LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-JULY 13, 2019…ON THIS DATE IN 1968 STEPPENWOLF RELEASED THE SINGLE ‘BORN TO BE WILD.’ THE SONG HAS BEEN SYNONYMOUS WITH BIKERS AS IT GAINED INSTANT NOTORIETY APPEARING IN THE COUNTERCULTURE MOVIE “EASY RIDER.” IN THE MOVIE, DENNIS HOPPER AND PETER FONDA ARE BIKERS WHO RIDE FROM LOS ANGELES TO NEW ORLEANS WITH JACK NICHOLSON ALONG FOR THE RIDE.
A LOT OF MUSIC AFICIONADOS ALSO CALL THIS THE FIRST EVER HEAVY METAL SONG, WITH THE TERM “HEAVY METAL THUNDER” IN ‘BORN TO BE WILD’ THE FIRST EVER REFERENCE TO HEAVY METAL IN ANY SONG. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THE WRITER OF ‘BORN TO BE WILD’ WROTE THE SONG AS A BALLAD ! STEPPENWOLF SPED IT UP AND PUT SOME OOMPH INTO IT ON THEIR ALBUM.
HERE’S ‘BORN TO BE WILD’ FROM EASY RIDER
