AC/DC stood on the precipice of an American breakthrough when a devastating tragedy hit the band. At that point, many people expected them to fold their tents. After all, they lost such a crucial element of their success to that point.
Videos by American Songwriter
Instead, they rallied. They moved forward with a new band member while paying tribute to the man they had lost. And they scored their first US Top 40 hit in the process.
On the Verge
AC/DC had a few things working against them when it came to any possible incursion into the US pop Top 40. First, they hailed from Australia. It was exceedingly rare for bands from Down Under to gain much of a following in America.
On top of that, they played unapologetic hard rock. Usually, bands of that type had to try to either caress a ballad or sweeten and soften their sound to court US pop radio. AC/DC stayed true to their crunching attack. That meant they’d have to find another way to work their way onto the US pop airwaves.
Yet by 1979, they were knocking on the door. Their album Highway To Hell was produced by Mutt Lange, who helped streamline the band’s sound while emphasizing the hooks and backing vocals. The title track earned the band their best US chart position yet, landing at No. 47. (And it likely would have done even better had not some programmers been leery about the word “hell” in the title.)
A Replacement Put to the Test
AC/DC was already starting to write and record demos of the follow-up to Highway To Hell when fate intervened. In February 1980, after a night of drinking, Bon Scott, AC/DC’s lead singer and chief lyricist, was found dead of alcohol poisoning at the age of 33.
For a while, AC/DC wondered whether they should continue. But after receiving assurances from Scott’s family that he would have wanted them to continue, brothers Malcolm and Angus Young began looking for a replacement. They settled on Brian Johnson, whose leathery, high-pitched rasp deviated quite a bit from Scott’s mischief-laced, squealing style.
Johnson not only had to take over the singing job, but he was also handed an assignment upon joining the band. Malcolm and Angus Young had written a thumping rocker that already had a title but needed lyrics. The title: “You Shook Me All Night Long”.
The Breakout Hit
Johnson headed to the Bahamas to join the band for the album’s sessions. While there, the prevalence of girls on the beach likely played into the words he created. He also did a good job of mimicking Scott’s penchant for innuendo. (Maybe too good, as some in AC/DC’s orbit still claim that Scott wrote the lyrics to the song before his death.)
AC/DC released “You Shook Me All Night Long” as the lead single from the 1980 album Back In Black, which was intended, with its black cover, as a tribute to Bon Scott. The song muscled its way to No. 35 in the US, the band’s first time ever in the Top 40.
Even as their popularity skyrocketed in the US, AC/DC managed just two more hits at that level. Nonetheless, “You Shook Me All Night Long” established their new direction while reminding everyone of the hard times they’d overcome to get there.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.