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TL;DR:

  • Britney Spears changed the genre of The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” for her cover.
  • She altered one of the original song’s iconic lyrics as well.
  • Her cover appeared on the hit album Oops!… I Did It Again.
Britney Spears and The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger sitting next to each other
Britney Spears and The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger | KMazur / Contributor

Britney Spears put a funky spin on The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” That sounds like a bizarre idea, however, it works out pretty well. In addition, Spears and The Rolling Stones have a lot more in common than one might think.

Britney Spears was a good fit for The Rolling Stones’ ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’

On the surface, Spears and The Rolling Stones sound like they’re from different planets. Spears is the Princess of Pop while The Rolling Stones are one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time. But they aren’t that dissimilar. Both artists started out using many of the idioms of African-American music. In addition, sexuality is a big part of their images.

While Spears covering “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” might sound like rock ‘n’ roll blasphemy, it makes perfect sense. Translating the blues-rock of the original into the light funk of Spears’ early career wasn’t much of a stretch. 

Spears’ cover replaces Keith Richards’ guitar with early 2000s synthesizers. The aggression of the original becomes a “… Baby One More Time”-style stomp. That lets the lyrics shine more than the groove.

Britney Spears changed The Rolling Stones’ lyrics on 1 major way

In addition, the lyrics of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” work strangely well for Spears. During her early years, she received plenty of criticism for her risque image. Since “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” is a song about sexual frustration, it fits pretty well on the same album as “Oops!… I Did It Again.” 

Spears also made a lyrical change that’s sure to raise eyebrows. In the original song, Mick Jagger was upset an advertisement told him “how white [his] shirts can be.” In her cover, Spears complains an advertisement told her “how tight [her] skirts should be.” Both Devo and The Residents radically reinterpreted the song with their covers, but neither of them made such a head-turning change.

Related

The Rolling Stones’ ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’: How Mick Jagger Reacted to Devo’s Unique Cover

How both versions of ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ performed on the charts

The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” became their first No. 1 hit in the United States when it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks. It remained on the chart for 14 weeks in total. The tune appeared on the compilation album Hot Rocks 1964 – 1971. That album reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 409 weeks.

Spears’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” was never a single, so it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune appeared on the album Oops!… I Did It Again. That album peaked at No. 1 for one of its 84 weeks on the Billboard 200.

Spears and The Rolling Stones were a match made in heaven — who knew?

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