Back in Black (song)

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Not to be confused with Back to Black (song).
"Back in Black"
One of side-A labels of US 7-inch single
Single by AC/DC
from the album Back in Black
B-side"What Do You Do for Money Honey"
ReleasedDecember 1980 (US)[1]
RecordedApril – May 1980
StudioCompass Point (Nassau)
GenreHard rock[2][3]
Length4:15
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Robert John "Mutt" Lange
AC/DC singles chronology
"Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution"
(1980) 		"Back in Black"
(1980) 		"Let's Get It Up"
(1981)
Music video
"Back In Black" on YouTube

"Back in Black" is a song by Australian rock band AC/DC. It was released as the second US single from their seventh album of the same name in 1980 through Atlantic Records. Notable for its opening guitar riff, the song was written as a tribute to the band's former singer Bon Scott, who died suddenly in February 1980. In 1981, it reached number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2012, it reached number 65 in Australia and number 27 in the United Kingdom.

In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", which listed the "most Australian" songs of all time, "Back in Black" was ranked number 22.[4] The song is featured in the movies Iron Man, Megamind, The Muppets, The Smurfs, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Family Guy, Supernatural, and other films and TV shows.

Background[edit]

Known for its opening guitar riff, the song was AC/DC's tribute to their former singer Bon Scott. His replacement Brian Johnson recalled to Mojo magazine in 2009 that when the band asked him to write a lyric for this song, "they said, 'it can't be morbid – it has to be for Bon and it has to be a celebration.'" He added: "I thought, 'Well no pressure there, then' (laughs). I just wrote what came into my head, which at the time seemed like mumbo, jumbo. 'Nine lives. Cats eyes. Abusing every one of them and running wild.' The boys got it though. They saw Bon's life in that lyric."[5]

Critical reception[edit]

Opening guitar riff of "Back in Black"
The song's riff is one of the most recognised in hard rock history.[6]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Record World said the song has "everything that's made the band one of the hottest sellers around: powerhouse rhythm grind, guitar raunch & vocal mania."[7] In a retrospective piece on "Back in Black", Metal Hammer magazine hailed the song's riff as one of the greatest riffs ever and wrote, "There are rock songs that appeal to metal fans. And there are metal songs that appeal to rock fans. Then there is Back in Black – a rock and metal song that appeals to everybody, from dads to dudes, to little old ladies beating noisy kids over the heads with their sticks – and it all hangs on that monumental, no-nonsense, three-chord monster of a riff."[8] Will Byers from The Guardian said "AC/DC's judicious use of space" in the song helped make it a "classic metal anthem".[9]

The song was ranked No. 4 by VH1 on their list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs.[10] In 2009, it was named the second-greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.[2] The song was also ranked No. 187 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[11] The same magazine has also ranked the song No. 29 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time", and wrote of the song in an accompanying piece: "Angus and Malcolm Young's dual-guitar masterpiece is the platonic ideal of hard rock."[12] In 2020, The Guardian ranked the song number three on their list of the 40 greatest AC/DC songs,[13] and in 2021, Kerrang ranked the song number four on their list of the 20 greatest AC/DC songs.[14]

In 2010, this song sat at No. 2 in Triple M Melbourne's Ultimate 500 Rock Countdown in Australia. The Top 5 were all AC/DC songs.[15]

Commercial performance[edit]

As a single, "Back in Black" peaked in the U.S. at No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1981 as well as at No. 51 on Billboard's Top Tracks chart, which debuted in March 1981. "Back in Black" received the RIAA's Master Ringtone Sales Award (Gold and Platinum) in 2006 and reached 2× Platinum status in 2007.[citation needed] It officially charted on the UK charts after 31 years in release; peaking in at no. 27[16] because of the band's music becoming available on iTunes. It also reached no. 1 on the UK Rock Charts in the same week.[17]

Sampling[edit]

In 1984, the Beastie Boys sampled "Back in Black"[12] without permission for their song "Rock Hard". In 1999, when they wished to include it on an upcoming CD compilation release, they sought permission but AC/DC refused. Mike D of the Beastie Boys quoted Malcolm Young's reason for refusing as: "'Nothing against you guys, but we just don't endorse sampling.'"[18]

Five sampled "Back in Black" for their song "Lay All Your Lovin' on Me" on their 2001 album Kingsize.

