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Thu 7 August 2025 1:00, UK
The 1970s and ‘80s were difficult periods for rock bands, as the musical landscape was changing and tricky to navigate. AC/DC didn’t have much of an issue, however.
One of Heart’s worst albums, which both Nancy and Ann Wilson admitted they wished they’d never released, was 1982’s Private Audition. Nancy justified their dislike of the record, saying, “The band was in a period of transition, and that was reflected on the record. It wasn’t a bad record. It just wasn’t a commercial record.”
Heart was going through a problem at the time, as were the majority of bands during this period, as they were trying to work out where rock music fit into the world, as people were in the process of obsessing over funk, disco and pop music. Production styles were changing, and the songs which received the most airtime were too. It led to bands experimenting with their style and sound, but one outfit that remained stubborn in their creative efforts was AC/DC.
Despite the fact that a lot of music seemed to be changing around them as genres like New Wave took precedent over standard rock ‘n’ roll, AC/DC remained stuck in their ways, feet firmly planted on the ground and guitar pick glued to thumb and finger. They continued making the great guitar music they were renowned for, and this unwaveringness set them apart as one of the greatest rock bands on the planet.
They have managed to keep a consistent sound even decades after making the decision to plant themselves firmly as the world’s go-to rock band. Fans have a wide-ranging taste when it comes to their favourite AC/DC songs because of the fact that their style has remained so unwavering. Subsequently, there is no right answer about the band’s greatest track; however, if we ever wanted a definitive answer, surely we would go to the source to find it? Angus Young has never said out and out that he has a favourite AC/DC song, but there are some tracks he has singled out as special in one way or another.
(Credits: Far Out / Spotify)
Some of these songs have been labelled as Young’s favourite because of the riffs that his brother Malcolm Young wrote. Two of his favourite of the bands riffs are the appropriately titled ‘Riff Raff’ and one of the standouts from their 1977 record Let There Be Rock, ‘Bad Boy Boogie’.
“I would say ‘Bad Boy Boogie’,” said Young, “[It] has got a flavour because it’s got a little bit of a twist in it. It sounds easy but Malcolm had a little twist that I don’t think many could do […] How clever was he to do that? I still play it just for the fact that he just changed that little note around.”
As well as adoring the band’s guitar work, Young has always been a fan of some of the biggest hits that AC/DC have. This is both because of how these songs sound, but he also likes the fact that they have some signature songs. Most bands shy away from praising their hits, but Angus Young recognises that they resonate with a vast number of people for a reason: Because they’re really good.
One of the hits that Young feels particularly close to is ‘Thunderstruck’, a staple for AC/DC, and also one of the most difficult songs to play in the band’s catalogue (according to Young). “[I have] to sit down for an hour and make sure I’ve got my fingers warmed up to take on the track,” he said, “It’s got an unrelenting intricacy. I have to be confident whenever I play it.”
Finally, Young also confessed that one of his favourite AC/DC tracks was a song that the band are probably most famous for, ‘Back In Black’. An ode to the late Bon Scott, Young thinks it’s one of the best songs the band has ever put together, and he loves that it’s one of the big hits the band are most recognised for.
“I love playing ‘Back In Black’,” he said, “Instantly, if you hear The Stones, you hear ‘Satisfaction’, and I said, ‘Well, we got one better, we got one’.”
What are Angus Young’s favourite AC/DC songs ‘Bad Boy Boogie’ ‘Riff Raff’ ‘Back In Black’ ‘Thunderstruck’
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