He Knew Ballad Was GREAT BUT it Wasn’t Working…SPED It Up…Became a Rock Classic!-Professor of Rock
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- Up next the story of One of the first hard rock songs to light up the charts… Some even call it the first Heavy Metal song…and you’ll understand why next… The story of Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf. The demo came after singer and writer John Kay test-drove a car… the music in his head dictated it would be a cruising song. But at first, it was written as a slow ballad but the second it was sped up it became one of the coolest rock songs ever. … then the band got the iconic title Born to be Wild from a slogan off of a billboard After it was recorded the band was very confident in it and they were anxious to get it out to radio. But the label was pushing for another song to get the coveted A side. So they compromised… They would put both songs on the record. one on each side and whatever the DJ played that was the song… Well, it just so happens that all the DJs chose this hard rock B-side and it flew to the top of the charts...then it became the voice of a new generation when it was used in one of the first indie movies called Easy Rider that blew up the box office. a great story is coming up next.
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Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. Tell you what, if you want to be a part of a premiere music community that curates the best of the rock and roll era through interviews, through stories and through history, subscribe below right now. I promise that you are going to love this channel. We also have a Patreon you'll want to check out. There you’ll find an additional catalog of exclusive content and you can even become an honorary producer to help us curate this music history.
So, it’s time for another edition of our series #1 in our Hearts where we break down a song that should’ve been #1 on the billboard Hot 100, but for various reasons came up short. Today we are hitting the open road for the rock era’s premiere top-speed, no-holds-barred manifesto, Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf.
You’d be hard-pressed to argue that there was a medium more culturally dominant than music in late 60s America. Television, movies, sports, art, and literature all opened up society to new ideas. But they also took their cues from popular music. Artists like John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills, and Nash and Young all cast political shadows long enough to rival their musical identities. 60s musicians influenced the rising generation in ways that government officials never could... And Steppenwolf was no exception.
Steppenwolf’s music embodied the era's counter-cultural social, political, and philosophical milieu. It projected a newfound sense of freedom... freedom to speak your mind, freedom to live how you wanted to live,...But before there was Steppenwolf, there was The Sparrows, a Canadian blues-rock outfit featuring brothers Dennis and Jerry Edmonton.
Though the band went through several line-up changes, they ultimately reconfigured to include singer-songwriter John Kay, bassist Nick St. Nicholas, and keyboardist Goldy McJohn in 65 and 66. The Sparrows played shows around southern Ontario. But they weren’t making money. So, to broaden their influence and pay the bills, they began commuting to New York to play clubs. Soon after they dropped an “s” from their name and simply
Poll: What is your pick for the greatest singalong rock and roll chorus ever?
Sweet Soul Sister The Cult
AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noize
Sweet Home Alabama. Where The skies are so blue ⛅
I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll- Joan Jett .
runnerups: My Cherie Amour- Stevie Wonder, Joy To The World- Three Dog Night.
@@surlechapeauJoan Jett👍Most Definitely!
When Born to be Wild was released, that's the song that made me want to be a musician! And to this day my band still plays that song and everyone loves it! Thank you Steppenwolf!
"Heavy metal thunder."
Damn right, it's the first Heavy Metal song.
Steppenwolf rocked.
I will always think of my twin girls when I hear this song...born in 1978 and raised by hippies, us, they loved this song. They rode motorcycles and got tatoos and one died of cancer 3weeks ago. She rode with the Angels on earth and now rides with angels forever! 😢💖💋
The coolest thing was seeing Steppenwolf live for the first time with my son.
I'm 50 years old, and I've ridden motorcycles all my life. I won't lie; there have been plenty of times I've had that song playing in my head as I took off for the next adventure.
Awesome!
Never ridden one, but this song makes me want to.
One of the greatest all time intros to a rock song. Sometimes, I find myself restarting the song over and over, just to hear those drums and guitars kick start this classic of classics. Another amazing rock band that originated from Toronto.
