There is considerable debate over what was the first heavy metal song. John Lennon maintained that it was his composition "Ticket to Ride" which probably says more about the clever one's lack of knowledge and/or interest in metal than anything else. The Beatles' "Helter Skelter" is another contender and it makes a far more convincing case. Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" has also been cited, as has Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". The fact that no one can quite agree is significant: clearly, metal was a seventies concern that sixties groups could only aid in building its foundation.
"Born to Be Wild" is yet another one that typically gets brought up. And, sure, the lyrics mention "heavy metal thunder" (even though that's a reference to motorbikes) and pounds like crazy. Still, it's much closer to hard rock or is at best a bridge between the two genres. Metal? I don't quite hear it, though, not unlike many of the above, it does do its part in mapping out the genre's future.
Even since its release, bikers have co-opted "Born to Be Wild" and with good reason. Its use in the 1969 motion picture Easy Rider alone justifies its place as an anthem for generations of leather clad outlaws speeding down highways. I'm not here to dispute this fact. What I would like to emphasize is that it is far from being about their subculture alone. If anything, it's the defacto theme song to every sixties' free spirit, be they biker or hippie. For every "get your motor runnin'" or "fire all your guns at once" there's a "take the world in a love embrace" or "a true nature's child". Rather than welcoming both groups in, it's as if Steppenwolf saw no differentiation.
Metal or hard rock, biker or hippie, "Born to Be Wild" was a much-needed shot of adrenaline to an increasingly dismal pop singles scene in 1968. With bubblegum pop going strong and the increasingly relevant soft rock emerging, a backlash was bound to materialize. It's impossible to say if the members of Steppenwolf had an antipathy towards the charts but there's no doubt that listeners reacted positively to the alternative they were presenting. (Hey, if they can be labelled as metal then why don't we also describe them as punks while we're at it?) The more abrasive side of garage rock that The Velvet Underground embodied failed to catch on with public at large while the popularity of The Doors was mainly down to their more melodic side (and, let's face it Jim Morrison's charisma). In Steppenwolf, there was now a hard rock act with commercial teeth, something that would carry forward even as the band itself began to fade.
Speaking of the band, it's worth noting that about half of Steppenwolf was Canadian. German-bron lead singer John Kay had spent some of his formative years in the Toronto area before relocating down south. He would eventually return to Ontario where he joined local group The Sparrows along with Nick St. Nichols and brothers Dennis — who didn't last as a permanent member but who would write "Born to Be Wild" — and Jerry Edmonton (sadly, not their real names). They would later head down to California where they soon became known as Steppenwolf. They would add a pair of Americans to their lineup by then but they still qualify for Can Con.
So, what of Steppenwolf's legacy? Did they invent metal? It's highly debatable. Did they unite bikers and hippies? It didn't take but it was worth a try. Did they usher in a Canadian pop-rock revolution? Oh hell yeah. They're about to start rolling in.
Score: 9
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