Steppenwolf "Born To Be Wild" & "Magic Carpet Ride" on The Ed Sullivan Show

Steppenwolf "Born To Be Wild" & "Magic Carpet Ride" on The Ed Sullivan Show, August 17, 1969. Subscribe now to never miss an update: ume.lnk.to/EdS...
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The Ed Sullivan Show was a television variety program that aired on CBS from 1948-1971. For 23 years it aired every Sunday night and played host to the world's greatest talents. The Ed Sullivan Show is well known for bringing rock n' roll music to the forefront of American culture through acts like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones. The entertainers each week ranged from comedians like Joan Rivers and Rodney Dangerfield, to Broadway stars Julie Andrews and Richard Burton, to pop singers such as Bobby Darin and Petula Clark. It also frequently featured stars of Motown such as The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5. The Ed Sullivan Show was one of the only places on American television where such a wide variety of popular culture was showcased and its legacy lives on to this day.
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#Steppenwolf #EdSullivan #EdSullivanShow #ClassicRock

[@westontheneskid6225]

Humans will never be this cool again.

[@mdarrenu]

Agreed. Don't forget Dean Martin when you say cool and Billy Jack.

[@mistermasterful3556]

Like Steve Mcqueen cool, Paul Newman Cool, Clint Eastwood Cool

[@shyman99]

"Now for you teenagers, the long-haired Steppenwolf rock n rollers". Ed was such a square, but isn't that what makes him so endearing.

[@SueBoo2]

Cutting-edge!

[@mattc2094]

Old Ed couldn’t remember the names of the acts on his show god bless him

[@billferron6473]

Ed was right.

[@rexsexson5349]

Poor Ed. Good guy though.

[@jadezee6316]

@@rexsexson5349 you should be so poor....

[@artisaprimus6306]

Rock bands that performed on Ed Sullivan shocked America. Props to Ed for having the courage to have them on his show.

[@artisaprimus6306]

@@starlabratcherflannigan1798 ok, Mr Delusional. Rock bands weren't as mainstream as they are today. Trying to explain it to you is a waste of time.

[@KittyGrizGriz]

Maybe the parents~grandparents were shocked but not the kids! 😂

[@artisaprimus6306]

@@KittyGrizGriz Exactly, you have remember America was still a very conservative, buttoned down society in the mid sixties. They were listening to Frank Sinatra and singers like that. Rock music was extreme to them.

[@casyatbat]

Really? Those were the bands at that time also played on Carson, and many other shows that showed what was happening at that time. Remember he would not let the Doors sing the words "could not get much higher" as the prude thought it had sexual connotations and the Doors - Morrison did anyway with Sullivan saying they will never play again on his show. Even here the most famous lyrics of Steppenwolf "Heavy Medal Thunder" was not sang. This is terrible disrespect not to allow them to sing the entire song instead of a dopey medley.

[@casyatbat]

@@artisaprimus6306 Not true, maybe the parents and grandparents, but not the kids, as I was brought at that time. There was a musical renaissance with the Doors, Hendrix, Stones, Grateful Dead, Santana, just watch Woodstock and you will see the music at that time.

[@wesleyhall8630]

One of my favorite bands in the 60's.

[@Large23collectibles]

This performance was aired on the same weekend of Woodstock. What a time.

[@oliverdunham3299]

Yup not aired but Live. ALSO> All week long the news was not only about the hippy invasion north of NYC BUT the Manson Family murders of Sharon Tate and party happened the weekend before. Not to mention the Vietnam mess. Quite a time, Ed may have felt some responsibility and lost some sleep.

[@michaelZ1B]

I think Steppenwolf (and others) were scheduled to play Woodstock but the logistics made it impossible to navigate to upstate NY that weekend.

[@Flussig1]

We had also just landed on the moon, all of this during the Hong Kong flu. What a time indeed.

[@johnpepe180]

1969 CAMARO What a great year.....

[@drinkingpoolwater]

also a week after the manson murders. what a time!! the end of the 60s!

[@Eclipse52776]

Mad respect for Sullivan, even tho he didn't like rock he still had some of the heaviest rock bands at the time perform on his stage

[@KeithPonder21]

What makes you think that Ed Sullivan didn’t like Rockn Roll? That’s insanity

[@casyatbat]

Really, "mad respect" when he would not let the Doors sing the words "could not get much higher" and the Doors - Morrison did anyway with Sullivan saying they will never play again on his show. Even here the most famous lyrics of Steppenwolf "Heavy Medal Thunder" was not sang. This is terrible disrespect not to allow them to sing the entire song instead of a dopey medley.

