The Rolling Stones have made a decades-long career out of ruffling feathers in the name of rock ‘n’ roll. But as Mick Jagger pointed out in 1966, one year after the band released their hit single, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, some listeners were shocked at the wrong lines. The “dirtiest” lyrics, Jagger argued, were going over everyone’s head.
Of course, no one could be blamed for pinpointing some lines for being inappropriate—by mid-1960s standards, anyway. Lyrics like “I can’t get no satisfaction / I can’t get no girl reaction” were largely thought to be about a woman rejecting an offer for sex. Pretty tame in comparison to the lyrics of today, but in the 60s, it was quite racy.
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However, Jagger revealed in his 1966 interview with Time that the real eyebrow-raising line comes in the third verse. And actually, his rationale for including it is surprisingly body positive.
What Mick Jagger Considered The “Dirtiest” Line of the Song
In the third verse of The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, Mick Jagger sings, “When I’m riding ‘round the world / and I’m doing this, and I’m signing that / and I’m trying to make some girl / who tells me, ‘Baby better come back, maybe next week / ‘Cause you see, I’m on a losing streak’ / I can’t get no, oh, no, no, no.”
“They didn’t understand the dirtiest line,” Jagger said of the verse. The “losing streak” was actually a reference to menstruation. “It’s just life,” the singer added. That’s what really happens to girls. Why shouldn’t people write about it?”
Talking about sex was considered taboo in the 1960s. But openly discussing women menstruating was a whole other level of obscene. So, the fact that Jagger would not only include the lyric but also normalize this (normal) bodily function was surprisingly ahead of its time.
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” Was Actually Pretty Satisfying
Despite what the title and refrain of the song might suggest, The Rolling Stones got plenty of satisfaction from their 1966 single “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”. The track became the band’s first No. 1 hit in the United States. This feat kicked off what would be a long and fortuitous career in the States.
In 2006, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” became the first—and, at the time of this writing, only—song by The Rolling Stones to receive an induction to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. Not bad for a song that was once so scandalous that only pirate radio stations would play it.
And that really is satisfying.
Photo by Michael Brennan/Getty Images
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