"Stranglehold" is a song by American rock musician
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock a ...
, as well as the debut single and the first track from his
self-titled debut 1975 album. The vocals are by
Derek St. Holmes. However, the "Sometimes you wanna get higher" verse is sung by Nugent. Nugent admits that the song was co-written by
Rob Grange, who received no share.
"Stranglehold" is a guitar-driven track, over eight minutes long, and set the stage for Nugent's career. The guitar solo was recorded in a single take. "I used delays to create this really wild guitar duet with Ted," said producer
Tom Werman. "It was like two guys were playing. I sent it off to Ted for his approval. He called me up and said, 'I love what you did with Stranglehold, but don't ever do that again without asking me.'"
It became an entrance theme to the
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
team
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
. It was also the entrance theme used by
Kevin Von Erich
Kevin Ross Adkisson (born May 15, 1957) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kevin Von Erich. A member of the Von Erich family, Von Erich is best known for his appearances with his father's World Class ...
in his professional wrestling career.
Reception
"Stranglehold" has been ranked as the 31st greatest guitar solo of all time by ''
Guitar World
''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original arti ...
''.
See also
*
Ted Nugent discography
References
Ted Nugent songs
Songs written by Ted Nugent
1975 songs
1975 debut singles
Song recordings produced by Tom Werman
Epic Records singles
{{1970s-single-stub