Single:
20th Century Boy entered the Australian singles chart* on 4 June 1973 and peaked at #57.
Songwriter:
Marc Bolan
Producer:
Tony Visconti
Record label of Australian release:
T.Rex
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
Wikipedia:
20th Century Boy‘s lyrics are, according to Marc Bolan, 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.
Although the lyrical content of a lot of Marc Bolan’s songs is ambiguous, analysis of the multi-track recordings of 20th Century Boy reveals the first line of the song to be “Friends say it’s fine, friends say it’s good/Everybody says it’s just like Robin Hood,” and not the often misquoted “…just like rock ‘n’ roll.”
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Century_Boy
Lyrics:
Friends say it′s fine, friends say it’s good
Everybody says it′s just like Robin Hood
I move like a cat, talk like a rat, sting like a bee
Babe, I’m gonna be your man
It’s plain to see
You were meant for me
Yeah, I′m your boy
Your 20th century toy
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 70s
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