Top 10 AC/DC Best Songs With Bon Scott
How can we possibly leave out from a Top 10, songs like: ‘Ride On’, ‘Ain’t No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)’, ‘Down Payment Blues’, ‘High Voltage’, ‘Walk All Over You’; ‘The Jack’, ‘T.N.T.’, ‘Let There Be Rock’ ; ‘Bad Boy Boogie’, ‘If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)’ , ‘Night Prowler’ ? Simple, because we are talking about AC/DC, one of the best rock bands ever! Check out our favs:
10 – ‘Touch Too Much‘ – (‘Highway To Hell’ / 1979)
From the seminal ‘Highway to Hell’ album, ‘Touch To Much’ is one of the most underrated AC/DC songs ever. The song talks about the dangers of excess, which the band was quite familiar with wild parties, lots of girls and drinking. Ironically Bon Scott drank himself to death, 6 months later after ‘Touch To Much’ was released, and 12 days after his last performance of the same song on ‘Top of the Pops’.
The cover of the single in many territories was released with the band photograph reversed, incorrectly showing the Young Brothers and bassist Cliff Williams as playing left-handed.
9 – ‘Jailbreak‘ – (Australian ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ / 1976) & (’74 Jailbreak’ EP / 1984)
Rejected by Atlantic Records back in 1976, ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ LP was only released in 1984 in the U.S. ‘Jailbreak’, a popular single in Australia has even the right to a music video!
The video was filmed in March 1976 for the Australian music program ‘Countdown’ and was directed by Paul Drane. It featured Phil Rudd and Bon Scott dressed as prisoners (blue uniform covered with typical Australian Broad Arrow), Mark Evans and Malcolm Young as guards, and Angus Young dressed in pajamas.
8 – ‘It’s a Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll)’ – (‘T.N.T.’ / 1975)
Like the name implies, reaching the top is always hard, particularly when you want to be a rock ‘n’ roll star.
The song is an AC/DC chronicle of being on tour, and well known also for the surprisingly bagpipe solo from Bon Scott (the singer was a bagpipe playing in his younger years). This signature song from Scott isn’t performed by Brian Johnson in respect for his predecessor.
7 – ‘Live Wire‘ – (‘T.N.T.’ / 1975)
Maybe the best song on ‘T.N.T.’ / ‘High Voltage’ albums , combined with a memorable lyric: ‘Well if you’re lookin’ for trouble / I’m the man to see / If you’re lookin’ for satisfaction / I’m satisfaction guaranteed / I’m as cool as a body on ice / Or hotter than a rollin’ dice / Send you to heaven / Take you to hell / I ain’t foolin’ / Can’t you tell.’
‘Live Wire’ during Bon Scott era, was the opener song for many of their shows. Sadly, the song has been retired throughout Brian Johnson’s era.
6 – ‘Whole Lotta Rosie‘ – (‘Let There Be Rock’ / 1977)
‘Whole Lotta Rosie’ is the final track on the band’s fourth Australian album, ‘Let There Be Rock’, and was also released as a single in 1978, with a live version of ‘Dog Eat Dog‘ as the B-side. ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’ is maybe the heaviest song recorded by the band during the Bon Scott era and one of his most popular.
The song is about an obese Tasmanian woman, Rosie, with whom Bon Scott had a one night stand at the Freeway Gardens Motel in North Melbourne. Most of AC/DC live performances of the song are accompanied by a giant, inflatable ‘Rosie’.
‘Whole Lotta Rosie’ found a special place in AC/DC’s discography. Along with ‘Nutbush City Limits’, new vocalist Brian Johnson performed the song at his audition following the death of Bon Scott.
5 – ‘Shot Down In Flames‘ – (‘Highway To Hell’ / 1979)
‘Shot Down In Flames’ is about a man (‘poor’ Bon) who goes out for a night on the town, hoping to catch a nice woman. Unfortunately he fails and as bonus ‘wins’ a problem with their boyfriends:‘ out on the town / lookin’ for a woman / gonna give me good love’.
To this day, ‘Shot Down In Flames’ is an fans favorite concert staple, a pinnacle from ‘Highway to Hell’ album.
4 – ‘Sin City‘ – (‘Powerage’ / 1978)
After the powerful ‘Let There Be Rock’ album, ‘Powerage’ wasn’t well accepted by fans and we can understand that. But over the years they learned to appreciate the album and ‘Sin City’ becomes a lasting favorite, especially in a live setting, and on of the best songs of AC/DC Bon Scott’s era.
3 – ‘Problem Child‘ – (‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ / 1976)
One of AC/DC’s best-known Bon Scott era classics, was first heard in US via ‘Let There Be Rock’, but ‘Problem Child’ had first appeared on ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ album in the previous year. Malcolm proves himself, again, why is considered one of the best rhythm guitar players ever. This catchy track is a stadium rock classic!
2 – ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap‘ – (‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ / 1976)
The magic of the three-chord is in the air! Written again by the trio Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott, ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ was released in the US only in 1981 (backed by ‘Highway To Hell’), where it reached number four on the Top Tracks chart.
The song ranked No. 24 on VH1’s 40 Greatest Metal Songs and named the 31st best hard rock song of all time also by VH1.
1 – ‘Highway To Hell’ – (‘Highway To Hell’ / 1979)
The opening track of AC/DC’s 1979 album ‘Highway to Hell’ is for the fans – who discovered the band with this album – their quintessential song and signature. The song was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young (who wrote the guitar riff) and Bon Scott, and its a metaphor for the band’s first major US Tour.
Among many accolades, ‘Highway to Hell’ is ranked at no. 258 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and on The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time, a book by Martin Popoff.
