The song was written by lead singer and frontman
Sammy Hagar. Its introduction, a distorted electric
slide guitar sound which emulates that of a revving motorcycle, became the defining component of the song. When the song was conceived before this guitar sound, the band and producer
Ted Templeman were not happy because they felt it was missing a
hook to make it stand out.
Ronnie Montrose stumbled upon it while messing with a slide and fuzz box one day in the studio. Playing his guitar in
Open D tuning, Montrose improvized what became the motorcycle sound — although Templeman and engineer
Donn Landee kept him going when they failed to get the recording tape rolling. When performed live by the original Montrose lineup, Sammy Hagar would play the "motorcycle" introduction on a
lap steel slide guitar. == Playing by Chickenfoot ==