Editor’s note: There are certain tracks that are, well, “epic” – memorable, larger than life, and etched into music history. In this series, we’ll look at one of them.
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Is there a song lyric more reminiscent of the free-spirited 1970s than “You’re dirty sweet and you’re my girl”?
In 1971, the English glam band T. Rex (fronted by Marc Bolan and formerly known as the lesser-known “Tyrannosaurus Rex”) released “Bang a Gong” (Get it On) on their album Electric Warrior. It’s an ode to sex and mystery, accompanied by beautiful instrumentation and sung by Bolan with erotic charisma. It’s become a dance classic and a catchy tune for the ages.
Rex was formed in 1967 by Marc Bolan and a rotating group of musicians who began their careers in a more folk/psychedelic style. Bolan’s zany lyrics and impressive musicianship had potential, but T. Rex really took off when Bolan switched genres and applied his skills to the new category of “glam rock.” These aspects began with Bolan himself (he was a teenage model), with his aura of curly dark hair, dewy eyes, glittery makeup and gender-bending outfits.
This conversion was followed by British hits such as “Hot Love”, “Metal Guru”, “Telegram Sam” and, most notably, “Bang a Gong (Get it On).” (The original title was “Get it On”, but since it was the same title as a track released at the same time by the group Chase, the title was changed to distinguish the two.)
“Bang a Gong (Get it On)” was generally well received for its quirky word salad and driving beat. Bolan’s vocals are reminiscent of a warmer, more accessible Jim Morrison. His guitar playing is full of skill and nuance. There is a tone of brave simplicity in the verses where he acknowledges the erotic attraction of his love.
So how does Bolan honor his love in this quirky tune? This is where the joyful lyrical madness comes in. “Dirty and sweet” feels right. “Dressed in black” makes visual sense. But “lean and weak” and “hydra teeth”? Bolan takes us on a confusingly trippy ride.
“Bang a Gong (Get it On)” has been covered by Power Station, Blondie, U2 and Simple Minds, among others, and Def Leppard actually stole the strange lyric fragment “Diamond Star Halo” for the title of their 12th studio album.
T. Rex was so revered in Britain in 1971 that a famous appearance on the BBC show “Top of the Pops” actually inspired the young Elton John mimic some keyboard action with them on stage, just to be part of the magic.
Marc Bolan was an incredibly prolific musician who began his career as a folk musician in the mid-1960s and experimented with various styles of music until he found his true calling: glam rock with a gritty edge and a dash of blues. He admitted to writing “Bang a Gong (Get it On)” as a tribute to Chuck Berry’s 1959 “Little Queenie.” It contains an unmistakable nod to Berry’s riffs, and he also included one of Berry’s direct lines in the outro (“Meanwhile, I’m still thinking…”).
He was also influenced by other icons and changed his birth name from Mark Feld to Marc Bolan in honor of Bob Dylan and merged the first and last parts of be stage name to form his own.
Producer Tony Visconti speaks fondly of Bolan’s highly inventive mind, which led him to write endless songs and poems in a school notebook; this wealth of creations could have provided Bolan with music for decades.
Marc Bolan led a life of rock’n’roll debauchery that eventually left him incapacitated. Tragically, he died in a car crash in which his girlfriend Gloria Jones, who was driving, was injured. He was only 29 years old.
But his impressive output in this unfortunately short period of time still includes one epic track in the form of “Bang a Gong (Get it On),” a bluesy-tinged banger if ever there was one.
-Ellen Fagan
Photo: Marc Bolan, 1973 (public domain)
