20th Century Boy

Bolan wrote it, and it was recorded on 3 December 1972 at Toshiba Recording Studios in Tokyo, in a session that ran from 3 pm to 1:30 am. Visconti was not there, and Bolan and Mick O'Halloran took the production role, though Visconti is still credited. Backing vocals, handclaps, acoustic guitar and saxophones were recorded in England after the tour. It was meant to close Tanx, but it was removed from the album and released on its own in 1973, with Free Angel on the B-side. Bolan said the lyrics drew on quotes from famous people such as Muhammad Ali, and the line about stinging like a bee comes from one of Ali's 1969 speeches.

It entered the UK chart at number 3 and stayed there for three weeks, spending nine weeks in the chart, and it topped the chart in Ireland. It returned to the UK top 20 in 1991, reaching number 13, after it was used in a Levi's advert starring Brad Pitt. The Guardian called it a furious rocker with a heroic riff. Pitchfork's Stephen Deusner called it a wallop of glam-punk and one of the best singles of the decade. It has been added to all editions of Tanx since the 1985 reissue.