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Artist Who Wrote "Wild Thing" & "Angel Of The Morning" Gone At 86
He was born James Wesley Voight, but he used the name Chip Taylor. And during his career, he wrote a classic that was seen by many as one of the first punk records ever. "Wild Thing" by the Troggs is considered one of the first of its kind, and was memorably featured in the movie "Major League."
“The way I was doing my rock ‘and’n’ roll stuff and ‘Wild Thing,’ that was all in the same kind of honest energy that would come with the Velvet Underground and Joan Jett and all those people. The demo is very garage-sounding, very punk-sounding. And the recording of it is very garage-sounding and probably the first record that was done like that. …
‘Wild Thing is a therapeutic song. It lets you relax. And I think that’s the secret to it. It’s simple and it feels good. It’s sweaty. Sweaty things are good.”
He also wrote "Angel of The Morning," a hit for Merilee Rush and The Turnabouts and later for Juice Newton.
Taylor also had other credits to his name but it's for Wild Thing that he will always be remembered.
He was 86.
Chip Taylor, Songwriters Hall of Fame Member Who Wrote ‘Wild Thing’ and ‘Angel of the Morning,’ Dies at 86
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Re: Artist Who Wrote "Wild Thing" & "Angel Of The Morning" Gone At 86
There is also the Shaggy version of Angel which Kiss 105.3 Sudbury seems to play daily even though it is years old now.
Last edited by mic'em (March 25, 2026 6:28 am)
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Re: Artist Who Wrote "Wild Thing" & "Angel Of The Morning" Gone At 86
RadioActive wrote:
He was born James Wesley Voight, but he used the name Chip Taylor. And during his career, he wrote a classic that was seen by many as one of the first punk records ever. "Wild Thing" by the Troggs is considered one of the first of its kind, and was memorably featured in the movie "Major League."
“The way I was doing my rock ‘and’n’ roll stuff and ‘Wild Thing,’ that was all in the same kind of honest energy that would come with the Velvet Underground and Joan Jett and all those people. The demo is very garage-sounding, very punk-sounding. And the recording of it is very garage-sounding and probably the first record that was done like that. …
‘Wild Thing is a therapeutic song. It lets you relax. And I think that’s the secret to it. It’s simple and it feels good. It’s sweaty. Sweaty things are good.”
He also wrote "Angel of The Morning," a hit for Merilee Rush and The Turnabouts and later for Juice Newton.
Taylor also had other credits to his name but it's for Wild Thing that he will always be remembered.
He was 86.
Chip Taylor, Songwriters Hall of Fame Member Who Wrote ‘Wild Thing’ and ‘Angel of the Morning,’ Dies at 86
When Chip says that Wild Thing was probably the first garage/punk record - Don't think that is correct bc even the original version of Wild Thing by the Wild Ones (1965) came after the Witch by the Sonics (1964). The Sonics were from the Pacific Northwest and there were other bands from that region that were mining the same territory before Wild Thing. No doubt Wild thing was an early example of garage/punk but not the first. There were garage type rumblings in the Pacific Northwest and beyond in 1963/64 ( Paul Revere and the Raiders).
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Re: Artist Who Wrote "Wild Thing" & "Angel Of The Morning" Gone At 86
Another pre Wild Things example of garage/punk.
Out of Our Tree by The Wailers ( not those Wailers).
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Re: Artist Who Wrote "Wild Thing" & "Angel Of The Morning" Gone At 86
Honest to god when I read Wild Thing I thought of Tone Loc. The other version didn't enter my mind.
Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change.