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This was released 5 months after lead singer
Bon Scott died. The song is a tribute to Scott, and the lyrics, "Forget the hearse 'cause I never die" imply that he will live on forever through his music. With Brian Johnson on lead vocals, the
Back In Black album proved that AC/DC could indeed carry on without Scott. (thanks, Nathan - Willow Spring, NC)
Bon Scott saw Brian Johnson singing for another band in a pub, and was so impressed by his vocals, when he met back up with AC/DC he told them to get Johnson if anything should ever happen to him. After Bon's death, Angus Young called Johnson up and offered him the position of lead vocalist. Johnson told him where he could put it and hung up (he thought someone was pranking him). Eventually, of course, it worked out. (thanks, Brian - Pittsburgh, PA)
The band got the idea for the title before writing any of the song, although Malcolm Young had the main guitar riff for years and used to play it frequently as a warm-up tune. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)
This song was recorded in The Bahamas and produced in New York by Mutt Lange.
Back In Black was one of the first big albums Lange produced. He went on to work with Def Leppard, Celine Dion, and Shania Twain (who he married in 1993). In the late-'70s, he produced 2 albums for the band Clover, which featured Huey Lewis on harmonica and Alex Call on lead vocals. Call explains Lange's production style:
"Mutt is a real studio rat. He is Mr. Endurance in the studio. When we were making the records with him, he'd start working at 10:30, 11 in the morning and go until 3 at night, night after night. He is one of the guys that really developed that whole multi-multi-multi track recording. We'd do 8 tracks of background vocals going, "Oooooh" and bounce those down to one track and then do another 8, he was doing a lot of that. A lot of the things you hear on Def Leppard and that kind of stuff, he was developing that when he worked with us. We were the last record he did that wasn't enormous, and that's not his fault, he did a really good job with us. Mutt is famous for working long hours. The story I heard about one of the Shania sessions, he had Rob Hajakos, who's one of the famous fiddle session men down here (Nashville). Rob was playing violin parts for like 7 or 8 hours and finally he said, 'Can I take a break,' and Mutt says, 'What do you mean take a break?' Rob goes, 'Have you ever held one of these for 8 hours under your chin?' Mutt really loves to record, he loves music and he's a real perfectionist and an innovator. An unbelievable commercial hook writer." (Check out our
interview with Alex Call.)
Bon Scott had several lyrical ideas for the album, but those were abandoned by the band in favor of new lyrics by Brian, Malcolm and Angus. Former AC/DC manager Ian Jeffrey claims to still have a folder that contains lyrics of 15 songs written for Back In Black by Bon. (thanks, Terry - Belleville, Canada)
The album had a black cover with the band's logo on it. It was a tribute to Bon Scott.
This was the title track to AC/DC's most popular album. It has sold over 19 million copies in the US, the 6th highest ever. Worldwide, it has sold over 40 million.
The Beastie Boys sampled this on their 1985 single "She's On It," which was used in the movie Krush Groove. When they asked permission to release it on their 1999 Greatest Hits album, AC/DC refused.
A remastered version is included on the 1997 Bon Scott tribute album, Bonfire.
The Atlanta Falcons football team used this as their theme song for a while. The Falcons also went through an MC Hammer phase, when they used "2 Legit 2 Quit" and let the rapper roam their sidelines.
This was used as the backing track to a bootleg version of Eminem's 1999 hit "
My Name Is" The song fits surprisingly well under Eminem's rap.
Missy Elliott did a remix of this song called "Get Your Freak On (AC/DC remix)" that is played in the beginning of the movie The Rundown, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Sean William Scott. (thanks, Steve - Kitchener, Canada)
The Appalachian State Mountaineers football team use this song before and during their games, where it is a crowd favorite. The team colors are gold and black. (thanks, Laura K. - Toccoa, GA)
Vocalist Brian Johnson recalled to Mojo magazine November 2009 that when the band asked him to write a lyric for this song, "they said, 'it can't be morbid - it has to be for Bon and it has to be a celebration.'" He added: "I thought, 'Well nae pressure there, then' (laughs). I just wrote what came into my head, which at the time seemed like mumbo, jumbo. 'Nine lives. Cats eyes. Abusing every one of them and running wild.' The boys got it though. They saw Bon's life in that lyric."
Comments (136):
JJ Burnel of The Stranglers
JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.
Jules Shear - "All Through The Night"
Shears does very little promotion, which has kept him secluded from the spotlight. What changed when Cyndi Lauper had a hit with his song? Not much, really.
Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root
Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.
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Send To january.michel8@gmail.com and write me if you know anything
Keep Rockin Thanks
He was without a doubt one of if not thee monstors of metal anyone that heard his early songs knew that he would follow in the footsteps of greatness along the line of Hendrix.
Fighting over who recorded what is an insult to Bon he found Johnson and told the band in advance .
If anything happens to me call him , think about it he knew in his own way to find the next him.
