# Telegram Sam > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Telegram_Sam > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Telegram_Sam.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegram_Sam > Source revision: 1356263746 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1972 song written by Marc Bolan This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Telegram Sam" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) "Telegram Sam" Single by T. Rex from the album The Slider B-side "Cadilac" "Baby Strange" Released 21 January 1972 Recorded 1971 Genre Glam rock Length 3:45 Label T. Rex Wax Co. (UK) Reprise (US) Songwriter Marc Bolan Producer Tony Visconti T. Rex singles chronology "Jeepster" (1971) "Telegram Sam" (1972) "Metal Guru" (1972) "**Telegram Sam**" is a song written by [Marc Bolan](/source/Marc_Bolan) for the [British rock](/source/British_rock) group [T. Rex](/source/T._Rex_(band)), appearing on their 1972 album *[The Slider](/source/The_Slider)*. The song was their third UK number one single, remaining at the top of the charts for two weeks.[1] ## Background and recording "Telegram Sam" was allegedly written by Bolan about his manager [Tony Secunda](/source/Tony_Secunda) (*T*elegram *S*am = *T*ony *S*ecunda) who was his 'main man' in respect to being Bolan's manager and narcotics supplier.[2][*[page needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources)*] The lyrics feature numerous figures such as Bobby (a natural born poet who is just outta sight), Golden Nose Slim (who knows where you been), Jungle Faced Jake (about whom no mistake must be made) and Purple Pie Pete (whose lips are like lightning and capable of generating a heat power sufficient to liquefy females). Despite their charms, the singer expresses his loyalty to his "main man", the titular Sam. The song also contains these lines [Marc Bolan](/source/Marc_Bolan) wrote to refer to himself: "Me I funk/but I don't care/I ain't no square/with my corkscrew hair", a line which industrial rock band [KMFDM](/source/KMFDM) would later borrow for their song "Me I Funk".[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] The riff is similar in character to T. Rex's worldwide hit from the previous year, "[Get It On](/source/Get_It_On_(T._Rex_song))" but in the key of A rather than E.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] The single was recorded at the Rosenberg Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark in November 1971 along with its b-sides "Cadilac" and "Baby Strange" as well as the "[Metal Guru](/source/Metal_Guru)" b-side "Thunderwing".[3] ## Release and reception "Telegram Sam" was the first single to be issued by Marc Bolan's own T. Rex Wax Co. label, released on 21 January 1972. The UK b-side featured two songs, "Cadilac" (as printed on the EMI label of the original single) and "Baby Strange", the latter also included in the album *[The Slider](/source/The_Slider)*. The single was considered the official follow up to "[Get It On](/source/Get_It_On_(T._Rex_song))", as previous record label Fly had released the intervening number 2 hit "[Jeepster](/source/Jeepster_(song))" without Bolan's permission. With T. Rextasy in full swing it became the group's third number one in their home country although it lagged at number 67 in the [*Billboard* Hot 100](/source/Billboard_Hot_100), a disappointment after the American top ten success of "[Get It On](/source/Get_It_On_(T._Rex_song))".[3] It would be the group's last charted single in the US. The song was received with high praise in the British press, where Chris Charlesworth of *[Melody Maker](/source/Melody_Maker)* enthused that "Boley piles on the guitar riff and the strings top around him, rocking menace."[3] Penny Valentine of *[Sounds](/source/Sounds_(magazine))*, while noting the guitar riff as similar to "[Get It On](/source/Get_It_On_(T._Rex_song))", nonetheless remarked that it reminds of "those good time real rock and roll records of the past". Derek Johnson of *[NME](/source/NME)* gushed that it was a "good old fashioned stomping rocker" that is "beaty, compelling, insistent, and catchy".[3] In 1980, the song was covered by the [gothic rock](/source/Gothic_rock) band [Bauhaus](/source/Bauhaus_(band)) as a single, which peaked at number 12 in New Zealand.