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Flint’s Classic Rock – 103.9 The Fox

AC/DC – ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’

  • Writers: Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson
  • Producer: Robert “Mutt” Lange
  • Recorded: April-May, 1980 at Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas
  • Released: July 21st, 1980
  • Players:
    Brian Johnson — vocals
    Angus Young — lead guitar
    Malcolm Young — rhythm guitar
    Cliff Williams — bass
    Phil Rudd — drums
  • Album: Back In Black (Atco, 1980)
  • Also On:
    Who Made Who (Atlantic, 1986)
    Live (single disc) (Atco, 1992)
    Live (double disc) (Atco, 1992)
    Bonfire (East West, 1997)
  • “You Shook Me All Night Long,” from the 1980 album Back In Black, was AC/DC‘s first hit single in the U.S., reaching Number 35 on the Billboard chart.
  • This followed the band’s American breakthrough with 1979’s Highway To Hell album, which reached Number 17.
  • The success of that album was marred by the alcohol-induced death of lead singer Bon Scott in London on February 19th, 1980. Scott died after passing out and choking on his own vomit.
  • Although the band’s future suddenly seemed uncertain, AC/DC hired Brian Johnson a mere two months after Scott’s death.
  • Not even four months after Johnson stepped in, Back In Black and “You Shook Me All Night Long” were on the charts.
  • Although there were misgivings about how well Johnson would be received, Back In Black peaked at Number Four and spent a year on the album chart.
  • AC/DC followed the album’s success by re-releasing some of their earlier work, including 1975’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, which went on to hit Number Three in the US — one notch higher than Back In Black.

FAST FORWARD:

  • The lyrics to “You Shook Me All Night Long” inspired the title of modern rock band Veruca Salt‘s American Thighs album in 1994.
  • The group’s most recent release is Stiff Upper Lip, which was released in 2000.
  • Drummer Phil Rudd left AC/DC in 1983 but returned to the lineup in 1995.
  • The group was inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk in 2000.
  • AC/DC was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
  • The band has reportedly just finished recording a new album, for tentative release later this year.