T-Rex – 20th Century Boy

I first heard this song on a car commercial. It was nice to hear something from T. Rex other than Bang a Gong. T Rex was never huge in America, but for a few years was very popular in the UK. They were one of the biggest UK Glam Rock bands.

It was released in 1973 as a non-album single. 20th Century Boy opens with a riff that could crack the sidewalk. It doesn’t crawl out of the speakers so much as leap from them. It’s all swagger, glam, and distortion turned up to 11.

The song sounds so modern with Tony Visconti’s production. It never cracked the Top 10 in the U.S., but in the UK it was a smash. The song found new life in commercials and soundtracks. It’s Bolan doing what he did best, selling you not just a song, but an attitude. He wasn’t offering truth or authenticity; he was offering escape. 

Their popularity soared in 1971-72, and a mania that was called “T. Rexstasy”. In 1972, Ringo Starr produced and directed a concert film called Born to Boogie about T Rex. This song peaked at #3 in the UK Charts in 1973 and #11 in 1991.

The band only charted 3 songs in the Billboard 100 with one top ten hit…Bang a Gong. In the UK, they scored 4 number ones and 21 top forty songs.

20th Century Boy

Friends say it’s fine
Friends say it’s good
Everybody says it’s just like Rock ‘n Roll
I move like a cat
Charge like a ram
Sting like a bee
Babe I wanna be your man

Well it’s plain to see you were meant for me
Yeah, I’m your boy, your 20th Century toy

Friends say it’s fine
Friends say it’s good
Everybody says it’s just like Rock ‘n Roll
Fly like a plane
Drive like a car
Hold out your hand
Babe I’m gonna be your man

And it’s plain to see you were meant for me
Yeah, I’m your toy, your 20th Century boy

20th Century toy, I wanna be your boy [4x]

Friends say it’s fine
Friends say it’s good
Everybody says it’s just like Rock ‘n Roll
Move like a cat
Charge like a ram
Sting like a bee
Babe I’m gonna be your man

And it’s plain to see
You were meant for me
Yeah I’m your toy
Your 20th Century boy

20th Century toy, I wanna be your boy [4x]

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

36 thoughts on “T-Rex – 20th Century Boy”

  1. I always preferred their first incarnation, when they were Tyrannosaurus Rex. A more intimate, folky style. For me it all started to go downhill after Ride A White Swan, but Get It On (proper title) wasn’t bad, nor was Hot Love.

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  3. A great song. Should have been a hit here too, but at least now it’s pretty well known. I want to say this is the song Bowie was trying to come up with but never did back then… but I won’t because I’d probably get threats from the Ziggy Army, LOL

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  4. Electric Warrior and Slider were it for me…..his time sort of faded near the end, I cannot remember the final album I bought – Light of Love?..I remember a song called Think Zinc?……

    Girlschool did a great cover, I have to admit that’s where I first heard the tune and thought at first it was a Gary Glitter tune…I was corrected…

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  5. I’m ashamed to admit, while I recognised the tune from its use in The Truman Show, I don’t think I had heard the original until your post. Glam’s not my stuff in general, but I enjoyed this. I like ‘Born to Boogie’ as well.

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      2. When they did tour here…their record company put them on with mismatched bands like The Doobie Brothers or Black Sabbath…it just didn’t fit.

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  11. It ties in with ‘Wild Thing,’ a few more steps towards image, a notch up on the sound board, up to 12, but a Troggish simple driving beat, a bit more jangle in the mix, a chorus you can get behind. Music to get your dance floor shoes a’ sliding. He/Rex had a few hits here too, ‘Swan’ ‘Hot Love,’ ‘Telegram Sam’ etc, this one. And I’m sure the amateur mechanic in you is familiar with ‘Jeepster.’

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    1. Oh yes! I love Jeepster! I drove the Jeep today with the top down.
      Both of them relate to each other…this one a little more smooth but not by much. They both make ya move.

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  14. The Replacements did this tune justice during their “Let It Be” era. I was introduced to Bolan and T.Rex because of it. I love the original and the cover!

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