Hi guys and welcome to The Jukebox! With each blog I’m gonna be bringing you a classic track from days gone by. Anything after 1989 is strictly off-limits, so turn off your iPod for now and indulge a little in some treats from another decade.
The Jukebox kicks off with one of the most iconic sights from 1970; Marc Bolan of T.Rex donning a satin fuchsia shirt and his jet black corkscrew hair. Hailed as the inventors of glam rock, Ride A White Swan became the bands first hit single of the eight they had before Bolan’s death in ’77.
It’s a song to love. Simple, irresistibly danceable and something that laid the foundations for a whole sub-genre. At the time of its release Bolan was still experimenting with electric guitar rather than acoustic, and T.Rex was an explosion of colour on the music scene. They stood out from the more bluesy standard of rock’n’roll headed by long-standing legends like Elvis Presley and, like Elvis had, brought something to the table a younger generation could adore. The flamboyancy and androgyny that the band played with, alongside other giants such as David Bowie, had a global impact on both pop music and popular culture as a whole. From The Smiths to Goldfrapp and My Chemical Romance, some of the biggest artists of the last twenty-five years have named the band as a massive influence on their own musical styles.
T.Rex defined glam rock with feather bowers and tambourines, and Ride A White Swan is a perfect example of as to why Marc Bolan became one of the most influential musicians in rock history.
By Kamiah Overaa
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