20th Century Boy

"20th Century Boy" is a song by T. Rex, written by Marc Bolan. It was released as a single in 1973 and reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart. The song did not feature on an original studio album but was included as a bonus track on a reissue of 1973 album Tanx. It later returned to the UK Top 20 in 1991, fourteen years after Bolan's death, when it was used in a Chris Hartwill-directed commercial for Levi's starring Brad Pitt. A slightly different segment of the song, with the addition of a harp, was used in a Jameson's Whisky television advertisement.

Since its release it has been covered by artists such as Placebo featuring David Bowie, Def Leppard, Drain STH, Chalk Circle, The Replacements, Girlschool, Pink Cream 69, The Three Johns and Siouxsie and the Banshees. It has also been covered live by X Japan, playing the song in most of their performances. On 29 September 2007, Moby joined Richard Barone onstage for "20th Century Boy" at the T.Rex tribute in Central Park, NYC, with Tony Visconti on bass. Also covered in the 1998 film "The Truman Show" by the Rockabilly band Big 6. Avant-garde metal guitarist Buckethead also covered it on a 1997 tribute, Great Jewish Music: A Tribute to Marc Bolan.