Wild Thing (Chip Taylor Song) - Use in Sports, Television and Film

Use in Sports, Television and Film

• In the UK the song was used heavily by television programme "You've Been Framed", for clips generally involving animals.
  • The song was featured in a prominent scene in the 1997 miniseries Painted Lady featuring Helen Mirren.
• In 1992, the Troggs' version was used in the film D2: The Mighty Ducks.
• The 1989 baseball film Major League used "Wild Thing" recorded by L.A. punk band X as the theme song for Rick Vaughn, the team's erratic starting/relief pitcher. Life soon imitated art, when the Philadelphia Phillies closer Mitch Williams adopted the song for his entrances from the bullpen, including in the 1993 World Series. During the late 2000s, the song is played at Fenway Park whenever Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon comes in from the bullpen, followed by "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" by the Dropkick Murphy's.
  • Japanese Pro Wrestler Atsushi Onita used the X version of the song as his entrance theme.
• A version by Cheap Trick was used for the film Encino Man.
• In 2003, Aerosmith recorded a version of the song with a video, which was used for commercials and teasers advertising ABC's coverage of the NFL Wild Card playoffs.
• In 1998, the song was used in The Vicar of Dibley episode "Love and Marriage" - the choir at St. Barnabus' Church sang the song after Hugo and Alice made their vows and were pronounced man and wife.
• In the Full House episode, "Just Say No Way," Jesse Katsopalis plays this song with the marching band at DJ's school dance (replacing Dogface, a popular high school band, who broke up hours beforehand).
• The title of the 1986 film Something Wild was itself an inversion of the song title. The film features a scene where two main characters (played by Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith) pick up some hitch-hikers in their convertible and the party then sing "Wild Thing".
• The song was also sung in the TV show Saved by the Bell.