Like he was my baby

New York Dolls - 'Jet Boy' (New York Dolls - 1973)

‘Jet Boy’, the rambunctious finale of the New York Dolls' eponymous 1973 debut album, crashes in and goes some way to epitomise the group's gritty, glam-influenced proto-punk output. The band emerged from the burgeoning underground music scene of New York, which would eventually give us CBGBs and a whole plethora of punk and new wave music—from The Ramones, Patti Smith, Television, Blondie, and Talking Heads.

The band’s sound was an amalgamation of raucous rock 'n' roll, glam rock theatrics, and a proto-punk attitude, and you can hear that chaotic spirit in this closing track. The song's propulsive rhythm is bolstered by Jerry Nolan's dynamic drumming and Arthur Kane's driving bass at a relentless pace. The combination of Sylvain Sylvain and Johnny Thunders unleash a twin torrent of guitar riffs and licks that intertwine with a raw, unrefined energy. David Johansen's vocals—all spat out with a snarling, sneering delivery that nails the band's defiant stance— are narrating the tale of the Jet Boy, a character who might ooze glamour, danger, and allure of the city nightlife or might be some nonsensical potential Marvel comic character.

‘Jet Boy’ is a delightful kiss-off, a flicked set of v-fingers, much like the one that can be found on The Sex Pistols Never Mind The Bollocks…

Which is immediately preceded by ‘New York,’ a critical take on New York bands. It particularly targets the New York Dolls, whom Pistols’ Svengali Malcolm McLaren had a brief association with and lampoons ‘Looking For A Kiss’ from this record¹.

‘Jet Boy’ is smeared grease on a compact mirror, blending glitter and grime. The song's production, overseen by Todd Rundgren, captured the band's live energy while imbuing the track with a sense of urgency and immediacy that was reflective of the times. Recorded when the music industry was dominated by heavily produced rock and emerging disco, ‘Jet Boy’ stood as a raw counterpoint, a broadside from rock 'n' roll's rebellious roots.

The Dolls' influence on the music scene was noticeable, bridging the glam rock of the early '70s and the burgeoning punk movement of the decade’s end. Bands like the aforementioned Sex Pistols, The Clash, and The Ramones would all cite the Dolls as a critical influence on some part of their sound or look and were drawn to their unapologetic embrace of excess, their fusion of fashion and music, and their DIY ethos.

‘Jet Boy’, with its infectious riff and shout-along chorus, was a band closing off a debut by not going off quietly at the end of the night. It smacks of urban decay, hedonism, and youthful defiance that permeates the record. The song's enduring appeal lies in its ability to capture a moment in time—the early '70s New York City, with its mix of danger, excitement, and creative ferment—while also transcending it, as in your face rebellion and the sense of searching for a form of identity never go out of fashion.

1. It references ‘Give Him A Great Big Kiss’ by The Shangri-Las and inspired a young Stephen Patrick Morrissey.