Rocktober '70s Song #2: "20th Century Boy" by T. Rex (1973)

British rockers T. Rex should probably be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame based on influence alone.  Lead singer and main songwriter Marc Bolan founded the band as Tyrannosaurus Rex in 1967 as a psychedelic folk band, as was the style at the time.  A couple years later, the band name was shortened to T. Rex, and they moved towards a more electric sound.  The band essentially invented glam rock, ushering in the genre with 1971's Electric Warrior album -- which featured "Get It On," the band's sultry signature song (and the one you're most likely to have heard) -- and Bolan's shiny stage clothes and glittery makeup during an appearance on Top of the Pops the same year.

T. Rex influenced a number of bands across a variety of genres other than glam rock, including punk, hair bands, post-punk, Britpop, and others.  The band is even referenced in a few songs you've probably heard, like The Who's "You Better You Bet," Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes" (written by David Bowie), and The Ramones' "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?"  Sadly, Bolan died in 1977, about a month and a half before I was born.  So, yes, I am positing that I am Marc Bolan reincarnated.  Prove me wrong.

If you're not fully acquainted with T. Rex, I definitely recommend checking them out.  They didn't have nearly the success in the U.S. as they did in the UK, with "Get It On" being their only Top 40 hit in the U.S. (#10), while scoring 20 Top 40 hits in the UK (including a string of ten Top 5 singles in a row between 1970 and 1973).  As a result, there are a lot of us stateside that just didn't know anything about them other than "Get It On."

The song I'm going with is "20th Century Boy," which was released as a non-album single in 1973, hitting #3 on the UK pop charts (and then again hitting #13 on the UK pop charts 18 years later when it was featured in a Levi's commercial).  I first heard this song because of Def Leppard, who covered it on their wonderful covers album, Yeah!, in 2006.  It's a perfect example of '70s British glam, with its fuzzy riff, hand claps, ooooohhs and aaaaahhhs in the backing vocals, random sax, and sexual energy.