The classic 1979 song AC/DC refuse to perform live: “Summed us up”
When Bon Scott tragically lost his life in 1980, it was widely accepted by many that AC/DC would be unable to continue, let alone become more successful than ever.
Deciding to fight on wasn’t necessarily the route that AC/DC were bound to take. The loss of Scott was heartbreaking for the rest of AC/DC to take, as well as the wider musical world, which left them wondering how they could ever replace him.
Eventually, after taking stock to consider their options, the group concluded that Scott would want them to continue. They also knew that the best way to respect his legacy was by keeping those songs alive and performing them on a nightly basis rather than allowing his contributions to music to be forgotten.
With that in mind, they sought out Brian Johnson as a replacement and, for the last 46 years, have been steadfast in ensuring Scott’s songs continue to live on. Nevertheless, as a mark of respect, there’s one hit from his tenure that they refuse to play.
Scott had struggled with excess throughout his adult life. On one hedonistic evening, the singer’s body finally gave up on him as he passed away due to acute alcohol poisoning. He was only 33, and AC/DC looked to have the world at their feet before a tragedy brought his life to a devastatingly premature end.
Scott’s former bandmate in Fraternity, Bruce Howe, provided insight into the singer’s destructive lifestyle, explaining how having time off from touring was when his behaviour would become dangerous. “That’s when he would start taking risks, doing wild things,” Howe once said.
He added, “On days when he was bored, there was no future, there was only now. He didn’t give a bugger about whether he lived or died the next day. He’d try anything – magic mushrooms, marijuana, alcohol – and he would take risks on his motorbike.”
Sadly, tragedy did strike, and Scott’s life was cut short just as he was seemingly coming into the peak of his powers.
The lifestyle that he followed was epitomised on the AC/DC track, ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll),’ which they released in 1975, five years before his death. The classic rock effort is a celebration of living in the fast lane, while also warning about the dangers that come when you flirt with the edge of safety.
While it wasn’t a huge record at the time, ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll)’ is undoubtedly one of their most popular songs today, even though they haven’t performed it live since the 1970s.
The group’s former bassist, Mark Evans, once explained how the song has gradually grown in popularity over the decades, sharing, “In time, it became iconic and associated with the band, but oddly enough the band doesn’t play it. It has become a lot bigger song in time than when it first came out.”
Meanwhile, Angus Young once told Rolling Stone of the composition and how it is the defining track of their early years:” ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top’ really summed us up as a band. It was the audience that really allowed us to even get near a studio.”
Following the admittedly relative success of ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll)’, doors suddenly opened for AC/DC, who grabbed the opportunities that came their way with both arms. It laid the foundations for everything that arrived afterwards, and made people take notice.
However, AC/DC performed the hit for the last time at Hammersmith Odeon in 1979, just months before Scott lost his life. While they vowed to continue without him, ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll)’ was a step too far, and they chose to retire it.
Although it would undoubtedly be a highlight of their live performances if they did play it, nobody else can sing it quite like Scott. Moreover, it’s a song that’s so intertwined with their early career, AC/DC believe that’s where it should stay.