[@AdvenuringTime]

@@casyatbat Ed Sullivan actually thought the doors were very good apparently. It was show production and the network that asked them not to self censor, afraid they would be cancelled. All these stories have been hyped up over time to fit the myth of the 60's. The hippies weren't really the rebels we like to think they were. All college kids these days smoke pot and listen to music.

[@casyatbat]

@@AdvenuringTime what "myth" are you talking about? The hippies were no different than the beaniks before them, and before them the bobby sockers. I was brought at that time, and in that time was the Vietnam War, creating in my opinion a music renaissance . There is no myth, it was just the reality at that time and unless you lived then, you just don't know. We knew, especially starting in high school, we would be going to war. My draft number was 84 and when a good friend of mine got his notice at #81, I joined the Navy as my father did in WW2. It's not now, where it is all volunteer and the country has forgotten or don't think about those having several deployments. There is no myth, it was just young people. Your "myth" thing is at best anecdotal. By the way I was lucky to see the Doors 2nd to last concert at State Fair Music Hall in Dallas, a very small theater. We were not expecting much, because of the Doors bad reputation for being wasted. It turned out to be one of the best concerts I've ever been to, with Robbie Kreiger with so many beautiful haunting solos. If you ever saw the Doors movie with Val Kilmer, that is exactly what Jim Morrison looked like then, with a beard and drinking Texas Tall Boys during the solos. We all grow up - some faster than others - we all did things when we were young.

[@Larry-gn1xj]

Ed did like lip syncing.

[@robertoponce8077]

John Kay, a rock singer with a superb presence on stage🎉

[@susanrike7476]

Pure charisma. He and the band should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

[@a.k.4486]

Magic Carpet Ride is one of sickest and funkiest rock track ever!!!!!!!!!

[@LeeZeidel]

Ed Sullivan was a fixture a famous face in everyone's living room every week gotta love this guy a true icon.

[@barrysmith8920]

I was 11 years old… I thought John Kay was the COOLEST singer in the world. 😎 I still do! 🌹

[@wolfedavid3700]

no rock history book would be complete without sullivan...............

[@jacobzehner2004]

I don’t why but I feel like music back then was the golden era than the music of today.

[@717rocket]

Inside, he's thinking I need a band that's that will redifine Rock and Roll for the ages.

[@davemathews7890]

I once looked like these guys. My parents were really ticked off.

[@davidwhite5408]

Still rockin at 71

[@velvetbees]

John Kay looked like this magnificent, gothic rock god on stage. He is over six feet tall and has a presence like an eagle that's about to take off.

[@margotconway8605]

Steppenwolf was my first concert in Miami ever. Don't remember the exact year but it was at the Miami Marine Stadium on Key Biscayne. I'm a boomer and i was was in junior high. Steppenwolf was bad *ss great

[@daviddunn773]

Its past time !! the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame .................

[@CheralPharo]

Great Music, Great Band ❤❤ Great Memories

[@gjerrildkro]

Why has this band , not been inducted in the rock and roll hall of fame ??? Classic intro by Ed Sullivan.

[@royjohnson465]

The R&RHOShame is a joke with no credibility. They inducted total absolute garbage trash like Nine Inch Nails, Parliament Funkadelic, Ramones, Depeche Mode, Notorious B.I.G and other cRappers that are not even R&R. But leave out many of the very best bands and singers that built R&R.

[@starlabratcherflannigan1798]

Because the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke

[@ethandumas6937]

The rock and wall hall of fame is lame the artist have to pay to be inducted, ice cube was telling about nwa being offered and turning it down because they want money from the artist

[@KittyGrizGriz]

Please stop asking that question 🙋🏼‍♀️

[@tonetone7572]

Criminal,,.. obviously the clowns in charge of things have no idea how big this group was in 68-70 and what an impact they had on the music scene back then and their influence is still present in music today.." Heavy Metal Thunder"..

[@MRAmericaFF3]

I saw the group in 1982 at bar in Queens NY with hundreds of bikes parked out front. It was packed inside and they were great. Not much different in 82 than when these singles came out. I remember watching Ed Sullivan and he always had a "really great show"!

[@c.s.mcleod7383]

John Kay:"Heavy Metal Thunder". I think he's owed millions in royalties for that phrase.

[@lesschoenberger3070]

Actually it would go to Mars Bonfire who wrote that lyric and the song.

[@damonfordham9803]

Don't you just love that intro? Ed, you rock.

[@Moxy770]

Very Heartwarming Damon.....Thats ED..

[@Themaddprof]

@@Moxy770 "The Long hired Steppenwolf Rock and Rollers!" Done in typical Ed Sullivan cadence. It all adds to the fun. Gotta love it!

