'Get It On' by T. Rex: The making of the gong-banging glam stomper

8 January 2025, 14:03

You're dirty, sweet and you're my girl...

Some songs are instantly recognisable after just a few notes.

One such classic is T.Rex's absolutely massive hit single 'Get It On', whose stomping riff explodes out the radio every time we play it.

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It was an instant chart smash on both sides of the Atlantic on its release, and arguably is the ultimate glam rock blueprint.

Its influence lasted well beyond the glam era, with its chunky guitars inspiring generations of musicians since.

Below we round up everything you might want to know about 'Get It On'.

Who wrote 'Get It On'?

T. Rex - Bang a Gong (Get It On) (Official Audio)

'Get It On', like the rest of the songs on Electric Warrior, was written by Marc Bolan and Marc Bolan alone.

In fact, Bolan wrote every single song on every single one of Tyrannosaurus Rex/T.Rex's 12 studio albums.

The group's first four, folky albums were released under the Tyrannosaurus Rex name, before they started going partially electric on 1970's T. Rex album.

.They then took the full leap into glam on the following year's Electric Warrior

Chuck Berry - Little Queenie (Official Video)

On 'Get It On', Bolan was very much influenced by Chuck Berry's 'Little Queenie', and you can hear an ad-libbed snippet of the lyrics as the song fades out.

Producer Tony Visconti told the Wall Street Journal that Marc had first played him the song when they stayed together at the Hyatt House hotel on the Sunset Strip.

"Marc played it for me several times on his acoustic guitar. I sang background vocals and took detailed production notes," Visconti said.

"All of the song’s chords were Chuck Berry’s changes. It was all very rock ‘n’ roll. An hour later, when Marc and I finished, I knew we had a smash hit."

What is 'Get It On' about?

T Rex Get It On 1971 HD 0815007 @musicpg517

Like large swathes of pop music, 'Get It On' is about... well, getting it on.

Specifically, about getting it on with a girl who is:

• Dirty
• Sweet
• Clad in black
• Slim
• Weak
• Has the teeth of the Hydra upon her
• Built like a car (with a hubcap diamond star halo)
• An untamed youth
• Has a cloak full of eagles

Tony Visconti later revealed that the song was specifically inspired by three different women Marc knew over the years.

What big name stars played on 'Get It On'?

The lineup of T. Rex had already undergone multiple changes by the time the band got round to recording 'Get It On'.

As well as Marc Bolan (of course) on vocals and guitars, the rest of the band was made up of newcomers Bill Legend on drums and Steve Currie on bass.

Percussionist Mickey Finn was still very much in the band at the time of recording, and rounding out the sound were some superstar session players.

King Crimson's Ian MacDonald layered on the baritone and alto sax, while Rick Wakeman added some piano and Hammond organ.

The story goes that Bolan offered Wakeman the gig to help the future Yes man out with a rent bill, even though the simple glissando he provided could easily have been done by the producer.

Wakeman did the job and happily pocketed his nine quid for his efforts.

The producer was Tony Visconti, a key part of the T. Rex camp from their very first recordings all the way to 1974.

Backing vocals came from The Turtles/Flo & Eddie duo Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan.

As for who bangs the gong... well, there isn't actually a gong on the song. It's just a metaphor for... well, you know.

Did Elton John play on 'Get It On'?

T. Rex - Bang A Gong (get It On) Top of the pops 1971 (Video)

If you've seen T. Rex playing 'Get It On' on Top of the Pops, you'll see none other than Elton John there, bashing away on the piano.

Elton was well on his way too absolute superstardom by the time 'Get It On' was recorded, having already released his own Empty Sky, Elton John and Tumbleweed Connection albums.

By the time of the performance on December 27, 1971, Elton had even released Madman Across the Water, the album that arguably made him an icon.

Before he became a star, Elton was an in-demand session man, so it's easy to put two and two together and think that he played on 'Get It On'.

He didn't though, and was just miming along during the performance for fun.

When was 'Get It On' released and where did it get in the charts?

'Get It On' was released on July 2, 1971, putting a rocket on the emerging glam rock movement.

It's hard to point to many more out-and-out glam singles before 'Get It On', though T. Rex's own 'Hot Love' and 'Ride A White Swan' are also candidates.

The single featured the B-sides 'There Was a Time' and 'Raw Ramp'.

The single went all the way to number one in the UK, going Platinum, and even went to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It was the first song on the second side of the Electric Warrior album, which was released on September 24, 1971, which topped the UK charts and went to 32 in the US

How did 'Get It On' ruin Marc Bolan's relationship with John Peel?

While 'Hot Love' and then 'Get It On' were the songs that took T. Rex to the toppermost of the poppermost, it was also the point at which radio DJ John Peel fell out of love with the band.

He had championed them in their folkier days as Tyrannosaurus Rex, but just didn't connect with their heavier material.

Peel shared that opinion on air after playing the song, and it put an end to the pair's friendship.

They apparently only spoke once more before Bolan's tragic death six years later.

Why does 'Get It On' have a different name in the US?

If you bought 'Get It On' in the US on its release, it wasn't actually called 'Get It On'.

Instead, it came out under the somewhat more unwieldy name of 'Bang a Gong (Get It On)'.

There was a fair enough reason for the change, as jazz rockers Chase had a hit with a song called 'Get It On' the very same year.

Who has covered 'Get It On'?

The Power Station - Get It On (Bang A Gong) (Official Music Video)

Given that it inspired a whole new genre of music, it's probably no surprise that 'Get It On' has been covered as many times as it has

The Power Station (the Duran Duran/Chic/Robert Palmer supergroup), scored a hit with their cover in 1985, and even performed it at Live Aid, with Michael Des Barres on vocals.

Blondie's live version pops up on various releases, while Icehouse recorded a cover in 2023 with Simple Minds.

Bang A Gong (Get It On)

Elton John finally got to actually play piano on the song, when he performed it with U2 in 2020.

Other covers over the years either live or in the studio include versions by James Last, Gloria Jones, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Damned, Boy George and Edwyn Collins, David Bowie, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Santana featuring Gavin Rossdale, Culture Club and David Johansen.

Not a cover, but Oasis liberally stole the riff from 'Get It On' for their own 'Cigarettes and Alcohol'.