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

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...

singer

Gary Glitter Paul Francis Gadd (born 8 May 1944), better known by his stage name Gary Glitter, is an English former singer who achieved fame and success during the 1970s and 1980s. His career ended after he was convicted of downloading child pornography i ...

, 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 Cliff Richard, the Beatles, David McWilliams (" Days of Pearly Spe ...

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

; it reached number-one in the UK Singles Chart in July and August 1973. It was written by

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 gramophone record, records of their own. They were unofficially known as the Glitte ...

; 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. Places of interest *Brownsville *Joseph Caleb Community C ...

made the Top 30 on the '' Cashbox'' Top 100, No. 48 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and No. 38 in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. 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 ...

. In 1997, girl group

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"), Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). They have sold over 10 ...

covered the song for their musical comedy film '' Spice World''. Glitter originally made a

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

, but his scene was deleted after his

child pornography Child pornography (also abbreviated as CP, also called child porn or kiddie porn, and child sexual abuse material, known by the acronym CSAM (underscoring that children can not be deemed willing participants under law)), is Eroticism, erotic ma ...

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

The Full Monty ''The Full Monty'' is a 1997 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 is set ...

'', 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 parishes in England, civil parish in the Lewes (district), Lewes district of East Sussex, England. It is above the chalk cliffs of the South Downs about east of Brighton city centre, on the A259 road. It is the ...

's punk band

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

covered the song on their album ''

Pissed and Proud ''Pissed and Proud'' is an album of live recordings by English punk rock band Peter and the Test Tube Babies. It was originally released in 1982 on No Future Records and was recorded at three venues – Hammersmith, Wood Green, and their hom ...

''.

Green Jellÿ cover

In 1993,

comedy rock Comedy rock is a genre of rock music that is Comedy music, comedic in nature. It is often mixed with satirical music, satire or irony.V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra and S. T. Erlewine, ''All music guide to rock: the definitive guide to rock, pop, and ...

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 ...

released "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)", with professional wrestler

Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...

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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, reaching no. 25 on the UK Singles Chart.

Track listing

References

External links

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