Magic Carpet Ride

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Magic Carpet Ride"

Song by Steppenwolf
from the album Steppenwolf the Second
Released	1968
Recorded	1968
Genre	Psychedelic rock
Length	4:30
Label	ABC Dunhill Records
Writer(s)	John Kay
Producer(s)	Gabriel Mekler
Steppenwolf the Second track listing
"28" (Mekler) (6)	"Magic Carpet Ride" (7)	Disappointment Number (Unknown)" (8)

"Magic Carpet Ride" is a rock song written by John Kay and Rushton Moreve from the band Steppenwolf. The song was initially released on the album Steppenwolf the Second. It was the lead single from that album, peaking at #3 in the US, and becoming the band's second-biggest hit, surpassed only by "Born To Be Wild".

[edit] In popular culture

"Magic Carpet Ride" is one of Steppenwolf's most famous songs, having been used in numerous locations.

A cover version of the song performed by Michael Monroe of Hanoi Rocks and guitarist Slash was used in the movie Coneheads.
Zefram Cochrane plays the song during Earth's very first warp flight sequence in the film Star Trek: First Contact.
It is played in the 2000 Australian feature The Dish, as a '60s time/mood setting song.
It is heard in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me in the scene where Austin travels to 1969.
It is heard in the title screen of the EA Sports video game NASCAR Thunder 2003 on every platform in which the game is available.
It was used as the theme song in a commercial for EA Sports Nascar 99, which featured in-game footage of Dale Earnhardt driving his GM Goodwrench Plus car on a road course.
Chevrolet used "Magic Carpet Ride" as the song for their An American Revolution advertising campaign, that started on New Year's Eve 2003. It should be noted that the song is usually used only in commercials that feature Chevy cars on a car carrier.
It is heard in the title screen of the EA Sports video game Triple Play 2001 during the main menu.
It is featured in the 2004 movie Team America: World Police in a scene in which the team is celebrating a successful operation by holding a party at their headquarters.
It was used in the film Sahara during the scene in which Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino use the wings and wheels of a crashed plane to create a makeshift Skate Sail.
It's played in the film The Limey during a driving scene featuring Peter Fonda, intended to invoke images of his earlier movies, especially Easy Rider.
It is used in the film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back during Jay's dream about meeting the characters from Scooby Doo.
A cover version by Bedlam is used in the film Reservoir Dogs in the bar scene
An adaptation of the song was featured in the 1999 film Go.
It is used as the background music in one scene of the Cold Case Episode Debut (#313)
A cover of this song was used in a Wendy's commercial. The cover was a pop version of the song.
It is mistakenly credited to be written by a member(s) of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Inspired a popular San Francisco tourist attraction, Studio 39 Magic Carpet Ride. The ride features a carpet on a swivelling platform in a green room. Customers are encouraged to try the "free ride" by sitting on the carpet while performing gestures at the command of the "director". The combination of the moving platform, gestures and green screen technology produce the end result of a 2-minute video of the customer flying over San Francisco on a "magic carpet". The video also features pre-recorded sound effects and the Steppenwolf song as the score. Customers are encouraged to purchase the DVD anywhere from $20 to $50. Studio 39 was started near (and later at) Pier 39 in the early 2000s. Four other Magic Carpet Rides were started in Las Vegas. The original Pier 39 location closed in early 2007, along with at least one Las Vegas location. Rumored explanations for the closings of the Studio 39 (a private, non-union business) range from theft to corporate mismanagment.