Rock the Blues Away

Album: Rock or Bust (2014)
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Songfacts®:

  • The songs on Rock or Bust are inspired by reminiscing. "'Rock the Blues Away' is an up track that reminds me of growing up in Australia," Angus Young told The Sun. "I loved being on the beach and that song was inspired by taking me back to the beach hearing rock 'n' roll on the radio."
  • This was the first song that the Aussie band laid down for Rock or Bust, and it was instantly recognizable as an AC/DC cut. Producer Brendan O'Brien recalled to Ultimate Classic Rock: "It was just fun; it sounds like these guys."

    "Both times I've worked with them, stuff was getting set up the first day, especially on Black Ice," he continued. "And they're out in the studio, and I'm out there with them, usually, but I'm in the control room at this point and kind of making sure it sounds the way it's supposed to sound, all that kind of stuff. And as I'm running something down, I'm kind of going, 'That sounds like AC/DC. That's kind of great. So we're halfway there.' So as soon as we kind of get that part of it going, the rest of it sort of seems to fall into place."
  • The song's music video was filmed on February 10, 2015 at the Dragonfly club in Los Angeles just after AC/DC appeared on The Grammy Awards. It is the first of the Rock Or Bust videos to show new drummer Chris Slade back in the band.

    The clip, directed by the band's longtime collaborator David Mallet, features an enthusiastic crowd of real fans who came from all over the world to be part of the historic taping.

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