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THE GREATEST ROCK SONG EVER WRITTEN
Scott Souza
According to a recent survey, fans picked (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, by the Rolling Stones, as the greatest rock song ever written. That's an intriguing opinion. But, rather than debate the comparative merits of other rock songs which have arguably better lyrics and better melody, I'd like to examine the song to see what may elicit such an assessment.
One key question is the quality of the lyrics. Those are simple structurally. The "best" rhyme in the song is the coupling of "information" and "imagination" in the first stanza (after the opening chorus) -- "some useless information / supposed to fire my imagination". Also the ideas seem limited to a few scattered impressions of the world. The first stanza tells us that the world does not stir the singer's imagination. The second tells us that the world does not inspire his respect. The third says he can't get any satisfaction from love. It is preceded by a modified chorus which says essentially the same thing -- "I can't get no girl with action"; (another version says: "I can't get no girl reaction").
But the apparent simplicity of the lyrics and their seeming randomness mask some subliminal effects on hearers who listen with open ears. The "simplicity" makes the ideas easy to absorb. And the subject matter, far from being random, strikes at the root of three chief motives of the human heart -- aesthetic desires (imagination), the need for self-fulfillment (respect), and bodily desires (love). (The Bible mentions these in two forms. In the negative form a slightly different order is used, the third being first -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- 1 John 2:16. In its positive assessment of these three areas the Bible says many supportive things, nowhere better epitomized than in Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon.)
We will look at these comparisons and contrasts in more detail in a moment, but for now let it be noted that the song is really not as simple as it appears. It tells us that the singer cannot get satisfaction in any important area of life. And it becomes a mantra for others who are similarly frustrated.
But it is not a simple wail. It is a defiant protest against a world which is oblivious to people's real needs. The singer lives in a world where everyone misses the point. It is an angst and an irritation anyone might relate to; and it is a rejection of the oblivious and of their oblivion.
The driving beat and upbeat tempo of the song reinforce the singer's energetic rejection and protest of a world that doesn't have a clue. It is more of a war cry than a lament. That's why it was a fitting anthem for the soldier in Apocalypse Now who was shot to death by ambushers on the river bank who saw his boat and heard his music and martyred him while the chorus welled up again, "I can't get no satisfaction."
The song is successful because it's subtle simplicity and infectious music drive its point right through the brain directly into the gut.
It stands in the mainstream original tradition of Rock and Roll with its emphasis on protest and rebellion against society and its values. The singer's eye has not seen, his ear has not heard, nor has it entered into his heart what thing of value the world might have to offer. One is tempted to put it philosophically in the same genre of literature with Ecclesiastes which has a constant refrain of "vanity of vanities, all is vanity." It would be a mistake to do so. Ecclesiastes and Satisfaction discusses the same frustration and angst, but they reach very different conclusions about it. Satisfaction tells us to protest and remain alienated. Ecclesiastes tells us to find the good things in life and to enjoy them in confidence and respect for God. It does so repeatedly -- especially in 5 summation passages. In 2:24-26 the Preacher says that the proper response to the vanity of life is to enjoy the good which is there in spite of the vanity. In fact, he says that wisdom, knowledge, and joy are gifts from God. Where Satisfaction's featured artists (Mick Jagger & Keith Richards) see only the struggle, the Preacher sees God in the midst of the struggle giving good things. The ability to "enjoy the good" is, as the Preacher says, "the gift of God." (3:13) He says virtually the same in 5:18-20. Indeed, his advice is not simply to have moments of joy but to "LIVE joyfully" (9:7-10). This joy is to be taken while remembering the judgment of God, but cheer, not sorrow is to be the portion of those who live purely and confidently in the sight of God (11:9-10).
And, as for the singer's frustration with trying to "make some girl" who tells him "baby better come back later next week," the Scriptures offer him a better solution. Of a man's wife, Proverbs 5:19 says, "Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love." Here's a solution which is neither tame nor prudish. And in the Song of Solomon, the Scriptures present an extended example of just how satisfying such a love can be. There, instead of avoiding the man, the woman actively pursues him. The physical attractions between them are enormous (e.g., Chapter 4; 5:9-16). So is their admiration for one another (1:3-4; 5:2, 10; 6:9). Moreover, the Song is written in a cyclical fashion: it starts off with passion, proceeds through 6 episodes of passionate love and closes in anticipation of yet another passionate encounter (8:14). Neither the culture which the Satisfaction singer rejects, nor his substitute culture, match this standard.
Love and joy freely offered from the hand of God are the Bible's solutions for those who can't get no satisfaction.
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