10 Greatest T. Rex Songs Ever
1. Dandy In The Underworld
Mark Bolan’s lyrics mixed sci-fi, fantasy and a large dollop of Lewis Carroll, and filtered all that through the mind of a horny androgyne. It sometimes feels like he spent the afternoon mucking about with a magnetic poetry set (glam rock edition).
That’s not to say his lyrics weren’t great. They could be witty, memorable and evocative, but they rarely revealed a thought deeper than “I think you’re sexy” or “ you probably think I’m sexy.” Did he like to keep some things private? Or was he just not very deep?
Dandy In The Underworld is one of his most personal and revealing songs; a reflection on the muse that seemed to have abandoned him and the success and acclaim that had gone away with it.
“Dandy in the underworld/when will he come up for air/oh, will anybody even care?”
Those words look self pitying written down but the catchy, mid-tempo backing track and the knowing self aware performance elevate the song from pity party to anthem.