Born to Be Wild

"Born to Be Wild" is a song first performed by the band Steppenwolf, written by Mars Bonfire. The song is often invoked in both popular and counter 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).[3]



Contents
[hide]  *1 Composition  ==Composition[ edit] == "Born to Be Wild" was written by Mars Bonfire (who also wrote several other songs for Steppenwolf) as a ballad.[4]  Writer Bonfire was previously a member ofthe 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[5]  — "Born to Be Wild" was first recorded in 1967 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."[4] ==Release and reception[ edit] == "Born to Be Wild" was the band's third single off their 1968 debut album Steppenwolf 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.[6]  In 2009, it was named the 53rd best hard rock song of all time by VH1.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7] ==Chart performance<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Cultural references<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">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 & Nash to do the movie's soundtrack. Eventually, it became clear that the song was well suited for the movie.
 * 2 Release and reception
 * 3 Chart performance
 * 4 Cultural references
 * 5 Cover versions
 * 5.1 Charts
 * 5.1.1 Rose Tattoo version
 * 5.1.2 Kim Wilde version
 * 5.1.3 Tanja Dexter version
 * 6 References
 * 7 External links

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Steppenwolf's version of "Born to Be Wild" has been used in several movies, trailers, TV shows and commercials, including:

==Cover versions<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">In 1985, the song was covered by Australian band Rose Tattoo. Their version peaked at No. 25 in Australia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AUS_19-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19]  In 2002, it was covered by Kim Wilde and released as a non-album single. It reached No. 84 in Germany<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-GER_20-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20]  and No. 71 in Switzerland.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-SWI_21-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21]  Tanja Dexters also covered the song in 2002. Her version peaked at No. 21 in Belgium.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BEL_22-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]
 * Easy Rider (1969)
 * Coming Home (1978)
 * The Serial (1980)
 * The Miami Vice episode "The Great McCarthy" (1984–85)
 * Alvin and the Chipmunks episode "New, Improved Simon" (1984)
 * Lost in America (1985)
 * One Crazy Summer (1986)
 * Armed and Dangerous (1986)
 * The Married... with Children episode "Have You Driven a Ford Lately?" (1987)
 * The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! (1989–1991) episode "Toad Warriors"
 * Opportunity Knocks (1990)
 * Problem Child (1990)
 * Rock n' Roll Racing, a Sega Mega Drive game from 1993.
 * Speechless (1994)
 * The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia (1994) (parody)
 * Duke Nukem 3D (1996) (karaoke)
 * Wild America (1997)
 * Van-Pires: The Next Generation (1997–98) (theme song)
 * Barney's Great Adventure: The Movie (1998) (some TV spots only)
 * A Bug's Life (TV spots only) (1998)
 * Dudley Do-Right (1999)
 * Recess: School's Out (2001)
 * Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001)
 * Six Feet Under (2001–2005)
 * Stuart Little 2 (2002) (trailer and TV spots only)
 * Rugrats Go Wild (2003)
 * Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005)
 * Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman (2006–2010)
 * Barnyard (2006) (some advertisements only)
 * Borat (2006)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BORAT_18-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18]
 * Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)
 * Commercial for the 2007 Hess Monster Truck
 * Alpha and Omega (2010) (trailer only)
 * Blue Cross/Blue Shield (2011 TV commercial)
 * Supernatural (2005–) (season 7 finale in 2011)
 * Rise of the Guardians (2012) (teaser trailer)
 * Skylanders: Swap Force (2013 video game) Character features catchphrase "Burn to Be Wild," a spinoff of "Born to Be Wild."
 * Home Improvement (1991–1999) Season 1 episode 2.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Other artists that covered this song include Etta James, Adam Lambert, Green Jellÿ, Link Wray,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[23]  The Mooney Suzuki, Slade,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24]  Riot, The Cult,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[25]  INXS,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[26] Alvin and the Chipmunks, Tomoyasu Hotei, Raven with Udo Dirkschneider, Ozzy Osbourne and Miss Piggy,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27]  Bruce Springsteen, Slayer,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28]  X Japan, Blue Öyster Cult,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  Status Quo,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  Kirka, Fanfare Ciocărlia,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BORAT_18-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18]  Lizzy Borden, The Residents, Hampton String Quartet, Krokus,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]  Wilson Pickett<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32]  and La Renga<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33] ===Charts<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ===