The AC/DC song Angus Young called his favourite: “The song that kicked it all”
It’s not entirely uncommon for musicians to have a troubled relationship with their biggest hit.
The success of a single can often hang like an albatross around the neck, never really setting the musician free from one moment that may have defined them at one point, but leaves their legacy feeling somewhat antiquated. I guess the question is, how can a band like AC/DC do anything other than full blooded rock and roll?
They aren’t the only sufferers of this phenomenon either. Take Led Zeppelin, for example, a mighty fine band whose legacy was built on several albums of classic rock. Yet wherever they go, ‘Stairway To Heaven’ is always lurking in the distance, reminding them of exactly who they are. It got so bad, in fact, that Robert Plant once paid a radio station $10,000 to stop playing it altogether.
The human condition is practically designed to try and evolve, so it’s easy to understand how this entire experience is frustrating. But despite my surface concerns for a band like AC/DC, who garnered a bulletproof reputation for mastering one thing, they wholly embraced the expectation.
When Brian Johnson once remarked on the reason he loved being in the band, he said, “I’m an out-and-out basic man, and AC/DC are one of the best rock ‘n’ roll bands in the world, doing things just to the basics, you know.“
The essence of their greatness lies wholly in that sentiment – a single-minded approach to fulfilling their rock and roll duties, and leaving the innovation to the rest of the world. It’s what has helped them fill out stadiums all over the world and garner an endless troop of fans willing to sing along. Because every time they step foot on the stadium floor, they know what to expect.
So naturally, the idea of neglecting their hits for the deep cuts was entirely at odds with who they were as a band. They understood the relationship their music had with the fans who adored them and so loved the songs as equally as they did.
“I think for me it’s probably the song that kicked it all, you know,” Angus Young proudly said when asked to provide his favourite AC/DC track. He continued, “I mean, I think the first big song we ever really had, especially in Australia, was probably ‘Long Way to The Top if Want to Rock N’ Roll’.”
Not only is it an entry point for any AC/DC fan, but a rock and roll fan in general. It’s almost extended beyond the realms of their own career and become the soundtrack to those trying to stick to the man à la Jack Black in School Of Rock.
But despite all of this, there is something paradoxical about Young picking this as his chosen track. Because it was a signature track for their first frontman, Bon Scott, and is rarely performed, because of Brian Johnson’s pursuit of respect for his predecessor. It’s the song that epitomises the band, welcomes fans into their all-encompassing brand of rock and roll, yet is never played despite the band constantly being willing to play their hits.
