I Wanna Rock
Encyclopedia
"I Wanna Rock" is a song from the album Stay Hungry (1984) by American heavy metal
band Twisted Sister
. In 2009 it was named the 17th VH1 Greatest Hard Rock Songs by VH1
. The song was also covered
by the pop punk
band Lit on 2001 Twisted Sister tribute album
, Twisted Forever
.
, best known as the sadistic Neidermeyer from the movie Animal House. Here, he plays a ferocious teacher who harasses a student for drawing the Twisted Sister logo on a book, shrieking: "What kind of a man desecrates a defenseless textbook?! I've got a good mind to slap your fat face!!" (echoing his line from Animal House: "What kind of man hits a defenseless animal [a misbehaving horse]? I've got a good mind to smash your fat face in."). After his attempts to stop his rock-loving students fail, he crawls into the principal's office – only to be confronted by the principal, played by Stephen Furst
(Flounder from Animal House). Furst even gets to reprise one of his big lines from the movie: "Oh boy, is this great!" as he squirts water at the mean teacher.
Video Game
Movies
Cover version and other uses
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
. In 2009 it was named the 17th VH1 Greatest Hard Rock Songs by VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
. The song was also covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by the pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
band Lit on 2001 Twisted Sister tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
, Twisted Forever
Twisted Forever
Twisted Forever – A Tribute to the Legendary Twisted Sister is a tribute album to Twisted Sister, released in 2001. Release of the album was on both CD, and a collector's edition released on double pink vinyl records.-Track listing / Artist :...
.
Music video
Like the earlier "We're Not Gonna Take It," the video features actor Mark MetcalfMark Metcalf
Mark Howes Metcalf is an American actor in both television and film.-Early life:Metcalf attended Westfield High School in Westfield, New Jersey.-Film and television work:...
, best known as the sadistic Neidermeyer from the movie Animal House. Here, he plays a ferocious teacher who harasses a student for drawing the Twisted Sister logo on a book, shrieking: "What kind of a man desecrates a defenseless textbook?! I've got a good mind to slap your fat face!!" (echoing his line from Animal House: "What kind of man hits a defenseless animal [a misbehaving horse]? I've got a good mind to smash your fat face in."). After his attempts to stop his rock-loving students fail, he crawls into the principal's office – only to be confronted by the principal, played by Stephen Furst
Stephen Furst
Stephen Furst is an American actor and film and television director. He was a regular in the science fiction series Babylon 5 playing Centauri diplomatic attaché Vir Cotto and as Dr. Elliot Axelrod on St...
(Flounder from Animal House). Furst even gets to reprise one of his big lines from the movie: "Oh boy, is this great!" as he squirts water at the mean teacher.
Media Appearances
"I Wanna Rock" is subject to numerous media appearances, including:Video Game
- It was used as the title song for the 2003 game Will RockWill RockWill Rock is a first-person shooter released in North America on June 9 and Europe on June 13, 2003. This first game, developed on the Saber 3D engine, by Saber Interactive and published by Ubisoft, did not receive huge media attention, but did polarize reviewers who ran the gamut with scores of...
. - It was used as a soundtrack for 2008's Burnout ParadiseBurnout ParadiseBurnout Paradise is the seventh game in the Burnout racing video game series. It was developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in January 2008 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and on February 5, 2009 for Microsoft Windows...
, as well as 2002's Grand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall... - A master track from Still Hungry album, a remake album of "Stay Hungry", is a playable track on the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
video game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80sGuitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80sGuitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s is a music video game and the third installment in the popular Guitar Hero series...
. This song, along with Scandal's "The WarriorThe Warrior (song)"The Warrior" is a song by pop/rock group Scandal, from the album of the same name. The song went to number one in Canada and number seven in the US, as well as number one on the Mainstream Rock chart in the US, in addition to winning a BMI Airplay Award in 1984.-In popular culture:*The song was...
(also playable master track) make use of fade-outs, as opposed to the ending treatment given to other songs in Guitar Hero series. - A master track from the original album "Stay Hungry" appears as a playable track in 2009's Guitar Hero Smash Hits, the Guitar Hero that featured the song from previous Guitar Hero series selected by fans. This time, player will be able to play guitar, bass, drum and/or singing parts, as opposed to the use in Guitar Hero Encore above, which players can only play guitar part.
- The song also appears in the soundtrack of the game Freestyle MetalXFreestyle MetalXFreestyle MetalX is a sports video game released in 2003 by Midway Games.This game is about a custom skater who goes through what seems to be "Tough", or "Crazy" sessions....
.
Movies
- The characters sang-along to the song, playing on the radio of the bus, in the 2000 movie Road TripRoad TripRoad Trip is a 2000 American comedy film written by Todd Phillips and Scot Armstrong and directed by Todd Phillips.-Plot :The movie begins with Barry giving a tour of the University of Ithaca to some prospective students...
. - Mackdawg productions used the song as the intro of their 2001 snowboard movie called The Resistance, featuring the forum team.
- American record producer, composer, and musician Tom RothrockTom RothrockTom Rothrock is an international record producer, composer and musician. Tom Rothrock has produced albums with James Blunt, Badly Drawn Boy, R. L. Burnside, Yonder Mountain String Band, Athlete, Sloan and Roman Carter....
, with actor, writer, composer, and musician Jim WiseJim WiseJim Wise is an American actor, voice actor, writer and composer. He is perhaps best known for his recurring role as Coach Tugnut in the Disney Channel Original Series Even Stevens....
, recorded a version of the song titled "Goofy Goober Rock" for the climax of the 2004 film The SpongeBob SquarePants MovieThe SpongeBob SquarePants MovieThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is a 2004 American animated film based on the popular Nickelodeon television series SpongeBob SquarePants. The film stars the voices of Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Doug Lawrence, Scarlett Johansson, Alec Baldwin, Jeffrey Tambor, and...
. - It was also heard in the 2008 movie The RockerThe Rocker (film)The Rocker is a 2008 American comedy directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Rainn Wilson, Josh Gad, Teddy Geiger, Emma Stone, Christina Applegate and Jason Sudeikis...
.
Cover version and other uses
- Twisted SisterTwisted SisterTwisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
guitarist Jay Jay FrenchJay Jay FrenchJohn French Segall , better known by his stage name Jay Jay French or J.J. French, is a founding member and one of the two guitarists of the American heavy metal band, Twisted Sister....
made a political song supporting Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
titled "I Want Barack", to the tune of the song. - New Jersey singer-songwriter Christian Beach recorded a bluegrass version of "I Wanna Rock" for the 2008 album "Hair Apparent – The Main Man Records Tribute to Hair Bands".
- The song is New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
first baseman Mark TeixeiraMark TeixeiraMark Charles Teixeira , nicknamed "Tex" is an American Major League Baseball player for the New York Yankees. Mostly a first baseman, he has also played third base and in the outfield...
's entry music. - This song is covered by Alternative RockAlternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Lit, in Twisted ForeverTwisted ForeverTwisted Forever – A Tribute to the Legendary Twisted Sister is a tribute album to Twisted Sister, released in 2001. Release of the album was on both CD, and a collector's edition released on double pink vinyl records.-Track listing / Artist :...
, a tribute album to Twisted Sister. This version was later included as a soundtrack for the baseball game Triple PlayTriple Play seriesTriple Play was a series of computer and video games based on Major League Baseball, published by EA Sports until their replacement by the MVP Baseball in 2003....
2002. - Also featured in the Broadway show "Rock Of Ages", which has productions in other countries such as Australia.
- The tune of this song was used in a "Parody" in an episode of Spongebob Square Pants under the title "I'm a Goofy Goober"