I was riding my motorcycle through the back roads of the blue ridge parkway in North Carolina, listening to classic rock through my newly installed motorcycle radio. Between songs I thought my Bluetooth lost connection or I was having a mechanical malfunction with my radio. While tapping the speakers, messing with my volume knob, checking my Bluetooth connection, I had my volume turned to 100% and finally the sound started slowly building and it was Magic Carpet Ride. The weather was perfect, the sky was clear and blue and there was minimal traffic and i was dicing up the curves. When the sound came through and cleared up my confusion I was electrified with satisfaction and freedom. Every time I hear that intro I'm brought back to that moment when everything was perfect
I remember very clearly when my dad showed me Easy Rider on his Beta Max, back when I was probably 6 or 7 years old. Nowadays I question his decision, but back then I was blown away by everything, especially the intro to the movie. My dad was also a bike rider, and he'd driven me from preschool to kindergarten on his Harley--instantly making me the coolest kid at school for a while, so I could absolutely relate to the feeling of freedom on the back of a chopper, wind in your hair and the road rolling out before you. I was so struck by Born to be Wild, in fact, that my dad eagerly introduced me to his music collection. The nights where he would play his vinyls or cds on the big stereo with the knobs that were so fun to twist (but got me an earful when I did) are some of my fondest memories. My dad passed away in October of 2023, and with his funeral looming this summer, it's nice to think back on the thrilling memories of us having a ride to nowhere while Born to be Wild played in my head.
My best friend and I roadied for the opening band for John Kay & Steppenwolf at a county fair in the 90's. I was standing so close to John backstage that I could have bumped into him. I didn't want to bother him right before he went out to play, but we nodded at each other in acknowledgement. After we packed up the gear for the opening band, we went around to the front and watched the set. It was a great show.
Serious? That's so cool! Thanks for sharing!
Did you get to meet him eventually?
@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 , just briefly, maybe 5 minutes or so. Still pretty cool.
Merry Christmas to everyone!
SAME TO YOU !
@@cjb2749 Many thanks. Listening to Bryan Adams right now early evening in the UK. Hard to believe Run To You is almost forty years old.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!🎉🎉🎉 TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOODNIGHT!😂😂😂❤
@eightiesmusic1984 damn! I was a cheeky 17 year old when that one came out!!! Time flies!❤😂😂
@@dannysunay4386 Indeed it does! Shocking.
While I greatly appreciate "Born To Be Wild" and what it's done for Rock, one of my all time favorite songs ever is "Magic Carpet Ride". The hook and phrasing of that song is just...magic.
Yes, I like "Magic Carpet Ride" more than "Born To Be Wild" as well.
Agreed. I love Magic Carpet Ride.
Two GREAT, classic songs
Funky as hell!
Yeah that’s their best song!
Timeless. No better compliment to a rock song than that.
Two of my older brothers were Vietnam veterans - this song BTBW and Fortunate Son by CCR were songs I grew up hearing g them play on the 45s. I recall another brother played BTBW while showering - he would race out of the shower with a towel wrap and play it again. Thanks for sharing the memory lane I took.
I was 14 when this song came out. I had a new stereo that my parents bought me for Christmas. I bought this record and cranked it as loud as I could when my parents weren’t home! Our neighbors came to the door to complain it was too loud, so I turned it down from 10 to 9. They. Complained again. So I turned it to 8. I must have played it 20 times that day. I still love cranking this song when my wife’s not home!! Thanks Adam!
Born To Be Wild is one of The quintessential driving songs!! On two wheels, even pedal powered, or on four wheels: big block rumbling through dual pipes, tires humming on the pavement!! It don’t get better ❤
It’s a song that has left an indelible mark on our driving culture.
Driving song? It was used as a "Well, you know what" song. Seriously, driving? Maybe another connotation of the word "driving", then I'll buy it.
The lead singer has such a great voice for Born to be Wild, and Magic Carpet Ride...that helps with those distinguished records.
I saw them when they were on their first bus tour promoting their album. Only about 50 of us showed up to see them. They called everybody down to sit in front of the band and they put on a full show. It was fucking awesome! I also got to see Iron butterfly under similar circumstances. Not a lot of hard rock fans in west Texas.
