Born to Be Wild

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"Born to Be Wild"
Born to be wild steppenwolf US single Dunhill-only variant A.png
One of side-A labels of the US single
Single by Steppenwolf
from the album Steppenwolf
B-side "Everybody's Next One"
ReleasedMay 9, 1968
Genre
Length
  • 3:30
  • 3:02 (7-inch)
Label
Songwriter(s) Mars Bonfire
Producer(s) Gabriel Mekler
Steppenwolf singles chronology
"A Girl I Knew"
(1967)
"Born to Be Wild"
(1968)
"The Pusher"
(1968)
Official audio
"Born To Be Wild" on YouTube

"Born to Be Wild" is a song written by Mars Bonfire and first performed by the band Steppenwolf. Although the lyrics do not specifically mention motorcycles, the song is often invoked in both popular and counter culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude since being featured in the 1969 film Easy Rider . Sometimes, "Born to Be Wild" is 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 but rather a motorcycle). [5] [6]

Contents

Composition

Mars Bonfire wrote "Born to Be Wild" as a ballad. [7] 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 [8] — "Born to Be Wild" was first recorded by Steppenwolf in a sped-up and rearranged version that AllMusic'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". [7]

Release and reception

"Born to Be Wild" was Steppenwolf's third single off their self-titled debut album and became their signature song, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts. It was kept from the No. 1 spot by "People Got to Be Free" by the Rascals. [9] In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed "Born to Be Wild" at No. 129 on the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. [10] Also in 2004, it finished at No. 29 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema. In 2009, it was named the 53rd best hard rock song of all time by VH1 (It ranked 40th in the 100 Greatest Songs of Rock and Roll by VH1 nine years earlier.). [11] In 2018, the song was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a new category for singles. [12]

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart (1968)Position
Canada (RPM Top Singles) [26] 14
US Billboard Hot 100 [27] 31
Chart (1990)Position
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [28] 47
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [29] 57

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [30] Gold45,000
Italy (FIMI) [31] Gold25,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [32] Platinum60,000
United Kingdom (BPI) [33] Gold400,000
United States (RIAA) [34] Gold1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

"Born to Be Wild"
Single by Kim Wilde
B-side "All About Me"
Released2002
Length3:23 (Radio Mix)
Label Edel
Songwriter(s) Mars Bonfire
Producer(s) Ricki Wilde
Kim Wilde singles chronology
"Loved"
(2001)
"Born to Be Wild"
(2002)
"Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime"
(2003)
Music video
"Born to Be Wild" on YouTube

In 1985, the song was covered by Australian band Rose Tattoo. Their version peaked at No. 25 in Australia. [35] In 2002, it was covered by Kim Wilde and released as a non-album single. Her cover reached No. 84 in Germany [36] and No. 71 in Switzerland. [37] Belgian singer Tanja Dexters also covered the song in 2002. Her version peaked at No. 21 in Belgium. [38]

Other artists that covered this song include Hinder, [39] Etta James, [40] Link Wray, [40] Slade, [41] The Cult, [42] INXS, [40] Ozzy Osbourne with Miss Piggy, [43] Bruce Springsteen, [40] Slayer, [44] Blue Öyster Cult, [40] Status Quo, [40] Fanfare Ciocărlia, [45] Krokus, [46] Wilson Pickett, [40] and La Renga. [47]

Charts

Rose Tattoo version

Chart (1985)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [35] 25

Kim Wilde version

Chart (2002)Peak
position
Germany (Official German Charts) [36] 84
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [37] 71

Tanja Dexters version

Chart (2002)Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [38] 21

See also

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References

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