Wango Tango

Album: Scream Dream (1980)
Charted: 86
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Imbued with Ted Nugent's savage energy, "Wango Tango" is one of his most popular live songs. He told Songfacts it's about "beautiful girls on the beach, and the rhythm that accompanies that." It's a close cousin to one of his earlier songs, "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang."
  • Growing up in the '50s and '60s, Nugent heard lots of songs about dances, many coming from Motown Records in his hometown of Detroit. The "wango tango" is his version of a dance, but not the kind you can do in public without getting arrested.
  • If it's loud, goes fast, and has an engine, Nugent probably likes it (he did some off-road racing for a short time), so it's no surprise to hear him singing the praises of a Maserati in this song. But this hot rod is all about innuendo, with Nugent finding yet another way to express the throes of passion.
  • "Wango Tango" is the first track and only single from Nugent's sixth album, Scream Dream. On many of his earlier songs, he didn't sing lead - his guitarist Derek St. Holmes often did. But Ted sang most of the tracks on the album, including "Wango Tango," which doesn't require virtuoso vocals.
  • This was used in the 2007 Simpsons episode "I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and in the 2017 episode of Stranger Things, "Chapter Two: Trick or Treat, Freak."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.

Eric Clapton

Eric ClaptonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really write "Cocaine" while on cocaine? This question and more in the Clapton edition of Fact or Fiction.

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went Mainstream

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went MainstreamSong Writing

These overtly religious songs crossed over to the pop charts, despite resistance from fans, and in many cases, churches.

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.

Who Wrote That Song?

Who Wrote That Song?Music Quiz

Do you know who wrote Patti Smith's biggest hit? How about the Grease theme song? See if you can match the song to the writer.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."