Rock and Roll (Part 2) — a thunderous chant that captured the raw pulse of early-70s glam and the communal spirit of rock itself
Few recordings announce themselves with such instant force as “Rock and Roll (Part 2)” by The Glitter Band. From the very first pounding beat and the unmistakable “Hey!” chant, the song feels less like a conventional single and more like a gathering — a shared moment where rhythm, repetition, and raw energy dissolve the distance between stage and crowd. Released in 1972, the track reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and later climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, becoming the group’s most enduring and recognizable recording.
At the time of its release, The Glitter Band were closely associated with the glam rock explosion sweeping Britain. Originally formed as the backing band for Gary Glitter, they soon stepped forward in their own right, driven by a sound that was both simple and overwhelming: twin drummers, stomping beats, and hooks designed not for quiet listening, but for mass participation. “Rock and Roll (Part 2)” was the purest expression of that philosophy.
What makes the song remarkable is how little it tries to explain itself. There are no traditional verses, no detailed story, no emotional confessions. Instead, it relies on a hypnotic groove, hand-clap rhythms, and shouted vocals that feel closer to a football chant than a pop lyric. Yet within that simplicity lies its genius. The song doesn’t ask you to listen — it asks you to join in. It turns the listener into part of the performance.
Behind the scenes, the track reflects a moment when rock music was redefining its relationship with the audience. The early 1970s were marked by excess, glitter, and spectacle, but also by a desire to reconnect with rock’s physical roots — the beat you could feel in your chest, the communal stomp of a crowd moving as one. “Rock and Roll (Part 2)” distilled that feeling into just a few minutes of sound.
Its success on the charts was no accident. In Britain, it became a fixture on radio and television, its relentless rhythm impossible to ignore. In the United States, the song found an even longer afterlife, frequently played at sporting events, where its chant-like structure proved perfect for rallying crowds. Long after its chart run ended, the recording continued to echo through arenas and stadiums, becoming almost detached from its original context — a rare example of a pop single transforming into a cultural signal.
For listeners who remember its first impact, the song carries a powerful sense of time and place. It recalls an era when glam rock balanced showmanship with brute simplicity, when a song could dominate simply by being loud, proud, and unforgettable. There is nostalgia here, but not the soft, reflective kind. This is nostalgia that stomps, claps, and shouts — a reminder of youth, noise, and nights when music felt larger than life.
Yet there is also something strangely timeless about “Rock and Roll (Part 2)”. Stripped of fashion, image, and era, it taps into something primal: the human response to rhythm. The chant, the beat, the repetition — these are ancient tools, used long before rock music had a name. In that sense, The Glitter Band weren’t just making a glam rock anthem; they were tapping into the oldest language music has.
Looking back, the song stands as both a product of its time and a survivor beyond it. It may not offer poetic lyrics or subtle emotion, but it offers something just as lasting — connection. A reminder that sometimes music doesn’t need to explain or persuade. Sometimes it only needs to beat steadily and invite us in.
Oldies Songs