AC / DC has pondered writing their hit song ‘Back In Black’ in memory of late leader Bon Scott.
The singer led the band from 1974 until his death in 1980 at the age of 33. His official cause of death was acute alcohol poisoning.
As part of the 40th anniversary celebrations for the seminal album ‘Back In Black’, the band has been sharing episodes of a new series. The back story in black on their YouTube channel, which give an idea of the writing of songs on the album. In the latest installment, they discussed the difficulties of writing an appropriate tribute to their former bandmate.
Leader Brian Johnson, who took Scott’s place in the lineup, reflected on the song’s writing. “I remember Back in Black was particularly difficult because the guys were saying, ‘Listen, we want this song in memory of Bon, but we don’t want it to be sad or sad, we want it to be a good and positive song,'” he said.
“So it was quite difficult, but I think we did quite well. It is a little slow but has a great riff. It was hard, that one.
Johnson added: “The boys wanted it to be a good rock record in memory of Bon but without all the cloak, without all the mulch and garbage that usually goes with it. They wanted the album to be black and I filled it with lines like ‘Nine lives, cat’s eyes‘Because Bon had lived on the edge for a long time and always had.’
The short video also featured contributions from Malcolm and Angus Young, the first of whom died in 2017. “It’s different, completely different from anything that had happened to rock before,” Malcolm said in the clip. “It was almost funky in nature, or soul. It’s like a soul atmosphere. “Look it up now.
Meanwhile, some of rock’s greatest voices have talked about how ‘Back In Black’ shaped their lives. Speaking to NMEDan Hawkins of The Darkness called the album “a permanent reminder to all musicians that we can achieve something amazing when we come together as a group, we have faith in each other and we play together when we record.”
