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)
Problem Child
AC/DC Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm hot
And when I'm not
I'm cold as ice
Get out of my way
Just step aside
Or pay the price
What I want I take
What I don't I break
And I don't want you
With a flick of my knife
I can change your life
There's nothing you can do
I'm a problem child
I'm a problem child, yes I am
I'm a problem child
And I'm wild
Make my stand
No man's land
On my own
Man in blue
It's up to you
The seed is sown
What I want I stash
What I don't I smash
And you're on my list
Dead or alive
I got a .45
And I never miss
Oh I'm a problem child, yeh
I'm a problem child, owh
I'm a problem child
Desperate and wild
Just watch you step
Every night
Street light
I drink my booze
Some run
Some fight
But I win they lose
What I need I like
What I don't I fight
And I don't like you
Say bye bye
While your still alive
Your time is due
'Cause I'm a problem child, owh
I'm a problem child
I'm a problem child
I'm a problem child
Problem child
I'm a problem child, my mother hates it
I'm a problem child, oh he
I'm a problem child
Hey yeah problem child
Whoa problem child
Problem child
Problem child
The lyrics to AC/DC's song Problem Child depict a rebellious and dangerous individual who will do whatever it takes to get what they want. The singer boasts about their ability to take what they want and break what they don't. They warn anyone in their way to step aside or pay the price. The tone of the song is aggressive and the lyrics suggest that the singer has a disregard for authority.
The chorus reveals the title of the song as the singer identifies themselves as a problem child. The repeated phrase emphasizes the idea that the singer is not just someone who occasionally causes trouble but someone who is consistently disruptive and problematic. The verse "What I need I like, what I don't I fight, and I don't like you" further establishes the singer's rebellious and combative nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Top this
I am the best and nothing can beat me
I'm hot
I am confident and on top of the game
And when I'm not
I'm cold as ice
When I am not winning, I become ruthless and indifferent
Get out of my way
Just step aside
Or pay the price
You better not stand in my way or else you will be in big trouble
What I want I take
What I don't I break
And I don't want you
I take what I please and destroy what I don't need, and I don't want anything to do with you
With a flick of my knife
I can change your life
There's nothing you can do
I have the power to hurt you with ease and you are helpless against me
I'm a problem child
I'm a problem child, yes I am
I'm a problem child
And I'm wild
I am someone who creates problems and chaos, and I am uncontrollable
Make my stand
No man's land
On my own
I am self-sufficient and do not need anyone's help
Man in blue
It's up to you
The seed is sown
The police are responsible for dealing with me now, and I have already caused trouble
What I want I stash
What I don't I smash
And you're on my list
I keep what I want and destroy what I don't, and you are someone I want to hurt
Dead or alive
I got a .45
And I never miss
I will harm you by any means, and I always hit my target
Oh I'm a problem child, yeh
I'm a problem child, owh
I'm a problem child
Desperate and wild
I am a dangerous person who is untamed and out of control
Just watch you step
You better be careful because you might get hurt
Every night
Street light
I drink my booze
Some run
Some fight
But I win they lose
I drink my sorrows away every night, and whoever challenges me always ends up losing
What I need I like
What I don't I fight
And I don't like you
I only like what benefits me, and if you don't, then we have a problem, and I don't like you
Say bye bye
While your still alive
Your time is due
It's time for you to leave before I harm you because your time is up
'Cause I'm a problem child, owh
I'm a problem child
I'm a problem child
I'm a problem child
Problem child
I'm a problem child, my mother hates it
I'm a problem child, oh he
I'm a problem child
Hey yeah problem child
Whoa problem child
Problem child
Problem child
I am a person who creates trouble and issues and is feared by others, but I don't care and embrace it
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Ronald Scott
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind