Get It On (Bang a Gong): One of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs that Shaped Rock & Roll

Get It On
Single: T. Rex
Album: Electric Warrior
Released: July 2, 1971
Genre: Glam rock, boogie rock
Songwriter: Marc Bolan

Front-man Marc Bolan wrote "Get It On" for the 1971 T. Rex album Electric Warrior. In the US, it was retitled "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" to avoid confusion with "Get It On" by the group Chase.  

Peaking at number 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, it's Rex's only major US hit. It spent four weeks atop the UK music chart. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame counts "Get It On" as one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock & Roll.

 

It was 'Ride A White Swan' that lit the fire, 
and 'Hot Love' that set T. Rex ablaze.
Get It On (1971)

While touring America in 1971, Marc Bolan wrote - and his band, T. Rex, recorded -  "Get It On." He wanted a song appealing to Americans. It was featured on their 1971 album Electric Warrior. 

Marc Bolan Whiskey Go-Go poster 1971

According to Rex drummer Bill Legend, he and Bolan worked out the rhythm in one day. Tony Visconti produced the track with Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman (members of The Turtles) providing backup as Flo & Eddie. Rick Wakeman, the keyboardist for Yes, recorded its piano parts.

The last line, "Meanwhile, I'm still thinking..." is a nod to a 1959 Chuck Berry song called "Little Queenie," where he sings, "Meanwhile, I'm thinking" with the same inflection. According to producer Visconti, Bolan ad-libbed the line during recording.



Get It On (1971)

In 1985, the "supergroup" The Power Station, which included Robert Palmer and members of Duran Duran, released this as a single under the title "Get It On."  Their version went to number 9 in the US and 22 in the UK. They performed it on the "Whatever Works" episode of Miami Vice that aired two months after the song peaked in America.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Goldcoast Singers: Plastic Jesus (1962)

Image
The origin stories of Plastic Jesus™  are murky - full of myth and legend. He was the brain-child of  Ed Rush and George Cromarty in 1957. But  Rush has given two accounts of the conception of  Plastic Jesus.™   According to one story, the song was inspired by a radio program in Del Rio, Texas, in the mid-1950s. The program was run by a dentist and religious fanatic who " sold the most outrageous stuff imaginable, all with magical healing properties. "  One particular broadcast contained the line " ...leaning on the arms of Jesus, wrapped in the bosom of the Lord... "
Read more

Tumbleweed Connection: Rolling Stones #458 of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2012)

Image
Tumbleweed Connection Studio album: Elton John Released: October 30, 1970 Recorded: March 1970 Genre: Roots rock, country rock Tumbleweed Connection is Elton John 's third studio album. His attempt at American country and western themes reached number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and 5 on the US Billboard 200 chart.  It was certified platinum in the US in August 1998.  In 2012, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Tumbleweed Connection number 458 among the 500 greatest albums. 
Read more