Day After Day #232: 20th Century Boy

Day After Day is an ambitious attempt to write about a song every day in 2024 (starting on Jan. 4).

20th Century Boy (1973)

Glam rock was a short-lived genre when it first emerged in U.K. in the early 1970s, combining hard rock with flamboyant and often gender-bending fashion. David Bowie, Sweet, Slade, Mott the Hoople, Gary Glitter and Roxy Music were at the forefront, but the band that kicked it all off was T. Rex.

The group was led by frontman Marc Bolan, who formed the band in London in 1967 as a psychedelic folk act called Tyrannosaurus Rex. At first performing as a duo with percussionist Steve Took, in 1970 Bolan replaced Took with Mickey Finn, shortened the band name to T. Rex and started to play hard rock. 

Adding bassist Steve Currie and drummer Bill Legend, Bolan started to swap out his hippie clothes with shiny satin pants and shirts. A string of hits in the U.K. followed, including "Hot Love," "Get It On" (which in the U.S. was renamed "Bang a Gong (Get It On)"), "Telegram Sam," "Jeepster" and "Metal Guru." 

T. Rex started having success in the U.S. as well, with "Bang a Gong" charting in the top 10. In 1973, the band released Tanx, which introduced more soul, funk and R&B sounds, beating Bowie to the punch by a year or so. At the same time, T. Rex released the non-album single "20th Century Boy," which featured a sleazy riff, handclaps and ripping sax work from Howie Casey.

"Friends say it's fine/Friends say it's good/Everybody says it's just like Robin Hood/I move like a cat/Charge like a ram/Sting like a bee/Babe, I want to be your man/Well it's plain to see/You were meant for me/Yeah, I'm your boy/Your 20th century toy."

Bolan wasn't just charting a new course for rock in the '70s, he was also providing a template for countless bands to come. Not just bands like the ones I already mentioned, but the New York Dolls, Ramones, Kate Bush, Siouxsie and the Banshees, R.E.M., the Smiths and many more. Bolan was a monster guitarist, a good-looking frontman and a fashion icon all in one. He also brought an over-the-top sexuality to the role.

"20th century toy/I want to be your boy/20th century toy/I want to be your boy/20th century boy/I want to be your toy/20th century boy/I want to be your toy."

The song went to #3 on the U.K. Singles chart. T. Rex released its next album, Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow, in February 1974. While it went to #12 in the U.K., T. Rex was dropped by Warner Bros. in the U.S. without the album being released. The band was continuing its foray into blue-eyed soul and funk, as it did on its next three albums. In 1977, T. Rex released Dandy in the Underworld and toured with punk upstarts The Damned as opener and Bolan seemed energized. In September 1977, Bolan and his girlfriend Gloria Jones were out for the evening when Jones crashed Bolan's car into a tree, severely injuring her and killing Bolan at the age of 29.

The influence of T. Rex was felt far and wide. The Power Station, a supergroup featuring Robert Palmer, Duran Duran's Andy and John Taylor and Tony Thompson, had a huge hit with a cover of "Get It On" in 1984. "20th Century Boy" has been covered by numerous artists, including R.E.M., Def Leppard and Placebo (on the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack). 

Marc Bolan and T. Rex should have been bigger, but that's the nature of rock and roll sometimes.