It’s never been known that AC/DC writes the world’s most intricate riffs. It doesn’t take long to learn a few of the Australian rockers’ riffs, even if you’ve only been playing for a few years. Most of their classic songs simply require you to play ringing open chords. Malcolm Young stated that he thought “Back in Black” was garbage when he first laid it down. This may explain why it works so well despite its simplicity.
However, Malcolm and his sibling Angus would always be the masterminds behind every outstanding AC/DC song. They never tended to work on a song for longer than necessary, and if a song didn’t feel right or didn’t fall into a groove, they probably would have given it up, thinking there must be a problem.
However, things had started to take a different turn by the time they started recording what would eventually become Back in Black. As a vocalist for Highway to Hell, Bon Scott was still in rare form. But he was on a dark path that would take his life before the next record could be recorded.
Scott may have heard the first few bars of “Back In Black,” but he died in early 1980 from alcohol poisoning before he could record the song’s vocals. The loss of a superstar like Scott would shake anybody’s confidence. Even though AC/DC was about to achieve something truly amazing.
Malcolm had the main riff for “Back in Black” for roughly three weeks, according to Angus. Angus recalled his brother’s contempt for the song as Malcolm began submitting material for the next record. One evening, he entered and asked, “Do you have your cassette here?” Please allow me to set this down. It’s making me crazy. Until I put it on tape, I won’t be able to sleep. The funniest thing is he said to me, ‘What do you think? I don’t know if it’s crap or not.’”
More than just a sturdy object supported Malcolm’s perch. He had really struck gold. Although anyone could have sung over that riff and made it sound good, Brian Johnson was the perfect choice to replace Scott during the song’s tracking because he matched Scott’s intensity behind the mic with his own brand of gritty quality.
Though not as deep as AC/DC standards, the lyrics take a backseat to the riff’s prominence. Said in the context of a song on the same album as “Let Me Put My Love Into You,” it may sound absurd. However, Johnson’s allusion to rising from the ashes like a phoenix is his own fierce homage to his predecessor.
Malcolm’s foundational chords also paid off handsomely, as AC/DC became one of the world’s biggest rock acts twice over. Then again, perhaps Malcolm alone possesses the power of the riff. If some random stranger on the street just started playing those chords without any thought, it wouldn’t be a huge deal. However, when the right player is hammering them out, things can get really serious very quickly.
