Phil Rudd, a murder charge, and AC/DC’s resurgence in popularity
When you examine a range of rock bands across different eras and styles, whether it’s The Beatles, AC/DC, or Pink Floyd, you’ll notice that some songs become massive hits while others don’t quite catch on. This naturally raises the question: is there a science behind what makes a song a hit, or is it simply a matter of luck?
According to a study carried out by Vincent Cheung, a hit song needs two contradicting elements: predictability and unpredictability. In other words, a song needs to surprise us and prick our ears up but also fit within a realm of music that feels familiar and that people can easily identify with.
Cheung clarified, “Songs that we find pleasant are likely those which strike a good balance between knowing what is going to happen next and surprising us with something we did not expect.” This is obviously a hard combination to get right, but many bands have tried and succeeded in the past.
Of course, other factors could contribute towards making a hit song that is out of the original writer’s control. For instance, when Bobby Hebb’s brother was stabbed to death outside of a nightclub in Nashville, Hebb decided to write a song that would commemorate him. Trying to keep a positive mindset, as he knew his brother would want him to, Hebb ended up writing the track ‘Sunny’. This was released around the same time JFK was assassinated, so it took off as people connected the lyrics to that incident, and the song is now huge.
One of AC/DC’s biggest tracks had a resurgence that was out of their control, too. However, the meaning behind the resurgence was less a case of bringing a nation together in a time of tragedy and more because of the dodgy dealings of their band members. In 1976, the band released the track ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’, which did very well at the time but even better some years down the line.
In 2014, the AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd found himself in trouble with the law after threatening to kill somebody who worked with him. He was also charged with the possession of methamphetamine and marijuana. After pleading guilty to the incident, Rudd was placed under house arrest for eight months.
Given the track ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ is all about societal mishappenings and being a murderer for hire, AC/DC fans saw the humour in re-listening to the song, which meant it had a major resurgence and saw a significant spike in sales. To this day, when you see AC/DC live or speak to fans about their favourite songs by the band, you can bet this track will come up, and it’s partly because of a murder charge that followed one of the band members around.
