In the wake of an unexpected death, AC/DC released a hit hard rock track that started a new era for the band. The 1980 song has regained popularity and has entered the Billboard charts.
"You Shook Me All Night" currently sits at No. 25 on Billboard's Hard Rock Streaming Songs charts, almost 46 years since it was originally released in mid August of 1980. The track has proven that the band still stands as one of the most iconic in the genre and music industry, with its backstory one that tugs at the heart.
Released as part of their Back in Black album, "You Shook Me All Night" was the first song released by AC/DC with new frontman Brian Johnson. His inclusion in the band came after the sudden death of lead vocalist Bon Scott from alcohol poisoning in February of that year. According to American Songwriter, the band initially refused to create new music until Scott's father urged them to keep playing and find a new singer.
Johnson would reveal that guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young had already developed the base of the track and asked him to create its lyrics. Wanting to impress his new bandmates, he wrote the rest of the song that same night.
“Malcolm and Angus said, ‘Hey listen, we got this song,’ and if you listen to the chords it just fell in anyway, so I can’t claim any credit on that. The rest was just filler, the verses, and it all worked out smashing," said Johnson.
"You Shook Me All Night" landed at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts upon its release, but became a solidified classic among fans. It's often been tagged as one of the best tracks of the '80s and for having one of the greatest guitar solos of all time. Johnson calls it one of his favorites and "I still think it’s one of the greatest rock and roll riffs I’ve ever heard in my life."
There's some lore behind the song, with multiple claims having come out saying Scott wrote part of the lyrics. A former girlfriend, Silver Smith, claimed he had written some of the song in her London apartment back in 1976. Another girlfriend claimed certain words and lyrics related to her, like her horse Doubletime.
Journalist Malcolm Dome also reported many times that Scott had shown him his book of ideas and scribbles of songs for the band. Many of them were for the Back to Black album, with certain scribbled lyrics later becoming part of "You Shook Me All Night Long." Scott has never been officially credited for creating the track, with Dome saying, "to this day no one's really sure what happened."
The song and album marked a major change for the band with Scott's replacement after his death. They even hesitated on whether fans would accept Johnson and if the album would even be popular. Back to Black was dedicated to Scott, with the track becoming a signature hit for the band.
Related: 1976 Soft Rock Hit, Inspired by a Young Love Affair, Ranked Among 'Best Rock Songs of All Time'
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