"I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" is a song by English

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

singer Gary Glitter, written by Glitter with

Mike Leander Michael George Farr (30 June 1941 – 18 April 1996), known professionally as Mike Leander, was a British arranger, songwriter and record producer. He worked variously with The Beatles, David McWilliams ("Days of Pearly Spencer"), Gary Gli ...

and produced by Mike Leander. It was Glitter's first number-one single on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, spending four weeks at the top of the chart in July 1973.

Description

The song "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" was a top hit for Gary Glitter; it reached number-one in the

in July and August 1973. It was written by Gary Glitter and

and produced by Mike Leander. As a result of its popularity, Glitter's nickname became "The Leader", and his 1991 autobiography was titled ''Leader''. A

anthem typical of Glitter's early 1970s output, the melody is based on a simple mid-tempo rhythm (the so-called "Glitter Stomp") and loud chanted backing vocals such as "Hey!" and "Come on, come on!". Glitter had a backing band,

the Glitter Band The Glitter Band are a glam rock band from England, who initially worked as Gary Glitter's backing band under that name from 1973, when they then began releasing records of their own. They were unofficially known as the Glittermen on the first f ...

; however, with the exception of saxophonists Harvey Ellison and John Rossall, they did not participate in his recording sessions, and precisely who else, if anyone, helped Glitter and producer/co-writer

in the studio remains unknown. Glitter said in interviews that he and Leander preferred to play everything themselves, since it allowed them to record the songs as they were being written. The song became a concert favourite with the crowd chanting the "Come on, come on!" refrain before Glitter took to the stage. Although Glitter's version failed to chart in the U.S., the following year a version by

Brownsville Station Brownsville station is a Metrorail station in Brownsville, Florida. It is located at the intersection of Northwest 27th Avenue ( SR 9) and 52nd Street, opening to service May 19, 1985. Station layout Places of interest *Brownsville *Joseph Ca ...

made the Top 30 on the '' Cashbox'' Top 100 and reached No. 48 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 1986, still a popular live act, Glitter re-recorded the song with heavy metal band

Girlschool Girlschool are a British rock band that formed in the new wave of British heavy metal scene in 1978. Frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead, they are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active after more than 40 ye ...

. This version missed the UK charts but reached No.8 on the indie chart Show Heavy Metal charts. In 1997, girl group Spice Girls covered the song for their musical comedy film '' Spice World''. Glitter originally made a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

, but his scene was deleted after his

child pornography Child pornography (also called CP, child sexual abuse material, CSAM, child porn, or kiddie porn) is pornography that unlawfully exploits children for sexual stimulation. It may be produced with the direct involvement or sexual assault of a ...

possession arrest. A bootleg of the scene surfaced some time later. ''

The Full Monty ''The Full Monty'' is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy. The film ...

'', another 1997 British comedy, used the song as well.

Track listing

#"I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" – 3:25 #"Just Fancy That" – 2:36

Peter and the Test Tube Babies cover

In 1982, the

Peacehaven Peacehaven is a town and civil parish in the Lewes district of East Sussex, England. It is located above the chalk cliffs of the South Downs approximately six miles () east of Brighton city centre, on the A259 road. Its site coincides with th ...

's punk band

Peter and the Test Tube Babies Peter and the Test Tube Babies are an English punk rock band, formed in the small town of Peacehaven, England in 1978, by Derek "Strangefish" Greening and Peter Bywaters. Due to their humorous tongue-in-cheek lyrics, they have been considered ...

covered the song on their album '' Pissed and Proud''.

Green Jellÿ cover

In 1993,

comedy rock Comedy rock is rock music that is comedic in nature. Oftentimes it is mixed with satire or irony.V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra and S. T. Erlewine, ''All music guide to rock: the definitive guide to rock, pop, and soul'' (Backbeat Books, 3rd Edition. ...

band

Green Jellÿ Green Jellÿ (, ''green Jell-O'') is an American comedy rock band formed in 1981. Originally named Green Jellö, the band changed its name due to legal pressure from Kraft Foods Inc., the owners of the Jell-O brand, who claimed that it was an i ...

released "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)", with professional wrestler Hulk Hogan singing lead vocals. The release scored the band a second Top 40 hit in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, reaching no. 25 on the

Track listing

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:I'm The Leader of the Gang (I Am) 1973 singles 1993 singles Gary Glitter songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles Songs written by Mike Leander Song recordings produced by Mike Leander Comedy rock songs Songs written by Gary Glitter Green Jellÿ songs 1973 songs