Born to Be Wild

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Born To Be Wild)

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Template:DMCA

Page Template:Hlist/styles.css has no content.Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.

"Born to Be Wild"
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found.
One of side-A labels of the US single
Template:Infobox song/link by Steppenwolf
from the album Steppenwolf
B-side"Everybody's Next One"
Released1968
GenrePage Template:Hlist/styles.css has no content.
LengthScript error: No such module "hms".
LabelDunhill, RCA
[[Songwriter|SongwriterTemplate:Pluralize from text]]Mars Bonfire
[[Record producer|ProducerTemplate:Pluralize from text]]Gabriel Mekler
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:GetParameters' not found. singles chronology
"A Girl I Knew"
(1967) 		"Born to Be Wild"
(1968) 		"The Pusher"
(1968)
Script error: No such module "Unsubst-infobox".

Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".

"Born to Be Wild" is a song written by Mars Bonfire and first released as a single by Steppenwolf. Although the lyrics do not specifically mention motorcycles, the song is often invoked in both popular and counterculture 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]

Music and lyrics

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]

According to Classic Rock Magazine, the track was the first in history to incorporate the word "heavy metal" into its lyrics.[9]

Release and commercial performance

"Born to Be Wild" was Steppenwolf's third single off their self-titled debut album, and became their signature song, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts. It was kept from the number-one spot by "People Got to Be Free" by the Rascals.[10]

Reception and legacy

In 2004, Rolling Stone placed "Born to Be Wild" at number 129 on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.[11] Also in 2004, it finished at number 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 had ranked 40th in the 100 Greatest Songs of Rock and Roll by VH1 nine years earlier.).[12] In 2018, the song was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a new category for singles.[13]

In 2021, staff writers at Classic Rock Magazine expressed the belief that "Born to Be Wild" is "probably the first real metal track."[14]

Personnel

Personnel taken from Mixonline.[15]

Charts

Weekly charts

Page Template:Col-begin/styles.css has no content.

Year-end charts

Chart (1968) Position
Canada (RPM Top Singles)[19] 14
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 31
Chart (1990) Position
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] 47
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 57

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[23] Gold 0 
Germany (BVMI)[24] Gold 300,000 
Italy (FIMI)[25] Gold 0 
Spain (Promusicae)[26] Platinum 0 
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Platinum 600,000 
United States (RIAA)[28] Gold 1,000,000 

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

Cover versions

Page Template:Hlist/styles.css has no content.Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.

"Born to Be Wild"
Template:Infobox song/link by Kim Wilde
B-side"All About Me"
Released2002
LengthScript error: No such module "hms".
LabelEdel
[[Songwriter|SongwriterTemplate:Pluralize from text]]Mars Bonfire
[[Record producer|ProducerTemplate:Pluralize from text]]Ricki Wilde
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:GetParameters' not found. singles chronology
"Loved"
(2001) 		"Born to Be Wild"
(2002) 		"Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime"
(2003)
Script error: No such module "Unsubst-infobox".

Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".

In 1985, the song was covered by Australian band Rose Tattoo. Their version peaked at number 25 in Australia.[29] In 2002, it was covered by Kim Wilde and released as a nonalbum single. Her cover reached number 84 in Germany[30] and number 71 in Switzerland.[31] Belgian singer Tanja Dexters also covered the song in 2002. Her version peaked at number 21 in Belgium.[32]

Other artists who covered this song include Hinder,[33] Etta James,[34] Link Wray,[34] Slade,[35] The Cult,[36] INXS,[34] Ozzy Osbourne with Miss Piggy,[37] Bruce Springsteen,[34] Slayer,[38] Blue Öyster Cult,[34] Status Quo,[34] Fanfare Ciocărlia,[39] Krokus,[40] Wilson Pickett,[34] and La Renga.[41]

Charts

Rose Tattoo version

Chart (1985) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[29] 25

Kim Wilde version

Script error: No such module "Music chart".Script error: No such module "Music chart".
Chart (2002) Peak
position

Tanja Dexters version

Script error: No such module "Music chart".
Chart (2002) Peak
position

See also

References

Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.

