Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf song)

"Magic Carpet Ride"
Cover of the 1968 Netherlands single
Single by Steppenwolf
from the album The Second
B-side"Sookie Sookie"
ReleasedSeptember 1968 (1968-09)
Recorded1968
Genre
Length4:30 (album version)
2:55 (single version)
LabelABC Dunhill
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Gabriel Mekler
Steppenwolf singles chronology
"The Pusher"
(1968)
"Magic Carpet Ride"
(1968)
"Rock Me"
(1969)
Music video
"Magic Carpet Ride" on YouTube

"Magic Carpet Ride" is a rock song written by John Kay and Rushton Moreve from the Canadian-American hard rock band Steppenwolf. The song was initially released in 1968 on the album The Second. It was the lead single from that album, peaking at number three in the US, and staying in the charts for 16 weeks, longer than any other Steppenwolf song.[3]

The 45 rpm version is not only an edit of the album version, but contains a different vocal take on the first verse. Despite the single's popularity, the album version enjoyed heavy airplay on FM radio and is still the preferred version on most classic rock stations, as well as the one most commonly included on compilations and in popular media.

  1. ^ Gary Littman (1 October 2012). In Love. AuthorHouse. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-4772-7660-0. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  2. ^ Eder, Bruce. "Steppenwolf - Steppenwolf the Second Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". allmusic. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  3. ^ Steppenwolf - Chart history, Billboard.com. Retrieved January 25, 2014.