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20th Century Boy

1973 single by T. Rex

1973 single by T. Rex

FieldValue
name20th Century Boy
coverT Rex 20th Century Boy Ariola Cover.jpg
captionPicture sleeve from Germany
typesingle
artistT. Rex
B-sideFree Angel
released2 March 1973
*{{cite newsfirstJonlast= Savageauthor-link= Jon Savagetitle= The 20 best glam-rock songs of all timenewspaper= The Guardianurl= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/feb/01/20-best-glam-rock-songs-all-timedate= 1 February 2013access-date= 15 May 2016}}
*{{cite bookfirstNathanlast= Brackettfirst2= Christianlast2= Hoardtitle= The New Rolling Stone Album Guideyear= 2004publisher= Simon & Schusteredition= 4thpage= [822](https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/822)quote= Bolan (...) started writing manic chant-along glam-rock hits such as "Metal Guru," "20th Century Boy," "Solid Gold Easy Action," and "Children of the Revolution."isbn= 978-0-7432-0169-8url-access= registrationurl= https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/822}}
*{{cite weburlhttps://www.stereogum.com/1903210/34-essential-glam-songs/lists/title=34 Essential Glam Songsfirst=Stephenlast=Deusnerdate=January 5, 2017website=Stereogumaccess-date=December 16, 2024}}
*{{cite weburlhttps://ultimateclassicrock.com/70s-glam-rock-songs/title=Top 10 70's Glam Rock Songsfirst=Eduardolast=Rivadaviadate=March 17, 2013website=Ultimate Classic Rockaccess-date=December 16, 2024}}
*{{cite weburlhttps://www.treblezine.com/200-best-songs-of-the-70s/15/title=Treble’s Top 200 Songs of the ’70sfirst=Jefflast=Terichdate=August 12, 2012website=Trebleaccess-date=December 24, 2024}}
*hard rock<ref>{{cite bookfirstMarklast= Paytresstitle= Bolan: The Rise And Fall Of A 20th Century Superstaryear= 2009publisher= Omnibus Pressurl= https://books.google.com/books?id=-yk4U2LILeMC&pg=PT363isbn= 978-1-8460-9147-6}}
*glam punk<ref>{{cite weburlhttps://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11846-tanx-zip-gun-futuristic-dragon-work-in-progress/title=T. Rex: *Tanx* / *Zip Gun* / *Futuristic Dragon* / *Work in Progress* - Album Reviewsfirst=Stephenlast=M. Desunerdate=5 February 2006website=Pitchforkaccess-date=16 February 2025quote="'20th Century Boy' is a wallop of glam-punk that remains one of the best singles of the decade."}}
*rock and roll<ref>{{cite weburlhttps://www.allmusic.com/song/20th-century-boy-mt0008836834title=20th Century Boy - T. Rex / Song Reviewaccess-date=29 May 2025website=AllMusicfirst=Nedlast=Raggettquote=A stone-cold rock and roll classic, no matter how one slices it...}}
length3:39
label
writerMarc Bolan
producerTony Visconti
prev_titleSolid Gold Easy Action
prev_year1972
next_titleThe Groover
next_year1973

| B-side = Free Angel

  • Glam rockThe following sources describe the song as glam rock:
  • hard rock
  • glam punk
  • rock and roll

"20th Century Boy" is a song by English rock band T. Rex, written by Marc Bolan, released as a stand-alone single on 2 March 1973.

Although at first considered as its closing track, "20th Century Boy" was not featured on the album Tanx, released at the same time in early March. It was later added as a bonus track on the 1985 reissue of Tanx and on all versions released since.

Recording

"20th Century Boy"

"20th Century Boy" was recorded on 3 December 1972 in Toshiba Recording Studios in Tokyo, Japan at a session that ran between 3:00p.m. and 1:30a.m. For possibly the first time, producer Tony Visconti was not present at a T. Rex session, with Marc and Mick O'Halloran assuming the role. Despite this, Visconti is still officially credited with production. Backing vocals, hand claps, acoustic guitar and saxophones were recorded in England when T. Rex returned to the country after their tour.

The single version of the track fades out at three minutes and 39 seconds; however, the multi-track master reveals that the song ended in nearly a full three minutes' worth of jamming. A rough mix of the full-length version can be found on the Bump 'n' Grind compilation.

According to Marc Bolan, the lyrics are based on quotes taken from notable celebrities such as Muhammad Ali. This can be seen through the inclusion of the line "sting like a bee", which is taken from one of Ali's 1969 speeches.

"Free Angel"

"Free Angel" was recorded during the first sessions for the Tanx album, between 1 and 4 August 1972. The single was mixed for release at Air Studios on 16 December 1972.

