Covered: Bang a Gong

“Bang a Gong (Get It On)” is perhaps the most well-known song by British glam rockers T. Rex — at least here in America. Despite multiple hits in the UK, T. Rex never gained the same momentum here in the States, and although “Bang a Gong” charted the highest when it was released in 1971, it still only peaked at number 10. But among rock lovers in particular, its legacy lives on.

Fitting for its suggestive albeit abstract lyrics, “Bang a Gong” opens with a sexy guitar riff, and frontman Marc Bolan reinforces that with a deep, subtle vocal delivery. The song adds more attitude for the chorus and as it comes to and end, with the guitars picking up and coming more to the forefront as the recognizable “Get it on/Bang a gong/Get it on” refrain repeats.

Several years after “Bang a Gong” was released, in 1978, band Blondie was fresh off the release of Parallel Lines, known for hits like “Hanging on the Telephone,” “One Way or Another,” and “Heart of Glass.” After playing a set in Boston, the band decided to end the show with a cover track — “Bang a Gong” by T. Rex.

Some of Blondie’s bigger hits — “Heart of Glass,” for example — lean more heavily into pop and new wave, making it easy to forget the band came up as part of the punk scene. But their take on “Bang a Gong” is a perfect reminder of those roots, as they infuse more grit and attitude in it, with singer Debbie Harry adding a little bit of growl to punctuate the lyrics. It’s easy to picture Harry commanding the stage as the band plays more aggressive guitars and takes the song from the smooth and sexy version Bolan delivered several years prior to a raucous celebration of sexuality. As music website Paste describes it:

What unites Blondie’s Debbie Harry and T. Rex’s Marc Bolan was their innate pomp and swagger, coupled with a love of punk’s cool danger and pop’s playful spirit. Blondie’s cover of this T. Rex hit proves they were born from the same rock ’n’ roll stardust.

And to close, Harry throws in a line from “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” giving the performance just that much more of a feminine edge.