Wild Child (The Black Keys song)

"Wild Child" is a funk^[2] track where the narrator longs for "some vaguely sketched unattainable girl", as Pitchfork critic Stuart Berman describes it.^[3]

American Songwriter reviewer Hal Horowitz wrote the duo were "off wading into the banks of the muddy Mississippi, grinding out tough, tensile licks and gritty, committed vocals" with the track.^[4] writing for AllMusic, critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine states it "is one of the few songs that feels relatively self-contained on Dropout Boogie, as if they were consciously channeling the spirit of "Lonely Boy".^[5] "Wild Child" was nominated for Best Rock Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to "Broken Horses" by Brandi Carlile.^[6]

The song's music video, directed by Bryan Schlam,^[1] shows the duo at a school, initially inside of the staffroom being roasted by the teachers and later that day, the duo quit the school, walking away from the kids while flipping them off.^[7]

'Wild Child" was used as the theme song for the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble premium live event.^[8]

Adapted from Tidal:^[9]

Performers

• Dan Auerbach – bass, guitar, synthesizer, vocals
• Patrick Carney – drums, bass, guitar, synthesizer
• Andy Gabbard – Wurlitzer, background vocals
• Sam Bacco – percussion

Production

• The Black Keys – producer
• Jonny Ulman, McKinley James, Tyler Zwlep – assistant engineer
• Tchlad Blake, Tom Elmhirst – editor
• Caleb Buskirk, M. Allen Parker – engineer
• Greg Calbi, Steve Fallone – masterer