Release and reception

"20th Century Boy" was released on 2 March 1973. It entered the UK Singles Chart at number 3 on 10 March 1973 and peaked three weeks in a row at that position. It stayed a total of nine weeks in the UK Chart while topping the charts in Ireland, although like most T. Rex singles it failed to chart in the US.

The song was met with a warm reception in Bolan's home country, where Chris Welch of Melody Maker noted that "guitars tremble, Marc howls, and it's 'gang awa' with another in his series of rhythmic entertainments". Charles Shaar Murray of NME thought it was the group's best since "Telegram Sam" with "Marc's thunder guitar majestically assaulting you." Peter Jones at Record Mirror wrote that it was "very, very good indeed" and predicted it would top the charts. However, Penny Valentine at Sounds, who had praised earlier T. Rex hits, now lamented that Bolan "hadn't extended his musical capabilities as far as he might have done."

The song returned to the UK Top 20 in 1991, peaking at number 13, after being used in a TV commercial for Levi's starring Brad Pitt. A version of the song by British rockabilly band The Big Six was used in The Truman Show in 1998. The song was also used in the opening of the 2016 film The Purge: Election Year, it also is the name of Magent Magent's Stand in Steel Ball Run, seventh part of the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki, and it is the namesake of the manga series 20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa.

Track listing

  1. "20th Century Boy" -
  2. "Free Angel" -

Charts

Chart (1973)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)57
Spain (AFE)28
Chart (1991–1992)Peak
position
Denmark (IFPI)5
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)13
Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)5
UK Airplay (*Music Week*)12

Certifications

Covers and renditions

Siouxsie and the Banshees version

British post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees recorded a version of the song as the B-side to their single The Staircase (Mystery), released 23 March 1979.

Chart (1979)Peak
positionUK Singles (OCC)
8

Girlschool version

In 1983, British rock band Girlschool recorded the song for their fourth studio album, Play Dirty, and it was released by Bronze Records as the album's lead single in October 1983. Girlschool's version was produced by Jim Lea and Noddy Holder of Slade.

Chart (1983)Peak
positionUK Heavy Metal Singles (MRIB)
8

Chalk Circle version

Canadian rock band Chalk Circle covered "20th Century Boy" in 1987.

Chart (1987)Peak
position
Canada (Cancon)9

Def Leppard version

English hard rock band Def Leppard covered the song on their 2006 album, Yeah!, which features cover versions of 1970s rock hits. It was released as the third and final single from the album, on 21 August 2006. The band used the song extensively as promotion for including two TV appearances and a regular rotation in the setlist of their 2006 Yeah! Tour. Def Leppard performed "20th Century Boy" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on 23 May 2006 two days before performing the song with Queen's Brian May on VH1 Rock Honors broadcast on 31 May.

References

References

  1. Paytress, Mark. (2009). "Bolan: The Rise And Fall Of A 20th Century Superstar". [[Music Sales Group.
  2. M. Desuner, Stephen. (5 February 2006). "T. Rex: ''Tanx'' / ''Zip Gun'' / ''Futuristic Dragon'' / ''Work in Progress'' - Album Reviews".
  3. Raggett, Ned. "20th Century Boy - T. Rex / Song Review".
  4. "T. Rex - 20th Century Boy".
  5. Danielz. (2000). "Bump 'n' Grind". Thunderwing Productions.
  6. Campbell, Irving. (2007). "A Guide to the Outtakes of Marc Bolan". Great Horse Productions.
  7. Peel, John. (1973). "Review of 20th Century Boy".
  8. "20th Century Boy". [[Official Charts Company]].
  9. McLenahan, Cliff. (2019). "Marc Bolan: 1947-1977 A Chronology". Helter Skelter Books.
  10. (2021). "The Oxford Handbook of Music and Advertising". Oxford University Press.
  11. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien.
  12. Salaverri, Fernando. (September 2005). "Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002". Fundación Autor-SGAE.
  13. (14 September 1991). "Top 10 Sales in Europe".
  14. "Forum – General – Finnish singles chart archive". Finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien.
  15. [http://www.umdmusic.com/default.asp?Lang=English&Chart=F&ChDate=19910908&ChMode=N Radio Luxembourg Singles. 15 September 1991.]
  16. (21 September 1991). "Playlist Chart".
  17. (1 October 1983). "New Singles".
  18. (17 November 1983). "Singles".
  19. (24 October 1987). "Top Cancon Singles".
  20. "Def Leppard – 20th Century Boy".
  21. {{YouTube. -kLTKtZMffE. Def Leppard 20th Century Boy 2006
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