Do you like smoke and lightning? Heavy metal thunder? Good. This morning’s CarTune is “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf.
Maybe the 1969 film Easy Rider hasn’t held up that well into the 21st century. Maybe its time has come and gone with the beads and tie-dye. It’s what they call a “cult classic,” which means you have permission to roll your eyes when the need arises.
The film’s soundtrack album, which went certified gold in January 1970, seems to have fared better. There’s some great stuff on it: “The Weight” by the Band, The Byrds’ “Wasn’t Born to Follow,” and Jimi Hendrix with “If 6 was 9.” And of course, there’s Steppenwolf with Hoyt Axton’s great “The Pusher” and our feature today, one of the most rousing road songs ever, “Born to Be Wild.”
So maybe the best moment in the movie is the very beginning, when the snare hits at the top of “Born to be Wild” and the opening credits start rolling. It’s a great movie moment, tells us to prepare for the open highway—whatever comes our way. Watch for it in the video below.
What a way to start the holiday weekend! I’ve already pulled out my Steppenwolf vinyl.
On a related note, for as many times as I’ve watched Easy Rider, I never realized that Toni Basil of “Mickey” fame played the character of Mary. Mac’s Motor City Garage: entertaining and educational!
You collect vinyl? You’ll have to school me on it, looks interesting. I sill have some from way back.
While the movie is dated (I think the last time I saw it – probably 1980 – it seemed dated….) the song has held up well. Most of the album is pretty good – I still dig this one along with my favorite, Magic Carpet Ride.