His was a gift to do in a crazy way excatly what he needed to do .
30 years later we still speak about him with revernce as we should.
I know the band was preparing to go back into the studio in March 1980 to start recording their 7th album.
- Shaun, Glasgow
No he's not. He from Dunston in Gateshead, North, East of England. BON SCOTT'S Scottish, his nickname was Bon because it's scottish for small and happy, which Bon was.
How do you make a page for a song? We need "Rock N' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution." That's my absolute favorite.
Rock on!
The box set Bonfire was also a tribute as Bon had once said, half in jest, that if he ever released a solo album he'd call it Bonfire, so thats why there are included unreleased/rare tracks in that set- another tribute.
And yes, Malcolm solos on the original recoroding of Can I Sit Next To You, Girl (with Dave Evans), Soul Stripper (Aus. release High Voltage),Show Business (Aus. release High Voltage), You Ain't Got A Hold On Me (Aus. release High Voltage) and Hold Me Back (Stiff Upper Lip). :)
Go to Joe Lynn Turner's (70's obscure rocker, voice for Deep Purple, others) website. It's HIM singing on the "Thunderbolt" Tribute album to AC/DC, along with other artists doing other songs.
Any fan of AC/DC can listen and tell in the first 10 seconds that it's not AC/DC... but JLT's voice is VERY much like Bon Scott's.
Not really much of an AC/DC fan anymore but I do have to admit they were/are an awesome band.
- evan, NO, LA
Oh yeah and David Gilmour.
- Tony, Albany, NY
First of all, Malcolm isn't even that great of a guitarist. He asked Angus to join the band because Angus had a natural gift for the guitar. Also, Malcolm isn't a lead guitarist like guitar soloists are, he is a RHYTHM GUITARIST. That means that he just adds harmony that the already great songs don't really need but it makes them even better.
Oh and about David Gilmour. David Gilmour is a great guitarist. He DID have solos. I know because I have played his solos before. And plus, what does David Gilmour have to do with AC/DC or even Back in Black? He was a member of Pink Floyd not AC/DC.
Oh and lastly about Ronald Belford (a.k.a. Bon Scott but I like Ronald Belford better). He did not write Back in Black and had never met Brian Johnson except in a rumored spiritual visit from the grave. I thank Josh from Sunbury for writing that Jesse Dupree sang it. If Belford had written it then why would Johnson take credit for it?
And to answer your question Evan, Malcom was a heavy drinker and whenever he was asked if he got jealous of Angus taking the spotlight with his antics and solo's Malcom always said "Angus, he can do whatever he wants. You won't get me in those f**king shorts and solo's just get in the way of my drinking."
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" is my favorite song by them.
"I've got nine live's cat's eyes, FORGET THE HEARSE CAUSE I NEVER DIE."
Just think of it people the son's name is Back in Frickin' Black.
Tom, Adelaide, Australia
and to anyone the says AC/DC songs just sound the same then i think you should take your player off repeat
coz theres no way they all sound the same
if by sound the same you mean the dirty, rough, rock sound they produce then yes you are correct coz that is the sound of AC/DC
dirty rough and mean
Hopefully this will settle any questions.
Cathy
Cathy Krege
Mo.
Bon Scott DID NOT sing any version of this song.
The actual riff was written while he was alive but no vocals were every written or recorded
The song was actually writtn by Brian and teh Boys
BELIEVE ME, IM A TRUE ACDC FAN
The version that supposedly snds like Bon IS teh cover band although ive never heard it so i cant compare it to bons voice
And whats with these people sayin its overated, its an excelent song.
I Looooooooooooove Malcom
didn't seem to go equally with the song. But what would you expect with a crapload of rap overtop a classic AC/DC song.
- frank, pittsburgh, PA "
If you took the time to read the facts, Sherlock, not a single recording of Bon singing Back in Black exists. Like everyone else said, you're hearing Jesse Dupree, or you're hearing nothing because you don't own it.
His primary use is a Gibson SG 61 Les Paul
This wonderful cover of which everyone speaks is almost certainly NOT Bonn and NOT angus- anyone who knows AC/DC can hear that. The vocals do sound a lot like Jesse Dupree, but the guitar solos are probably Steve Morse. He's being doing Back In Black as a standard cover ever since he joined Deep Purple. Could this be it? I'll admit that it's a hell of a difficult thing to determine over the internet because people just assign credit to downloadable songs as they see fit.
Awesome song. The solos are head-bang worthy, and have caused many a long-term headache. But I didn't care, because it was so awesome.
hmmm yes mabye thats why Celine Dion did that retarded version of Shook Me All Night Long...personally i hate AC/DC becuz everyone in Hudson thinks there the best band, listen to more meeningfull songs and artists like Nirvana or something political like SOAD,aight im out
"Back in Black" will never die.
-Robbie, Nicholls, MI
That recording you heard was not Bon Scott, it doesn't even sound like him.