I Can't Be Satisfied

Album: The Rolling Stones No.2 (1965)
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Songfacts®:

  • Muddy Waters wrote this song and released it as a single in 1948, very early in his career. In the song, the guy is letting his woman know that he's leaving town for her safety and his own - he's got a worried mind and can't be satisfied. It's somewhat related to the Muddy Waters song that gave The Rolling Stones their name: "Rollin' Stone."
  • In 1964, The Stones recorded at Chess studios in Chicago, which was Muddy Waters' label. The story goes that they saw Waters painting the studios and were appalled that their idol was reduced to menial labor. Studio owner Marshall Chess refutes the story: "No way Muddy would have been painting in the studio." >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bob - Cincinnati, OH
  • This is the ninth track from their album The Rolling Stones No. 2, which, as is ironically typical for albums named this way, wasn't the Stones' second studio album, but their fourth.

    Once again, it was an album with more cover songs than actual songs by Jagger and Richards. It's actually a credit to the Stones that they could make a hit charting career out of mostly covers, at least in the early days. However, at the beginning of their career they were also cranking out three to four albums per year, so it's easy to see where they wouldn't have had enough hours in a day otherwise.

    Many of the songs from this album also appear on their US-released album The Rolling Stones, Now!

Comments: 6

  • Alastair from Stranraer, United KingdomBrian Jones gives us a lesson on how to play the bottleneck slide guitar and truly wonderful it is to. The recording was originally released on the UK album 'The Rolling Stones Nr2'. The fact that it didn't make it onto a subsequent US release was apparently an issue with Brian and his growing feeling that he was being got-at. It was only some time after his death that 'I Can't Be Satisfied' was released on the 1972 compilation 'More Hot Rocks'.
  • Tony Brown from Adelaide, AustraliaSo who's this band that's playing. They're not The Stones but they're not bad :)
  • Andrew from New York, United StatesThis is one of Brian's few songs in Open-G tuning, Muddy's favorite tuning. Great slide playing. My old band The Hellhounds used to do a cover of [Muddy's version of] this; I loved revving it up to three times the speed and playing that slide part.
  • Michael from LondonGood cover, Muddy Waters' original was good too. And Liam, do you even know what irony is?
  • Liam from Campbell River, CanadaIsn't it ironic that they also did a song called (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction?
  • Bob from Cincinnati, OhI love this song. It was Muddy Waters first hit. The story about Muddy painting the studio is false according to Marshall Chess.
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