Another excellent video. Thanks Professor! Steppenwolf were friends of the family back in the day. My father, a CPA who worked for Vee Jay Records, became their business manager, as well as for the Mammas and Pappas, Spirit, Richard Pryor and others. John and Jutta Kay, still married, used to drop by with the Jerry Edmontons, and discuss politics. I visited the studio where Steppenwolf was recording “For Ladies Only,” and the band were guests at my Bar Mtizvah in 1971. I got to audition some of my original songs for John Kay at his Nicholas Canyon home studio. My dad was mentioned in his autobiography in the chapter “Hippies with Money.” In mid 70s my dad brokered a deal to sign Steppenwolf to Mums Records which was owned by former Dunhill president Bobby Roberts. For that, dad became their personal manager and was thanked in the liner notes for Slow Flux, saying without whom this would not have been possible. I travelled with a later iteration of John Kay’s Steppenwolf on a tour bus to a show in Bakersfield. Still friends with Jutta on Facebook.
That’s awesome!! Thanks for sharing all that. I was so thankful to be friends a short time with Goldy on fb and have some convos with him. I always dreamed of thanking each living member of the band for being there for me when no one else was. I remember about 1989-91, I had watched The Wild Life and heard Born to be Wild and it blew me away. I was in 7th grade i think. I became obsessed with Steppenwolf and poured my nights and days into finding all their music and learning about the band. I had no friends and was bullied in school so music was my go to for survival and coping. Rise and Shine had just been released and i bought it and was blown away. Then i had old and new songs from the mighty Steppenwolf! Then came a time i was able to go to a show and ended up irking John a bit by asking him to sign too much merch. My apology John! I was a teenager engulfed in your music! 😎 I still play all the songs today, at 46 yrs old. And i still don’t have much social life.. i lost my wife of 10 yrs in 2021. The music is still my friend. Blessings to anyone who may read this far. Apology for a long post. 🙏🏼
Cool story Randal. Thanks for sharing
Saw John Kay perform in a small venue back in the 80s...he still had the goods.
Saw him in '98 in Asheville, NC. Awesome! Still had it then. Got to interview him before show too. One of the most cosmic people I've ever talked to.
@@CosmicRadioGuy He definitely made an impression on me when I saw him on tv when I was a child. He was wearing dark glasses and a fur vest...badass 60's biker look.
Once you saw him, you never forgot him. Thanks for the share, brother.
I was in Highschool when Born to be wild came out. I was just starting to really get into music and hadn't heard it yet. Boy when I did, I fell in love with Steppenwolf.
Amazing song. In my mind, it was a hit after the first 10 seconds played. Still fresh after all these decades.
For sure!
It’s memorable!
Steppenwolf was the first concert I ever went to. I saw them at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, NJ in July 1969. The opening act was a group called Man. You never forget your first time!
I love that!
I hear you they were my second concert I ever attended- early 70 at Dinner Key Auditorium in Miami, Fl. The site has since been demolished.
My late uncle gave me a stack of his 45rpms when I eas about 6 or 7. Inside that stack, besides my first Beatles record, was Born To Be Wild on ABC/Dunhill. I'm 56 y/o and still love it. Great music can span decades. This song , among others, proves it. Happy Holidays 👍👍
Very cool!
Merry Christmas!
You're Uncle had great taste.
I always thought it was a hippie song. If you really listen to the lyrics and consider the times back then, all of the themes are there. So anyone who wants to slam the hippies as “hippie-dippie” or worse, ok then admit that you hate this song because you can’t separate the two. The spirit of the song and the era are the closest we’ve ever come to bringing the ideals to fruition as human beings. Sadly those ideals have slipped away from us lately.
As a Boomer, I grew up with Easy Rider and Born To Be Wild. In fact the entire Easy Rider soundtrack was my favorite soundtrack of that time. You doing a segment on this classic is quite the Christmas gift for this old man Professor! A Merry Christmas to you! 🌲☃️
Thanks for sharing!
Have a great Christmas William!
Peter Fonda and I have the same birthday just different years
Boomer here. I love this show.
Merry Christmas to you as well.
This brings back memories❤. I was a teenager in late sixties. I have experienced some really great music over the decades. Thanks for the history on this band. From Ontario🇨🇦
On my 16th birthday my dad had a 68 convertible mustang sitting in the driveway for me! I crusied everywhere blaring that song ❤
Merry Christmas! Great to unwrap this present! One of my all time favourite songs to sing and play, and who doesn't. It don't get better than this and might not ever with the way our society is going. Tyranny NO! Born to be wild, YES! Let's get back to the basics , enjoy the simple things in life and be true to ourselves, peace and love to everybody this Christmas 🎄🕊🙏☃️🎅🤶.
