"Wild Child" is a song by the Black Keys, released on March 10, 2022, as the first single from their album Dropout Boogie.
Contents
Composition and lyrics
"Wild Child" is a funk track where the narrator longs for "some vaguely sketched unattainable girl", as Pitchfork critic Stuart Berman describes it.
Critical reception
American Songwriter reviewer Hal Horowitz wrote the duo were "off wading into the banks of the muddy Mississippi, grinding out tough, tensile licks and gritty, committed vocals" with the track. writing for AllMusic, critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine states it "is one of the few songs that feels relatively self-contained on Dropout Boogie, as if they were consciously channeling the spirit of "Lonely Boy". "Wild Child" was nominated for Best Rock Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to "Broken Horses" by Brandi Carlile.
Music video
The song's music video, directed by Bryan Schlam, shows the duo at a school, initially inside of the staffroom being roasted by the teachers and later that day, the duo quit the school, walking away from the kids while flipping them off.
Use in WWE
'Wild Child" was used as the theme song for the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble premium live event.
Credits and personnel
Adapted from Tidal:
Performers
Dan Auerbach – bass, guitar, synthesizer, vocals
Patrick Carney – drums, bass, guitar, synthesizer
Andy Gabbard – Wurlitzer, background vocals
Sam Bacco – percussion
Production
The Black Keys – producer
Jonny Ulman, McKinley James, Tyler Zwlep – assistant engineer
Tchlad Blake, Tom Elmhirst – editor
Caleb Buskirk, M. Allen Parker – engineer
Greg Calbi, Steve Fallone – masterer