Born to Be Wild - wikipedia Born to Be Wild This article is about the song. For other uses, see Born to Be Wild ( disambiguation ). `` Born to Be Wild '' Single by Steppenwolf from the album Steppenwolf B - side `` Everybody 's Next One '' Released 1968 Format 45 - single Genre Hard rock proto - metal Length 3 : 30 3 : 02 ( 7 `` ) Label Dunhill RCA Songwriter ( s ) Mars Bonfire Producer ( s ) Gabriel Mekler Steppenwolf singles chronology `` A Girl I Knew '' ( 1967 ) `` Born to Be Wild '' ( 1968 ) `` The Pusher '' ( 1968 ) `` Born to Be Wild '' is a song first performed by the band Steppenwolf, written by Mars Bonfire. The song is often invoked in both popular and counter culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude. It is sometimes described as the first heavy metal song, and the second verse lyric `` heavy metal thunder '' marks the first use of this term in rock music ( although not as a description of a musical style ). Contents 1 Composition 2 Release and reception 3 Charts 3.1 Weekly charts 3.2 Year - end charts 4 Cover versions 4.1 Charts 4.1. 1 Rose Tattoo version 4.1. 2 Kim Wilde version 4.1. 3 Tanja Dexter version 5 In popular culture 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Composition `` Born to Be Wild '' was written by Mars Bonfire ( who also wrote several other songs for Steppenwolf ) as a ballad. Bonfire was previously a member of the Sparrows, the predecessor band to Steppenwolf, and his brother was Steppenwolf 's drummer. Although he initially offered the song to other bands -- The Human Expression, for one -- `` Born to Be Wild '' was first recorded by Steppenwolf in a sped - up and rearranged version that AllMusic 's Hal Horowitz described as `` a roaring anthem of turbo - charged riff rock '' and `` a timeless radio classic as well as a slice of ' 60s revolt that at once defines Steppenwolf 's sound and provided them with their shot at AM immortality. '' Release and reception `` Born to Be Wild '' was the band 's third single off their 1968 debut album Steppenwolf, and became their most successful single, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed `` Born to Be Wild '' at No. 129 on the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. Also in 2004, it finished at # 29 on AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema. In 2009, it was named the 53rd best hard rock song of all time by VH1. In 2018, the song was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a new category for singles. Charts Weekly charts Chart ( 1968 -- 1969 ) Peak position Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) 20 Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 16 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) Germany ( Official German Charts ) 20 Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) 32 New Zealand ( Listener ) 13 UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 30 US Billboard Hot 100 Chart ( 1973 ) Peak position Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) 16 Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) 14 Chart ( 1990 -- 1991 ) Peak position Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 20 Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) 5 Chart ( 1999 ) Peak position UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 18 Year - end charts Chart ( 1968 ) Rank Canada ( RPM Top Singles ) 14 US Billboard Hot 100 31 Cover versions `` Born to Be Wild '' Single by Kim Wilde B - side `` All About Me '' Released 2002 Format CD single Length 3 : 23 ( Radio Mix ) Label Edel Songwriter ( s ) Mars Bonfire Producer ( s ) Ricki Wilde Kim Wilde singles chronology `` Loved '' ( 2001 ) `` Born to Be Wild '' ( 2002 ) `` Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime '' ( 2003 ) Music video `` Born to Be Wild '' on YouTube In 1985, the song was covered by Australian band Rose Tattoo. Their version peaked at No. 25 in Australia. In 2002, it was covered by Kim Wilde and released as a non-album single. Her cover reached No. 84 in Germany and No. 71 in Switzerland. Tanja Dexters also covered the song in 2002. Her version peaked at No. 21 in Belgium. Other artists that covered this song include Hinder, Etta James, Link Wray, Slade, The Cult, INXS, Ozzy Osbourne with Miss Piggy, Bruce Springsteen, Slayer, Blue Öyster Cult, Status Quo, Fanfare Ciocărlia, Krokus, Wilson Pickett, La Renga and Jess Greenberg. Charts Rose Tattoo version Chart ( 1985 ) Peak position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) 25 Kim Wilde version Chart ( 2002 ) Peak position Germany ( Official German Charts ) 84 Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) 71 Tanja Dexter version Chart ( 2002 ) Peak position Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 21 In popular culture The song was initially released in 1968, but it was subsequently included in many compilation albums and soundtracks. The first of these was the soundtrack for the movie Easy Rider, released in 1969. Unlike the album or single version, the song on this soundtrack is accompanied by the sounds of motorcycles as an introduction ( another Steppenwolf song from their first album, `` The Pusher '', was also used in the film ). When the movie was in production, `` Born to Be Wild '' was used simply as a placeholder, since Peter Fonda had wanted Crosby, Stills & Nash to do the movie 's soundtrack. Eventually, it became clear that the song was well suited for the movie. See also List of number - one singles of 1968 ( Canada ) References Jump up ^ Inglis, Ian ( 2003 ). Popular Music and Film. Wallflower Press. p. 13. ISBN 978 - 1 - 903364 - 71 - 0. Steppenwolf 's ' Born To Be Wild ', a gritty, hard rock song that quickly became an anthem for defiant individualism. Jump up ^ `` Heavy Metal ''. Billboard. Vol. 99 no. 18. May 10, 1986. p. H - 1. ISSN 0006 - 2510. Jump up ^ Dimery, Robert ( 2011 ). 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. Octopus Publishing Group. ISBN 978 - 1 - 84403 - 717 - 9. Steppenwolf 's proto - metal `` Born to Be Wild, '' heard over the opening credits of Easy Rider, which made U.S. No. 2 for three weeks Jump up ^ Hoskyns, Barney ( 1996 ). Waiting For the Sun : The Story of the Los Angeles Music Scene. Viking. p. 172. The brilliant soundtrack, including the Byrds ' ' Was n't Born to Follow ', Steppenwolf 's proto - metal ' Born to be Wild ', and Jimi Hendrix 's ' If Six Was Nine ', helped to set the film in a kind of outlaw - rock'n'roll context. Jump up ^ Walser, Robert ( 1993 ). Running with the Devil : Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8195 - 6260 - 9. ^ Jump up to : Horowitz, Hal. `` Born to Be Wild -- Song Review ''. AllMusic. All Media Network. Jump up ^ The Human Expression : Love at Psychedelic Velocity ( Media notes ). Collectables Records. 1994. Jump up ^ `` The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ( 1 -- 500 ) ''. Archived from the original on August 20, 2006... Rolling Stone. RealNetworks. Jump up ^ `` Vh1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs ''. Spreadit.org. January 1, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2009. Jump up ^ Graff, Gary ( April 14, 2018 ). `` Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducts Songs for the First Time, Including ' Born to Be Wild ' & ' Louie Louie ' ''. Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- Steppenwolf -- Born To Be Wild '' ( in German ). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 2, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Ultratop.be -- Steppenwolf -- Born To Be Wild '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 2, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Top RPM Singles : Issue 5856. '' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 17, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Offiziellecharts.de -- Steppenwolf -- Born To Be Wild ''. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 2, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Nederlandse Top 40 -- Steppenwolf -- Born To Be Wild '' ( in Dutch ). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 2, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Search listener ''. Flavour of New Zealand. Retrieved July 14, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Official Singles Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 2, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Steppenwolf -- Awards ''. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 2, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Steppenwolf -- Born To Be Wild '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 2, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Official Singles Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 2, 2013. Jump up ^ `` The RPM 100 : Top Singles of 1968 ''. RPM. Vol. 10 no. 19. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits for 1968 ''. Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 20 July 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Forum -- ARIA Charts : Special Occasion Charts -- CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989 ''. Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 17, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Offiziellecharts.de -- Kim Wilde -- Born To Be Wild ''. GfK Entertainment Charts. ^ Jump up to : `` Swisscharts.com -- Kim Wilde -- Born To Be Wild ''. Swiss Singles Chart. ^ Jump up to : `` Ultratop.be -- Tania Dexter -- Born To Be Wild '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Jump up ^ Johnston, Maura ( December 11, 2009 ). `` The 50 Worst Songs of the ' 00s, F2K No. 15 : Hinder, `` Born To Be Wild '' ``. The Village Voice. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Leszczak, Bob ( 2014 ). Who Did It First ? : Great Rock and Roll Cover Songs and Their Original Artists. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 25. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4422 - 3321 - 8. Jump up ^ Cook, Stephen. `` Slade -- Slade Alive ! ''. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 18, 2013. Jump up ^ Raggett, Ned. `` The Cult -- Electric ''. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 18, 2013. Jump up ^ Monger, James Christopher. `` Ozzy Osbourne -- Prince of Darkness ''. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 18, 2013. Jump up ^ Unterberger, Richie. `` Various Artists -- NASCAR on Fox : Crank It Up ''. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 18, 2013. Jump up ^ Phares, Heather. `` Original Soundtrack -- Borat ( Original Soundtrack ) ''. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 18, 2013. Jump up ^ Eremenko, Alexey. `` Krokus -- Hoodoo ''. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 18, 2013. Jump up ^ `` El día en que LA RENGA hizo estallar el Víctor Jara por primera vez '' ( in Spanish ). Irock.cl. July 9, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2014. Jump up ^ Marano, Francesco ( September 24, 2015 ). `` '' Stairway To Heaven '' Jess Greenberg ( Led Zeppelin Cover ) ( YouTube Official Music Video ) ``. Zumic. Retrieved November 17, 2017. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Steppenwolf John Kay Michael Wilk Gary Link Ron Hurst Danny Johnson Jerry Edmonton Goldy McJohn Michael Monarch Rushton Moreve Nick St. Nicholas Larry Byrom George Biondo Kent Henry Bobby Cochran Andy Chapin Wayne Cook Michael Palmer Steve Palmer Danny Ironstone Kurtis Teel Chad Peery Brett Tuggle Welton Gite Rocket Ritchotte Les Dudek Steve Fister Studio albums Steppenwolf The Second At Your Birthday Party Monster Steppenwolf 7 For Ladies Only Slow Flux Hour of the Wolf Skullduggery Wolftracks Paradox Rock & Roll Rebels Rise & Shine Live albums Early Steppenwolf Live Live in London Live at 25 Live in Louisville Compilations Gold : Their Great Hits Rest in Peace 16 Greatest Hits The ABC Collection The Best of Steppenwolf : Reborn to be Wild Born to Be Wild - A Retrospective The Millennium Collection The Collection Singles `` Born to Be Wild '' `` Magic Carpet Ride '' `` The Pusher '' `` Ride with Me '' Related articles Discography Members Gabriel Mekler Mars Bonfire Rushton Moreve Kim Wilde Studio albums Kim Wilde Select Catch as Catch Can Teases & Dares Another Step Close Love Moves Love Is Now & Forever Never Say Never Come Out and Play Snapshots Wilde Winter Songbook Remix albums The Remix Collection Compilations The Very Best of Kim Wilde The Singles Collection 1981 -- 1993 The Very Best of Kim Wilde The Hits Collection Singles `` Kids in America '' `` Chequered Love '' `` Water on Glass '' `` Cambodia '' `` View from a Bridge '' `` Child Come Away '' `` Love Blonde '' `` Dancing in the Dark '' `` House of Salome '' `` The Second Time '' `` The Touch '' `` Rage to Love '' `` Schoolgirl '' `` You Keep Me Hangin ' On '' `` Another Step ( Closer to You ) '' `` Say You Really Want Me '' `` Rockin ' Around the Christmas Tree '' `` Hey Mister Heartache '' `` You Came '' `` Never Trust a Stranger '' `` Four Letter Word '' `` Love in the Natural Way '' `` It 's Here '' `` Time '' `` Ca n't Get Enough ( Of Your Love ) '' `` I Ca n't Say Goodbye '' `` World in Perfect Harmony '' `` Love Is Holy '' `` Heart over Mind '' `` Who Do You Think You Are '' `` Million Miles Away '' `` If I Ca n't Have You '' `` In My Life '' `` Kids in America 1994 '' `` Breakin ' Away '' `` This I Swear '' `` Shame '' `` Loved '' `` Born to Be Wild '' `` Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime '' `` You Came ( 2006 ) '' `` Perfect Girl '' `` Together We Belong '' `` Baby Obey Me '' `` It 's Alright '' `` Sleeping Satellite '' `` To France '' `` Ever Fallen in Love '' `` FU Kristmas ! 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Question: who wrote born to be wild by steppenwolf
Answer: Mars Bonfire