61 Years Ago Today: The Rolling Stones Recorded "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"

On this very day, 61 years ago, Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones recorded their signature song that would launch the rock group into another stratosphere.

May 5 marked the 63-year anniversary of the Rolling Stones getting their first big break, thanks to some help from George Harrison of The Beatles. One week later, it's the anniversary of another life-changing moment for the legendary rock band.

As noted by History.com, today is the 61-year anniversary of the Rolling Stones performing the studio recording of their signature hit, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."

The story of how it all came together is even more fascinating. Keith Richards got out of bed and grabbed his tape recorder to capture the opening riff he had just come up with while he was sleeping.

The next day, Richards showed the recording to Jagger. While Richards himself thought the riff was nothing special, his bandmates disagreed. They flew to RCA Studios in Los Angeles to record the song on May 12, 1965.

And with that, the Rolling Stones were well on their way to worldwide fame.

The ‘Rolling Stone' Magazine Ranked ‘Satisfaction' as the Second Greatest Song Ever in 2004

In 2004, Rolling Stone published its list of the 500 greatest songs ever. "Satisfaction" placed second on this list, only behind Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" hit. When the magazine published new rankings in 2024, "Satisfaction" dropped to 31st overall in the rankings.

The bottom line? "Satisfaction" is the song that helped the Rolling Stones land on the musical map in the '60s, during a decade where other prominent bands like The Beatles and The Who had taken off.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 7:30 PM.