01/07/2024
This week in 1980, the AC/DC single
"It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at #55 (June 28)
Released only in Australia and New Zealand on 8 December 1975, the song finally made the UK charts in 1980, but didn’t progress past its debut position of #55.
The song written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott is one of the quintessential songs that describes the rock industry, and also one of the few rock songs that includes the bagpipes!
Funny story that…
Ex-Easybeats and co-producer George Young (older brother of Angus and Malcolm) remembered that Bon Scott was once in a pipe band when he was younger, and being a creative producer, encouraged him to get a set of bagpipes to play in the song.
Scott left the studio that day and returned with a set of bagpipes purchased at a Park Street music store at what was an extortionately high price (AU$479) at the time.
Bass player Mark Evans later mused that the amount “would have bought two Strats”!
Problem was, Bon Scott was a DRUMMER in the pipe band, and had no idea how to play the bagpipes! They struggled to even put them together.
Eventually though, Scott taught himself to play well enough to record and perform the song (initially with the help of tape loops), and the bagpipes were in.
Due to tuning issues, it was difficult to play live, so the song, though iconic of the band's early repertoire, was probably played live no more than 30 times.
The last occasion was in 1976, following an incident where Scott set down the pipe-set at the corner of a stage during a concert at St Albans High School in St Albans, Victoria, Australia and they were destroyed by fans. Subsequent (relatively rare) live performances employed a recording of the song's bagpipe track or an extended guitar solo by Angus Young.
The famous video for "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)", was filmed on 23 February 1976 for the Australian music television program Countdown.
It featured the band and the members of the Rats of Tobruk Pipe band on the back of a flatbed truck travelling on Swanston Street in Melbourne.
The video was directed by Countdown director Paul Drane, who also directed Supernaut's award-winning Countdown video for “I Like It Both Ways".
Despite only making it to #9 on the charts, the song has cemented itself as one of the classics in the history of Australian rock.
In May 2001, Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary by naming the Best Australian Songs of all time, as decided by a 100-member industry panel. "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" was ranked #9 on the list.
In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" was ranked #5.
It was also inducted into the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia in 2012.
Click on the link below to watch the iconic clip:
https://youtu.be/g-qkY2yj4_A?si=6y2HbGBOg2YVmowo