Total classic! Steppenwolf hit the music map BIG time with this smash. It still stands up just as well today as the day it came out. Love it. Great vid. :)
Classic! Thanks Bart! What about Magic Carpet Ride?
@@ProfessorofRock - Yep! Love that one too!
So good!@@bartbluemusic
Happy to be part of the sixties in my teenage years. Wonderful times. Merry Christmas.
This song has definitely stood the test of time…the way it slows down to announce, “Born to Be Wiiiiild” is fantastic. Merry Christmas Professor!!
It’s like you’re behind the wheels! Merry Christmas.
That's where they got the idea for that thing you do?
This is the song Santa listens to as he sets out on his big annual trip. 🎅 🏍️
The first time my daughter ever heard the song was in a movie called " born to wild" movie about a gorilla. But I'll never forget her reaction. To this day she still says when she hears it she thinks of that movie and wanting the gorilla "Katie" to be free and wild because that is what she was meant to be. By the way my granddaughter love's Ozzy and Zeppelin. I'm so proud.
Steppenwolf was and still is one of my favorites ever! The story of John Kay’s childhood escape from east Berlin is inspiring too.
Have you seen the interview with John Kay? Really interesting. His last memory of the escape was their guide saying "Stay quiet. OK RUN RUN RUN!" All his songs seem to follow that pattern.
What a resilient man!
One of my dad's all-time favorites. He always told me the story how he went and saw easy Rider when it first came out. This was always his theme song that he'd sing around the house when summer was approaching.
Always loved this song. We played it a lot when we drove to the circuit in Harrisburg Pa. I will be seeing John Kay on the Flower Power cruise the end of march. I am hoping to get his autograph along with many other rock legends.
I vividly remember the first time I heard this song - perhaps more than any other. I was an 8 year old kid at home with my mom and it came across the little AM radio she was playing. I was immediately gripped by the song, while at the same time, being consciously aware that I was surprised that I liked a song that was such a hard rocker. I’ve loved it ever since!
Your daily videos leave me in tears as they bring back the great memories of the first time I heard the music you are featuring. I am 66 and miss those days so much!
Heavy metal thunder. Iconic. I saw a cover band do this song in Lake City, Minnesota several years ago. Every time I hear it, I go back in time. What a great memory. Thanks professor. Merry Christmas.
Rock on! Thanks for sharing!
Merry Christmas Jimmy!
You are so dedicated, I didn’t expect a video on Xmas. I don’t know any other RUclips personalities that can upload daily and make such quality content, even on holidays.
I’m just shocked beyond words with your ability to upload so frequently. Take a day off once in a while if you want. We’ll be here when you get back. Merry Christmas professor!
John Kay has one the greatest Rock and Roll voices ever... up there with Robert Plant, Paul Rodgers, and Freddie Mercury. Have you every read John Kay's autobiography? Great reading. The Steppenwolf song "Renegade" is a poignant biographical account of his life -- one of my favorite Steppenwolf songs. It is not one of their hits, but it is a fantastic, moving song -- "Hey you! Keep your head down! Don't you look around! Please, don't make a sound. If they should find you now the man would shoot you down."
He doesn’t get mentioned often in the pantheon of best male rock singers.
Freddy Mercury ? 😂😂😂 You dare to put that 🤡 in the same category with Robert Plant ? 😂
Great comment. Steppenwolf "Monster" in my top 50 lps all time.
@@patrickclinton8228 You could give a great history lesson from the lyrics of Monster.
My Senior Prom theme song '92. An absolute classic. Merry Christmas to all you students of Rock & of course Merry Christmas Professor.
Awesome!
You as well.
John Kay was the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on. And wow could he sing, he was the total package.
Given some of the other bands selected, how in the world can The Wolf not be in the Rock Hall?
Merry Christmas Professor of Rock and to everyone who watches. Thanks for all the videos interviews etc. Very educational and we love it. Cheers 🍻 to you
Thanks Brandon!
