Born to Be Wild: Difference between revisions
As opposed to a fast ballad? LOL |
updated the original writter of the song. |
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| Length = 3:30<br>3:02 (7") |
| Length = 3:30<br>3:02 (7") |
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| Label = [[Dunhill Records|Dunhill]]<br>[[RCA Victor Records|RCA]] / #D-4138 |
| Label = [[Dunhill Records|Dunhill]]<br>[[RCA Victor Records|RCA]] / #D-4138 |
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| Writer = [[Mars Bonfire]] |
| Writer = [[Mars Bonfire]][[originally written by Michael Rideout]] |
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| Producer = [[Gabriel Mekler]] |
| Producer = [[Gabriel Mekler]] |
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| Certification = |
| Certification = |
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==Composition== |
==Composition== |
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"Born to Be Wild" was written by [[ |
"Born to Be Wild" was written by [[Michael Rideout]] (who also wrote several other songs for [[Steppenwolf (band)|Steppenwolf]]) as a ballad.<ref name="amg">{{cite web |
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|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:3bfwxzraldke |
|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:3bfwxzraldke |
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|title=Born To Be Wild |
|title=Born To Be Wild |
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Revision as of 22:32, 19 June 2013
| "Born to Be Wild" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Everybody's Next One" |
"Born to Be Wild" is a rock song written by Mars Bonfire. It is often used in popular culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude. It is sometimes described as the first heavy metal song, and the second verse lyric "heavy metal thunder" marks the first use of this term in rock music (although not as a description of a musical style).[1] However, the claim may be false as bands such as Blue Cheer had recorded songs with a heavier rock sound while "Born to Be Wild" incorporated elements of classic rock music.
Composition
"Born to Be Wild" was written by Michael Rideout (who also wrote several other songs for Steppenwolf) as a ballad.[2] Writer Bonfire was previously a member of the Sparrows, the predecessor band to Steppenwolf, and his brother was Steppenwolf's drummer. Although he initially offered the song to other bands – The Human Expression, for one[3] – Born to Be Wild was first recorded in 1967 by Steppenwolf in a sped-up and rearranged version, that the All Music Guide's Hal Horowitz described as "a roaring anthem of turbo-charged riff rock" and "a timeless radio classic as well as a slice of '60s revolt that at once defines Steppenwolf's sound and provided them with their shot at AM immortality."[2]
Release and reception
"Born to be Wild" was the band's third single off their debut album and became their most successful single, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed "Born to be Wild" at No. 129 on the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. In 2009, it was named the 53rd best hard rock song of all time by VH1.[4]
Cultural references
The song was initially released in 1968, but it was subsequently included in many compilation albums and soundtracks. The first of these was the soundtrack for the movie Easy Rider, released in 1969. Unlike the album or single version, the song on this soundtrack is accompanied by the sounds of motorcycles as an introduction. (Another Steppenwolf song from their first album, "The Pusher", was also used in the film.) When the movie was in production, Born to Be Wild was used simply as a placeholder, since Peter Fonda had wanted Crosby, Stills and Nash to do the movie's soundtrack. Eventually, it became clear that the song was well suited for the movie.
Other movies that have used the Steppenwolf version of Born to Be Wild include Problem Child, Coming Home, One Crazy Summer, The Serial, Opportunity Knocks, Dr. Dolittle 2, Speechless, Armed and Dangerous, Mr Bean's Holiday, Wild America, and many others.
"Born to Be Wild" has been used in several movies, trailers, TV shows and advertisings, including:
- The Miami Vice episode "The Great McCarthy"
- The Married... with Children episode "Have You Driven a Ford Lately?"
- The Super Mario Bros. Super Show episode "Toad Warriors"
- Barney's Great Adventure: The Movie (some TV spots only)
- A Bug's Life (TV spots only)
- Rugrats Go Wild
- Six Feet Under
- Dudley Do-Right
- The NeverEnding Story III (parody)
- Barnyard (some advertisements only)
- Borat
- Commercial for the 2007 Hess Monster Truck
- Van Pires: The Next Generation (Theme Song)
- FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman
- Herbie: Fully Loaded
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield (2011 TV commercial)
- Rise of the Guardians (teaser trailer)
- Supernatural (Season 7 finale)
- Rock n' Roll Racing, a Sega Mega Drive game from 1993.
- Recess: School's Out
- Stuart Little 2 (trailer and TV spots only)
- Easy Rider
Cover versions
| "Born to Be Wild" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "All About Me" |
| "Born to Be Wild" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
In 2002, the song was covered by Kim Wilde and released as a non-album single. It reached No. 84 in Germany[5] and No. 71 in Switzerland.[6] In 2007, it was covered by Hinder on the Deluxe Edition of the album Extreme Behavior, and released as a single.[citation needed]
Other artists that covered this song include Etta James, Adam Lambert, Link Wray, The Mooney Suzuki, Slade, Rose Tattoo, Riot, The Cult, INXS, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Tomoyasu Hotei, Raven with Udo Dirkschneider, Ozzy Osbourne and Miss Piggy, Slayer, X Japan, Blue Öyster Cult, Status Quo, Kirka, Fanfare Ciocărlia, Lizzy Borden, Tanja Dexters, The Residents, Hampton String Quartet, Krokus, Wilson Pickett, Kuroyume, Hinder, Juliet Simms with Cee Lo Green, and Puppet Cream.
References
- ^ Robert Walser, Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music (1993)
- ^ a b Hal Horowitz. "Born To Be Wild". All Music Guide.
- ^ Liner notes, The Human Expression: Love at Psychedelic Velocity, Collectables Records (1994).
- ^ "spreadit.org music". Retrieved February 7, 2009.
- ^ "charts.de". charts.de. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
- ^ "Kim Wilde – Born To Be Wild – hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch. Retrieved January 15, 2012.