Recorded 1975 Label Epic | Genre Hard rock
heavy metal Writer(s) Ted Nugent
Rob Grange | |
Released November 1975 (1975-11) (US)
March 1976 (1976-03) (UK) Length 8:26 (album)
3:40 (single) | ||
"Stranglehold" is a single and the first track from Ted Nugent's self-titled 1975 album. The vocals are performed not by Nugent, but by Derek St. Holmes. However, the "Sometimes you wanna get higher" verse is sung by Ted himself. In Martin Popoff's book, "Epic Ted Nugent", Nugent admits that the song "Stranglehold" was co-written by Rob Grange, yet he never received a share for co-writer. "Stranglehold" would set the stage for Nugent's career, a guitar-driven track over eight minutes long - its famous guitar solo having been recorded in a single take.
Contents
Reception
Stranglehold has been ranked 31st greatest guitar solo of all time by Guitar World.
Cover versions
The song was covered by Oklahoma band Cross Canadian Ragweed as a hidden track on their 2004 album Soul Gravy. American metal band Tool is known to have covered this song 6 times live in 1998 with the guitar accompaniment of Buzz Osborne of Melvins while on tour for their 1996 album Ænima, and the lines "Got you in a stranglehold, baby" features in the album track "Crawl Away" off 1993's Undertow, just before the song's final chorus and outro.
In 2010/2011, the song was covered by Ministry on their compilation album Undercover.
Usage in media
It has been featured in the films Pain & Gain, Dazed and Confused, Rock Star, Invincible, Superbad, Beer for my Horses, and Bad News Bears as well as the television shows Freaks and Geeks, Supernatural, Entourage, Friday Night Lights, House M.D. and Ash vs Evil Dead.
It is featured as the theme song for the popular DFW sports talk radio show the "G-Bag Nation" (host Gavin Dawson) on 105.3 The Fan KRLD-FM.
"Stranglehold" appears as a playable track in Guitar Hero World Tour as an encore played after defeating Nugent in a guitar battle. However, the version in World Tour censors the words "bitch" and "higher" whenever they are sung, and the song is a different recording
The song appeared in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and Battlefield: Hardline in addition to the documentary BURN.
It is heard in a 2012 TV commercial for the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta.
It has been used as at-bat music by several Major League Baseball Players, including Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee, New York Mets outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, and Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon. It is also played during the 1st period entrance for the Chicago Blackhawks.
UFC fighter Joseph Benavidez uses the song as his walkout music. It was also used in the 80s by professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich.
It is heard in a NASCAR on NBC commercial advertising the 2015 Bojangles' Southern 500 as NASCAR was having a throwback weekend. This song along with others from the 70s were heard before the broadcast went to a commercial break.