[@Moxy770]

@@Themaddprof That I Did & still do.....thanx

[@robinmcdonald687]

Ahhh....music I grew up with....too good!

[@smilingskull7827]

This song always adds extra horsepower to my engine..

[@leakoe3797]

Had the LP.. Keep playing it at school.. Perfect rock..wild man..

[@ozzyozcorn]

AWEEEE YEA!! WERE DEFINITELY GONNA DROP SOME L.S.D. TONIGHT FOR THIS ONE!!!

[@rslitman]

August 17, 1969 - the weekend of Woodstock. Steppenwolf did not perform at that festival, maybe because they had a major TV gig instead.

[@recordguy4321]

well it was a good move. probably better money and they didnt have to endure all the mud, rain etc

[@ozzyozcorn]

@@recordguy4321 they didn't wanna sing purely live...

[@WWChampion16]

Same thing happened to Joni Mitchell. She wanted to do Woodstock, but her manager persuaded her to do The Dick Cavett Show instead. So she wrote a song called Woodstock.

[@lesschoenberger3070]

They were tired of playing festivals and all of the hassles that came with them as John Kay stated in his book.

[@that70sgirl90]

The days of Great Music and Good Times... They just don't make them like this any more! Thank you for sharing! 💖

[@montydaniels1054]

Hey, that's why it's part of our job to keep ''Liking'' these ''Classic Rock Songs'' so the younger generations don't continue to get caught up in Digital Sound, Auto-Tune, or Computerized Instruments.... Support Music In Schools & Donate Instruments Locally When & If You Can..... It's Such a Great Feeling When A Music Teacher Accepts Those Gifts....

[@kensellers4082]

On one of the PBS My Generation dvds, John Kay sings and plays guitar magnificently on these two classic hits. He had the audience in that Delaware audience really rocking.

[@TerryMundy]

@@montydaniels1054Now in 2023 we should add AI. Is it it real or is it AI?

[@JimMason-ei2kz]

My favourite rock band of all-time! It’s criminal that they are not in the Rock ‘N Roll Hall Of Fame!

[@DavidWebster-m8e]

No it's the rock and roll hall of fame that's criminal

[@JimMason-ei2kz]

@@DavidWebster-m8e Yeah, for sure! There are a few great solo artists and bands, that have been waiting for decades, to be inducted!

[@ShawnaDobbs-qc2iq]

Every time I start my Harley 883 Sportster in my head I hear, Get your motor running head out on the highway…..when I was a member of a rodeo team we would open the events with a precision routine carrying sponsor flags on horseback. Our theme song was always Ghostriders in the sky, but one rodeo I secretly changed the music to Born to be wild not telling anyone. When we came flying into the arena everybody was on their feet loving it!!! It was our performance song from the on. Just goes to show you how great music fits anywhere even rocking a rodeo arena full of country people!!

[@jimmyb1559]

I can remember watching these bands when I was a kid and wanting to be in a band to hear the girls scream. Great memories. Thank you.

[@Ease54]

Never in a band, but I've heard a few girls scream. At me...not for me...

[@V8salem]

this song never die

[@KittyGrizGriz]

Fantastic Baby, Heavy Metal Thunder love Jerry’s hat! too bad it’s so echoey sounding 😵‍💫 😂

[@debberraharriman6570]

Music at it's best.

[@seizethedayandlive]

i have no idea if it was intentional but i actually like the sound of him singing live along with the recording of the song; great voice

[@kellymccartney659]

the singing started on magic carpet ride before john stared singing

[@nicholasbrowning4558]

No it was recorded ,vocals as well

[@donjohn2695]

He's not signing live

[@leebaker2588]

@@nicholasbrowning4558 both . . . "stereo"

[@bobkeelan66]

He's singing along with the recording.

[@pmccachren]

Classics never get old just better.

[@HoofHearted6]

TOTAL BADASSERY

[@jetman1965]

Xiavier Cugat and Charo talent from my country Spain.

[@quiteright623]

Sound engineer sleeping at the wheel .. The band is playing along with the studio tracks but didn't raise John Kays LIVE VOCAL level up loud enough .. You can still hear the studio vocal along with His live dub !!

[@DeansMayhem]

I noticed the same thing!

[@garyhighley9022]

I think thats just what they did back then ...sounds weird but still cool that he aint just lip syncing.

[@crazychris960]

Yeah, and given how popular double tracking and studio musicians were at the time, I'm guessing wouldn't have been a practical way to perform the instrumental part live for a lot of these songs without it sounding wrong, but they could have used an instrumental mix or something.

