Surprisingly, it was much harder than I thought ranking the best AC/DC songs of all time. Angus Young was once quoted as saying, “I’m sick of people saying we’ve made eleven albums that sound exactly the same. We’ve made twelve albums that sound exactly the same.” The band believed their music should be simple and direct because that was more in line with the person on the street. Although the tongue in cheek lyrics and swagger lost some momentum with the death of original lead singer Bon Scott in 1979, the band has stayed the course for over 30 years reaching their highest commercial success with 1980’s Back in Black. The album astonishingly ranks fifth in U.S.
10. Given the Dog a Bone / Back in Black / 1980
The fourth song in the legendary Back in Black album, ‘Given the dog a bone’ holds its own amongst the many classics in that CD with guitars that do no less than punch the listener in the gut and double entendre lyrics in the vein of Bon Scot’s classic, ‘Big Balls’.
9. Back in Black / Back in Black / 1980
Anything the listener needs to know about AC/DC can be found in the intro to this all-time classic. Instantly recognizable to most rock listeners, the guitar riff grabs you by the collar demanding you listen. While controversy about who really wrote the lyrics for the Back in Black album prevails, I believe Brian Johnson showed listeners who doubted he could replace Bon Scot that he could hold his own in his shadow and amidst the brilliance of the Young brothers get us to listen to him. Catchy, on time and mean rhymes became Johnson’s trademark in contrast to Scot’s funny and sexually influenced style.
8. Highway to Hell / Highway to Hell / 1979
The title song to Bon Scot’s last recorded album also starts with a riff that refuses to be dismissed and takes over the listener. While the cover (featuring Angus with devil horns) and Lucifer related lyrics fueled rumors that the band practiced Satanism (Richard Ramirez, aka The Night Stalker, would later partly attribute his killing spree to AC/DC) Bon Scot explained that the lyrics had nothing to do with Hell itself but were meant more metaphorically to explain the excesses and hardship the band endured while touring.
7. Ain’t No Fun (Waiting Around to be a Millionaire) / Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap / 1976
Even though the title song to Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap received most of the airplay from the album, I’ve always been partial to this little gem. As usual, Malcolm and Angus’ guitar work carries the song, the lyrics set it apart for me. Bon Scot sings about the early days before the band made a living in the music industry.
6. Ballbreaker / Ballbreaker / 1995
This album was lost in the mid-nineties rise of grunge and hip-hop and received literally no airplay or attention. Rock and roll fans missed out on one of the band’s best efforts. By then the Young brothers took over lyric duty as well and probably did their best work. The song itself builds steam as Brian Johnson tells the story of his encounter with a woman who can give it just like she gets it. In the end, the guitars help him sing her praises. With great rhythm guitar by Malcolm Young, this is a great, turn up to ten, fist in the air, rock and roll anthem.
5. Hells Bells / Back in Black / 1980
From the first time I heard the toll of the bell in the intro to ‘Hells Bells’ to the slow build up in lyrics and guitars, this song hooked me. I’ve always felt this would make great addition to any horror movie soundtrack. I can easily imagine the killer walking behind an unsuspecting victim then wreaking havoc as the guitars let loose. Again, Johnson provides classic lyrics that set an ambiance of pure evil.
4. You Shook Me All Night Long / Back in Black / 1980
Nothing but good, good times here. Unforgettable riffs as always coupled with the story of an extraordinary night with a woman who kept “knocking [him] out with those american thighs” make for one of the best songs of all time. There’s nothing not to like about this song. The video also became a classic, featuring scantily clad women riding mechanical bulls, receiving airplay on MTV and VH1. I miss those eighties videos.
3. Ride On / Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap / 1976
The only slow song I’ve ever heard by AC/DC. Angus Young shows off his blues savvy and Bon Scot pours his soul out. It is a very simple, soul driven song with lyrics that force the listener to rethink everything else Bon Scot has told us about living free, good times and highways to hell because in this one “it’s another lonely evening and another lonely town.” In the end he knows what he’s going to do, and it’s not changing his ways, he’s gonna ride on.
2. It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll) / T.N.T / 1975
This became Bon Scot’s signature song. He plays the Scottish bag pipes near the end and takes full control of the song making it all his own and taking it over the top. Again, the lyrics tell a story of the hard times of a band starting out. “If you think its easy playing one night stands, try playing in a rock and roll band” he warns the listener. Showing respect to Bon Scot, Brian Johnson refuses to play this song. While I normally stay away from covers, I highly recommend Lemmy’s version of this song in the album Remixed to Hell.
1. Jailbreak / ’74 Jailbreak / 1976/1984
While the song was originally released with the Australian version of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, it was not available in the U.S.
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