Thunderstruck! How Angus Young, Brian Johnson and AC DC Created a Classic | Professor of Rock

a colossal rock anthem to earn notoriety from an urban legend was actually inspired by a finger-picking exercise learned from the brother of one of rock's greatest players the magic trickery and wizardry behind ac dc's 1991 classic thunderstruck next on professor of rock hey music junkies professor of rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists on the greatest songs of all time tell you what you love music this is your place make sure that you subscribe below to become a part of this music community we rock it every day check us out on patreon for even more content you're going to enjoy it now ac dc overcame the the death of their revered front man bon scott hired a new lead singer and they gave us a seminal album back in black in 1980 followed by another killer lp for those about to rock we salute you a year later but their next three studio album releases flick of the switch fly on the wall blow up your video saw um a steady erosion selling far less than the band expected the bright spot during this time was uh the soundtrack album who made who for the movie based on the stephen king written and directed film uh maximum overdrive i mean these were these were good albums uh the soundtrack album sold 5 million copies and of course with the classic song all three studio albums were solid but they didn't yield one of those unforgettable ac dc bangers however in 1990 the band came back with a vengeance dropping their 12th on the razor's edge leading with a towering pledge of rock allegiance called thunderstruck like most ac dc songs the music was composed first for thunderstruck and it was a testament to the the genius musical partnership of the brothers young malcolm and angus when thunderstruck began to fascinate fans around the world the band initially planted the urban legend the song was based on a terrifying true life incident where angus was a passenger on a plane that was hit by lightning while flying in the middle of one of those vicious texas thunderstorms that story would have been very poetic if not divinely inspired but it was a rock and roll myth sorry to let anybody down that believes it angus came clean in 2003 and admitted that thunderstruck was actually spawned from a knock about finger-picking exercise that he learned from his older brother george angus called it a little trick as he would say george young was a mentor for his younger siblings and co-produced the first six studio albums by ac dc with harry banda he was also a member of the australian group the easy beats perhaps most famous for the catchy ditty friday on my mind that went to number one in australia number six in the uk it was their only hit in america peaked at number 16 on the billboard hot 100 in 1966 sadly george died in october 2017 at the age of 70. only one month later in november 2017 malcolm passed away at 64 after battling the effects of dementia that forced his retirement from ac dc in 2014 as some know malcolm and angus didn't learn music theory instead they honed their crap by emulating brother george along with their other heroes chuck berry eric clapton jimi hendrix and the great freddie king angus elaborated that his famous permeating guitar riff on thunderstruck came directly from a warm-up exercise that he learned from george that stretched his fingers before playing session when he played the riff for malcolm his brother immediately shared a rhythm line that he had been working on and the combination of angus's riff and malcolm's rhythm track became the foundation for ac dc stadium rock anthem the stadium rock anthem [Music] there are many that will hail angus as one of the best guitarists greatest of the rock gear and that opinion is completely justified however when you're praising angus for his mammoth role in the construction of ac dc's iconic sound you gotta give equal if not more credit to malcolm young is one of the greatest architects of rhythmic rock although ingus was a more visible presence especially during their live shows malcolm young was the fulcrum of ac dc it was malcolm's brilliance that created the pervading rhythm track that cooks under angus's lead riff throughout thunderstruck he performed his groove on his favorite weapon a gretch jet firebird with right-handed picking that sounds like a bluegrass rhythm pattern on steroids demonstrating his just gifted syncopation to achieve his signature rhythm tone malcolm relied on his martial super bass heads in the studio just as he had for other ac dc classics like dirty deeds under cheek [Music] [Applause] and let there be rock and for those about to rock [Music] the amp is dialed in clean but turned up as loud as possible to ride on edge of power amp distortion malcolm's formula delivered the ideal combination of grind twang clang and crunch with no distorted preamp hair fizz or compression [Music] thunderstruck immediately awakens your endorphins with the captivating combination of malcolm's rhythm [Music] chris slade symbol tapping cliff williams saucy base and angus lightning-fast jagged guitar rip played on his horned gibson sg guitar he affectionately referred to as his red devil the opening riff is the ultimate demonstration of angus's incredible speed and even more remarkable is how long he sustains that speed i mean few guitars have that kind of ability it's just undeniably spine tingling thunderstruck parades with all five band members huddling together chanting then the arrangement transitions with the crashing of chris slade's kick drum into the vigorous shouting of thunder [Music] thunder you know it's a fire breathing balls to the wall high caliber rock and roll him taylor made for the stadiums and not just rock concerts pretty much any sporting event known to mankind [Music] from there the band ushers in lead vocalist brian johnson to fire up thunderstruck shaking at the knees sexually charged energy [Applause] bringing that face melting heat like few vocalists and music i mean the guttural force of brian's diaphragm shattering vocal on thunderstruck just ranks as one of the most formidable of the rock era while many rock vocalists lose their upper register and their overall power by the time they reach the other 40s