Steppenwolf – “Born To Be Wild” Live
Lookin’ For Adventure!
“Born to Be Wild” was written by Mars Bonfire and released on June 1968. It was initially penned as a ballad but when Steppenwolf recorded it, they sort of sped it up and had it rearranged. It became such a huge hit and was the band’s most successful single. He has also offered this song to the psychedelic rock band “The Human Expression.”
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).
- Number 2 in the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts
- Number 129 in the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by the Rolling Stone magazine
This was also the song that popularized the term “Heavy Metal” and was even used for the movie “Easy Rider” which was released in 1969. This was a massive success and several people who loved it can easily identify with the theme.
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.”
For most, it’s more like an anthem!