[@mathmusic1490]

I thought maybe the vocal was double tracked!! Oh well...it sounds cool. (Why aren't they in the Rock n' Roll Hall???)

[@aprilknaus]

Right?! He clearly can sing. No auto tune back then!

[@stevewilkosotherchair7192]

BORN TO BE WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILD

[@sirfrancisdrake4285]

Five Stars ! Saw them in 1968 at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento Ca. Three Dog Night opened the show. This was a fantastic show and memory. Cheers.

[@cattycorner8]

LOL His intro!!! "Now for all of you teenagers, the long haired Steppenwolf rock n rollers..."

[@kaylakane69]

I am many years after this I wasn't even born yet. But the time I was 8 years old I knew I wanted to be a biker 14 in a dog that name Steppenwolf. In my early twenties the first time I saw John Kane Steppenwolf it's always blowing my mind a man who is completely color blind frankly legally blind never rode a motorcycle could I have that contact song Born to Be Wild connected to the movie East Rider. 0:40

[@GaryGrube1]

I remember the 1st time that Steppenwolf was on the Ed Sullivan show. I was doing something and I just had to stop everything and watch with my undivided attention! They were mesmerizing! A couple of years later, I was finally able to see them live in concert at Eastern Illinois University. Besides being talented, John Kay has experienced a complex and interesting life of which we were given a sample in Steppenwolf's song, "Renegade".

[@Lucas_Dankemann_the_freak]

Besides the many hits the Steppenwolf 7 album is still my favourite....

[@finorius30]

- Obrigado!

[@robertmclean9737]

My high school anthem. Saw them in 2012 in Estes Park. Still rockin.

[@caveman4598]

These cats are in the thought man laying down some cool vibes ya dig man

[@williammummert645]

one of the best songs ever

[@oldguyblues]

John kay epic voice

[@davidstokes4630]

Well done!!!

[@paulwilton735]

Best years of my life.

[@mikeluke7417]

The song that gave us the term " heavy metal" great book

[@speedracer2336]

Great rock band!

[@guillermoortega4119]

AWESOME

[@heatherdinelle9019]

The Best !

[@veggigoddess]

The 60s leading into the 70 was one of those two sandwich decades where you could really really see what the next decade was about to look like style-wise and Pop Culture wise, by analyzing the last couple of years of the previous decade straight out of the 70s

[@FrederikSaraber]

The good old days...they will never come back...

[@serg.io0214]

Great band

[@asussurge670]

I still remember the just dance to this song

[@carseye1219]

I remember sometime in the early 1980s, I saw that John Kay was performing at this real dive bar. I thought "Say it ain't so John". But we all got to do what we got to do...

[@ТехноДом-я1у]

Сильнейшие рокеры суперская группа рок 🎸 навсегда здорово 👍

[@fabiangonzalezchiruchi36]

The Ed Sullivan introduction was very funny,

[@montydaniels1054]

Sure was, not the usual ''Right Here On Our Shoe''...........

[@TomElvisSmith]

Please post Sergio Franchi singing "Lonely Is A Man Without Love," and "For Once In My Life" from this episode. Thank you! :)

[@brianduncan2793]

So my favorite Band , Hear their song in my head when i ride a ton of good music . Rock on

[@marvinmartian7281]

Great band from planet Earth indeed!

[@effiemooney8477]

Awh, those were the days, woohoo!!!

[@mls92255]

I really appreciate the text . . . for 54 years i didn't know most of the words for these epic songs. i like the songs even better now I know what the lyrics really are.

[@dondressel452]

When I was 17 in 1974 I would cruise on the highway in my 67 Coronet RT with a 440 listening to this song Great days great cars hot women I miss those days

[@mattc2094]

Nice 👌🏼

[@leebaker2588]

that was a great car . . .

[@ppumpkin3282]

I bet you pressed your foot on the accelator when this song came on. When I was sixteen I got 1961 Mercery Meteor 390 with a V-8, it was already a rust bucket in 1968. Gas was only 20 cents a gallon. The car had no speedometer. One day in the winter we skipped school and went to Cape Cod, when we reached the Cape Cod bridge we realized we had gone 60 milles in thirty minutes, and it felt like nothing. When you were a kid you did crazy things. Five years later I did an all nighter trip to the cape, came back the next morning and feel asleep at the wheel and woke up just before I went into a cement wall. Having the fear of death put in me kept me awake the rest of the trip. In those days I didn't have the common sense to pull over for a nap - I felt like I had to keep on trucking.

[@TheBrisnana]

Loved their clothes

[@drinkingpoolwater]

same weekend as woodstock. incredible!!! also a week after the manson murders.

