‘Born to be Wild’: How a Steppenwolf “fluke” produced an era-defining hit
Long before it became the anthem of middle-aged men revving the conclusions of their midlife crises, Steppenwolf‘s ‘Born to be Wild’ was an era-defining countercultural anthem. While it has now been relegated to the realms of unwanted knee-slides across the dance floors of weddings by a generation of folks who should know better, the track spent its salad days as the rallying cry of a youth desperate to break free.
It is so inextricable from the heady days of the counterculture, the great traditions of America’s sprawling highways, and the freedom they supposedly connote that the song was a defining feature of 1969’s Easy Rider. Telling the tale of two bikers riding from Los Angeles to New Orleans, the track was intended to be used as a placeholder, but it soon became apparent that it was perfect for the essence of the movie.
Since then, the song has been closely tied to motorist culture. Tangibly, the classic line “heavy metal thunder” is what this centres around. Adding an extra dimension to the story, it was coined by the controversial beat author William S. Burroughs in 1961’s The Soft Machine and used to describe the character Uranian Willy and the nature of drug addiction. However, Steppenwolf’s use of it in the track became appropriated by listeners for a life spent on the tarmac thanks to Easy Rider.
Furthermore, due to the pulsating musical style, some commentators have regarded the line as the start of the heavy metal genre. According to them, the song seemingly captures the spirit of the burgeoning sound. This imbues another hefty dose of significance into ‘Born to be Wild’.
In another ironic twist, according to Mars Bonfire, real name Dennis Edmonton – who wrote the track – it was all a “fluke”. Notably, he wasn’t in the band but is the brother of drummer Jerry. He would also write other songs for the group, including ‘Ride With Me’ and ‘Tenderness’.
Per Songfacts, Bonfire once explained the fortuity that underpinned the song’s success: “I was walking down Hollywood Boulevard one day and saw a poster in a window saying ‘Born to Ride’ with a picture of a motorcycle erupting out of the earth like a volcano with all this fire around it. Around this time, I had just purchased my first car, a little secondhand Ford Falcon.”
He continued: “So all this came together lyrically: the idea of the motorcycle coming out along with the freedom and joy I felt in having my first car and being able to drive myself around whenever I wanted. ‘Born To Be Wild’ didn’t stand out initially. Even the publishers at Leeds Music didn’t take it as the first or second song I gave them. They got it only because I signed as a staff writer. Luckily, it stood out for Steppenwolf. It’s like a fluke rather than an achievement, though.”
Listen to ‘Born To Be Wild’ below.
