Though he may not be as lyrical or as profound as Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan, Keith Richards is undoubtedly the man behind some of the most well-known rock and roll songs of the twentieth century. With his songwriting partner, Mick Jagger, Richards wrote some genuinely classic riffs that will always leave a mark in the annals of the rock and roll canon. However, it appears that Richards never struggled with overanalyzing his compositions—rather, he simply came up with them spontaneously.
Every great songwriter in the annals of music has possessed certain techniques and insider knowledge regarding the world of composition. Some musicians can find inspiration in the most mundane circumstances, while others prefer to withdraw for months at a time. They devoted themselves fully to their craft. As for Keith Richards, the quintessential rock musician has experienced and encountered enough unusual things in his lifetime to write a tonne of amazing songs, and he has.
Other bands of the era preferred short, snappy, frequently absurd rock and pop lyrics, while the blues tradition of musical storytelling influenced The Rolling Stones, especially in their early years. This narrative element never entirely disappeared from The Stones’ discography, even after Jagger and Richards’ songwriting duo seized control of the group from blues fan Brian Jones.
The group’s songwriting style changed a little bit as they developed and became more ingrained in the rock and roll way of life that they had come to define. According to Richards, “We got into a story with things like ‘Hand of Fate,’ in particular.” Others are merely connections; they almost seem to flow naturally. One line isn’t really related to the previous ones.
Richards went on to analyse songwriting in general. He said, “People say they write songs, but you’re more the medium in a sense. All of the songs in the world, in my opinion, are just floating around. All you have to do is use your antenna to pick them up. “So many strange things have happened,” he continued. “In five minutes, the entire song and its structure just appear out of nowhere, and you haven’t worked at all”.
Richards remarked, “Oh no, you’re playing, you’re bored to tears, and nothing is happening. So you go out and smoke a joint or something, and euhuh! It’s there. It seems as though someone has turned on the radio. and you have acquired it. Some people believe that doing good work must be difficult, but this isn’t always the case. It’s the simplest task. It kind of passes you by so quickly that others practically inform you of it. You were not even there to witness it.
Of course, not many musicians possess the talent to conjure up hugely popular rock hits, much less hits as timeless as The Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” He revealed, “‘Satisfaction’ was the biggest hit we’ve ever had.” He revealed, “‘Satisfaction’ was the biggest hit we’ve ever had. It just came boing bang crash, and before I knew it, it was on tape.” Not bad for a number one hit that helped define The Stones’ sound.