Even on Christmas Day! Your the man Adam , thanks for the stepenwolf trip, also born to be wild is one of the most tattooed sayings in the world!
Nothing will stop the Professor of Rock! 😊
This is my go to karaoke song. It is always cool when 20-somethings hear it for the first time and have a positive reaction.
Where do you karaoke?
@@ProfessorofRock the best reaction was in Vegas. My daughter and I were out with friends where they were doing a rockstar karaoke night, so I had a full band behind me! You should have seen the look on my daughter's face when her old dad rocked the club! Priceless!!!
Because it’s a song for all ages.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all!
This song is absolutely on my BBQ By the Pool with the Neighbors playlist! It just evokes fun, sun and good times! Its one of those rock songs that just seems to sum up what the genre was all about and what people wanted in life😊 I love this genre and its just a perfect summer anthem.
It's the perfect summer anthem for sure! Taking up back to the summer in the dead of winter!
@@ProfessorofRock absolutely! Merry Christmas to you and your family, Professor!🎄🎅❄☃️
Same to you!@@lindamcfarland9656
Merriest of Christmases to you, Linda! Definitely THE pool party song.
There will be time to wish a Happy New Year, we still have a week and at least 6 more POR episodes to do before then.
Thanks professor, this is one of the best videos I've ever watched evaluating music. Your enthusiasm and background info for this classic song is just great.
Man, the opening to "Easy Rider".
What a voice! Absolute legend! Thanks Professor! Merry Christmas!🤘🔥
Same to you! Any big plan today Brent>?
@@ProfessorofRock All about family!❤️
I saw Easy Rider at the movies when it came out. I fell in love with the movie and the soundtrack. To this day it's still my favorite soundtrack and I'm 57. I have the movie ON DVD Love all the actors in the movie. I have the soundtrack, I'm a big Steppenwolf fan and got to see them in concert in 1988 in Tampa Fla. One of the best concerts ever! Magic Carpet Ride, Born to be Wild and The Pusher are some of my favorite songs......
This is my absolute favorite song…..I was a teen when it was released and now that I’m in my late 60’s….its still the anthem of my life….i may be a grandma, but I’ll always be Born To Be Wild.😉😉😉
This is "the" song that Steppenwolf will always be remembered for. Such a classic. It speeds along like a scolded dog on ice! If you're a 17 yr. old male behind the wheel of a car and this song comes on, and you don't lay the pedal down? You might as well go bk. in the house and work on your stamp collection. Saw Magic Carpet listed below. Always thought of that one as an acid song. Ck out a later one, Straight Shootin' Women. Cool tune. ☮
Steppenwolf was my first large coliseum concert in Dallas Tx, 1969. I was a country boy that had just moved to the city, and was overwhelmed by the concert, hall, and crowd. Got lost going home. 😅
Awesome!
What did they play?
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
I've slept since then.
His comment about "Sookie Sookie" falling flat surprised me. I remember it getting airplay as a kid. I like that song too, plus many other Steppenwolf tunes. Great band!
"Born To Be Wild" came out when I was 10 years old. I got my first motorcycle when I was 9 years old. I was a young, wild, long-haired, counterculture hippie motorcyclist who was in trouble at school all the time, and "Born To Be Wild" became my theme song. I sold my last motorcycle when I was 22, but 43 years later, I'm still wild, counterculture and I listen to "Born To Be Wild" often.
Steppenwolf my first concert age 14……. 1971…..Stood right in front of stage. Jeez I’m old. Their song Snowblind Friend is beautiful
I saw the band several times thru the 1980s as Kay restored it’s reputation. Once in a Tampa club where I sat no more than 20’ from Kay onstage & witnessed his charisma & style. Once with the Guess Who & Atlanta Rhythm Section, & most awesomely at Bike Week 1992 in Daytona where they played for free on the beach on a flatbed trailer stage. The ultimate audience. Thousands of bikers just barely bobbing & swaying to the music & Kay says; “Since you’re all on your feet let’s play the national anthem!” & BTBW starts & all these people are immediately 18 again & losing their minds, leaping, fist pumping, screaming, & singing BORRRN TO BE WIIILLD! with Kay. I’ve never found video of it. It was one of the most awesome rock moments I’ve ever experienced & I’ve been to hundreds of gigs. It was like a kind of communion, a ceremony of brotherhood & joy. I’m not shitting you.
