Wild Thing (Tone Lōc song)
| "Wild Thing" | ||||
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| Single by Tone Lōc | ||||
| from the album Lōc-ed After Dark | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Rap rock | |||
| Length | 4:23 | |||
| Label | Delicious Vinyl | |||
| Writer(s) | Young MC | |||
| Producer(s) | Matt Dike, Michael Ross | |||
| Tone Lōc singles chronology | ||||
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"Wild Thing" is a single by rapper Tone Lōc from his 1989 album Lōc-ed After Dark. The title is a reference to the phrase "doin' the wild thing," a euphemism for sex, unlike The Troggs' hit song, "Wild Thing", (later covered by Jimi Hendrix) in which the "wild thing" was a girl. According to producer Mario Caldato, Jr., who engineered and mixed the song, producer Matt Dike was inspired by an utterance of "wild thing" in Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It, and asked Young MC to write the lyrics.[1]
Tone Lōc's song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1989, only behind "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul,[2] and it spawned at least two parodies (by "Weird Al" Yankovic, called "Isle Thing", about Gilligan's Island and was Yankovic's first rap parody, and by Christian band ApologetiX, called "Child King"). It eventually sold over two million copies. It also peaked at number 21 on the UK Singles Chart.
The song caused some controversy for sampling Van Halen for a very low cost. The band was later given a larger payment after a court case. The song was remixed in 2007 with additional production and vocals from Peaches.
Sampling controversy
The song uses an uncredited sample of Van Halen's "Jamie's Cryin'". Van Halen's management at the time asked for a flat fee (credited in some reports to be US$5,000) as payment to have the song sampled by Tone Lōc. Apparently, this decision was taken without consulting the band's original members (credited as co-authors of the song), who in turn did not expect "Wild Thing" to become the major hit it became. A subsequent civil lawsuit was settled out of court, with the band receiving US$180,000 as settlement payment. Alex Van Halen has gone on record saying that he had heard the song over the radio halfway and not realizing it had been sampled until he recognized his (by now famous) tom-tom break at least a few times. Concerning the settlement, he said: "Well, at least we got something. Tone Lōc and his people made millions out of it..."
Music video
A music video directed by Tamra Davis was made for the song at a reported cost of only $500, copying the style of Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love" with mini-skirted women playing guitars next to Tone Lōc, which went into heavy rotation on MTV. The leading lady in the video is played by actress Tracy Camilla Johns.
Peaches remix
| "Wild Thing (Peaches Remix)" | |||||||
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| Single by Tone Lōc featuring Peaches | |||||||
| Format | CD single | ||||||
| Genre | Techno, electroclash | ||||||
| Producer(s) | Peaches | ||||||
| Peaches singles chronology | |||||||
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"Wild Thing (Peaches Remix)" is a version of Tone Lōc's "Wild Thing". The song features vocals by Tone Lōc and Peaches herself. This remix was made to celebrate Delicious Vinyl's 20th anniversary. It peaked at #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales.[3]
Music video
The music video for "Wild Thing Remix" shows Peaches and Tone Lōc performing live at Avalon during the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Delicious Vinyl.
Charts
| Charts (1988-1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 23 |
| UK Singles Chart | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles[3] | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[3] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles[3] | 2 |
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales[3] | 4 |
| Preceded by "Good Life" by Inner City |
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single (Tone Lōc version) February 4, 1989 |
Succeeded by "All She Wants Is" by Duran Duran |
References
- ↑ Key Tracks: Mario Caldato on Tone Loc’s “Wild Thing”
- ↑ "The Hot 100 : Feb 18, 1989 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard.com. 1989-02-18. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "allmusic ((( Tone-Loc > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
External links
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