The only AC/DC song that uses the chords A, C, D, and C
Despite all they have done for rock ‘n’ roll, AC/DC have never really been what you might call a band of substance. Even at their peak, their bag was anthemic tunes designed for hard-hitting fun rather than anything remotely intellectually groundbreaking or thought-provoking beneath the surface level. However, therein lies their charm.
Ultimately, the rock world would undoubtedly be far too serious without AC/DC’s mischief, which served as a powerful reminder not only for bands and musicians to embrace being unapologetically themselves but to let their hair down once in a while and truly let loose. Beyond the simplicity of the music, the band were also authentic characters, without even subscribing heavily to the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.
While a lot of the music adopted the type of hedonistic clichés that categorise the life and attitude of a true rock ‘n’ roller, and there’s no denying they adhered to their share of wild antics and questionable views, they always seemed to pervade the scene with a refreshing no-nonsense attitude, the kind that said they didn’t ever overthink anything and went with the flow, as long as it was exciting.
The band’s name itself effectively evidences this—AC/DC might represent alternating current/direct current electricity, but it also reflects the raw energy and electricity of their music and performances. It’s simple yet effective and completely fitting for what they were all about, which was good, straight-up, with no gimmicks rock music.
This attitude has produced some of the greatest rock music of all time, much of it built on relatively simple structures, catchy hooks, and straightforward chord progressions. Given this simplicity, you might expect more of their expansive catalogue to revolve around the chords reflected in their name—A, C, D, and C. Surprisingly, however, only one song actually uses those chords in that order: ‘High Voltage’.
Discussing the band’s early days during a 1997 interview, Angus Young explained how the song came together based on an off-hand comment about how amusing it would be to filter in a chord progression based on the band’s name. “Malcolm and George said, ‘You know, it would be cool if we had a song that had the chords A, C, D, C in it,'” Young recalled.
Expanding on the simplicity of the song that ensued based around the concept, he continued: “We more or less throw them together and I had a little chant, this ‘high voltage’ thing that I was singing, which Phil, the drummer, he felt was rather corny. But it paid the rent!”
Although the simplicity of such a song helped to propel them to international stardom upon the release of the first album, the stripped-back nature of such hit songs often comes adorned in the band’s signature dressing and theatrics, taking obvious progressions to the next level. On its own, a simple A, C, D, and C progression seems like a fine line, but with Young’s guitar solos, Brian Johnson’s vocals, and the stage-wide energy, the most basic riffs suddenly become explosive anthems for an entire generation.