The very first concert I ever went to was John Kay and Steppenwolf - after the fallout with the rest of the band, he was the only one legally allowed to play the songs and tour under the name. But legal silliness aside, that show rocked. The last three songs were what you’d expect - red wash onstage, with a red spot on the keys for a four-minute psychedelic key solo, which led into Magic Carpet Ride, followed by Born to Be Wild, and then the closed out with The Pusher. Damn that was a blast! Great work, my man - I just turned 50 last week, and this channel absolutely speaks to me!
I saw them live about 40+ years ago. It was a Great Concert. The concert was at an amusement park called Rocky Glenn. In a little Pennsylvania town, Moosic.
Back when I used paper files and folders, I had to put them into a file cabinet. Once a day, I sorted them to the proper holders while singing, "Forms to be filed" to the tune of Born To Be WIld.
I still use paper files and folders. People still must do that besides me because you can still buy all that stuff in a lot of stores, even the cabinets themselves.
My memory of Born To Be Wild is: 1970 Monroe,LA. Was a near riot when a sound tech pulled the plug on the final song ( BTBW) because Steppenwolf gave the audience the song they were calling for,The Pusher. The organizers had told them they couldn't play that one but they did 😂 The tech didn't pull the sound on that song but in the middle of Born To Be Wild 😜 we almost rioted and BEGGED the band to come back and finish the song 😅 I was close enough to the stage to hear John Kay throw the mic down and say F**K I knew this would happen. Ahh the memories it was my first concert and was written up in the newspaper the next day. Thanks for asking Professor of Rock.
I went to NLU/ULM. My father was on Channel 8 KNOE. Sports/Weather/Fishing show/Voice of the NLU Indians. I was pretty much a regular at The Siesta, The Electric Circus , and Sal’s Saloon. Played Baseball there 75 through 78….saw Eric Clapton one of those years.
Lots of wonderful memories
1 of my top 10 coolest band names. It will never get bumped out of it !!!!
I agree.!
A stepping wolf? 🐺
Another great video. I grew up in this era. Amazing time and music. Keep those 60's videos coming. Especially mid to late 60's. Imo the greatest time for music ever.
I remember when this song came out, I had the album and played it all the time. Being a young 17 year old with a motorcycle that song and the movie Easy Rider were fully cemented in our minds as well. Great stuff again, Merry Christmas and I hope all is well with you and your family and to everyone who subscribes or follows your stories of rock and roll. 🎄☮️🏍🇨🇦😎🍺
Thanks for sharing!
I heard the movie Easy Rider is really good, but I’ve never seen it. Merry Christmas!
Peace and love to everyone. Merry Christmas.
I’ve seen them 5x in concert. Every time was amazing
Great memories!!! BtbW was a theme song for an unforgettable x-long weekend in the Mojave Desert. We were flying over the hills of an abandoned highway project (dirt was graded and berms piled on either side) in various dune buggies. Sand rails and classic dash types. Born to be Wild blasting! Cousins, friends, and my sister and I feeling great and rocking out!!
Adam first a note of appreciation for your excellent content and production. It’s Schoolhouse “Rock” for audiophiles. Steppenwolf like many bands on their last legs needed a boost. Born to be Wild is that perfect storm. Merry Christmas Adam!
Memories: My Dad had the first Steppenwolf album on reel to reel tape and it sounded better there than any other place I have heard it! While we didn't get along in most other areas (lots of tragedy here), I will forever be thankful he exposed me to the good music from the age I could walk onward.
I saw Steppenwolf on No 4, 1975 (my birthday) in Austin Tx. Opening act was George Carlin!
When Steppenwolf released their first album in 1968, it hit the airwaves hard with "Born to be Wild". I think the radio, in San Diego, played it an lot. Then when "Easy Rider" used the tune, along with "The Pusher", in the movie, It was right back up there again on the radio.
The entire first Steppenwolf album did well. Some of the tunes actually addressed the government and the, still rising counter culture, at the time.
Something very interesting is, the last tune on the "B" side of the album is called "The Ostrich" It is now nearly 56 years later and every word still rings true today.
