AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, 1975's High Voltage. Membership subsequently stabilised around the Young brothers, singer Bon Scott, drummer Phil Rudd, and bassist Mark Evans. Evans was fired from the band in 1977 and replaced by Cliff Williams, who has appeared on every AC/DC album since 1978's Powerage. In February 1980, about seven months after the release of their breakthrough album Highway to Hell, Scott died of acute alcohol poisoning after a night of heavy drinking. AC/DC considered disbanding, but at Scott's family's request, the remaining members opted to continue the band, bringing in longtime Geordie vocalist Brian Johnson as Scott's replacement. Later that year, the band released their first album with Johnson, Back in Black, which was dedicated to Scott's memory. The album launched AC/DC to new heights of success and became one of the best selling albums of all time.
The band's eighth studio album, For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) (1981), was their first album to reach number one in the United States. Prior to the release of their next album, Flick of the Switch (1983), Rudd left the band and was replaced by Simon Wright, being in turn replaced by Chris Slade in 1989. The band experienced a commercial resurgence in the early nineties with the release of their twelfth studio album The Razors Edge (1990); it was their only album to feature Slade, who was replaced by the returning Rudd in 1994. Rudd has since recorded five more albums with the band, starting with, and including, Ballbreaker (1995). Their fifteenth studio album Black Ice was the second-highest-selling album of 2008, and their biggest chart hit since For Those About to Rock, eventually reaching No.1 worldwide.
The band's line-up remained the same for twenty years, until 2014 with Malcolm Young's retirement due to early-onset dementia (he died in 2017) and Rudd's legal troubles. Malcolm was replaced by his nephew Stevie Young, who debuted on AC/DC's 2014 album Rock or Bust, and on its accompanying tour, previous drummer Chris Slade filled in for Rudd. In 2016, Johnson was advised to stop touring due to worsening hearing loss. Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose stepped in as the band's vocalist for the remainder of that year's dates. Long-term bass player and background vocalist Cliff Williams retired from AC/DC at the end of the Rock or Bust tour in 2016 and the group entered a four-year hiatus. A reunion of the Rock or Bust line-up was announced in September 2020 and the band's seventeenth studio album Power Up was released two months later.
AC/DC have sold more than 200 million records worldwide, including 75 million albums in the United States, making them the ninth-highest-selling artist in the United States and the 16th-best-selling artist worldwide. Back in Black has sold an estimated 50 million units worldwide, making it the second-highest-selling album by any artist, and the highest-selling album by any band. The album has sold 25 million units in the US, where it is the fourth highest-selling album of all time. AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2003. AC/DC ranked fourth on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" and were named the seventh "Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time" by MTV. In 2004, AC/DC ranked No. 72 on the Rolling Stone list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Producer Rick Rubin, who wrote an essay on the band for the Rolling Stone list, referred to AC/DC as "the greatest rock and roll band of all time". In 2010, VH1 ranked AC/DC number 23 in its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC/DC
Discography
High Voltage (1975) (Australia only)
T.N.T. (1975) (Australia only)
High Voltage (1976) (international version)
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976)
Let There Be Rock (1977)
Powerage (1978)
Highway to Hell (1979)
Back in Black (1980)
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) (1981)
Flick of the Switch (1983)
Fly on the Wall (1985)
Blow Up Your Video (1988)
The Razors Edge (1990)
Ballbreaker (1995)
Stiff Upper Lip (2000)
Black Ice (2008)
Rock or Bust (2014)
Power Up (2020)
Goodbye & Good Riddance to Bad Luck
AC/DC Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got nothing to lose
Run out of money
Disposable blues
Sleazy hotels
Like living in hell
The girls on the hustle
With nothing to sell
It's always the same
Keep pushing and shoving
And I'm down on the game
Always in trouble
Forever detained
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
And good riddance to bad luck
Well spread out the news
There's a free man loose
Back out of jail
And chasing some flueze
Padlocks and chains
Broken the chains
Lay down a claim
For monetary gains
Wonder what's coming
Out for the take
Freedom for loving
And lust for the taste
Eyes are wide open
(Wild?) to the game
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
And good riddance to bad luck
The lyrics of AC/DC's "Goodbye and Good Riddance to Bad Luck" paint a picture of a man who is down on his luck and at the end of his rope. The opening lines suggest that he has turned to alcohol as a way to forget about his problems, but as he's run out of money, he's left with nothing but a disposable blues. The sleazy hotels and the girls on the hustle are nothing but a hellish existence for him. He seems to be grappling with the idea of wanting something for nothing and always being in trouble with the law, which has forever detained him.
In the second verse, the man has been set free after being in jail and is now chasing some flueze, a term for a woman. He's had enough of the padlocks and chains and has broken free to lay down a claim for monetary gains. He wonders what's coming his way and is eager to taste freedom and lust. His eyes are wide open to the game, which could either be interpreted as the game of love or the game of life.
The chorus of the song, "goodbye, goodbye, goodbye and good riddance to bad luck", seems to be a departure from the man's current situation. The song is a commentary on the idea that bad luck has plagued the man's life, but he's finally breaking free from it. He's saying goodbye to his old life and is ready to embrace the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Getting bombed out on booze
Drinking heavily and becoming intoxicated
Got nothing to lose
Being in a situation where there is little to no risk involved
Run out of money
Having no more funds to spend
Disposable blues
Feeling down and depressed momentarily
Sleazy hotels
Staying in low-quality motels
Like living in hell
The experience of staying in sleazy hotels feels like being in a place of damnation
The girls on the hustle
Women engaged in selling sex for money
With nothing to sell
These women have no other form of barter besides their bodies
Want something for nothing
Expecting to get something without putting forth any effort
It's always the same
This situation happens over and over again
Keep pushing and shoving
Continuously struggling and fighting to make ends meet
And I'm down on the game
Feeling defeated by the rigors of life
Always in trouble
Encountering problems regularly
Forever detained
Feeling trapped and unable to escape one's predicament
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
A feeling of parting or leaving something behind
And good riddance to bad luck
Relishing in the prospect of escaping from unfavorable circumstances
Well spread out the news
Announcing that a person is free from confinement
There's a free man loose
Someone who was previously locked up is now free
Back out of jail
Being released from a place of confinement
And chasing some flueze
Pursuing monetary gains and riches
Padlocks and chains
Physical restraints meant to prevent freedom of movement
Broken the chains
Removing the restraints and gaining freedom
Lay down a claim
Establishing one's right to something, usually monetary gains
For monetary gains
By way of seeking material wealth
Wonder what's coming
Being curious about what one's future will hold
Out for the take
Intent on pursuing money or other gains
Freedom for loving
Enjoying the freedom to love and explore relationships
And lust for the taste
A strong desire for something, often material possessions
Eyes are wide open
Being vigilant and aware of one's surroundings
(Wild?) to the game
Being passionate and engaged in the pursuit of monetary gains
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANGUS MCKINNON YOUNG, MALCOLM MITCHELL YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind