Tone Loc - Wild Thing (1988)

“Wild Thing” is a single by American rapper Tone L?c from his 1989 album L?c-ed After Dark. The ...

“Wild Thing” is a single by American rapper Tone L?c from his 1989 album L?c-ed After Dark. The title is a reference to the phrase “doin’ the wild thing,” a euphemism for sex. According to producer Mario Caldato, Jr., who engineered and mixed the song, producer Michael Ross was inspired by an utterance of Fab 5 Freddy “Come on baby let’s do the wild thing” in Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It, and asked Young MC to write the lyrics.

Tone L?c’s song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1989, only behind Paula Abdul’s breakthrough hit “Straight Up”.

It inspired at least two parodies (the Gilligan’s Island-themed “Isle Thing” by “Weird Al” Yankovic, which was Yankovic’s first rap parody; and “Child King” by Christian band ApologetiX). It eventually sold over two million copies. It also peaked at number 21 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2008, “Wild Thing” was ranked number 39 on Vh1’s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.

Music video
A music video directed by Tamra Davis was made for the song at a reported cost of $500, copying the style of Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love.” Mini-skirted women play guitars next to Tone L?c; the video was frequently shown on MTV. The leading lady in the video is played by actress Tracy Camilla Johns.