[4] ## Personnel - [Marc Bolan](/source/Marc_Bolan): lead vocals, guitar - [Steve Currie](/source/Steve_Currie): bass guitar - [Mickey Finn](/source/Mickey_Finn_(drummer)): congas - [Bill Legend](/source/Bill_Legend): drums - [Howard Kaylan](/source/Howard_Kaylan): backing vocals - [Mark Volman](/source/Mark_Volman): backing vocals - [Tony Visconti](/source/Tony_Visconti): backing vocals ## Chart performance Chart (1972) Peak position Australia (Go-Set Top 40)[5] 20 Canadian RPM Top Singles[6] 66 France (SNEP)[7] 27 Irish Singles Chart[8] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9] 26 New Zealand (Listener)[10] 19 Norway (VG-lista)[11] 6 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] 4 UK (Official Charts Company)[1] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[13] 67 West Germany (GfK)[14] 4 Chart (1982) Peak position New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] 35 UK (Official Charts Company)[1] 69 ## Bauhaus version "Telegram Sam" Single by Bauhaus Released 1 December 1980 Genre Post-punk pop rock[16] Length 2:08 Label 4AD Songwriter Marc Bolan Bauhaus singles chronology "Terror Couple Kill Colonel" (1980) "Telegram Sam" (1980) "Kick in the Eye" (1981) "**Telegram Sam**" is the fourth single released by British [gothic rock](/source/Gothic_rock) band [Bauhaus](/source/Bauhaus_(band)). It was released in 7" and 12" format, the latter featuring a cover of [John Cale](/source/John_Cale)'s "Rosegarden Funeral of Sores" as an extra track. ## Track listings **7"** Side A: 1. "Telegram Sam" - 2:08 Side B: 1. "Crowds" - 3:13 **12"** Side A: 1. "Telegram Sam" - 2:08 Side B: 1. "Rosegarden Funeral of Sores" - 5:31 1. "Crowds" - 3:13 ### Song appearances - The Bauhaus version was used in "What's the Big Deal About Bauhaus?", a 1998 episode of *[The Ongoing History of New Music](/source/The_Ongoing_History_of_New_Music)*.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-UK_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-UK_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-UK_1-2) ["T. Rex"](http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/t%20rex/). [Official Charts Company](/source/Official_Charts_Company). Retrieved 18 July 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** *Bolan - The Rise and Fall of a 20th Century Superstar* - Mark Paytress 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Cliff_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Cliff_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Cliff_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Cliff_3-3) McLenahan, Cliff (2019). *Marc Bolan: 1947-1977 A Chronology*. Helter Skelter Books. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Hung Medien. ["Telegram Sam in New Zealand Chart"](https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Bauhaus&titel=Telegram+Sam&cat=s). Retrieved 18 July 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Telegram Sam in Australian Chart"](http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1972/19720506.html). *Poparchives.com.au*. Retrieved 18 July 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Telegram Sam in Canadian Top Singles Chart"](http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.7705&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=u9874ano8k0c5b6bkp4r8qrbp3). [Library and Archives Canada](/source/Library_and_Archives_Canada). Retrieved 18 July 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Telegram Sam in French Chart"](https://web.archive.org/web/20050319102749/http://www.infodisc.fr/Bilan_T.php) (in French). Dominic DURAND / InfoDisc. 18 July 2013. Archived from [the original](http://www.infodisc.fr/Bilan_T.php) on 19 March 2005. Retrieved 18 July 2013. You have to use the index at the top of the page and search "T. Rex" 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Telegram Sam in Irish Chart"](http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement). IRMA. Retrieved 18 July 2013. Only one result when searching "Telegram Sam" 1. **[^](#cite_ref-sc_Dutch100_T._Rex_9-0)** "[T. Rex – Telegram Sam](https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=T.