"Born to Be Wild" is a rock
song written by Mars Bonfire and made famous by the American rock band, Steppenwolf. It is often used in popular culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude. The song is sometimes described as the first heavy metal song ever written and is also said to have inspired the name of the emerging heavy metal genre; although these claims are disputed, the song's second verse (which refers to "heavy metal thunder", though it is a reference to the weight of the motorcycle) contains the first recorded reference to "heavy metal".
