The late Marc Bolan was never overly concerned with consistency. Take T.Rex’s single Hot Love, for example, released on 12 February 1971. A full two and a half minutes of it – more than half its length – is filled solely by the repeated line ‘La, la, la, la-la-la-laaaa’. While we would never be so churlish as to label this lazy songwriting on the part of Bolan, it’s hardly adventurous – which might make the casual observer assume the same of the follow-up single. Right?
Wrong. Get It On, released on July 2, 1971, is a singularly impressive bit of composition, whether we’re referring to the slick, cheeky riff that anchors the song or the vivid imagery with which Bolan peppers his lyrics. Opaque, shimmering and rather beautiful, phrases such as ‘hubcap diamond star halo’ appear to mean very little, but that never stopped John Lennon and Paul McCartney, did it?
