In 1966, The Rolling Stones clashed with The Ed Sullivan Show over lyrics in their hit "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" during their third appearance on the American programme. Producers, wary of controversy, asked Mick Jagger not to sing a suggestive line from the song's final verse, but he performed it anyway on the band's first-ever colour broadcast, staring directly into the camera as he did so — it remains unclear whether he sang the original lyric or a softened alternative. The episode was an early sign of the tension between the band's rebellious image and the constraints of mainstream television.

A similar standoff occurred the following year when the Stones wanted to perform "Let's Spend the Night Together" unaltered; producers pushed for the lyric to be changed to "let's spend some time together," and after resistance from the band, Ed Sullivan himself intervened, warning them the song would be cut entirely unless they complied. The Stones ultimately relented and performed the censored version, though Jagger and bassist Bill Wyman exaggeratedly rolled their eyes throughout in a visible show of defiance.