For a certain generation of pro wrestling fans, there is still a Pavlovian response that comes with hearing the opening guitar riffs on “Real American,” the longstanding entrance music for Hulk Hogan.
While the song has long been associated with Hogan, for better or worse, it was written by Rick Derringer, a prolific songwriter and singer whose career spanned several decades.
According to an announcement from his caretaker, Tony Wilson, Derringer passed away on Monday evening in Ormond Beach, FL, at the age of 77. No cause of death was provided, though Derringer had been ill recently.
“A fiery and remarkably versatile guitarist, a strong singer and a high-profile presence on New York’s rock scene of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Derringer also produced the Edgar Winter Group’s 1972 smash single “Frankenstein” and served as the band’s guitarist for several years; worked closely with Winter’s brother Johnny as a guitarist and producer; produced “Weird” Al Yankovic’s first album; and even gave Patti Smith her first major credit, on the song “Jump” from Derringer’s 1973 debut solo album, “All-American Boy,” writes Variety of the “Hang on Sloopy” and “Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo” singer.
Arguably, no song Derringer wrote was more important to American culture (again, for better or worse) than “Real American,” which he co-wrote with Bernard Kenny, who also provided vocals.
“My writing partner Bernard Kenny and I sat down one night in 1984, and we had the idea to write the most patriotic song of all time,” Derringer told Mel Magainze as part of an oral history of the song. “We were really proud Americans, and we wanted to express that in the song. So that was the whole objective behind it when we sat down — a few hours later, the song “Real American” was born. After it was written, we actually played it, and it brought us to tears. We knew we had done such a good job, and it was destined to be a hit.”
After Vince McMahon hired Derringer to produce “The Wrestling Album,” a compilation of songs meant to showcase pro wrestlers in the rock ’n’ roll world, he included “Real American.” It originally became the entrance song for the U.S. Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo) but was transferred to Hogan when he feuded with The Iron Sheik. After Hogan won the WWF championship, “Hulkamania” was born, and “Real American” became its anthem.
Eventually, Hogan’s appeal waned, and his reputation became, let’s say, less savory to a lot of people. However, “Real American” lived on thanks to its on-the-nose lyrics. They can be interpreted as a “straightforward expression of patriotism,” as used by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump in their respective political campaigns. It can also be interpreted as a “parody of buffoonish patriotism,” as seen in HBO’s Eastbound & Down.
Fun Fact: Derringer also wrote the theme for the WWF champion tag team Demolition, titled, aptly, “Demolition.”