How STEPPENWOLF Classic "Born To Be Wild" Went From Being A Ballad To An Iconic Rock Song; PROFESSOR OF ROCK Investigates (Video)
December 26, 2023, 11 months ago
Professor Of Rock has released the new video below, along with the following introduction...
"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. 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."
