On May 8th in music history, one significant event occurred in 1965 when the British rock band, The Rolling Stones, recorded their iconic song "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California.
The song, written primarily by Keith Richards, features one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in rock history. According to Richards, the idea for the riff came to him in his sleep. He woke up in the middle of the night, recorded the riff on a cassette player, and went back to sleep. The next morning, he listened to the recording and heard about two minutes of the riff followed by snoring.
Initially, Richards intended the guitar riff to be replaced by horns in the final recording. However, the band and their producer, Andrew Loog Oldham, decided to keep the guitar riff as the main focus of the song.
The lyrics, primarily written by Mick Jagger, touch on themes of sexual frustration and commercialism. The song's rebellious attitude and catchy riff resonated with the youth of the 1960s and helped propel The Rolling Stones to international stardom.
"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was released as a single in the United States on June 6, 1965, and it quickly climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the band's first number-one hit in the US. The song also performed well internationally, reaching number one in the United Kingdom and several other countries.
The recording of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" on May 8, 1965, marked a pivotal moment in The Rolling Stones' career and in the history of rock music. The song's enduring popularity and influence have solidified its place as one of the greatest rock songs of all time.
