T.Rex was a primary force in glam rock, thanks to the creative direction of guitarist/vocalist Marc Bolan (born Mark Feld). Bolan created a deliberately trashy form of rock and roll that was proud of its own disposability, which stood in contrast to the low-key whimsical poetry of the earlier duo. T.Rex's music borrowed the underlying sexuality of early rock & roll, adding dirty, simple grooves and fat distorted guitars, as well as an overarching folky/hippie spirituality that always came through the clearest on ballads. While most of his peers concentrated on making cohesive albums, Bolan kept the idea of a three-minute pop single alive in the early 1970s. In Britain, he became a superstar, sparking a period of "T.Rextacy" among the pop audience with a series of Top Ten hits, including four number one singles. Over in America, the group only had one major hit -- the Top Ten "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" -- before disappearing from the charts in 1973. T.Rex's popularity in the U.K. didn't begin to waver until 1975, and they retained a devoted following until Marc Bolan's death in 1977. Over the next three decades, Bolan has emerged as a cult figure and the music of T.Rex has proved quite influential on hard rock, punk, new wave, and alternative rock.
Following a career as a teenage model, Marc Bolan began performing music professionally in 1965, releasing his first single, "The Wizard," on Decca Records. Bolan joined the psychedelic folk-rock combo John's Children in 1967, appearing on three unsuccessful singles before the group disbanded later that year. Following the breakup, he formed the folk duo Tyrannosaurus Rex with percussionist Steve Peregrine Took. The duo landed a record deal with a subsidiary of EMI in February 1968, recording their debut album with producer Tony Visconti. "Debora," the group's first single, peaked at number 34 in May of that year, and their debut album, "My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair...But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brow", reached number 15 shortly afterward. The duo released their second album, "Prophets, Seers & Sages, the Angels of the Ages", in November of 1968.
By this time, Tyrannosaurus Rex was building a sizable underground following, which helped Bolan's book of poetry, The Warlock of Love, enter the British best-seller charts. In the summer of 1969, the duo released their third album, "Unicorn", as well as the single "King of the Rumbling Spires," the first Tyrannosaurus Rex song to feature an electric guitar. Following an unsuccessful American tour that fall, Took left or as is often stated by people close to the band, was sacked. He was replaced by Mickey Finn, previously linked to the band Haphash and the coloured coat.(There are a few more artists using the name Mickey Finn, though that is where the connection ends)! The new duo's first single did not chart, yet their first album, 1970's "A Beard of Stars", reached number 21.
The turning point in Bolan's career came in October of 1970, when he shortened the group's name to T.Rex and released "Ride a White Swan," a fuzz-drenched single driven by a rolling backbeat. "Ride a White Swan" became a major hit in the U.K., climbing all the way to number two. The band's next album, T.Rex, peaked at number 13 and stayed on the charts for six months. Encouraged by the results, Bolan expanded T.Rex to a full band, adding bassist Steve Currie and drummer Bill Legend (born Bill Fifield). The new lineup recorded "Hot Love," which spent six weeks at number one in early 1971. That summer, T.Rex released "Get It On" (retitled "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" in the U.S.), which became their second straight U.K. number one; the single would go on to be their biggest international hit, reaching number ten in the U.S. in 1972. "Electric Warrior", the first album recorded by the full band, was released in the fall of 1971; it was number one for six weeks in Britain and cracked America's Top 40.
By now, "T.Rextacy" was in full swing in England, as the band had captured the imaginations of both teenagers and the media with its sequined, heavily made-up appearance; the image of Marc Bolan in a top hat, feather boa, and platform shoes, performing "Get It On" on the BBC became as famous as his music. At the beginning of 1972, T.Rex signed with EMI, setting up a distribution deal for Bolan's own T.Rex Wax Co. record label. "Telegram Sam," the group's first EMI single, became their third number one single.
"Metal Guru" also hit number one, spending four weeks at the top of the chart. The Slider, released in the summer of 1972, shot to number one upon its release, allegedly selling 100,000 copies in four days; the album was also T.Rex's most successful American release, reaching number 17. Appearing in the spring of 1973, Tanx was another Top Five hit for T.Rex; the singles "20th Century Boy" and "The Groover" soon followed it to the upper ranks of the charts. However, those singles would prove to be the band's last two Top Ten hits. In the summer of 1973, rhythm guitarist Jack Green joined the band, as did three backup vocalists, including the American soul singer Gloria Jones; Jones would soon become Bolan's girlfriend. At the beginning of 1974, drummer Bill Legend left the group and was replaced by Davy Lutton, as Jones became the group's keyboardist.
In early 1974, the single "Teenage Dream" was the first record to be released under the name Marc Bolan and T.Rex. The following album, Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow, was the last Bolan recorded with Tony Visconti. Throughout the year, T.Rex's popularity rapidly declined -- by the time "Zip Gun Boogie" was released in November, it could only reach number 41. Finn and Green left the group at the end of the year, while keyboardist Dino Dines joined. The decline of T.Rex's popularity was confirmed when 1975's Bolan's "Zip Gun" failed to chart. Bolan took the rest of the year off, returning in the spring of 1976 with "Futuristic Dragon", which peaked at number 50. Released in the summer of 1976, "I Love to Boogie," a disco-flavored three-chord thumper, became Bolan's last Top 20 hit.
