Leslie West (born Leslie Weinstein on 22 October 1945; died 22 December 20… Read Full Bio ↴Leslie West (born Leslie Weinstein on 22 October 1945; died 22 December 2020) was an American rock guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter best known as a founding member and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Mountain. He also produced two studio albums and a live release with Cream bassist Jack Bruce under the name West, Bruce and Laing. West released a number of solo albums and was highly respected for his guitar work.

West gained fame the world over during his long career as one of the most innovative and influential musicians in the history of rock music. He is most noted for his role as leader of the explosive hard rock trio, Mountain, which was named by VH-1 as one of the Top 100 Hard Rock Groups of all time. With Mountain, he climbed the heights of rock stardom on the strength of a unique, signature guitar sound and classic songs such as “Mississippi Queen”, “Never In My Life” and “Theme From An Imaginary Western”,and Nantucket Sleighride which are still staples of rock radio to this day. West earned the admiration of a long list of famous peers. During his career, he recorded or played with a litany of rock icons including Billy Joel, Van Halen, The Who, Mick Jagger and Jimi Hendrix, to name just a few. In fact, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Schenker and Richie Sambora have all cited West as an important influence on their own music.

West's bold, expressive and unique guitar style is really a mirror of his own personality. Spend a little time talking with this larger-than-life figure, and you’ll realize that he is as charismatic without a guitar in his hands as he is with one. Possessing a sharp sense of humor, he was at once gregarious and gruff while recounting stories from his legendary past. When discussing his music projects, he exuded an infectious enthusiasm and excitement. Such projects could take him outside his traditional roles of guitarist, singer and songwriter.

In 1986, he acted alongside Tom Hanks and Shelley Long in the hit comedy film, The Money Pit and has lent his distinctive voice to the popular animated series, Beast Wars Transformers which ran for three seasons on the WB network beginning in 1996 before going into syndication. He has also contributed the theme music to the new WB show, Mutant X.

West was a popular personality on the Howard Stern Radio Show and was Musical Director for the shock jock’s FOX series, as well as for the late comedian Sam Kinison. Most recently, he lent his production and songwriting skills to an album by Atlantic Records’ modern rock group, Clutch, and has just released his own instructional guitar DVD, Big Phat Ass Guitar.

Born To Be Wild
Leslie West Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go 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 lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racin' with the wind
And the feelin' that I'm under
Yeah Darlin' go 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's child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die

Born to be wild
Born to be wild

Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go 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's child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die

Born to be wild
Born to be wild

Overall Meaning

Leslie West's version of "Born To Be Wild" is a song about freedom, adventure, and going on a wild ride. The lyrics are encouraging the listener or the receiver of the message to "get their motor runnin' and head out on the highway" to find adventure and to live life to the fullest. The song acknowledges the danger and risks of this lifestyle, with the lines "fire all of your guns at once" and "explode into space" both referring to pushing oneself to the limit, but at the same time, there is an infectious exuberance in the song that suggests that the rewards of such a lifestyle outweigh the risks.

The lyrics personify the singer as a "true nature's child," highlighting the idea that some people are naturally drawn to a life of adventure and that nothing can stop them from pursuing it. The song celebrates the idea of living life to the fullest and embracing the unknown, with the repeated refrain of "Born to be wild" a call to arms for anyone who feels the same way.

Overall, Leslie West's "Born To Be Wild" is an anthem of the free spirit that encourages listeners to embrace their wild nature and live life to the fullest.

Line by Line Meaning

Get your motor runnin'
Prepare yourself and get ready to go

Head out on the highway
Start driving on the open road

Lookin' for adventure
Seeking excitement and new experiences

And whatever comes our way
Regardless of what happens

Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Encouragement to take action and create your own destiny

Take the world in a love embrace
Embrace the world and all its wonders with love

Fire all of your guns at once
Give everything you've got and don't hold back

And explode into space
Burst out into the world with energy and power

I like smoke and lightning
Enjoying the intensity and unpredictability of life

Heavy metal thunder
Feeling the power and energy of life

Racin' with the wind
Going with the flow and moving forward quickly