“Telegram Sam” is a song written by Marc Bolan for the British rock group, T. Rex. Appearing on The Slider, this was the band’s third No. 1 single in the UK.

Bolan wrote the song about Sam Alder, a music business accountant who sent Bolan payments by telegram following performances on tour. His intentions were to prevent any money sent beforehand from being spent in a way which would interfere with the band’s performance. Alder also used this communication method inform Bolan of the news that “Get It On” had reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Charts.

The telegram was developed by the British Post Office as a service for urgent messages while private telephones were still uncommon. Written messages were transmitted along wires by an electrical device and when received, they were written or printed and delivered by hand.