(Credits: Far Out / Harry (Howard) Potts)
Fri 10 October 2025 15:53, UK
Very few bands are so quintessentially representative of classic hard rock as AC/DC. They are to rock ‘n’ roll what pizza is to Italian cuisine. But it took them a while to cement themselves on that pedestal.
The Australian group formed in 1973 with Dave Evans front and centre. By 1974, Evans was displaced by Bon Scott, whose bold, infectious vocals would see the band through from their 1975 debut, High Voltage, to the highly acclaimed Highway to Hell in 1979. Yet, they were still largely seen as the support band rather than the headline act.
Sadly, Highway to Hell would be Scott’s final album with AC/DC before his death from alcohol poisoning in February 1980. As seen with T. Rex, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin and countless other bands, it’s often difficult for a group to carry on past the death of integral members. When bands do decide to push on with a key member missing, it will often result in a decline in fan support, creativity and morale.
In the case of AC/DC, however, after initial hesitation, they decided to continue without Scott in the spring of 1980 after bringing in Brian Johnson as a replacement, someone of whom Scott approved. Apt to the group’s humble beginnings, Johnson had been on the brink of quitting music entirely at the time, lining up a safer future working at a garage instead.
Maybe it was something about that uncanny disposition that made the whole transition work. It turned the sentiment from a band in mourning looking for a substitute, to a group with a hope and prayer looking to honour their former hero in a manner that he would approve of (thankfully, he already had).
Brian Johnson on stage with AC/DC. (Credits: Raph Pour-Hashemi)
“I remember the first time I had ever heard Brian’s name was from Bon,” guitarist Angus Young recalled in an interview with BraveWords. “Bon had mentioned that he had been in England once touring with a band, and he had mentioned that Brian had been in a band called Geordie and Bon had said ‘Brian Johnson, he was a great rock and roll singer in the style of Little Richard.’ And that was Bon’s big idol, Little Richard.
“I think when he saw Brian at that time, to Bon, it was, ‘Well, he’s a guy that knows what rock and roll is all about.’ He mentioned that to us in Australia. I suppose when we decided to continue, Brian was the first name that Malcolm and myself came up with, so we said we should see if we can find him.”
With Johnson’s recruitment, AC/DC managed to maintain the momentum of Highway to Hell against all odds when recording the follow-up, Back in Black, in 1980. Johnson managed to maintain Scott’s arresting live presence and brought the band to new heights of success over the early 1980s.
Back in Black is known best for its title track, but on several occasions, Johnson has revealed that ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ was his favourite AC/DC track. After all, it was the very first he recorded with the band. And it not only set the electrifying tone for the group, but it also earmarked their earnest defiance. Because of this mix, Johnson has remained proud of it ever since, singling it out as a track that encapsulates the group.
“The boys had a title,” Johnson recalled in an interview with Absolute Radio. “Malcolm and Angus [Young] said, ‘Listen, we’ve got this song. It’s called ‘Shook Me All Night Long.’ That’s what we want the song to be called.’ And if you listen to the chords, [the chorus] just fell into place, so I can’t claim any credit on that thing.”
“It was as quick as it had to be, which was that night. I guess I had to try and impress somebody,” he happily added. “It was just a thing that came at the time, and I still think it’s one of the greatest rock and roll riffs I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Reaffirming ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ as a personal favourite in a separate conversation with USA Weekend, Johnson claimed it to be among the greatest rock songs in history. “It was the first song I wrote with the guys, and it has a special groovy beat that won’t let you go,” he said. “It has such a special place in my heart, and I still love to sing it onstage. To me, it might be one of the best rock songs ever written – if I do say so myself.”
The song feels like a fitting defining anthem for the group. Their sound is built on rock ‘n’ roll purity, and returning from despair for another knees up edifies the eternal, unshakable genre, and the chance for emancipation it provides.
Watch AC/DC perform ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ live in 1981 below.
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