“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”: Musical Analysis

To understand how the music itself changes between venues, it is important to analyze the recorded version of the song first. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” has a relatively simple song form of ABABA. The song begins with the recognizable Keith Richards guitar riff over the bass line by Bill Wyman who plays the same line but a fourth lower. This introduction riff is repeated four times, each repetition growing in energy. The first time is just the guitar and the bass, the second time adds in the bass drum, and the third and fourth time showcase all of these plus the tambourine. The time signature is 4/4, and the drums play a steady four on the floor beat the entire duration of the song. This type of beat is coming in the next decade with disco, since it is danceable, and encourages the listener to nod their head along with the song and tap their feet. The tambourine accents the third and fourth beat of each measure, and also remains consistent throughout the song. This steady rhythm section is characteristic of the coming disco era, and also the use of 4/4 becomes very common during the coming classic rock era. It provides a steady pulse that keeps the audience moving to the beat with the performer. This time signature is also very common in pop music (Lifton, 2015), which also shows how the rock genre was moving away from the experimental outcast psychedelic area and moving more mainstream again. The rest of the instrumentation of the song is handled by the solo, rhythm, and bass guitars. The solo and bass guitars continue the same intro riff throughout the verses, and play slightly different lines during the chorus, filling a small role of call and response with the vocals after “I can’t get no” (guitar line) “satisfaction” (guitar line). The two then come together for the “and I try” section and continue to play together for the verses. The transition between verse and chorus has a drop in energy as all of the instruments drop out except for the percussion section. This grabs the attention of the listener without disrupting the groove. The song ends with a tag and a fade out, a standard practice from the 1950s through the 1980s. 

The song as a whole is upbeat and danceable with nothing too unconventional about it in terms of the musical composition. Operating in the key of E major, it mainly features I, IV, and V chords throughout the chorus, which are common chords to use in pop and rock, since they are the tonic, subdominant, and dominant chords. They are the most “stable” sounding chords in the key, which help emphasize the simplicity and focus on the lyrics. The other chord used in the song is D major, which is a non-diatonic chord. Even so, the fifth (A) and third (F#) of the D major scale are the fourth (A) and second (F#) in the E major scale, so most of those notes are still in the key. This allows the chord to not sound too dissonant in the song, however, the addition of the D natural introduces some tension as it could be considered a “blue note” since it is the flat seventh in the E major scale. This D natural is also the highest pitch in the intro riff and is sustained longer than the other notes, giving it more weight, and emphasizing this tension and frustration to return to the key. This D major chord comes in at the end of the chorus on “I can’t get no,” (Dmaj chord) “I can’t get no” (Dmaj chord). This placement again emphasizes the frustration and tension of the song’s lyrical message. The use of this non-diatonic chord continues through the verses and plays musical tug of war with the tonic (Emaj) chord, which is the “home” chord in the key that our ears are drawn to returning to. This fight between the Emaj and Dmaj chords align with the lyrical message. Mick Jagger sings about his frustration of the constant presence of advertisements and commercialism (“useless information”) on the radio and television in the first two verses, and his frustration with touring (“ridin’ ‘round the world, and I’m doin this, and I’m singin’ that”) and his sexual disatisfaction (“tryin’ to make some girl”) in the third verse. These lyrics are easy to remember and relatable, feeding off of the psychedelic rock ethos of freedom from capitalism, the sexual revolution, and elevation of the mind. This allows the audience to relate to the lyrics and sing along, letting go of any frustrations they may have. The simple chord progressions and “sing along” characteristics of the hook makes it an “arena ready chant” (O’Dell, 2006). 

The most distinct sound of this track comes from Richard’s use of Gibson’s Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone distortion effect. The fuzzbox was originally used as a guide for a potential brass section, however, since the sound was so unique it was left in the final cut. The rest of the instrumentation and composition of the song lend themselves to a typical 1950s/60s rock n’ roll sound. However, the addition of the distortion technology gives the song a brand new sound, and elevates its musical distinctiveness. According to the band, without the distortion effect the song sounded “too country” (O’Dell, 2006). The Maestro plus the use of the Fender Showman Amp helped The Rolling Stones define their sound to the American public and usher in a new era of rock featuring aggressive lyrics and guitar distortion effects.

These sounds work well with the ethos of the song, as they suggest an unruly frustration with the current culture of overconsumption and commercialism. As mentioned before, there is an “implied homology between the cultural and musical characteristics” (Whitely 2004, 20) of the message of a song, so these amplification and distortion methods help the band to “distort” the ideas of the current culture and “amplify” their feelings of dissatisfaction.