Devo's 'Satisfaction' Cover — The Rolling Stones' Confused Reaction and the Band's Inspiration

Devo’s 1977 cover of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” wasn’t just a novelty — it was a manifesto. The band stripped the song of its bluesy swagger and rebuilt it as a mechanical, staccato clatter, with Mark Mothersbaugh’s deadpan vocal delivery and the iconic guitar riff turned into a jerky, syncopated pattern. The inspiration came directly from their “de-evolution” theory: they saw the original as a song about frustration