The Dream Riff: How 'Satisfaction' Was Born

Imagine waking up from a deep sleep, a melody swirling in your head. You scramble for a recording device, capture the fleeting musical thought, utter a few words, and then drift back to slumber. This almost unbelievable scenario is precisely how one of rock and roll's most indelible riffs, from The Rolling Stones' classic '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction', came into existence.

The year was 1965, and the legendary guitarist Keith Richards was on tour with The Rolling Stones. Exhausted from their demanding schedule, Richards found himself in a hotel room in Clearwater, Florida.

A Midnight Inspiration

In the early hours of May 7, 1965, inspiration struck. Not during a late-night jam session or a studio recording, but in a dream. Richards awoke with a distinctive guitar riff ringing clearly in his mind.

Without a moment to lose, he reached for a Philips cassette player he kept by his bed. He quickly recorded the riff, a raw, blues-infused sequence of notes that would soon become famous worldwide.

The Mumble and the Snore

But it wasn't just the riff. After laying down the guitar part, Richards reportedly mumbled the now-iconic phrase, "I can't get no satisfaction," directly into the microphone. Then, true to the exhausted state from which he'd just awoken, he rolled over and fell back asleep.

When he listened to the tape the next morning, Richards found about 40 minutes of acoustic guitar playing, followed by the mumbled phrase, and then, rather comically, the sound of himself snoring. The genius of the riff was undeniable, even in its rough, sleep-induced state.

From Dream to Global Hit

Richards shared the tape with Mick Jagger and the rest of the band. Jagger quickly penned lyrics around the title phrase Richards had muttered, capturing a feeling of restlessness and disillusionment that resonated deeply with the youth of the 1960s.

• Recording: The first recording session took place on May 10, 1965, at Chess Studios in Chicago, but the version we know and love was recorded two days later at RCA Studios in Hollywood.
• Fuzz Tone: The song is famously characterized by its distinctive fuzz guitar sound, achieved with a Gibson Maestro Fuzz-Tone pedal. Richards initially thought this was a placeholder, intended to be replaced by horns, but the sound became integral to the track's identity.
• Impact: Released in June 1965, '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' became The Rolling Stones' first number one hit in the United States and cemented their status as global rock icons.

The story of its creation stands as a testament to the mysterious ways creativity can manifest. It underscores that sometimes, the most profound artistic ideas can emerge from the depths of our subconscious, delivered to us quite literally in a dream.