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)
Snowballed
AC/DC Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Washed up on the shore
Bombed out of the city, out of the door
Blown up against the wall
Put out of the picture, axe about to fall
Walk before you crawl
Dragged down to the bottom, screaming for air
The shark must get his share
You could see it coming
Miles and miles away
Women, drink and money
Are gonna make you pay
Snowballed, ooh yeah
Snowballed, they done it again
Snowballed, making me blind
Snowballed
The howl of the wolf, snow in his eyes
Waiting to take you by surprise
Eye of the needle, heat of the fight
Watch those teeth 'cause they're ready to bite
You can see it coming
Miles and miles away
Women, drink and money
Are gonna make you pay
You've been snowballed, yes, you have
Snowballed, I've been fooled again
Snowballed, that's all
Snowballed
Out of my mind (one more time)
Snowballed
Snowballed
Snowballed
Snowballed
Snowballed, snowballed
Snowballed, snowballed
You've been snowballed
Snowballed
You've been snow
You've been snow
Snow
Ball, ball, balled
The lyrics in AC/DC's song Snowballed convey a sense of impending doom and imminent danger. The opening lines describe a scene of chaos and violence, with someone "crashed out on the market" and "blood on the floor." The singer is then "busted man on show" and "bundled out of the City" as if being forcefully removed from the scene. The lyrics then seem to suggest that the singer is being used as a pawn in a larger scheme, with the "axe about to fall" and the shark waiting to get his share.
The chorus, with its repeating refrain of "snowballed," suggests that the events of the song are spiraling out of control and that the singer is being overwhelmed by forces beyond his control. The wolves and sharks that are mentioned in the song are symbolic of the ruthless and predatory nature of the music and entertainment industries, which can swallow up and destroy those who are not careful.
In the second verse, the lyrics become more ominous, with a warning that danger is lurking everywhere, even in seemingly innocuous places like the eye of the needle or the head of a pin. The singer is urged to "watch those teeth 'cause they're ready to bite," suggesting that he must be vigilant and ready to defend himself. The song ends with the repeated refrain of "out of my mind, one more time," suggesting that the singer is trapped in a never-ending cycle of chaos and destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
Crashed out on the market,
Collapsed on the stock market,
Out blood on the floor
Resulting in injuries and bloodshed
Busted man on show
Publicly shamed and exposed for wrongdoing
Bundled out of the City, out...
Forced to leave the city quickly
Of the door
Leaving behind everything
Thrown up against the wall
Thrown forcefully against a wall
Put out of the picture, axe...
Being removed from the situation, with negative consequences imminent
About to fall
At the brink of failure or disaster
Walk before you throw (cry?)
Think twice before taking any action or making a decision
Sinking to the bottom,
Falling to rock bottom
Screaming for air
Struggling to breathe or stay afloat
The shark must get his share
Someone will take advantage of your vulnerability
You can see it coming, miles...
It's clear that something bad is about to happen
Women, drink and money are...
Indicating greed and temptation as eventual downfall
[Chorus]
The repeated phrase of being tricked and used
Snowballed, oh yeah
Being overwhelmed and swindled
Snowballed, they've done it
Others have deceived and cheated you
Again
This is a repetitive cycle
Snowballed, makin' me pay
Forced to pay for mistakes and sins of others
Howl of the wolf, sneer...
An ominous warning from someone who will hurt you
Waiting to take you by
Lurking and waiting for the perfect moment to strike
Surprise
A sudden attack or betrayal
Eye of the needle, head of...
Being in a precarious and dangerous situation
Watch those teeth 'cause...
Stay alert for unexpected and vicious attacks
Out of my mind
Feeling crazy, out of control, or overwhelmed
One more time
Continuing in a cycle of being used, deceived and swindled again and again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Angus Mckinnon Young, Brian Johnson, Malcolm Mitchell Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind