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.
Pictures of Purple People
Marc Bolan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Reflections looked most better than all
Cared too much, hating hatred
Seeing things deformed and almost cold
Crying sadly, shielding gladly my eyes
From the ugly side of fat men seeing, almost
Thin men peeping, sleeping, looking, falling
Dizzy from their windows high
The men of magic thinking if evil
He was bringing sunless children
Seeing all the bad,
'Cos beauty was too ugly
And faceless people
Wondered at the beautiful forms they had
Now the mirror's broken
I'm smiling, seeing good things
Yet despite foot splinters swirl in the air
Forever call him beauty
Children come at night time
Weird things blackening the fairest maiden's hair
The lyrics of Marc Bolan's song Pictures of Purple People are filled with surreal imagery that is open to various interpretations. In the opening lines of the song, Bolan talks about looking through a mirror and seeing reflections that look better than reality. This can be interpreted as an allusion to the idea of escapism, where people often tend to look at the world through rose-tinted glasses, seeing what they want to see and ignoring the harsh realities of life.
Bolan then goes on to talk about how he hates hatred, indicating that he is a believer in love and peace. He then talks about seeing things that are deformed and almost cold, which could symbolize negativity and the darker side of life. The lyrics then take on a more cryptic tone, where Bolan talks about crying sadly, shielding his eyes from fat men seeing almost thin men peeping, sleeping, looking, and falling dizzy from their windows high. This imagery suggests a sense of voyeurism and the unhealthy obsession with physical beauty that pervades society.
The song then takes on a more magical dimension, where Bolan talks about evil men of magic bringing sunless children and seeing all the bad, because beauty was too ugly. He then talks about faceless people who wondered at the beautiful forms they had, which could be a metaphor for the emptiness of materialism. The song ends on a positive note, where Bolan talks about the mirror being broken and him smiling, seeing good things. Despite this, however, he notes that foot splinters swirl in the air, indicating that there are still obstacles to overcome in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw this mirror, I looked through it
I used to look in the mirror and judge myself.
Reflections looked most better than all
The reflections in the mirror seemed so much better than who I was.
Cared too much, hating hatred
I was overly concerned with other people's opinions and hated the hate that came with it.
Seeing things deformed and almost cold
I saw the world as a cold and unforgiving place where everyone was distorted.
Crying sadly, shielding gladly my eyes
I would cry when I saw the ugliness in everything, but I took comfort in shielding my eyes from it.
From the ugly side of fat men seeing, almost
I was horrified by the ugliness in people, even in those who were conventionally unattractive.
Thin men peeping, sleeping, looking, falling
Even thin and conventionally attractive men were not immune to the ugliness in the world and would fall to its influence.
Dizzy from their windows high
They were dizzy and delusional from their elevated and distorted perspective.
The men of magic thinking if evil
Those who thought they were magical were often the most influenced by evil.
He was bringing sunless children
They were bringing darkness into the lives of children.
Seeing all the bad,
They were only able to see the bad in everything.
'Cos beauty was too ugly
They couldn't appreciate beauty because they were too focused on the ugly.
And faceless people
They saw people as faceless, as a means to an end.
Wondered at the beautiful forms they had
They were amazed when they saw beautiful things, as if they were a rarity.
Now the mirror's broken
Now that I have grown and matured, I no longer see the world through such a distorted mirror.
I'm smiling, seeing good things
I can smile now and appreciate the good things in life.
Yet despite foot splinters swirl in the air
But even though I see the beauty in life, there are still the occasional hardships and struggles that come with it.
Forever call him beauty
Despite the hardships, I still believe in beauty and the good things in life.
Children come at night time
The beauty and good things can still come to us, even in the darkest of times.
Weird things blackening the fairest maiden's hair
Even those who are outwardly beautiful can still face struggles and ugliness, but they can still find beauty in the world around them.
Lyrics © NORTH HUDSON MUSIC
Written by: MARC BOLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marcstevens8576
I liked this one. Thought he recorded it with Steve, but was wrong. Sounded a lot like his work with John's Children. Great song.
@michaelfoley4781
I love his voice on this beautiful song there is something about his voice that hits you deep in your soul that resonates deep feelings of emotions💓
@nllleonard
Thank you for putting these great Marc Bolan songs back up, friend! Would have been a shame to lose them! I hope you will let them stay forever!
@chriscummings6997
How good would a full blown version of this song sounded with strings.......????
@cliffwinnard7463
love that song
@ppxx5278
I saw this mirror, I looked through it Reflections looked most better than all Cared too much, hating hatred Seeing things deformed and almost cold Crying sadly, shielding gladly my eyes From the ugly side of fat men seeing, almost Thin men peeping, sleeping, looking, falling Dizzy from their windows high The men of magic thinking if evil He was bringing sunless children Seeing all the bad, 'Cos beauty was too ugly And faceless people Wondered at the beautiful forms they had Now the mirror's broken I'm smiling, seeing good things Yet despite foot splinters swirl in the air Forever call him beauty Children come at night time Weird things blackening the fairest maiden's hair
@tonypringle7598
Can anyone here a jangle of One Inch Rock in this ?