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This page describes how the song came to be recorded by Steppenwolf, but really says very little about the song itself, other than that it was originally conceived as a ballad.
I think it would be worth noting in this article that, despite the song having become forever associated with biker culture by its inclusion in Easy Rider, its composer maintains that the song was actually about letting loose in a muscle car.
I would add that myself, but I'm just too lazy to search for a citation-worthy source. (I first encountered the assertion decades ago. And, from the lyrics, it certainly appears likely. A brief glance at the net yielded many mentions of it. However, little short of a direct quotation from Bonfire/Edmonton would confirm that it is anything more than a long-standing rumour.) Starling2001 (talk) 18:34, 6 June 2023 (UTC)