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm watchin' my T.V.
And that man comes on to tell me
How white my shirts can be
But he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarrettes as me
I can't get no, oh no, no, no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no girl reaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm ridin' round the world
And I'm doin' this and I'm signing that
And I'm tryin' to make some girl
Who tells me baby better come back later next week
'Cause you see I'm on a losing streak
I can't get no, oh no, no, no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say

I can't get no, I can't get no
I can't get no satisfaction
No satisfaction, no satisfaction, no satisfaction