Originally entitled “Get It On”, this song was renamed “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” to avoid confusion with the Chase song.

The song features a classic Bolan riff, heavily inspired by Chuck Berry’s “Little Queenie”. Ian McDonald played saxophone (three times), and Rick Wakeman played piano – he was desperate for money, so Bolan and Visconti created a simple part for him. It is often thought Elton John played the piano, but he merely mimed it for the music video.

Lyrically, it’s quite obviously about sex.

Ironically, the album (let alone the song) does not feature a gong.