Tone Lōc's song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1989, only behind "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul. It eventually sold over two million copies. It also peaked at number 21 on the UK Singles Chart.
"The Wild Thing" is slang for sex. It was a popular and benign euphemism that worked well in the late '80s. A music video directed by Tamra Davis was made for the song at a reported cost of only $500, with mini-skirted women playing guitars next to Tone Lōc, which went into heavy rotation on MTV.