Shakira version[edit]

"Back in Black"
Song by Shakira
Released2004
Recorded2003
GenreHard rock
Length5:23
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Live video
"Back in Black" on YouTube

Shakira performed a cover of "Back in Black" during her 2002-2003 Tour of the Mongoose, with the live performances of the song produced by Shakira and Tim Mitchell.[19] A recording of the tour date on 22 April 2003 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, was released as a live album titled Live & off the Record in 2004.[20]

Covers and other versions[edit]

Brian Johnson performing "Back in Black" alongside Muse (guitarist Matt Bellamy pictured) at the 2017 Reading Festival

Two live versions of the song later appeared on both versions of the album Live, as well as the Australian tour edition of Stiff Upper Lip. It has been covered by a number of artists, including Living Colour and Shakira.[12] In 2007, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews & Orleans Avenue recorded live at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.[21] In 2017, Muse performed the song at the Reading Festival with Brian Johnson on vocals; this was Johnson's first performance in almost two years, as he was previously ordered to halt live performances in order to prevent further hearing damage.[22]

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Chart (1981) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[23] 37
US Billboard Mainstream Rock[23] 51
US Cash Box Top 100[24] 39
Chart (2012) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[25] 65
France (SNEP)[1] 58
Scotland (OCC)[26] 28
South Korea (Gaon Karaoke International Chart)[27] 65
UK Rock & Metal (Official Charts Company)[17] 1
UK Singles (OCC)[16] 27
US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[28] 20
US Hard Rock Digital Songs (Billboard)[29] 1
US Hot 100 Recurrents (Billboard)[30] 14
Chart (2015) Peak
position
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[31] 100
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Hungary (Single Top 40)[32] 29
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Global 200 (Billboard)[33] 191

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[34] Platinum 90,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[35] Platinum 500,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[36] 2× Platinum 100,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[37] Diamond+Platinum+Gold 390,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[38] 2× Platinum 80,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[39] 2× Platinum 120,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] 2× Platinum 1,200,000‡
Ringtone
Canada (Music Canada)[41] 2× Platinum 80,000*
United States (RIAA)[42] 3× Platinum 3,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "AC/DC – Back in Black" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  2. ^ a b Winistorfer, Andrew (5 January 2009). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs list only slightly less annoying than their hip-hop list". Prefix Magazine. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  3. ^ Ertegün, Ahmet (2001). 'What'd I Say?': The Atlantic Story: 50 Years of Music. Welcome Rain Publisher. p. 546. ISBN 978-1-56649-048-1. Back in Black includes one of their best known songs, 'You Shook Me All Night Long' (#35 Pop), and hard rock classics 'Hells Bells', 'Back in Black' (#37 Pop) and 'Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution'.
  4. ^ "Here Are the Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'". Music Feeds. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Back in Black by AC/DC". Songfacts. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  6. ^ Williams, Adam (14 April 2003). "AC/DC: Back in Black [re-mastered edition]". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011.
  7. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 13 December 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Why AC/DC's Back in Black is one of the best riffs of all time". Metal Hammer. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  9. ^ Byers, Will (1 October 2008). "School of rock: What makes a classic metal anthem?". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  10. ^ "40 Greatest Metal Songs (40–31)". VH1. 1–4 May 2006. Archived from the original on 13 September 2006.
  11. ^ "Back in Black". Rolling Stone. 9 December 2004. Archived from the original on 28 May 2007.
  12. ^ a b c "The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 4 April 2010.
  13. ^ Hann, Michael (30 July 2020). "AC/DC – their 40 greatest songs, ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  14. ^ Law, Sam (3 February 2021). "The 20 greatest AC/DC songs – ranked". Kerrang!. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Triple M's Ultimate Rock 500". Triple M. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012.
  16. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  17. ^ a b "2012 Top 40 Rock & Metal Singles Archive – 1st December 2012". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  18. ^ "AC/DC nix Beastie Boys sample" (LexisNexis Academic Search). NME. 11 November 1999. Retrieved 15 February 2007.
  19. ^ Blabbermouth (18 November 2002). "SHAKIRA Covers AEROSMITH, AC/DC". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  20. ^ Blabbermouth (12 March 2004). "SHAKIRA's Cover Of AC/DC's 'Back In Black' To Surface On Upcoming DVD/CD". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Jazz Fest Live – live recordings from New Orleans Jazz Fest". Jazz Fest Live. Archived from the original on 1 January 2011.
  22. ^ Barsanti, Sam (29 August 2017). "AC/DC's Brian Johnson recently performed live for the first time in nearly 2 years". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  23. ^ a b "Back in Black – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  24. ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MARCH 7, 1981". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012.
  25. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles – Week Commencing 3rd December 2012" (PDF). ARIA. 4 January 2013. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2014 – via Pandora Archive.
  26. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  27. ^ "GAON 노래방 CHART – 2013년 4월 3주차" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014.
  28. ^ "AC/DC Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  29. ^ "Hard Rock Digital Songs: January 12, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  30. ^ "Hot 100 Recurrents: December 8, 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  31. ^ "AC/DC – Back in Black". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  32. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  33. ^ "AC DC Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  34. ^ "Danish single certifications – AC/DC – Back in Black". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  35. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (AC/DC; 'Back in Black')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  36. ^ "Italian single certifications – AC/DC – Back in Black" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  37. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 3 June 2022. Type AC/DC in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Back in Black in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  38. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – AC/DC – Back in Black" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  39. ^ "AC/DC - Back in Black". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  40. ^ "British single certifications – AC/DC – Back in Black". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  41. ^ "Canadian ringtone certifications – AC/DC – Back in Black". Music Canada.
  42. ^ "American ringtone certifications – AC/DC – Back in Black". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links[edit]

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