Marc had played guitar since the age of 9, but started to pursue music more seriously around 1964, when he became Toby Tyler, covering songs by Bob Dylan, and Dion.
(A track recorded around this time as Mark Feld, "All At Once" has recently been discovered will be released soon.) In his teen years, Marc became known as one of the first "mods". This led him to a brief stint as a model, and he chose to leave school when he was 14 years old. He also played guitar in a band called John's Children. Marc was needed for this group as a 'Pete Townshend' figure, but after 3 months, he left the band.
Together with Steve Peregrin Took, he formed his own duo Tyrannosaurus Rex, which quickly gained a large underground following. After 3 successful albums, Steve Peregrin Took's drug habits and suggestion of doing some of his own songs was enough for Marc to kick him out of the duo. Mickey Finn quickly replaced Steve, and the new duo recorded the album A Beard Of Stars, with Marc replacing Steve's backing vocals on the tracks they already began recording.
On Marc's second album with Finn, he decided to shorten the name of the band to T. Rex, and found fame and chart succes in 1970 with Ride a White Swan.
Following that success, Marc wrote several more top 10 hits and albums, Electric Warrior(1971), The Slider (1972), Tanx(1973), Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow Or a Creamed Cage In August)(1974), Bolan's Zip-Gun(1975), Futuristic Dragon(1976) and the final album
Dandy In the Underworld(1977).
Marc Bolan tried to make it clear during his lifetime that he was NOT to be grouped in the lot called Glam Rock. In 1973, he appeared under the headline "Glam Rock Is Dead: Says Marc" - he felt he was not being treated seriously as an artist, so with Zinc Alloy onward, he moved into a Rock & Soul sound, radically different than what was the musical trend at the time. Many of Marc's fans stayed behind with the Glam movement, but Marc pursued further into less commercial music adventures, with the help of his soul-singer girlfriend, Gloria Jones. Together they had a son, Rolan Bolan, in 1975.
Tragically, Marc died in a car crash on 16 September 1977 in a purple Mini driven by Gloria Jones.
Chrome Sitar
Marc Bolan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of the chrome sitar
Everybody ask who the hell you are
Somebody scream and shout, somebody spoke
Somebody said that life is just a joke
So come on, little girl
Won't you hold my hand
Don't you understand
Come on little girl, yea, yea
Love is grand, won't you hold my hand - tonight
Princess outrage with deductable grave
Scream of her love but you know I was brave
Octoganic angel, measuring the stars
Trying to run away with a chrome sitar
The lyrics of Marc Bolan's song "Chrome Sitar" invite the listener to stand with him at the corner of a chrome sitar, a play on words with the common phrase "guitar corner". From this physical vantage point, Bolan observes the passersby, and prominently invokes the cry "who the hell you are" that sets the tone of disorientation and unease in the song. Bolan then refers to the paradoxical nature of life, someone says it is just a joke, but also somebody screams and shouts, and another person speaks. This suggests a cacophony of voices and interpretations, reflecting the confusion of the modern era in which the song is written.
Bolan then seems to turn his attention to a specific girl, repeatedly asking her to hold his hand and suggesting that love is grand. She is called "little girl," a term of endearment that echoes earlier T. Rex songs such as "Get It On" and "Jeepster." The third stanza introduces more intricate, surreal imagery, with mention of a "Princess outrage," possibly a reference to Princess Margaret and her scandalous love life, juxtaposed with the unlikely phrase "deductable grave." Bolan also evokes an "Octoganic angel" who is measuring the stars, suggesting a mystical or cosmic aspect of the song. Finally, Bolan mentions his desire to run away with the chrome sitar, a desire that embodies a yearning for the exotic and otherworldly. The song ends on a dramatic, unresolved note, with Bolan's voice elongating the word "chrome" in a way that highlights the surreal and enigmatic quality of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing on a corner
The singer is standing on a street corner
Of the chrome sitar
He is holding a chrome sitar in his hand
Everybody ask who the hell you are
People passing by are curious to know the singer's identity
Somebody scream and shout, somebody spoke
People around the artist are making noise and talking to him
Somebody said that life is just a joke
One of the people talking to the artist said that life is meaningless and funny
So come on, little girl
The singer is talking to a girl
Won't you hold my hand
He is asking her to hold his hand
Don't you understand
The artist is suggesting that she should understand what he is trying to convey
Come on little girl, yea, yea
He is urging the girl to come with him
Love is grand, won't you hold my hand - tonight
The artist is expressing his desire to spend the night with the girl, holding hands and experiencing the grandeur of love
Princess outrage with deductable grave
There is a princess somewhere who is angry with the singer
Scream of her love but you know I was brave
The princess screamed her love for the artist, but he remained brave and unmoved
Octoganic angel, measuring the stars
There is an angel who is observing and measuring the stars
Trying to run away with a chrome sitar
The singer is trying to flee with the chrome sitar before anyone else gets to it
Contributed by Layla R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@curiousss4960
I was born in 1990 and I just discovered this song today for the first time. It's amazing. It's amazing that I can keep finding gems from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s that sound great but don't seem popular.
@jgebauer1
I was a drummer in this period, playing clubs and festivals for a living, and the black chick singer section was in vogue at the time. It was a musical growth for Marc. The 2 drummer thing was also in vogue...it was all about expanding the rock thing to new vistas. Bolan was a visionary imo.
@CosmicRuis
This song makes me want to dance in a mystical magical fairy forest. Without any worries and contact with all nature.<3
@intuitiveeevee
Have played this so much lately that I woke up with this playing in my head... The weird thing is :so did my husband!! This tune is legend
@LucyOLastic
Recalls his glam rock era. I love the mysterious ending to this, the strange murmuring, a vestige of his early mysticism. I liked the end of "Rip Off" which had a similar mesmerising effect. This ought to have been an A side. I often included this on mixtapes for friends. The backing vocals on this are fantastic.
It's a pity he did not translate to the American audience as he had done so much to connect with and cultivate his soul music influence, as others like Bowie had capitalised on at the time.
@delflord
Tanx for all your comments. On the subject of Gloria's vocals, i think they are amazing and work very well with the sound Marc was creating at this period in time. Marc chose to include that sound and it was a sound he was striving to develop his own stamp on. I can accept some people dislike this kind of singing but i love it and Marc obviously loved it as he allowed it to be included. Delf
@52barney
her vocal functioned as did the late Minnie Riperton did in Rotary Connection , pure genius all around
@drstevie
Brilliant track . Gloria's b/vox are amazing .
@pauldavies8638
love it you were the seventies tanx for the memory marc
@experienceads
Groove to this from the original Glam Rocker Marc Bolan! Damn he was pretty dude lol