consider that brian was 44 years old when he delivered his bone-crushing heart rushing stadium leveling soul-driving thunderstruck performance it's just incredible [Music] johnson stated that he knew instantly that thunderstruck was going to be a triumphant ac dc track and his enthusiasm for the song fueled the heat the heated passion really that he plastered in his wailing vocal the angus young guitar solo on thunderstruck geez it begins with a short pick scrape that follows with vibrato and pentatonic bends the guitar hero famous for his schoolboy stage outfit during the band spirited live shows he attacks every pick on every note crunching and contorting his small frame to power over the fretboard it's just a vision to watch [Music] you know i don't believe angus young has ever played without striking every single note with a raging ferociousness that just lifts every listener any listener along with the music of the lyrics for thunderstruck were written by malcolm and angus young the expression thunderstruck was a spin-off of a children's toy they loved to play with as young boys called thunder streak the rationale behind thunderstruck followed what angus considered a tried-and-true equation ac plus dc equals power thunderstruck was not released as a single in america but it was immediately placed in hot rotation as an album track at rock radio stations it rose to number five on the mainstream rock chart it was a number one single in finland top five new zealand and their australian homeland it also climbed to uh number 13 in the uk it's one of those songs we speak of often on this channel that over time has become larger than life as one of the most downloaded and most played classic rock tracks ever recorded thunderstruck has been widely used in pop culture besides its constant play at sporting events around the world it's been you know synced in tv and film i would argue that it's the most blasted song in the history of college or pro football for sure maybe the greatest stadium rocker of all time definitely the greatest of its time [Applause] one of the most memorable movie placements of thunderstruck is how it was featured in the movie varsity blues where it provided the soundtrack during the game when the high school football team the film centers around were hungover from a night of heavy partying [Music] in 2004 a movie titled thunderstruck was released in australia it was a comedy about uh five dudes who uh went to an ac dc concert in the early 90s and they make a pact to bury the first person to die on their trip next to the grave of their idol bon scott ac dc's legendary front man of course from the 70s who died under controversial circumstances in 1980 god rest his soul thunderstruck is a classic other rock era and truly one of the last of its kind you know a mainstream rocker that blows everyone i mean everyone off the hemisphere [Music] also the album it came from the razor's edge was released toward the end of 1990 it's right before grunge hip-hop and team pop took over the razor's edge returned ac dc to its long-held prominence it sold five million copies it went to number two on the billboard album chart the album also contained another ac dc banger money talks which peaked at number 23 on the billboard hot 100 that would make it ac dc's biggest hit on the pop charts and that's very hard to believe indeed [Music] thunderstruck has been performed at every ac dc concert since it's released it's actually the only song that the band recorded from the 90s that's a must for every tour stop another funny fact about the song is that it's inspired a drinking game where the participants listening to the song must take a sip of their drink every time the word thunder is heard uh this is just one of those songs that uh it transcends genre and demographic it doesn't matter who you are this song just knocks you flat on your butt i remember when they would play this song at high school at football games i'd look around and everybody from you know the cheerleaders the marching band the parents even the veterans and elderly people who were in the crowd they would raise their hands in solidarity and call out for the thunder i remember falling over laughing one of the one of the pious older ladies from the church that i went to when i was growing up told me that i was going to go to hell for listening to all my devil music she was streaming out thunder along with everybody else it was it was funny uh it just takes control over you it doesn't matter who you are whenever you hear those words sound of the drums beating in my heart the thunder of guns tore me apart you've been thunderstruck and you know that's the the perfect chorus and title for this song because the band i mean it's the feeling we all have when listening to ac dc [Music] we want to thank our sponsor zeni eyewear the glasses i'm wearing on the daily make sure to go to zeni.com and do a virtual try on get the rockstar treatment from with bold frames or sunglasses treat yourself leave us a comment about this song and this incredible band what are your memories of the song what do you feel uh when the song comes on to hear the song click on our playlist below to get ac dc's newest album which is really great by the way or to get their classic albums or merch click on the amazon links below if you like our content we do invite you to subscribe right now be a part of our mission of capturing uh these interviews and history by going to our patreon you can be part of our inner circle and help us keep the music alive until next time three chords and the truth my friends stay safe [Music] you

Channel: Professor of Rock

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Keywords: professor of rock, acdc, 80s, 80s rock, rock, 1980, #1 hit, #1 in our hearts, underrated songs, underrated, of, pop fix, 80s vinyl, ac/dc, rock and roll, back in black, in depth, classic rock, billboard breakdown, aor, discussion, brian johnson acdc, angus young, acdc reaction, ac dc reaction, thunderstruck, ac dc thunderstruck, thunderstruck ac dc, ac/dc thunderstruck, ac/dc interview, ac, dc, thunder, struck, the professor of rock, rock community, rock hits, story, ac dc

Id: a2yp4sMeraY

Length: 15min 11sec (911 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 09 2020