When AC/DC Hired Brian Johnson, He Flat-Out Refused to Sing One of the Band’s Biggest Hits

Once a band scores a major hit, there is a certain expectation from the public for that band to keep playing the track. Some artists do so begrudgingly. Others are happy to do it. But for Brian Johnson, the Newcastle singer who joined AC/DC in 1980, there was one major hit by his new band that he flat-out refused to play.

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But he wasn’t being a diva. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Why Brian Johnson Refused to Perform This AC/DC Hit

Brian Johnson joined AC/DC in April 1980, two months after the tragic death of the band’s original lead singer, Bon Scott. By the time of Scott’s death, AC/DC had already established themselves as a major rock band around the world. Hit songs like “T.N.T.”, “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”, “Girls Got Rhythm”, and “Highway To Hell” helped define the Australian rock band’s loud and unapologetically macho sound.

Among those hits was an autobiographical song, “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)”, from T.N.T. The track describes the hard life of playing rock music. “Gettin’ robbed, gettin’ stoned, gettin’ beat up, broken-boned, gettin’ had, gettin’ took, I tell you, folks, it’s harder than it looks / It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll.” AC/DC might have been riding fast on their ascent to the top when they released the song, but they weren’t that far removed from those long, hard, and woefully underpaid days.

The song quickly became a fan favorite. But after Scott’s death, Johnson refused to perform it live. “I’m not doing that one. I can’t,” he later said, per Studio Number Six. “That’s Bon’s song. That’s his epitaph. When I think of that song, I think of Bon. I see him with the bagpipes and the smile. And I can’t do it justice. It would be wrong. It would be like going into a church and shouting. It’s a sacred song for him, for the fans, for the band, and for me.”

The Vocalist’s Refusal Was a Huge Sign of Respect

As disappointing as it might have been to AC/DC fans wanting to hear this T.N.T. track live, Brian Johnson’s refusal to perform “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” was an immense sign of respect on Johnson’s part. Continuing a band without one of its core members is a difficult decision. Other bands, like Led Zeppelin, opted not to continue when a member died. Some groups, like The Doors, attempted to continue but eventually folded.

Had AC/DC chosen not to move forward without Scott, the world would have hardly blamed them. Instead, they hired Johnson, whose powerful rasp and specific style of songwriting ushered the band into a new era, bolstered by hits like “You Shook Me All Night Long”, “Thunderstruck”, and “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)”.

Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage