1971 Rock Song, Reimagined by Top Supergroup The Power Station, Is Still an Iconic Hit 55 Years Later

T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” became a huge hit in the 1970s, establishing the glam-rock classic as one of the band’s defining anthems.

Decades later, the sultry, foot-stomping boogie-rock track reached a new generation of listeners through numerous covers, with supergroup The Power Station’s version standing out as one of the most notable.

Written by T. Rex lead singer Marc Bolan, with drummer Bill Legend with the rhythm, the iconic track was a celebration of sexual attraction, desire and the rock-and-roll spirit, expressed through playful and surreal imagery rather than explicitly addressing sex.

Recorded during the band’s U.S. tour for their second studio album, Electric Warrior, “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” caught producer Tony Visconti’s ear, who recognized the song’s potential to become a major hit.

Visconti then brought in several notable musicians to contribute to the recording.

“When I first heard [“Get It On”], only the day before we recorded it,” he wrote in his book, Tony Visconti: The Autobiography: Bowie, Bolan, and the Brooklyn Boy, as cited by Best Classic Bands, “it sounded like a hit to me. The next day we drove… to Wally Heider Studios and recorded [the song] in one evening, complete with overdubbed backing vocals from Flo and Eddie – we knew we had our next single.”

The song not only highlighted a playful expression of sexual desire but also featured a hypnotic blues-rock groove and infectious energy, complemented by the “godfather of glam rock’s” theatrical costumes.

T. Rex’s track rocketed to No. 1 on the U.K. charts for four consecutive weeks while landing at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The massive popularity of “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” drew the interest of The Power Station, who released their own version in 1985.

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“Get It On” was covered by the Power Station in 1985. Their version – referred to as “Get It On (Bang a Gong)” in the US – was released as the second single from their debut album. The track was a strong hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, where the single peaked at number nine (one place higher than the original) in the summer of 1985.[34] Meanwhile, in the UK, the song reached number 22 on the UK Singles Chart.[35] The band was originally going to have a different guest vocalist on each song on their album and had brought in Robert Palmer first to sing a different song. When Palmer heard that the band had recorded a demo of “Get It On”, he asked to try out vocals for it also. Afterward, the band then decided to record the entire album with Palmer.[36] Model Caroline Cossey, who had featured in their previous video for “Some Like It Hot”, appeared again, alongside American dancer/singer-songwriter Sara Carlson.[37] On 13 July 1985, the Power Station, as well as Duran Duran, participated in the Live Aid Philadelphia concert and performed the song with British singer Michael Des Barres on vocals.[38] The band, again with Des Barres on vocals, performed it in a cameo on the Miami Vice episode “Whatever Works”. #radiokaos #80smusic #powerstation #getiton #bangagong

♬ original sound – RadioKaos

As the second single from their self-titled debut album, the supergroup, with Robert Palmer on vocals, Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor and John Taylor alongside former Chic drummer Tony Thompson, delivered a high-energy funk-rock rendition of the track, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, one spot higher than T. Rex’s 1971 version.

More than a decade after T. Rex released “Bang a Gong (Get It On),” the song continued to be reimagined across multiple genres.

While The Power Station’s cover made it an ’80s staple, the song has received several revivals spanning alternative rock, synth-pop, industrial metal and more. These include U2 and Elton John in 2020 as part of the star-studded tribute to Bolan on the memorial project album AngelHeaded Hipster andBlondie’s 1978 version, among others.

Related: 1986 Rock Song, Written by Iconic Band Metallica, Ranked Among ‘Greatest Heavy Metal Songs’ of All Time