he rewound it. on the tape: the opening riff of "(i can’t get no) satisfaction," played once on an acoustic guitar, and a voice — his — mumbling the title line. then the sound of the guitar pick hitting the floor. then forty minutes of snoring.
on the tape is the riff and the words "i can’t get no satisfaction"... then me snoring for the next forty minutes.
richards said the song came in his sleep and survived because the recorder was beside him. in his words, “the miracle being that i had a cassette recorder by the bed.” within weeks, the riff had its fuzz sound and the band recorded the single in hollywood. it became the stones’ first american number one.
richards did not need to hold the riff through waking. the recorder held it for him, including the snoring. his story shows why capture must be easy. a recorder or journal within reach can save an idea before waking memory removes it.