Angus Young on how AC/DC created ‘Thunderstruck’
Very few bands can claim to be quite so emblematic of hard rock music as AC/DC. The Australian giants have steam-rolled through a series of lineup changes over the years, some by choice and others tragically forced. The only constant over the decades was an uncompromising rock ‘n’ roll spirit centred on the founding brothers Malcolm and Angus Young.
While the brothers eventually took cues from heavier rock acts like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, their initial inspiration lay in classic 1950s rock and roll. Like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and most other popular 1960s rock acts, the Young brothers were particularly enamoured with the likes of Chuck Berry and Little Richard.
In a 2001 interview with Rolling Stone, Angus Young was asked what music gets his “toes tapping”.
“I plug into a lot of old rock and roll,” he replied. “Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. I love all that stuff. In fact, if I get a chance and I’m on my way to a gig, I’ll put one of their tapes on. Because they’re good vibe meters, and I still get off on them.”
When it came to picking up the guitar, Chuck Berry tipped the scales for Young. As a teenager, he would play along to classic Berry riffs like that from ‘Johnny B. Goode’, the intro of which is replicated to some capacity in other memorable moments throughout the progenitor’s catalogue.
“For rock and roll, the obvious is Chuck Berry,” Young once said. “I think for rock ‘n’ roll, especially at the time, Chuck was the bulk of people’s idol.”
While creating riffs for AC/DC, Young turned it up to 11 and used some distortion effects but never forgot his roots. Although his brother, Malcolm, handled rhythm guitar, Angus often employed Berry’s approach of blending lead riffs and punchy strummed rhythm into one seamless package. This formula is immediately apparent to beginner guitarists as they feel out the main riff for ‘Back in Black’. The riff runs with an E, D and A/C# followed by an all-important lead walk-down.
Young managed to keep his formula fresh through the decades, employing the full breadth of his ongoing education. In 1990, the band released The Razors Edge, a triumphant comeback album led by the simmering single ‘Thunderstruck’. The track hears the band back at its best, driven by Young’s dynamic lead riff. Throughout the song, layers of rhythm and lead solos adorn Young’s prevailing melody.
“It started off from a little trick I had on guitar,” Angus Young recalled in the liner notes for the 2003 reissue of The Razor’s Edge. “I played it to Mal, and he said, ‘Oh, I’ve got a good rhythm idea that will sit well in the back.’ We built the song up from that.”
With the musical structure down, AC/DC took some time to come up with some fittingly powerful lyrics for Brian Johnson to belt out. “We fiddled about with it for a few months before everything fell into place,” Young continued. “Lyrically, it was really just a case of finding a good title … We came up with this thunder thing based on our favourite childhood toy, ThunderStreak, and it seemed to have a good ring to it. AC/DC = Power. That’s the basic idea.”
Watch the official music video for AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ below.
