1971: T. Rex: Ride A White Swan

1970/71: T. Rex - Ride A White Swan

• Although entering the listing in 1970, Ride A White Swan was the first record to peak at Number 2 on the UK chart of 1971.
• It took fourteen weeks (of a twenty week run) to peak at Number 2.
• Grandad by Clive Dunn prevented the song from reaching the Number 1 spot.
• Its UK chart run was unusual in that it climbed steadily up the listing until just before Christmas 1970 when it fell out of the Top 10, only to recover after the holiday in its march towards the top.
• It was a minor hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at Number 76.
• Ride A White Swan was released on the cusp of the group moving from an acoustic to an electric sound.
• The song's length is a relatively short 2:15.
• The single was the first to feature the new, shortened band name - previously Tyrannosaurus Rex.
• It is considered the song that initiated the British glam rock era of the early 1970s, although Hot Love - the band's next single - was the track which truly gave birth to the movement.
• It is among several T. Rex songs featured in the movie Billy Elliott.
• At Marc Bolan's (lead singer and founder of the band) funeral in 1977, one of the floral tributes was a large white swan.
• Download Ride A White Swan on Amazon.