  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Inglis, Ian (2003). Popular Music and Film. Wallflower Press. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-903364-71-0. Steppenwolf's 'Born To Be Wild', a gritty, hard-rock song that quickly became an anthem for defiant individualism.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Heavy Metal". Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 18. May 10, 1986. p. H-1. ISSN 0006-2510.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Dimery, Robert, ed. (2011). "The Pusher – Steppenwolf (1968)". 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. Octopus Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-84403-717-9.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hoskyns, Barney (1996). Waiting for the Sun: The Story of the Los Angeles Music Scene. Viking. p. 172. The brilliant soundtrack, including the Byrds' 'Wasn't Born to Follow', Steppenwolf's proto-metal 'Born to be Wild', and Jimi Hendrix's 'If Six Was Nine', helped to set the film in a kind of outlaw-rock'n'roll context.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Dave Simpson (July 31, 2018). "How we made Steppenwolf's Born to Be Wild: Interview". The Guardian. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Walser, Robert (1993). Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 978-0-8195-6260-9.
  7. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Horowitz, Hal. "Born to Be Wild – Song Review". AllMusic.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.The Human Expression: Love at Psychedelic Velocity (Media notes). Collectables Records. 1994.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Dome, Malcolm; Ling, Dave; Ewing, Jerry; Barton, Geoff (March 30, 2020). "The 30 albums that built heavy metal". Louder. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Hot 100". Billboard. August 24, 1968. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (1–500)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 20, 2006.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Winistorfer, Andrew (January 5, 2009). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs list only slightly less annoying than their hip-hop list". Prefix Magazine. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Graff, Gary (April 14, 2018). "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducts Songs for the First Time, Including 'Born to Be Wild' & 'Louie Louie'". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Dome, Malcolm; Ling, Dave; Ewing, Jerry; Barton, Geoff (March 30, 2020). "The 30 albums that built heavy metal". Louder. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Classic Tracks: Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild"". Mixonline. 2024.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Search listener". Flavour of New Zealand. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Steppenwolf – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 48. December 1, 1990. p. IV.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The RPM 100: Top Singles of 1968". RPM. Vol. 10, no. 19.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Top 100 Hits for 1968". Longbored Surfer. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1990" (in Nederlands). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Jaaroverzichten – Single 1990" (in Nederlands). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  23. ^ Script error: No such module "cite".
  24. ^ Script error: No such module "cite".
  25. ^ Script error: No such module "cite".
  26. ^ Script error: No such module "cite".
  27. ^ Script error: No such module "cite". Select singles in the Formats field. Type Born to Be Wild Steppenwolf in the "Search:" field.
  28. ^ Script error: No such module "cite".
  29. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  30. ^ Cite error: The named reference GER was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  31. ^ Cite error: The named reference SWI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  32. ^ Cite error: The named reference BEL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  33. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Johnston, Maura (December 11, 2009). "The 50 Worst Songs of the '00s, F2K No. 15: Hinder, "Born To Be Wild"". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014.
  34. ^ a b c d e f g Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Leszczak, Bob (2014). Who Did It First?: Great Rock and Roll Cover Songs and Their Original Artists. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-4422-3321-8.
  35. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cook, Stephen. "Slade – Slade Alive!". AllMusic. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  36. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Raggett, Ned. "The Cult – Electric". AllMusic. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  37. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Monger, James Christopher. "Ozzy Osbourne – Prince of Darkness". AllMusic. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  38. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Unterberger, Richie. "Various Artists – NASCAR on Fox: Crank It Up". AllMusic. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  39. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Phares, Heather. "Original Soundtrack – Borat [Original Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  40. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Eremenko, Alexey. "Krokus – Hoodoo". AllMusic. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  41. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."El día en que La Renga hizo estallar el Víctor Jara por primera vez". Irock.cl (in español). July 9, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2014.

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found. Template:2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Authority control/config' not found.

Retrieved from "https://cosmopedia.co/index.php?title=Born_to_Be_Wild&oldid=494717"