It’s a Fool’s Game, Nothing but a Fool’s Game
June 18, 2019
When You Gonna Give to Me, G-give to Me Is It Just a Matter of Time
June 20, 2019
Racin’ with the wind, and the feelin’ that I’m under
What’s That Song?
If you guessed Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf, you are correct!
Today’s Bill Campbell What’s That Song is often described as an anthem of turbo-charged riff rock and timeless radio classic. Written by Mars Bonfire as a ballad and previously offered to other bands, it was Steppenwolf who first recorded the tune in a rearranged version that AllMusic’s Hal Horowitz described as “a slice of ’60s revolt that at once defined Steppenwolf’s sound and provided them with their shot at AM immortality.” Born to Be Wild was the band’s third single off their 1968 debut album Steppenwolf, and became their most successful single, climbing to #2 on Billboard ‘s Hot 100 singles charts.
Did you know…
- Born to Be Wild, initially released in 1968, was included in the 1969 soundtrack for the movie Easy Rider. It differed from the original single as it is accompanied by the sounds of motorcycles.
- Artists covering Born to Be Wild include Etta James, Slade, The Cult, INXS, Ozzy Osbourne with Miss Piggy, Bruce Springsteen, Blue Öyster Cult, Wilson Pickett, and Kim Wilde.
- In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed Born to Be Wild at #129 on the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. It also finished at #29 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.
- In 2009, Born to Be Wild was named the 53rd best hard rock song of all time by VH1.
- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Born to Be Wild in a newly created category for singles in 2018.
Born to Be Wild
Get your motor runnin’
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin’ go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racin’ with the wind
And the feelin’ that I’m under
Yeah Darlin’ go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
Like a true nature’s child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die
Born to be wild
Born to be wild
Get your motor runnin’
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin’ go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
Like a true nature’s child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die
Born to be wild
Born to be wild
(Born To Be Wild lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group)
Play along with us every weekday on the Big Boss Show with John Van Camp where you will get a shout out during the show and win absolutely nothing!
Where were you when you first heard today’s What’s That Song, Born to Be Wild? Tell us in the comment section.
