In 1949, Looney Tunes animator and puppeteer Bob Clampett created the puppet show Time for Beany, which ran on television through 1955. Clampett later revived the characters as an animated cartoon, Beany and Cecil, which was broadcast on ABC in 1962. The cartoon featured the characters of Beany Boy, Cecil, Crowy, and Captain Horatio Huffenpuff, along with their nemesis Dishonest John.
The villain was always up to no good and carried around business cards that read “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Holidays, Sundays, and Special Rates.” The first portion of his adage stuck with AC/DC guitarist Angus Young and the words resurfaced when the band began working on their third album.
Released in 1976, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap—co-produced by George Young, the older brother of guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young—shot to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and went to No. 5 on the Australian chart and featured the title track, written by Angus and Malcolm, and singer Bon Scott.
Videos by American Songwriter
[RELATED: The Meaning Behind AC/DC’s Bon Scott Tribute “Hells Bells”]
AC/DC’s ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap‘
Though first inspired by Clampett’s more innocent, slapstick-’60s cartoon, in typical AC/DC form, the first half of the lyrics of “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” moved in a sexual direction, prompting a girl to leave behind her cheating boyfriend and find someone better: Pick up the phone, I’m here alone / Or make a social call / Come right in, forget about him.
If you’re havin’ trouble with the high school head
He’s givin’ you the blues
You want to graduate, but not in his bed
Here’s what you gotta do
Pick up the phone, I’m always home
Call me anytime
Just ring, 3-6-2-4-3-6, hey
I lead a life of crime
Dirty deeds (done dirt cheap)
Dirty deeds (done dirt cheap)
Dirty deeds (done dirt cheap)
Dirty deeds and they’re done dirt cheap (oh)
Dirty deeds and they’re done dirt cheap
Oh yeah
You got problems in your life of love
You got a broken heart
He’s double dealin’ with your best friend
That’s when the teardrops start, fella
Pick up the phone, I’m here alone
Or make a social call
Come right in, forget about him
We’ll have ourselves a ball, hey
Later lyrics turn more sinister, centered around a woman that should be gone—She keeps naggin’ at you night and day … It’s time you made a stand.
If you got a lady and you want her gone
But you ain’t got the guts
She keeps naggin’ at you night and day
Enough to drive you nuts
Pick up the phone, leave her alone
It’s time you made a stand
For a fee, I’m happy to be
Your back door man, woo
Dirty deeds (done dirt cheap)
Dirty deeds (done dirt cheap)
Dirty deeds (done dirt cheap)
Dirty deeds and they’re done dirt cheap (yeah)
Dirty deeds and they’re done dirt cheap
Concrete shoes, cyanide, TNT
(Done dirt cheap)
Neckties, contracts, high voltage
(Done dirt cheap)
[RELATED: All of AC/DC’s 1979 Classic ‘Highway to Hell’ Songs Ranked]
3-6-2-4-3-6
Shortly after AC/DC released the song, Norman and Marilyn White of Libertyville, Illinois sued Atlantic Records for $250,000 and alleged that their telephone number was used in the song. The couple claimed that the hey at the end of the verse—Just ring, 3-6-2-4-3-6, hey—sounded like the number eight, which was their complete phone number, 362-4368.
Despite the telephone lawsuit, the song went on to be one of AC/DC’s most well-known songs and even climbed to No. 4 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
Though, “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” was originally recorded with Scott, who died in 1980 at 33, AC/DC released a live version of the song with longtime vocalist Brian Johnson on their 1992 live album, Live.
Photo: Fin Costello/Redferns
