"Let There Be Rock" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the third and title track of their album Let There Be Rock, released in March 1977, and was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott.
| "Let There Be Rock" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australian record label | ||||
| Single by AC/DC | ||||
| from the album Let There Be Rock | ||||
| B-side | "Problem Child" | |||
| Released | 30 September 1977 (UK) 31 October 1977 (Aus) | |||
| Recorded | 1977 | |||
| Studio | Albert (Sydney) | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 6:10 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| AC/DC singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Let There Be Rock" on YouTube | ||||
It was also released as a single, with a B-side of "Problem Child", in 1977.
Composition
editThe song provides an encapsulated, fictionalised version of the history of rock 'n' roll. Building on a line from the Chuck Berry song "Roll Over Beethoven": "... tell Tchaikovsky the news", "Let There Be Rock" reveals that Tchaikovsky did in fact receive the message and subsequently shared it with the masses, resulting in the rise of rock 'n' roll.
Following rock's birth, rock bands appeared everywhere, musicians found fame (while businesses made money off their efforts), and millions of people learned how to play electric guitar. The third and final verse speaks of a "42-decibel" rock band playing good, loud music in an establishment called "The Shaking Hand". This is usually changed to "92-decibel" in live versions of the song. After the final verse, the song ends with an extended solo by Angus Young, which consists mainly of tremolo picking, string bends, and hammer-ons.
Live recordings
edit"Let There Be Rock" has been included on four of the band's six official live albums: If You Want Blood You've Got It (sung by Bon Scott, 1978), Live: 2 CD Collector's Edition (sung by Scott's replacement Brian Johnson, 1992), Let There Be Rock: The Movie (Scott, 1979), released in 1997 as part of the Bonfire box set, Stiff Upper Lip Tour Edition (Johnson, 2001), recorded from Plaza De Toros in Madrid from 1996, and Live At River Plate (Johnson, 2012), with the last recorded during AC/DC's Black Ice World Tour at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires on 4 December 2009.
Live performances of the song often go into a section not included on the studio version, with Angus Young performing an extended solo without accompaniment.
It is the final song played in Let There Be Rock: The Movie and at the immediate conclusion the words "To Bon" appear on the screen. On recent tours, the song has concluded the regular set before the band reappears for encores.
Music video
edit
The music video for "Let There Be Rock" was filmed in July 1977. It was recorded in the Kirk Gallery church[1] in Surry Hills, Sydney and featured Bon Scott, Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Phil Rudd, and Cliff Williams, who replaced Mark Evans as the band's bassist shortly after the Let There Be Rock album was released. This marked one of Williams' first public appearances with AC/DC. Scott was dressed as a priest and the rest of the band as altar boys, with Angus Young wearing a halo prop on his head. Towards the end of the video it shows Angus, and the rest of the band jamming while he plays the guitar. In an alternate ending of the video, the colors are morphed and the camera zooms in on the stained glass window.[2] According to an interview with the Young brothers, Scott injured himself in the final jump from the podium. In the video and studio recording, Scott also sings the pre-chorus incorrectly, introducing 'sound' before 'light.' This is corrected during live performances of the song,
Critical reception
edit"Let There Be Rock" is widely considered one of the band's best songs. The Guardian ranked the song number four on its list of the 40 greatest AC/DC songs,[3] and the British rock magazine Kerrang! ranked the song number three on its list of the 20 greatest AC/DC songs.[4]
Appearances in popular culture
editThe song was also alluded to in the Drive-By Truckers song of the same name from 2001's Southern Rock Opera. The song specifically mentions Bon Scott, Randy Rhoads, as well as making references to other deceased rock stars such as members of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy fame.
Cover versions
edit- The British thrash metal band Onslaught released a cover version of this song on their 1987 EP with the same title and again on their 1989 album In Search of Sanity. The In Search of Sanity version peaked at number 50 on the UK Singles Chart.[5]
- The Australian punk rock group the Hard-Ons recorded a cover version featuring Henry Rollins on lead vocals, and released it as a single in 1991. The song peaked at number 65 on the ARIA Charts in July 1991.[6]
- The Serbian funk rock band Deca Loših Muzičara released a cover version of the song in 1997.[7]
Personnel
edit- Bon Scott – vocals
- Angus Young – lead guitar
- Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar
- Mark Evans – bass[8]
- Phil Rudd – drums
Production
edit- Producers: Harry Vanda, George Young
Charts
edit| Chart (1977/78) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian (Kent Music Report)[9] | 82 |
References
edit- ^ Daniels, Neil; Scott, Bon (February 2013). AC/DC - The Early Years. Independent Music Press. ISBN 9781906191245.
- ^ Video Footage and Liner Notes, Family Jewels 2-Disc DVD Set 2005
- ^ Hann, Michael (30 July 2020). "AC/DC – their 40 greatest songs, ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
- ^ Law, Sam (3 February 2021). "The 20 greatest AC/DC songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 407. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ Janjatović, Petar (2007). EX YU ROCK enciklopedija 1960-2006. Belgrade: self-released. p. 260.
- ^ Saulnier, Jason (30 September 2011). "Mark Evans Interview". Music Legends. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 11. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.