Nice job Adam. This segment directly addressed some of what I was experiencing way back then. ;-)
Love the Pusher too!
Got a story about born to be wild.
I was playing a club gig in one of my earliest band. It was late 70’s
I was around 18-19 years old. Our band was scheduled to perform at a local venue, we thought it would be a gig like any other club gig. But we were informed the day of the show that the venue had been rented out by the local chapter of the Hell’s Angles motorcycle club…..ok cool, no problem we thought.
The management told us that the Hell’s Angles had one request (song) from us, they asked if we could play Born To Be Wild? We said yes, they said great, when their leader rides into the club on his motorcycle we want you guys to kick into that song.
So we did! All was great in the world, until they later requested some AC/DC this was shorty close to the time of Bon Scott’s passing. We said, well we can play it but we can’t sing it…..They kept chanting for some AC/DC we all looked at one another and said what do we do?
So kick into some
AC/DC But the vocals were terrible. We told them we could sing that. (I mean, who can sing that high, right?) 😂
Their leader….(the guy that road in on the Harley) ran up on stage and told us or motioned us to STOP! Well that’s it we’re dead!
He complimented us on what we did do, but said we couldn’t handle AC/DC and to stick to what we could do.
that’s basically what he said. He then said now kick it off and let’s do it right. We had no idea this guy was a singer himself….and a really good one at that.
When he sang AC/DC with us the place, went nuts, all his people/friends there are loved it. 😰
Sorry for the long comment. I thought you might get a kick out of this.
Keep up the great videos.
Way back in 1993 my then wife, myself and our first two children (the third was born a couple of years later) decided to drive down to Spokane, Washington from Rossland, British Columbia, Canada for a weekend of getting out of town and go shopping. While waiting in line to check into the Downtown Sheraton in walks a couple of older guys that end up standing behind me. I give them a quick look and hello and turn back around. Then it hits me a second later that one of the guys is John Kay so I turn back towards them introduce myself and we proceeded to talk about their music in particular and music in general. The discussion went on for about 10 minutes until it was my turn to check in. I let them go ahead of me, no idea why but I did, the other guy with John Kay (manager or tour manager perhaps) stepped up to the counter so I proceeded to chat with John Kay for about another 10 minutes. He was just a down to earth nice guy. So after the tour manager finished checking them all in they were about to go back out to the parking lot to get their stuff when John asked the tour manager for a couple of tickets for the concert that night, handed them to me, shook my hand and said how much he appreciated that I allowed them to go ahead of me in the line. I was stunned!! Needless to say that me and my ex-wife listened to the Steppenwolf cassettes we had in the van for the rest of the weekend and the 3 hour trip home the next afternoon. Haha!!
One of my ALL time favorites. Great Great song. This all from my childhood .🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
So good!
POR, you remind us of all the incredible moments of life that are punctuated by explosive music. I finally saw Steppenwolf several years ago, I absolutely HAD to see John Kay belt out Goddam the Pusher! And Born to be Wild! Two phrases that express the primal emotions of angst and Freedom! Yeeeeaaaaahhh!
I'm so happy that you did a video about this song... one of the best songs to showcase my generation :D
My Dad was a Vietnam vet (2 tours) and used to play this song often.. that was my introduction to this song..
"Everybody's Next One" was the side that charted first in Canada, entering the RPM singles chart at #71 on July 6, 1968. The July 13 chart had "Born to Be Wild" as the only side listed, moving up to #64. It took a few weeks to move further, but shot up to #1 on September 2 for one week. The singles of Jack London and the Sparrows give no clue as to the group that they would evolve into.
"Easy Rider" spoke to us, with John Kay's voice.
Saw them open for Cream…what a show
One great band back in the day hardly mentioned today- outside of all the great songs they had they were one of the few bands then that actually wrote their own songs. Unlike many bands in those days who released albums with alot of filler Steppenwolf actually released albums with quality songs. Checkout "The Pusher" "Monster" "Magic Carpet ride" "Rock me" as some of their more popular songs.
The Pusher and Snowblind Friend were written by Hoyt Axton, IIRC.
Thanks for correcting me-memory fades badly in old age.@@raygunsforronnie847
John Kay was my fave rock singer when I was a kid! 😎
He was just TOO COOL!
