Song Clearance Sheet
4 sources citedWild Thing
Garage Rock1960s101BPM
A majKey
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Tempo/key via GetSongBPM →
The verdict
Documented Sampling History
Confirmed songwriter of record (Chip Taylor), no formal legal dispute found. The reversed credit on some US Atco pressings is a documented printing error, not an adversarial dispute; the Jon Voight family connection is presented factually.
Quick Facts
Released1966
GenreGarage Rock, Rock
LabelFontana / Atco Records
ProducerLarry Page
Recorded atLondon
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriter of record — Chip Taylor
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — Fontana/Atco; needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Unknown · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
A garage-rock standard covered widely (Jimi Hendrix at Monterey, 1967); part of this catalogue’s garage-rock thread.
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; confirmed songwriter(s) of record.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
A garage-rock contemporary in this catalogue (this batch)
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Chip Taylor (James Wesley Voight)
A documented printing error, not a disputeOn the US Atco pressing specifically, the credits were reportedly reversed — “Wild Thing” was miscredited to Troggs singer Reg Presley, while the B-side “With a Girl Like You” (genuinely written by Presley) was miscredited to Chip Taylor. A documented printing error, not an adversarial dispute.
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
Jon Voight “fell on the floor”
Chip Taylor’s brother, actor Jon Voight, was present the first time the song was performed, years before “Midnight Cowboy” — Voight recalled being so excited he “fell on the floor,” predicting people wouldn’t stop singing it. No lyrics reproduced.
AOL / SPIN · read it →
Royalties funded crop-circle research
Reg Presley used royalties from this signature hit to become one of the world’s foremost funders of crop-circle research.
History.com · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
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Times sampled
A garage-rock #1; covered by Jimi Hendrix
Covers
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First flip
Big names who used itJimi Hendrix
Who to Contact
WT
Chip Taylor (Fontana/Atco)
The confirmed songwriter of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 19/20)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass