"Get It On" is a song by the British glam rock group T. Rex, featured on their 1971 album Electric Warrior. Written by frontman Marc Bolan, "Get It On" was the second chart-topper for T. Rex on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, the song was retitled "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" to avoid confusion with a number of the same name by the group Chase.
Contents[]
- 2 Track listing
- 3 Chart performance
- 4 Power Station version
- 5 Other cover versions
- 6 Sampling
- 7 References
History[edit][]
Bolan claimed to have written the song out of his desire to record Chuck Berry's "Little Queenie", and said that the riff is taken from the Berry song. In fact, a line (And meanwhile, I'm still thinking) of "Little Queenie" is said at the fade of "Get It On".[1]
This was the song that virtually ended the once-solid friendship between Bolan and John Peel, after Peel made clear his lack of enthusiasm for the song on air after playing his advance white label copy. Bolan and Peel only spoke once more before the former's death in 1977.[2][3]
During a December 1971 Top of the Pops performance, Elton John mimed a piano on the song.[4][5]
The track was recorded at Trident Studios, London and the piano glissando on the record was performed by Rick Wakeman. Wakeman, who was desperate for work at the time to pay his rent, had bumped into Bolan in Oxford Street, who offered him the session. Wakeman pointed out to Tony Visconti that the record did not actually need a piano player. Visconti suggested that he could add a gliss; Wakeman said that Visconti could do that, to which Bolan replied, "you want your rent, don't you?" Wakeman did and earned £9 for his efforts.[6]
Grand piano was played by Blue Weaver - who in fact replaced Rick Wakeman in The Strawbs. and saxophones by Ian McDonald of King Crimson. Producer Visconti later recalled: "He played all the saxes, one baritone and two altos. I kept the baritone separate but bounced the altos to one track. I bounced the backup vocals to two tracks, making an interesting stereo image."[7]
Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan of The Turtles (later known as Flo & Eddie, and later still as members Mothers of Invention) fame provided back up vocals on the song.[8]
Track listing[edit][]
- US: Reprise / 1032
- UK: Fly Records / BUG 10
- Germany: Ariola / 10 327 AT
- Denmark: Stateside / 6E 006-92700
- France: Columbia / CBS 7393
- "Get It On" (Marc Bolan) – 4:25
- "There Was a Time" (Marc Bolan) – 1:00
- "Raw Ramp" (Marc Bolan) – 4:14
Chart performance[edit][]
While it only spent four weeks at the top in the UK, starting 24 July 1971[9] ("Hot Love" was number one for six weeks from March to May[10]), it was the group's biggest hit overall, selling nearly a million copies in the UK[citation needed]. It peaked on the US Billboard Pop Singles chart at number ten[11] in January 1972, becoming the band's only major US hit. The song reached No. 12 in Canada in March 1972.[12]
| Chart (1971/1972) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[9] | 1 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 11 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[12] | 12 |
| German GfK chart[13] | 3 |
| Dutch Top 40[14] | 15 |
| Irish Singles Chart[15] | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart[16] | 6 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[17] | 3 |
| US Billboard Pop Singles[11] | 10 |
| Preceded by | UK number-one single
24 July 1971 – 14 August 1971 (4 weeks)[9] |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by
"Sometimes" by Red Hurley |
Ireland number-one single
12 August 1971 – 19 August 1971 (2 weeks) |
Succeeded by |
Power Station version[edit][]
| "Get It On (Bang a Gong)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [1] | ||||
| Single by The Power Station | ||||
| from the album The Power Station | ||||
| B-side | "Go to Zero" | |||
| Released | 29 April 1985 | |||
| Format | 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 3:43 (45 Mix)
5:31 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Writer(s) | Marc Bolan | |||
| Producer(s) | Bernard Edwards | |||
| The Power Station singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Get It On" was covered by The Power Station in 1985. Their version – titled "Get It On (Bang a Gong)" – was released as their second single from their debut album. The track was a strong hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, where the single peaked at number nine (one place higher than the original) in the summer of 1985.[20] Meanwhile, in the UK, the song reached number 22 on the UK Singles Chart.[21] When Robert Palmer heard that the other Power Station members had recorded demos for "Bang a Gong", he asked to try out vocals for it. Before long, the band had decided to record the entire album with Palmer.[22] This single, along with "Some Like It Hot", became the Power Station's signature songs.
On July 13, 1985, The Power Station (as well as Duran Duran), had a participation at Live Aid, on the Philadelphia concert, in which the band performed the song, this time, with the British singer Michael Des Barres on vocals.[23]
The female dancer featured in the video is American dancer/singer-songwriter Sara Carlson.[24]
The song also was performed live on the Miami Vice episode "Whatever Works", with Michael Des Barres on vocals,[25] where all of the then-touring group had cameos.
Track listings[edit][]
7" vinyl single[edit][]
- US: Capitol Records / B-5479
- UK: Parlophone / R 6096
- Australia: EMI / A1510
- Europe: EMI / 20 0632 7
| Side one | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Get It On" | Marc Bolan | 3:43 | |||||||
| Side two | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Go to Zero" | Guy Pratt, Robert Palmer | 4:57 | |||||||
12" vinyl single[edit][]
- US: Capitol Records / V8646
- UK: Parlophone / 12R 6096
- Europe: Parlophone / 1C K 060 20 0631 6
- Canada: Capitol Records / V 75107
| Side one | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Get It On" | Bolan | 5:31 | |||||||
| Side two | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Get It On" (45 Mix) | Bolan | 3:43 | |||||||
| 2. | "Go To Zero" | Pratt, Palmer | 4:57 | |||||||
Chart performance[edit][]
| Chart (1985) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[20] | 9 |
| US BillboardTop Rock Tracks[20] | 19 |
| US BillboardHot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[20] | 47 |
| Irish Singles Chart[26] | 12 |
| UK Singles Chart[21] | 22 |
Other cover versions[edit][]
- In 1979, studio disco group Witch Queen released a disco version of the song, simply titled, "Bang A Gong". It peaked at number eight on the disco charts.[27]
- KMFDM recorded a cover in the mid-1980s, calling it "Get It". The song is included on their 84–86 compilation album.
Sampling[edit][]
British dance act Bus Stop (known in the US as "London Bus Stop") sampled the vocals from the T. Rex original in their 2000 pseudo-cover of the song, which charted at No. 59 in the UK.[