[@moparmenace59]

most under rated band in rock. alot of their other music never saw radio play because of politics.

[@roaming740]

Indeed, and their political songs still resonate today

[@osmarhernandez904]

this song is the OG.

[@eddapust9544]

Ohhhh jaaaaa ! Klasse ! 👍

[@floriangeyer1]

Best driving song ever.

[@deirdre108]

Yup, when that intro starts, I see nothing but an open road in front of me.

[@beverlylamon2169]

I was atWoodstock.

[@jerrycarlos8413]

This amazing song is required listening for me at least several times a week & has been for years. It's helped me walk on a smart side.

[@kevinmcgiffin10]

Wow rock and roll ed.... and not lip sync

[@raulmacias6146]

Michael Monarch playing a very cool Rickenbacker Combo 800 Fireglo Guitar!

[@raykrocker994]

There is nothing out there today like this.

[@jordanaja934]

what a trasition!

[@elvitalarado9697]

Such talent!! The good ole days!!

[@luciaandrealopezfuentes6308]

Recuerdo ver este video con mi papá mamá y hermana 💕🖤 que bellos tiempos

[@Lucky-ou4vz]

Doesn't get much Better than that !!

[@biglakecreekproductions8440]

Why is that Steppenwolf has not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Seriously.

[@glennzornig4978]

The reviews in Rolling Stone were negative. Some say they did not like the L.A. bands. They did not like Spirit either.

[@Bmille1965]

because they chose the Go Gos insted what a joke

[@marc2397]

WTF!?

[@echoecho3108]

Because The Wolf is mightier than the RHoF. Steppenwolf is so much better than the RHoF can stand. Rock on, Wolf!

[@shauny2285]

I never understood why the RHoF is in Cleveland Ohio. LA/Hollywood, maybe Detroit (Motown) makes more sense to me.

[@michaelZ1B]

First time we've seen 2 icon hit songs performed (as one song) in less than 2 minutes. So many songs cut short because the Dancing Bear act was coming up next. Or Stiller & Merra. Or Flip Wilson.

[@Flussig1]

Or topo Gigio.

[@JimMason-ei2kz]

I have twenty-five of the thirty-five albums, in my collection. Nice list but ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, should have been number one!

[@ricardomadrigal2593]

Esto es tener clase!!!!!

[@wayne8268]

smoke and lightning, heavy metal thunder

[@ysvanwout6707]

that VOICE😎

[@cathyyutko866]

Its amazing to think that a few years earlier the groups wore suits and short hair.

[@deborahwilson4684]

I just knew that's when CBS would cut BORN TO BE WILD -before "Smoke & Lightning". They didn't just shorten songs to make way for the guy balancing the plates--censors wanted lyrics changed. Morrison refused to do it--as anyone who saw The Doors film or the Sullivan tv clip knows! No way I would change that line! Steppenwolf was & always will be-Kings of the hardest, coolest, rock music known to mankind. Btw-R&R H O F DID put Born To Be Wild into a new category started before Covid. It was called Iconic Rock Songs! It was the 1st & last song inducted as far as I know! I thought that was a great idea! So many other worthy songs! 2nd yr could've been I Love Rock & Roll. And so on.R&RHOF is a joke!

[@lennykoss8777]

💗💗💗💗

[@ramiroalvarez5397]

Cool 😎 rock performance from the 60's past!

[@AmazingColorizing]

These "Long-haired Steppenwolf Rock n' Rollers" were THE hot Rock band in 1968.

[@leebaker2588]

Ed Sullivan was a genius . . .

[@lucianolovito7283]

BORN TO BE WILD Get your motor runnin' Head out on the highway Looking for adventure In whatever comes our way Yeah, darlin' Gonna make it happen Take the world in a love embrace Fire all of your guns at once And explode into space I like smoke and lightnin' Heavy metal thunder Racing in the wind And the feeling that I'm under Yeah, darlin' Gonna make it happen Take the world in a love embrace Fire all of your guns at once And explode into space Like a true nature child We were born Born to be wild We can climbed so high I never wanna die Born to be wild Born to be wild Get your motor runnin' Head out on the highway Looking for adventure In whatever comes our way Yeah, darlin' Gonna make it happen Take the world in a love embrace Fire all of your guns at once And explode into space Like a true nature child We were born Born to be wild We can climbed so high I never wanna die Born to be wild Born to be wild

[@donaldfewell8908]

Thanks!

[@NoPe-304]

We have never nor will ever be as cool as humans was in the 60-80s

[@Marsbonfire007]

R.I.P. Goldie McJohn