They’d already produced one of the most iconic singles of the 60s. It seemed like a lot to ask Steppenwolf to do it again on such short notice. To their credit, the hard rockers rose to the occasion with the massive 1968 single “Magic Carpet Ride” not long after they made their mark with “Born To Be Wild”.
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The song combines music that managed to be both aggressive and groovy with trippy lyrics that were partially inspired by the music itself. “Magic Carpet Ride” lives up to its promise. It really does take you away.
How the Wolf Survived
Steppenwolf formed in the late 60s out of the embers of a band called The Sparrows that had gained a record contract but failed to do anything with it. Leader John Kay came from Canada and led the band across America, from East to West Coast, before they found a deal that stuck.
Kay drove a hard bargain when Steppenwolf scored their contract with Dunhill Records. Knowing that they weren’t really cut out to be a singles band, he convinced the label to guarantee that they’d be allowed to make albums. But that promise proved to be a double-edged sword.
Steppenwolf was contracted to record two albums a year for Dunhill. After “Born To Be Wild” broke out from their self-titled 1968 debut, they hustled right back in the studio to make their sophomore album, appropriately titled The Second. Give them credit for rising to the occasion with another crunching hit in “Magic Carpet Ride”.
Making “Magic”
“Magic Carpet Ride” started with a bopping bass riff delivered by bassist Rushton Moreve. The band then did what they did best, building from the foundation and creating fascinating connecting pieces until they had a sprawling piece of music. That included the feedback-drenched opening concocted by guitarist Michael Monarch.
What they didn’t have were any lyrics. That was John Kay’s department. He took a cassette of the music home with him and put it on a new high-end stereo sound system he’d recently purchased with some “Born To Be Wild” royalties. Thus, it’s not surprising that the first verse he wrote referred to the experience of listening to music.
From there, Kay played into some of the surrealistic elements suggested by the opening verse. “Magic Carpet Ride” came into focus. Lo and behold, Steppenwolf, that band that didn’t want to be relegated to being a singles act, ended up scoring their second huge hit in a year.
Behind the Lyrics of “Magic Carpet Ride”
Kay starts “Magic Carpet Ride” by recounting what it felt like to hear his band’s music pumping through those fancy speakers. “I like to dream, yes, yes,” he exalts. “Right between the sound machine / On a cloud of sound I drift in the night.”
He beckons his lover to go with him on this fantastical ride. “Well you don’t know what we can find,” he asserts. “Why don’t you come with me, little girl / On a magic carpet ride.” The second verse plays like more of a farce. The narrator briefly possesses Aladdin’s lamp, only to lose it. “I looked around, a lousy candle’s all I found,” Kay shrugs.
“Fantasy will set you free,” Kay assures in the chorus. “Magic Carpet Ride” needed a full Steppenwolf team effort to bring it from inspiration to fruition. The final stop on this particular ride was rock immortality.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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