"Teenage Dream" is a 1974 single by Marc Bolan and T. Rex, taken from the album ''

Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow ''Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow'' is an album by English rock band T. Rex, the ninth since Tyrannosaurus Rex's debut LP. It was released in March 1974 on the T.Rex record label, distributed by EMI. It was the first and only al ...

''.

Background and recording

After releasing records under the 'T. Rex' name since 1970, "Teenage Dream" was the first release to be credited to 'Marc Bolan and T. Rex'Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 112 "Teenage Dream" was co-produced by

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

and Bolan, and featured

Lonnie Jordan Leroy Jordan (born November 21, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter. He is a founding member of the American funk band War. Jordan had a number of roles over the years, acting as vocalist and playing guitar, piano, synthesizer, and percussion ...

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

on piano. It was released as a single in February 1974, and spent five weeks in the

UK top 40 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 ...

, peaking at number 13.Teenage Dream
, Chart Stats, retrieved 26 July 2010 Biographer Mark Paytress called it Bolan's "coming out record", saying that it was "so drenched in melodramatic resignation that it was less a lament than a lordly glimpse through the iron bars of an increasingly detached existence".Paytress, Mark (2002) ''Bolan: The Rise and Fall of a 20th Century Superstar'', Omnibus Press, , p. 262 The song was described by

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

as "a virtual mini-opera", with "soaring strings, wailing guitars, towering chorales, and a genuinely foreboding sense of drama".Thompson, Dave " Teenage Dream,

, retrieved 27 July 2010 Ken Barnes of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', however, wrote in a 1974 article that the song "suffers from pointless, jumbled lyrics and self-conscious Dylan-styled intonations and drags on for far too long." Bolan himself regarded "Teenage Dream" as the best lyric he had written. It was also chosen by Bolan's former partner

Gloria Jones Gloria Richetta Jones (born October 19, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter who first found success in the United Kingdom, being recognized there as "The Queen of Northern Soul". She recorded the 1965 hit song " Tainted Love" and has w ...

as her favourite Bolan lyric.Ellis, James (2002)
Gloria Jones
, ''

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...

'', 16 September 2002, retrieved 26 July 2010 He wrote and recorded the song while on tour in the United States in August 1973. It was one of the last tracks written for the ''Zinc Alloy'' album and these sessions were the last time Bolan recorded with Visconti.Erlewine, Stephen Thomas " T. Rex Biography,

, retrieved 26 July 2010 The original single and album releases end with a fade out at 5 minutes. Several more recent releases include an additional part that the band recorded in 1973, extending the song for another 45 seconds. This extended version was first released in the 1980s, when the Official Marc Bolan Fan Club had the albums originally released on the "T. Rex Wax Co." label – including ''Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow'' – reissued on the newly founded "Marc on Wax" label.

Other releases

Some early UK pressings of this single are credited just to "Marc Bolan". The song was released as a single in France and Germany with "Mad Donna" as the B-side. In Italy it was released with "Venus Loon" on the B-side. The Japanese single on the Odeon label featured "Satisfaction Pony" on the reverse. In the US, "Teenage Dream" was included on the album '' Light of Love''."Sounds of the Times", ''Milkwaukee Journal'', 4 September 1974, p. 2 A version of the song was recorded for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Background and recording

Other releases

Track listing

Cover versions

References