Bolan released "Dandy in the Underworld" in the spring of 1977; it was a modest hit, peaking at number 26. While "The Soul of My Suit" reached number 42 on the charts, T.Rex's next two singles failed to chart. Sensing it was time for a change of direction, Bolan began expanding his horizons in August. In addition to contributing a weekly column for Record Mirror, he hosted his own variety television show, Marc. Featuring guest appearances by artists like David Bowie and Generation X, Marc helped restore Bolan's hip image. Signing with RCA Records, the guitarist formed a new band with bassist Herbie Flowers and drummer Tony Newman, yet he never was able to record with the group. While driving home from a London club with Bolan, Gloria Jones lost control of her car, smashing into a tree. Marc Bolan, riding in the passenger's seat of the car, was killed instantly.
While T.Rex's music was intended to be disposable, it has proven surprisingly influential over the years. Hard rock and heavy metal bands borrowed the group's image, as well as the pounding insistence of their guitars. Punk bands may have discarded the high heels, feather boas, and top hats, yet they adhered to the simple three-chord structures and pop aesthetics that made the band popular, as they still are today 30 years after Marc's death.
Trelawny Lawn
T. Rex Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stark handsome eyes decide the unicorn
Is a beast of borrowed wisdom
Like a thrush in the yielding harvest field
The prophet deems snow.
The silent stork of sadness scans Trelawny Lawn
The lion, the unicorn it's horn in the lap of Beth
Beguiled, the scribish jacket-man his cap a skull-of-rat
Is but a pawn.
0 sky, your eyes embrace is to vicious for my wheat
The foaming Earthguard whinneys to his leaden feet
The bullfinch rumbles
The lavish lion aslanically scythes the hay
The unicorn bids you stay.
The lyrics of T. Rex's song Trelawny Lawn are enigmatic and poetic, filled with references to mythical creatures and symbolic language. The opening line sets the scene on Trelawny Lawn, a name that sounds like it could be a real place or a fantastical one. The "flowing mane of pain" suggests that something ominous is approaching or present on the lawn, perhaps represented by the "unicorn" in the next line. The unicorn is described as a "beast of borrowed wisdom," which could mean that it's a creature that people turn to for guidance or enlightenment but that doesn't inherently possess any knowledge or wisdom of its own. The comparison to a thrush in a harvest field and a "prophet deems snow" both evoke the natural world and possibly hint at the unicorn's connection to it.
The second stanza includes more references to mythical creatures, with a silent stork of sadness and a lion and unicorn with its horn in Beth's lap. The overall mood of the stanza is melancholic, with the lion and unicorn lamenting the dawn and the "scribish jacket-man" being described as a pawn. The third and final stanza brings in even more natural imagery, as the sky's eyes are "too vicious" for the wheat and the Earthguard whinnies. The "bullfinch rumbles" and the "lavish lion" mows down hay "aslanically," which could be a nod to C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The unicorn's bid to stay seems like a plea for the listener to stay in this fantastical, enigmatic world that T. Rex has created.
Overall, the lyrics to Trelawny Lawn are open to interpretation and allow the listener to immerse themselves in a dreamlike, mythical landscape. The references to the unicorn, lion, and other creatures suggest a sort of fairy tale or fable, while the language and imagery are elevated and poetic.
Line by Line Meaning
The flowing mane of pain swells on Trelawny Lawn
Painful emotions are rising and taking over in Trelawny Lawn
Stark handsome eyes decide the unicorn
The unicorn is being judged by its striking and attractive appearance
Is a beast of borrowed wisdom
The unicorn is perceived as wise, but its wisdom is not innate
Like a thrush in the yielding harvest field
The unicorn is like a bird in a field of crops, both just passing through
The prophet deems snow.
The prophet sees the coming of winter and 'snow'
The silent stork of sadness scans Trelawny Lawn
A feeling of melancholy is present in Trelawny Lawn
The lion, the unicorn it's horn in the lap of Beth
The lion and the unicorn are together, but the unicorn's horn is in the hands of someone named Beth
Laments the dawn
There is sorrow felt in the arrival of the new day
Beguiled, the scribish jacket-man his cap a skull-of-rat
A man with a rat skull for a cap looks foolish and has been tricked
Is but a pawn.
The man with the rat skull is being used by others for their own purposes
0 sky, your eyes embrace is to vicious for my wheat
The sky's violent and aggressive gaze is damaging to the wheat crops
The foaming Earthguard whinneys to his leaden feet
The ground seems to be bubbling and upset, making noise as one walks on it
The bullfinch rumbles
A bird is making deep, rumbling sounds
The lavish lion aslanically scythes the hay
The majestic lion is cutting the hay in a powerful and graceful manner, akin to the character of Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia
The unicorn bids you stay.
The unicorn invites you to remain in its presence
Contributed by Adeline L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@EricoVespa
MARC BOLAN GENIUS ....LOVE IT!!!