(Credits: Far Out / Sven Mandel / Joan Sorolla)
Fri 26 December 2025 1:00, UK
“It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.” Some will sing it in Bon Scott’s original voice, captured on the 1975 AC/DC track. But for many people, the iconic lyric is assigned to someone new – and that’s a testament to Jack Black’s overwhelming love for the band.
It’s hard to even imagine quite how overjoyed Jack Black must have been when the green light came through for School of Rock. It was a role made for him and a plot that seemed almost custom-designed to perfectly tie together his love for rock music, his career in Tenacious D and his acting. In playing the substitute teacher Dewey Finn, or Mr Schneebly, he’s teaching a bunch of posh kids how to rock, but also ended up introducing a new generation of kids watching about some of his favourite iconic rock songs.
The soundtrack to the movie is one thing, as they actually managed to get permission from Led Zeppelin, a band notorious for denying soundtrack placements, to use ‘Immigrant Song’. But more so than the actual songs playing in the background, the list of songs Black’s character references is basically a rock and roll history lesson.
The Doors, Stevie Nicks, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and so on. But no artist plays as important a role in the movie as AC/DC do. ‘For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)’ was used as the kids’ pledge of allegiance. ‘Highway To Hell’ is one of the core riffs the kids need to learn.
And then finally, earning them their victory, is their cover of ‘It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)’. or Black, as a lifelong fan of the band, getting to include their music so much must have been a dream.
However, his favourite song from the band wasn’t included in the film. “I mean anything from Back In Black,” he said, ticking off the inevitable. But his top track is earlier than that. In his eyes, true AC/DC fans go back to the old days, and any true fans have to go back to the band’s original singer, adding, “If you’re true blue, you go old school. You know, Bon Scott’s era.”
The story of AC/DC is a rare one. Very few other bands would, or have, survived after losing the lead singer, especially not one so formative of their sound. Scott was lost in 1980, but luckily, they quickly found Brian Johnson, who filled those massive shoes well. But still, for Black, it’s always going to be an original track from the original singer.
“My favourite one is…” Naturally, the man can’t just say his answer. Instead, right there in a press junket, he breaks into a rendition of ‘Walk All Over You’, the band’s 1979 track from Scott’s last album, Highway To Hell.
Complete with the iconic chorus lyrics and a whole bunch of the instrumentation, Black’s impromptu rendition is thorough, and what else would be expected from a super fan like him. “Sorry,” he said when he remembered where he was, adding, “You get me started, and I can’t stop.”
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