Favorite "Wild" Songs #8 - "Wild One"

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The wilder, the better: Recently, @FourWalls started a countdown of her favorite songs with "wild" in the title, and I quickly jumped in. My series is at #8: "Wild One," which is also known as "Real Wild Child." Quite an interesting history has "Wild One." The song was first recorded in 1958 by Johnny O'Keefe (the first Australian rockstar to tour America.) As the story goes, O'Keefe and his band were playing a gig in Sydney, while a wedding reception took place downstairs. Eventually, members of the reception engaged in fisticuffs with some of the rock and roll crowd, in the mens room, with the violence quickly moving into the street, a big enough brawl that it involved both the Police and the Navy Shore Patrol in the effort to stop what had, in essence, become a riot. "Wild One" was born from that incident. Cover versions of "Wild One" abound. Notably, Iggy Pop covered it as "Real Wild Child (Wild One,)" taking it to #10 in the UK, and #27 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. (Iggy also performed the vocals on a 2008 cover by Australian rock band Jet.) And Buddy Holly played guitar on a version by his drummer, Jerry Allison (titled "Real Wild Child.") Jerry Lee Lewis, Albert Lee, Status Quo, Joan Jett, Marshall Crenshaw, and Brian Setzer, among others, have also covered the tune. Still, it's Iggy's cover that remains the ultimate version, recorded for his 1986 album, Blah-Blah-Blah. (And yes, I am a bit biased, having seen Iggy Pop perform the song live on the tour supporting that album.) Which, of course, is why I've linked to the official Iggy video. Enjoy! (Info verified by Wikipedia)