Video Classics: ‘Back in Black’ – AC/DC

AC/DC - Back in Black (Atlantic, 1980)

Australian rockers AC/DC were hit hard by the death of frontman Bon Scott, who had died in February of 1980 at the age of 33. Acute alcohol poisoning was listed as the cause, another ‘death by misadventure’ to strike the rock community. For a time, they considered breaking up, but then reconsidered.  Just four months later, they released the appropriately-titled Back in Black, the album they had begun work on just before Scott’s death, with new lead singer Brian Johnson (who had previously found glam rock fame in Geordie).

Here’s Back in Black’s title track, played live by the boys for your enjoyment …

The song itself opened side two of the album and was intended to be a tribute to Scott.  Johnson was asked to write the lyrics, which turned out to be a bit of a daunting task, as he recalls (from Wikipedia) …

“they said, ‘it can’t be morbid-it has to be for Bon and it has to be a celebration.’” He added: “I thought, ‘Well nae pressure there, then’ (laughs). I just wrote what came into my head, which at the time seemed like mumbo, jumbo. ‘Nine lives. Cats eyes. Abusing every one of them and running wild.’ The boys got it though. They saw Bon’s life in that lyric.”

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