I mean look at him! That's a rock star!
@@ProfessorofRock
Right?! BADASS 😎
Thank you for yet another incredible segment, Professor!
He’s still pretty handsome today!
Born To Be Wild is one of rock and rolls greatest songs!! Never knew it started as a ballad. Glad John Kay got hold of it and turned it into a rocking bada.. road song!! Always in my top 100 and often on my playlists this song never gets old!!
Isn't that crazy?
Now that I think about it, this song was meant to rock.
I would say "pop song" vs "ballad".
more like born to be wild? @@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
"Born to be Wild" was also referenced on an Episode of "Roseanne".
I loved steppenwolf from the moment they burst on the scene..I love all their albums to include Happy Birthday,For Ladies Only and Steppenwolf Live..The first live concert record I heard as a kid...I learned to play drums by ear and when I got my first set of drums,I had to learn all of the Wolfs songs...Thunder pounding to say the least....
That drummer had skill!
You mean At Your Birthday Party.
Jerry Edmonton is/was my fav drummer. Powerful & innovative.
In the mid to late 60's FM radio didn't exist for most people in the Midwest, it was a top 40 AM radio world, but some harder/psychedelic rock songs did make it on to AM radio. I was 11-12 years old in 1967-1968 and I was starting the change from child to young adult. Bands like the 1910 Fruitgum Co and The Ohio Express were discarded for Jefferson Airplane, The Electric Prunes and Steppenwolf. For me it was like having a sleeper gene awoken the first time hearing Born to be Wild. It hit my head and an electric current ran through my body. I still have my Steppenwolf Gold 8 Track that managed to get occasional play in my 1968 Olds 442 as my music tastes changed and evolved through the 70's. All of Steppenwolf's best songs still hold up today.
I Love your shows, Happy New Year Professor, keep them coming. I am 69 and love the memories and the stories.
This might be the most important segment you’ve ever done Prof.
When BTBW came out it literally changed things big time. The Vietnam War was raging, the Establishment was hated. The thought that the title spurred, Born To Be Wild, it was truly a song that inspired.
John Kay is a national treasure. His bio alone should’ve been made into ten biopics by now.
I hope you’ll do a segment on his story.
As far as a Steppenwolf goes, legacy listen to the lyrics in “Monster,America,Suicide”. Maybe more relevant today.
Keep up your good works Prof.
Nice of you to feature such an old, and great, song.
The first heavy metal song I ever heard was Bob Seeger’s song, Heavy Music. I was just 9 years old but even as a young girl, I was hooked on the heavy metal sound ever since then! Then I heard Born to Be Wild and just couldn’t get enough! Im 67 years old now and I still have to crank up the radio whenever these songs come on!!! I’ve never tired of the heavy metal sound.
Pretty scary to find that head out on the highway LOL Love that joke
Great song great band The Pusher would be my favorite of all their great songs
What a great show on Christmas Day.
I spotted the album on the rack less than 30 seconds in.
I don't remember the writing credits being on the first Steppenwolf album I bought.
I always assumed John wrote it.
Thanks for getting that right for me.
I bought Steppenwolfs cassette in one of those buy 20 cassettes for a penny type deal. Then you had to buy 12 more at full price, wich as many others I never did. But back to this song. I loved it from the first time I played it. I think it was 1970? Can’t remember exactly when it was, I was 13-14 years old at the time. I had older sisters that listened to all the newest music, so I was turned on to all the best hits of the era. Roger in Pierre South Dakota
Totally agree...this song was the start of Heavy Metal.
My 60s HS band did Born To Be Wild and The Pusher. We loved Steppinwolf
March 29 2969 Then Came Bronson on TV. That and my Uncle Bill got me interested in motorcycles. He was a Vietnam Vet. After I got out of service I bought my last Kawasaki. Then got rid of after year n half got a Harley Roadster. Two years later FXRT Harley. Love all bikes. U can have fun on them and if not situational aware you can get dead on them. Magic Carpet Ride. Born to be Wild. Tenderness & MONSTER. My favorite songs. Thanks Again Professor from an old Vet of 68 years.
Thanks for sharing Jerry!
All great songs!
Its a shame Steppenwolf isnt in the Hall of Fame.