These 3 Glam Rock Songs From the 1970s Sound Even Better 50 Years Later

Glam rock had quite the era in the 1970s, and tons of songs in the genre made it all the way up the mainstream charts. The following three glam rock jams were pretty noteworthy charting hits back in the day, but they somehow also manage to still sound quite good about half a century later. That takes some serious talent. Let’s take a look at a few glam rock songs from the 1970s that sound even better after all these years!

“Bang A Gong (Get It On)” by T. Rex from ‘Electric Warrior’ (1971)

This classic one-hit wonder from 1971 is bubbling to the brim with swagger and an unignorably infectious groove throughout. I’m not surprised this glam rock song was such a big hit back in the day, and I’m also not surprised that it has aged so well decades later.

“Bang A Gong (Get It On)” by T. Rex was a No. 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1971. Sadly, the group never reached the Top 40 on that coveted chart again.

“The Jean Genie” by David Bowie from ‘Aladdin Sane’ (1972)

How about some classic glam rock-era David Bowie? “The Jean Genie” is peak glam rock, and it was somehow ahead of its time, even with dated bluesy instrumentation. That riff is gritty as can be, and I can see why listeners loved it so much back then and still today.

“The Jean Genie” by David Bowie was a No. 1 hit on several UK charts and reached No. 2 on the UK Singles chart. Surprisingly, “The Jean Genie” didn’t crack the Top 40 in the US.

“Tiger Feet” by Mud from ‘Mud Rock’ (1974)

This one’s a bit of a deep cut. This entry on our list of well-aged glam rock songs from the 1970s is unique in that it blended together all the excellent tropes of glam rock with an almost bubblegum pop vibe. But it’s not too much, and the enduring cheesiness of this song just makes it charming. Just watch the band perform it in the video above; everybody’s having fun, especially the band themselves.

“Tiger Feet” by Mud peaked at No. 1 in the UK and numerous European charts. Shockingly, Mud would never really break through in the US market.

Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images