8 of T Rex's greatest ever songs, ranked

25 October 2019, 12:03 | Updated: 14 September 2023, 15:43

Marc Bolan and T Rex were the kings of glam rock in the 1970s, and their music still sounds incredible over 40 years later.

We've picked a handful of T Rex's greatest ever songs to make for the perfect beginner's guide playlist:

1. I Love to Boogie

   

   T.Rex - I Love to Boogie

   This was one of the few hits by T Rex released in the mid-to-late 1970s, and just a year before Bolan's death in 1977.

   The short ditty appeared on their final album, and reached number 13.

2. Jeepster

   

   Pan's People - Jeepster

   Taken from the band's 1971 album Electric Warrior, this gave them a number two hit.

   It was the source of a bit of controversy at the time, as Fly Records released the song without Marc Bolan's permission, with Bolan having just quit Fly for EMI.

3. Children of the Revolution

   

   Marc Bolan & T. Rex - Children Of The Revolution (1972)

   Fun fact: This song featured Elton John on piano, and Ringo Starr on a second drum kit!

   It was one of many T Rex songs used to great effect in the 2000 movie Billy Elliot.

4. Ride a White Swan

   

   T.Rex - Ride A White Swan 1970

   This was the first single credited to simply T Rex rather than the longer Tyrannosaurus Rex.

   Despite being just over two minutes long, it was one of the first glam rock hit singles of of 1970, and helped cement T Rex as a chart-conquering band.

5. Metal Guru

   

   T. Rex - Metal Guru 1972

   This gave the band their fourth and final number one single in 1972.

   Bolan revealed the song's religious undertones, saying: "It is a festival of life song. I relate 'Metal Guru' to all Gods around. I believe in a God, but I have no religion.

   "With 'Metal Guru', it's like someone special, it must be a Godhead. I thought how God would be, he'd be all alone without a telephone. I don't answer the phone any more. I have codes where people ring me at certain times."

6. Hot Love

   

   T. Rex - Hot Love (1971) HD 0815007

   This was T Rex's first number one single, released in 1971.

   The band's performances on Top of the Pops, which saw Bolan dressed up for the first time on TV in satin stagewear and glitter make-up, was an important moment in the rise of the glam rock movement.

7. Get it On

   

   T. Rex - Get It On (1971) HD 0815007

   This fist-pumping glam rock classic was T Rex's second number one single, released in summer 1971.

   Marc Bolan claimed to have written the song after hoping to record Chuck Berry's 'Little Queenie', and later said that the riff was taken from the Berry song.

8. 20th Century Boy

   

   T.Rex 20th Century Boy

   Marc Bolan said this song's lyrics were based on quotes taken from various celebrities such as Muhammad Ali.

   In case you were wondering, the first line of the song is actually "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."