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)
School Days
AC/DC Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The teacher is teachin' the golden rule
American history and practical math
You're studyin' hard and hopin' to pass
Oh, you're workin' your finger right down to the bone
And the guy behind you won't leave you alone.
Ring, ring goes the bell
But you're lucky if you can find a seat
You're fortunate if you got time to eat
Well back in to class and open your books
Gee but the teacher don't know how mean she looks
Hail hail rock-n-roll [Repeat: x6]
As soon as three o'clock rolls around
And you lay your burden down
Throw down your books and outta your seat
You go down the hallway and into the street
Up to the corner and 'round the bend
Right to the juke joint you go in
You drop the coin right into the slot
You gotta hear somthin' that's really hot
With the one you love you're makin' romance
All day long you've been waitin' to dance
And you feel the music from head to toe
Round and round and round and round you go
Long live rock n roll [Repeat: x4]
Rock rock rock n roll
AC/DC's "School Days" is a song about the struggles and joys of being a student in high school. The song highlights the daily challenges faced by students such as waking up early in the morning, studying hard, hoping to pass, finding a seat in the cafeteria, and dealing with strict teachers. The bell rings, signaling the end of classes, and students rush out of their classes to escape to the freedom of the outside world. The song's message is clear: school is tough, but rock-n-roll provides the perfect escape from it all.
The song's verses describe the monotony of school life, while the chorus celebrates rock-n-roll. The lyrics hail the genre as a form of rebellion against authority, a way of expressing oneself, and a means of finding freedom and enjoyment. The guitars are electric and the drums are loud as AC/DC rocks out in celebration of rock-n-roll. This is a tribute to the power of the genre and the feeling of joy and liberation it brings.
The song's message resonated with listeners and helped establish AC/DC as one of the foremost hard rock bands of the 1970s. "School Days" can be seen as an early precursor to the band's later hits such as "Highway to Hell," which continued to preach the gospel of rock-n-roll. The song shows that school may be tough, but rock-n-roll is tougher, and that with the power of music, anything is possible.
Line by Line Meaning
Up in the mornin' and out to school
You wake up early and go to school
The teacher is teachin' the golden rule
The teacher is teaching a moral lesson
American history and practical math
You learn about American history and practical math
You're studyin' hard and hopin' to pass
You're working hard and hoping to pass your exams
Oh, you're workin' your finger right down to the bone
You're working tirelessly
And the guy behind you won't leave you alone.
The person behind you is bothering you
Ring, ring goes the bell
The bell rings
The cook in the kitchen is ready to sell
The cook is ready to sell food
But you're lucky if you can find a seat
It's difficult to find a seat
You're fortunate if you got time to eat
You're lucky if you have time to eat
Well back in to class and open your books
Go back to class and open your books
Gee but the teacher don't know how mean she looks
The teacher looks strict
Hail hail rock-n-roll [Repeat: x6]
Rock-n-roll is celebrated
As soon as three o'clock rolls around
When it's 3 o'clock
And you lay your burden down
You put your schoolwork aside
Throw down your books and outta your seat
You put your books to the side and get up
You go down the hallway and into the street
You leave the classroom and head to the street
Up to the corner and 'round the bend
You go to the corner and around the bend
Right to the juke joint you go in
You go to the juke joint
You drop the coin right into the slot
You put a coin into the jukebox
You gotta hear somthin' that's really hot
You want to hear music that's really cool
With the one you love you're makin' romance
You dance with the person you love
All day long you've been waitin' to dance
You've been waiting all day to dance
And you feel the music from head to toe
You feel the music throughout your body
Round and round and round and round you go
You dance in circles
Long live rock n roll [Repeat: x4]
Rock n roll is celebrated and will live on
Rock rock rock n roll
Rock n roll
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, ENTERTAINMENT ONE U.S. LP
Written by: Chuck Berry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind