Unsatisfied

Appearing on Let It Be, the Replacements' third studio album, "Unsatisfied" is a statement of perpetual dissatisfaction. It's an '80s update of the miasma captured in The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." Penned by Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg, it curls its lip against the perpetual lies of human existence. This is Albert Camus stuff - Holden Caulfield of The Catcher In The Rye territory - total disgust with the inauthenticity of modern human existence.

In some ways, "Unsatisfied" is a more serious, maybe more mature, take on the theme it shares with the Stones' 1960s generational-theme song. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" rocks. It gets you out of your seat and bopping. It's rather satisfying. "Unsatisfied" only leaves you sitting in that peculiar pleasure that melancholic reflection can bring. There's beauty there, but not the kind of beauty you dance to. The cynicism at the heart of the song is relentless, with no ray of sunshine: Everything you dream of Is right in front of you And everything is a lie The song bears a marked difference from earlier Replacements music, which even at its surliest was fun in a chaotic, punkish way. "Unsatisfied" feels like angry reflections from a middle-aged man, not the work of a 25-year-old Westerberg on the cusp of success.

Let It Be was a breakthrough album for Westerberg and the Replacements. It marked a drastic change in Westerberg's songwriting, the level of control he exerted over the band's direction, and the group's commercial success. It would also prove to be one of the band's most influential albums (along with its 1985 successor, Tim). The Replacements didn't crush the charts as much as other '80s acts, but they were as important to indie music as any band of the era.