+Rex&titel=Telegram+Sam&cat=s)" (in Dutch). [Single Top 100](/source/Dutch_Single_Top_100). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Search Listener"](https://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qsongid=3677#n_view_location). *Flavourofnz.co.nz*. Retrieved 13 March 2026. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-sc_Norway_T._Rex_11-0)** "[T. Rex – Telegram Sam](https://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=T.+Rex&titel=Telegram+Sam&cat=s)". [VG-lista](/source/VG-lista). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-sc_Switzerland_T._Rex_12-0)** "[T. Rex – Telegram Sam](http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=T.+Rex&titel=Telegram+Sam&cat=s)". [Swiss Singles Chart](/source/Swiss_Hitparade). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-awards_13-0)** ["The Slider awards on AllMusic"](http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-slider-mw0000189278/awards). *[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic)*. Retrieved 18 July 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-sc_West_Germany_T._Rex_14-0)** "[Offizielle Deutsche Charts (West Germany)](https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-224)" (in German). [GfK Entertainment charts](/source/GfK_Entertainment_charts). To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 18 March 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-sc_New_Zealand_T._Rex_15-0)** "[T. Rex – Telegram Sam](https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=T.+Rex&titel=Telegram+Sam&cat=s)". [Top 40 Singles](/source/Official_Aotearoa_Music_Charts). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Evans_2024_16-0)** Evans, Richard (6 August 2024). "1980.3". [*Listening to the Music the Machines Make: Inventing Electronic Pop 1978-1983*](https://books.google.com/books?id=EID8zgEACAAJ). [Omnibus Press](/source/Omnibus_Press). p. 234. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-915841-45-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-915841-45-2). v t e T. Rex Marc Bolan Mickey Finn Steve Currie Bill Legend Steve Peregrin Took Gloria Jones Jack Green Paul Fenton Davy Lutton Dino Dines Miller Anderson Herbie Flowers Tony Newman Studio albums As Tyrannosaurus Rex My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages Unicorn A Beard of Stars As T. Rex T. Rex Electric Warrior The Slider Tanx Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow (as Marc Bolan & T. Rex) Bolan's Zip Gun Futuristic Dragon Dandy in the Underworld Posthumous albums You Scare Me to Death (as Marc Bolan) Billy Super Duper Dance in the Midnight (as Marc Bolan) Compilation albums Bolan Boogie Light of Love Film Born to Boogie Singles "King of the Rumbling Spires" "Ride a White Swan" "Hot Love" "Get It On" "Jeepster" "Telegram Sam" "Metal Guru" "Children of the Revolution" "Solid Gold Easy Action" "20th Century Boy" "The Groover" "Truck On (Tyke)" "Teenage Dream" "Light of Love" "Zip Gun Boogie" "New York City" "Dreamy Lady" "London Boys" "I Love to Boogie" "Laser Love" "The Soul of My Suit" "Dandy in the Underworld" "Celebrate Summer" Related articles Discography John's Children Marc Mickey Finn's T-Rex v t e Bauhaus Daniel Ash Peter Murphy Kevin Haskins David J Studio albums In the Flat Field Mask The Sky's Gone Out Burning from the Inside Go Away White EPs Kick in the Eye (Searching for Satori E.P.) 4AD The Bela Session Live albums Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape Swing the Heartache: The BBC Sessions Rest in Peace: The Final Concert Live in the Studio 1979 Gotham Compilation albums The Singles 1981–1983 1979–1983 Crackle Singles "Bela Lugosi's Dead" "Dark Entries" "Terror Couple Kill Colonel" "Telegram Sam" "Kick in the Eye" "The Passion of Lovers" "Satori in Paris" "Spirit" "Ziggy Stardust" "Lagartija Nick" "She's in Parties" Related Discography Love and Rockets Tones on Tail The Bubblemen Dalis Car Category Authority control databases Geographic MusicBrainz place Other MusicBrainz work --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Telegram Sam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegram_Sam) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegram_Sam?action=history)). 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