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)
Stormy May Day
AC/DC Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Winds are howling,
The water's calling, rescue you,
A flash of lightning,
At times a frightening,
A wind is coming, and the sun don't shine,
Rainy day, May day,
Rain day, May day,
May day, stormy rain day,
Stormy May day,
The sky is darkening,
The dogs are barking,
A call for help you hope they get you through,
A clap of thunder,
A split us under,
The people running, and the moon doth rise,
Rain day, May day,
May day, stormy rain day,
Rain day, May day, rain day, stormy May day,
Rain day, May day, rain day, stormy May day
"Stormy May Day" is a song by the rock band AC/DC, and it tells the story of a particularly severe storm hitting the area. The song is filled with vivid and emotive lyrics that bring the storm to life, notably, "The storm is raging, winds are howling, the water's calling to rescue you." The lyrics paint a picture of a storm that is not only dangerous but terrifying, with the thunder and lightning adding to the already hostile atmosphere.
The second verse of the song describes the storm's impact on the local area. The dogs are barking, a call for help is issued, and there is a sense of impending doom, which is heightened by the arrival of the moon. The song's overall message is one of apprehension and the feeling of powerlessness that comes from being at the mercy of nature.
Overall, "Stormy May Day" is a powerful and emotive song, and the lyrics are a key part of its success. By painting a vivid picture of the storm, they bring the listener right into the heart of the action.
Line by Line Meaning
The storm is raging,
There is a fierce storm going on.
Winds are howling,
The wind is making howling sounds.
The water's calling, rescue you,
The water is calling for help and trying to drown you.
A flash of lightning,
There is a sudden, bright flash of lightning.
At times a frightening,
The lightning can be scary at times.
A wind is coming, and the sun don't shine,
The wind is starting to blow and the sun is not visible.
Rainy day, May day,
It's a rainy day in May.
May day, stormy rain day,
It's a stormy day with heavy rain.
Rain day, May day,
It's a day of rain in May.
May day, stormy rain day,
It's a day with a storm and heavy rain in May.
Stormy May day,
It's a day in May with a bad storm.
The sky is darkening,
The sky is getting darker.
The dogs are barking,
The dogs are making noise.
A call for help you hope they get you through,
You are calling for help and hoping someone will rescue you.
A clap of thunder,
There is a sudden, loud clap of thunder.
A split us under,
There is a split in the ground beneath you.
The people running, and the moon doth rise,
People are running away and the moon is visible in the sky.
Rain day, May day,
It's a day of rain in May.
May day, stormy rain day,
It's a day with a storm and heavy rain in May.
Rain day, May day, rain day, stormy May day,
It's a day of rain and storm in May.
Rain day, May day, rain day, stormy May day,
It's a day of rain and storm in May.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANGUS MCKINNON YOUNG, MALCOLM MITCHELL YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind