"Ride a White Swan", a simple four-stanza lyric with the second repeated as the fourth, was written in Bolan's West London home that he shared with his wife June. In 1976, Bolan suggested that he wrote the song after he was spiked with LSD at the launch of the British version of Rolling Stone magazine in Hanover Square, Westminster. The song, which was brimming with mythological references, was recorded on 1 July 1970. It was little more than two minutes long and contained four layered guitar tracks, with Bolan also playing Tony Visconti's Fender Precision bass, with a capo placed on the fourth fret. It included a small string section but no drums, with time being kept with a synchronised tambourine and clap recorded in the bathroom of Trident Studios, London. This location was chosen for the ambient room echo.