The AC/DC riff Brian Johnson thought was completely perfect: “I don’t know if it’s crap or not”
No rulebook exists to tell a band where to go after losing one of their own. Even though there are millions of ways around the common law when working in the music industry, no one is prepared to lose a part of their musical family whenever they are out on the road. Although AC/DC was given the shock of a lifetime when Bon Scott was found dead of alcohol poisoning, Brian Johnson was allowed to show his stuff to the Young brothers shortly after Scott’s funeral.
Knowing they wanted their next record to pay tribute to Scott’s memory, the crux of Back in Black was created using the riffs that Malcolm and Angus had been working on with Scott before his passing. In the same vein as their prior album, Highway to Hell, Malcolm had come up with the title song’s riff without thinking that there was much to it.
When discussing the song’s genesis, Angus discussed Malcolm having some doubt over whether to use the song or not, telling Classic Rock Stories, “Malcolm [had the main riff for] ‘Back in Black’ for about three weeks. He came in one night and said, ‘You got your cassette here? Can I put this down? It’s driving me mad.’ The funniest thing is he said to me, ‘What do you think? I don’t know if it’s crap or not’”.
While based on just a handful of chords, Malcolm had created the ultimate comeback anthem for the band. Although the song may not be the most complex thing in the world, the intent of it should have signalled just the next record for AC/DC, not letting any matters of mortality get in the way of them creating a masterpiece.
When Johnson was hired, though, he was shellshocked to be in the right place at the right time. Although he may not have loved filling Scott’s shoes, he knew he was in good hands once he heard the crux of ‘Back in Black’, saying: “I don’t think anybody writing lyrics could miss with those riffs. You could have written anything, and it would have sounded good. I think it was professionals meeting with a rank amateur like myself, and it just meshed”.
While most wondered how someone could fill Scott’s shoes, Johnson had the same gravel in his voice that made Scott such a lovable character. Throughout the band’s evolution, Johnson would continue to test the limits of where his voice could go, offering up one classic after another throughout the rest of the album, including the bulletproof tribute ‘Hells Bells’ and the ode to sexual pleasures everywhere, ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’.
Regardless of the rank amateur status of Johnson, AC/DC hit the ground running with Back in Black, picking up an entirely new audience through their music and satisfying the fans that preferred Scott’s usual voice. No matter how many times circumstances had kept them down, AC/DC was ready to kick ass and take names once again.
Throughout the rest of their career, the band have continued riding the momentum of their landmark album, creating new songs in the same mould ever since, like 1990’s ‘Thunderstruck’. Although AC/DC may have been given a curse to kick off their career, things were about to move quickly once the world heard this track.
Malcolm’s basic chords paid off in dividends, too, turning AC/DC into one of the biggest rock acts on Earth for a second time. Then again, maybe the power behind the riff is all in Malcolm’s hands. It wouldn’t be that big a deal if some random joker on the street just played those chords without thinking, but when they’re being hammered out by the right player, things can start getting intense real quick.
Being clever is rarely a bad thing. But when you are writing rock anthems built for speed and built to last, then oftentimes, the most simple method of getting across the line is the one you should be pursuing. AC/DC knew that better than anyone.
