In the United States, T. Rex was a one-hit wonder, with the Marc Bolan-fronted glam-rock band reaching the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the only time with its classic “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” in 1971. In the United Kingdom, though, the group was a pop juggernaut in the early 1970s.
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From 1970 through 1972, T. Rex had four singles reach No. 1 on the U.K. chart, and four others that peaked at No. 2. The first of the band’s chart-topping tunes was “Hot Love,” which hit No. 1 on the U.K. tally 55 years ago this week (on March 13, 1971).
[RELATED: 3 Must-Hear Tracks From T. Rex’s Pioneering Glam Rock Album ‘Electric Warrior’]
“Hot Love” spent an impressive six weeks at the pinnacle of the U.K. chart. It finally was knocked from the top spot on April 24, 1971, by Dave and Ansell Collins’ “Double Barrel.”
T. Rex released “Hot Love” as a non-album single in February 1971. The song’s success was bolstered by a pair of appearances by T. Rex on the British TV show Top Of The Pops. Bolan wore a shiny satin jumpsuit and glittery makeup for the performances, which are considered very influential in bringing attention to the glam-rock movement.
Some Background on T. Rex and “Hot Love”
T. Rex originally was an acoustic psychedelic folk duo called Tyrannosaurus Rex that featured frontman Bolan and percussionist Steve Peregrine Took. Took was replaced in 1969 by Mickey Finn, and the band began focusing on a more electric rock sound around that time. Bolan shortened the group’s name to T. Rex in 1970.
Most of T. Rex’s albums were produced by Tony Visconti, also known for his work David Bowie. “Hot Love” was recorded and released between T. Rex’s self-titled 1970 album and its landmark 1971 studio effort Electric Warrior.
The track featured backing vocals by Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, who also were known as Flo & Eddie. Kaylan and Volman came to fame as members of The Turtles, and also were part of Frank Zappa’s backing group, The Mothers Of Invention from 1970 to 1971. Visconti frequently enlisted Flo & Eddie to sing on T. Rex recordings.
“Hot Love” featured an old-time rock-and-roll sound, augmented by strings arranged by Visconti. It was the first T. Rex track to feature drummer Bill Fifield, who soon joined the band under the moniker Bill Legend. Finn, meanwhile, contributed handclaps. The group was rounded out by bassist Steve Currie.
The track became a movie mainstay in the late 1990s, being featured in the 1996 film Breaking the Waves starring Emily Watson and Stella Skarsgård. It also appeared in the 1998 film The Acid House.
T. Rex followed “Hot Love” with “Get It On,” the lead single from Electric Warrior. It also topped the U.K. chart, spending four weeks at No. 1 in July and August of 1971. “Get It On,” which was renamed “Bang A Gong” in the U.S., peaked at No. 10 on the Hot 100.
(Photo by kpa/United Archives via Getty Images)
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