Born to Be Wild

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"Born to Be Wild"
Born to-be wild-steppenwolf-45.jpg
Single by Steppenwolf
from the album Steppenwolf
B-side "Everybody's Next One"
Released May 9, 1968
Genre
Length
  • 3:30
  • 3:02 (7-inch)
Label
Songwriter(s) Mars Bonfire
Producer(s) Gabriel Mekler
Script error: The function "ucfirst" does not exist. singles chronology
"A Girl I Knew"
(1967)
"Born to Be Wild"
(1968)
"The Pusher"
(1968)
Music video
"Born To Be Wild" on YouTube

"Born to Be Wild" is a song written by Mars Bonfire and first performed by the band Steppenwolf. It is often invoked in both popular and counter culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude. It is most notably 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]

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 speed-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

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[30] Gold 5,000
Italy (FIMI)[31] Gold 25,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[33] Gold 1,000,000

^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales/streaming figures based on certification alone

Cover versions

"Born to Be Wild"
Born to be Wilde Kim Wilde.jpg
Single by Kim Wilde
B-side "All About Me"
Released 2002
Length 3:23 (Radio Mix)
Label Edel
Songwriter(s) Mars Bonfire
Producer(s) Ricki Wilde
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"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.[34] In 2002, it was covered by Kim Wilde and released as a non-album single. Her cover reached No. 84 in Germany[35] and No. 71 in Switzerland.[36] Belgian singer Tanja Dexters also covered the song in 2002. Her version peaked at No. 21 in Belgium.[37]

Other artists that covered this song include Hinder,[38] Etta James,[39] Link Wray,[39] Slade,[40] The Cult,[41] INXS,[39] Ozzy Osbourne with Miss Piggy,[42] Bruce Springsteen,[39] Slayer,[43] Blue Öyster Cult,[39] Status Quo,[39] Fanfare Ciocărlia,[44] Krokus,[45] Wilson Pickett,[39] La Renga,[46] Udo Lindenberg,[47] Jess Greenberg,[48] and Ann-Margret[49]

Charts

Rose Tattoo version

Chart (1985) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[34] 25

Kim Wilde version

Chart (2002) Peak
position
Germany (Official German Charts)[35] 84
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] 71

Tanja Dexters version

Chart (2002) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[37] 21

See also

References

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  13. "Austriancharts.at – Steppenwolf – Born To Be Wild" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  14. 14.0 14.1 "Ultratop.be – Steppenwolf – Born To Be Wild" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  15. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5856." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  16. "Musicline.de – Steppenwolf Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  17. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 41, 1968" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
  18. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. "Archive Chart: 19690705" UK Singles Chart.
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  21. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 32, 1973" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
  22. 22.0 22.1 "Dutchcharts.nl – Steppenwolf – Born To Be Wild" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  23. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 47, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
  25. "Archive Chart: 19990227" UK Singles Chart.
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  30. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Click on næste to go to page 11523 if certification from official website
  31. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Steppenwolf in the field Filtra. Select 2018 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
  32. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Born to Be Wild in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
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  34. 34.0 34.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. 35.0 35.1 "Musicline.de – Kim Wilde Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  36. 36.0 36.1 "Swisscharts.com – Kim Wilde – Born To Be Wild". Swiss Singles Chart.
  37. 37.0 37.1 "Ultratop.be – Tania Dexter – Born To Be Wild" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
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