Mott the Hoople's 1972 Rock Anthem Ranked 'Greatest Glam Rock Record' of All Time Victoria MillerFebruary 2, 2026 at 2:06 AM 0 Photo by David Warner Ellis on Getty Images The glam rock genre was at its height in the 1970s, but one song from that era became a defining anthem. In January 2026, more than 50 years after its release, the Mott the Hoople song "All the Young Dudes" was ranked the greatest glam rock single of all time by Uncut magazine. The song beat T. Rex's "Get It On," Queen's "Killer Queen," The Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz," and 90plus more songs for the coveted top ranking.
- - Mott the Hoople's 1972 Rock Anthem Ranked 'Greatest Glam Rock Record' of All Time
Victoria MillerFebruary 2, 2026 at 2:06 AM
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Photo by David Warner Ellis on Getty Images
The glam rock genre was at its height in the 1970s, but one song from that era became a defining anthem. In January 2026, more than 50 years after its release, the Mott the Hoople song "All the Young Dudes" was ranked the greatest glam rock single of all time by Uncut magazine. The song beat T. Rex's "Get It On," Queen's "Killer Queen," The Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz," and 90-plus more songs for the coveted top ranking.
The magazine cover featured David Bowie, but that wasn't misleading. Bowie's album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust was ranked the greatest glam rock album of all time in the same issue. But Bowie also played a huge part in the success of "All the Young Dudes." Not only did he write the song, but he gave it to Mott the Hoople after the band rejected his song "Suffragette City." Bowie also produced and sang backing vocals on "All the Young Dudes."
The song spent 11 weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1972 and was an even bigger hit in the U.K.
Why Bowie intervened
The classic lineup of Mott the Hoople featured vocalist Ian Hunter, guitarist Mick Ralphs, keyboardist Verden Allen, bass player Pete Overend Watts, and drummer Dale "Buffin" Griffin. Bowie was a huge fan of the English rock band and got wind that they were planning to split up.
In an interview with The Guardian, Hunter recalled that the band was not doing well when Bowie stepped in. "We were losing money, and Island Records were losing patience with us," he said. "They booked us to play the Gaskessel in Berne, Switzerland, which is basically a gas tank. We were so fed up we decided to split up."
Overend Watts called Bowie to ask for a job playing bass and was instead offered a song.
"David offered us 'Suffragette City' first, but I said no," Hunter recalled." Then I remember going into a room in Regent Street where David sat on the floor and played us 'All the Young Dudes'. Chills went down my spine. I knew it was great and I knew I could sing it."
Allen noted that after recording, it was Bowie who remixed the song to give it a more "commercial sound." "When the bloke from CBS heard the remix he went, "Boys, you've got your hit single," the keyboardist recalled.
"It came out right in the middle of the glam-rock explosion," Allen added of the song, which also became the title of Mott the Hoople's fifth studio album. "I told [Bowie] that we just wished we'd written our first hit ourselves, which he understood, but 'All the Young Dudes' paved the way for all the hits that did come from the band. I'm glad we managed to thank him for writing it for us."
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Bowie once revealed that it was easy for him to give away "All the Young Dudes" to the band he loved.
"It was the first song I've written for somebody else," he told Mojo in 2009. "They were at the point of breaking up as a band, and I told them not to because I thought they were a very good band. I told them I'd write them a hit single – and I did. It was easy."In the 50 years since its release, "All the Young Dudes" has remained a pop culture classic. It was featured in the moviesClueless, Juno, and more, and a cover version was included in a Guitar Hero video game.
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This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: February 01, 2026 at 11:36PM on Source: MARIO MAG
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