Back In Black is considered one of the greatest rock albums of all-time. No bad considering how popular AC/DC was at the time they lost their lead singer Bon Scott and their brand new singer Brian Johnson was making his debut. It’s hard enough for bands to continue on after losing a member, it’s even harder for a band to replace its singer.

Back In Black contained tracks like “You Shook Me All Night Long”, “Hells Bells” and the title track of the same name.

For years rumours have swirled that the lyrics for “Back In Black” were written by late singer Bon Scott before his death in 1980, now Brian Johnson is addressing those rumours in his new biography “The Lives Of Brian”.

“The conspiracy theories are legion – usually started by people who think they know what happened but weren’t there,” Johnson explained in his new memoir. “It was me at the end of the pen, writing every night and every morning, with only the title to work with,” the singer continued. “That’s what happened. That’s the truth and I really hope that settles it.”

Approx. a month after Bon Scott passed away, AC/DC began auditions for a new singer. Brian Johnson was leading the band Geordie II and never really felt like he had a good chance of winning the job with AC/DC. He was surprised when he was called back for a second audition. It was during that time the band shared the idea of “Back In Black” with Brian.

“It’s a tribute to Bon,” Johnson recalled Malcolm Young telling him. “About death, but not in a morbid way or anything. More of a celebration – with some rock n’ roll swagger.”

When the riff was first presented to Johnson, AC/DC had a working title, music but no lyrics. According to Johnson the song did contain “one of the best f***ing riffs that I had ever heard in my life.” “Without thinking, I just opened my mouth and screamed, ‘Back in black!’ the air exploding out of my lungs, ‘I hit the sack!’” He just continued to sing the same line over and over again.

“For the briefest of moments, I felt a change in the room,” Johnson said looking back. “People were appearing behind mixing desks and amplifiers, people I hadn’t noticed before. Eyes were moving. There was a buzz in the air. I mean, there’s no mistaking that look on someone’s face when they hear something for the first time that gives them chills. It’s involuntary.”

It’s one of the greatest rock n’ roll songs of all-time and now we know the truth, the whole truth so help us all!

Let’s rock out!

 

Filed under: AC/DC