54 Years Ago Today, "Wild Thing" Was Released in the USA

On April 22, 1966, "Wild Thing" by the British group The Troggs was released in the U.S. "Wild Thing" is a greasy rawk classic that has seen many artists pay tribute over the years with their own cover versions. Perhaps most famously used in the Major League movies as the theme song for Charlie Sheen's character of the rebellious pitcher. That version was performed by L.A. punk band, X. Although I love some of the cover versions, the original will always remain definitive to me.

This was one of those songs that helped coin the term "garage-rock". What exactly is "garage-rock"? It's defined as a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s. Some other notable examples of the "garage-rock" style: The Standells' "Dirty Water"; Count Five's "Psychotic Reaction"; The Seeds' "Pushin' Too Hard"; The Kinks' "You Really Got Me"; The Amboy Dukes'(with a very young Ted Nugent) "Journey to the Center of the Mind"; The Leaves' "Hey Joe"(later covered by Jimi Hendrix); and Syndicate of Sound's "Little Girl". More recent examples include Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" and the Smithereens' "A Girl Like You".