<P> In 1968 , Gabriel Mekler urged Kay to re-form the Sparrows and suggested the name change to Steppenwolf , inspired by Hermann Hesse 's novel of the same name . Steppenwolf 's first two singles were `` A Girl I Knew '' and `` Sookie Sookie '' . The band finally rocketed to worldwide fame after their third single , `` Born to Be Wild '' , was released in 1968 , as well as their version of Hoyt Axton 's `` The Pusher '' . Both of these tunes were used prominently in the 1969 counterculture cult film Easy Rider ( both titles originally had been released on the band 's debut album ) . In the movie , `` The Pusher '' accompanies a drug deal , and Peter Fonda stuffing dollar bills into his Stars and Stripes - clad fuel tank , after which `` Born to Be Wild '' is heard in the opening credits , with Fonda and Dennis Hopper riding their Harley choppers through the America of the late 1960s . The song , which has been closely associated with motorcycles ever since , introduced to rock lyrics the signature term `` heavy metal '' ( though not about a kind of music , but about a motorcycle : `` I like smoke and lightning , heavy metal thunder , racin ' with the wind ... '' ) . Written by Sparrow guitarist Dennis Edmonton , who had begun using the pen name Mars Bonfire and inspired by a billboard roadside advertisement Bonfire liked which depicted a motorcycle tearing through the billboard artwork , the song had already reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1968 . It sold over one million copies , and was awarded a gold disc . </P>
where did the band steppenwolf get their name
Hermann Hesse 's novel of the same name