AC/DC is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born … Read Full Bio ↴AC/DC is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal, but the band calls it simply "rock and roll".

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)

The Razors Edge
AC/DC Lyrics

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There's fighting on the left
And marching on the right
Don't look up in the sky
You're gonna die of fright
Here comes the razor's edge

You're living on the edge
Don't know wrong from right

They're breathing down your neck
You're running out of lives
And here comes the razor's edge
Here comes the razor's edge
The razor's edge

(Razor's edge) to raise the dead
(Razor's edge) to cut to shreds

To raise the dead

Here comes the razor's edge
Here comes the razor's edge
Well here it comes
To cut to shreds
The razor's edge

At the razor's edge
With a razor's edge
That you'll be cut to shreds

Got a razor's edge
With a razor's edge

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to AC/DC's song The Razors Edge touch on the theme of edge and danger. The razors edge represents the precariousness of life, living on the brink, walking a fine line between right and wrong, and being fearless in the face of danger. The first two lines highlight the dichotomy of conflict and strife, with fighting on the left and marching on the right, creating a picture of chaos and confusion. The third line forewarns that looking up could be frightening, hinting at danger looming from above.

The chorus then hits home the danger of living on the razors edge, with warnings that you're running out of time and lives. Here, the razors edge represents the fragility of life, and every move could be the one that finally tips one over the edge, cutting them to shreds. It also talks about the razors edge being able to raise the dead and cut them to shreds, creating a picture of a razor-sharp edge, designed to make cleaning cuts. The lines "Gotta razors edge, you'll be cut to shreds by the razors edge" bring the song full circle, showing the inevitability of living on the edge.

Line by Line Meaning

Razor's edge
A situation where there's a very fine line between success and failure

Razors
Metaphorically representing the sharpness of the situational edge

There's fighting on the left
Conflict and struggle present on one side of the edge

And marching on the right
Progress and growth moving forward on the other side of the edge

Don't look up in the sky
Don't try to escape the situation, face it head-on

You're gonna die of fright
Fear can be a dangerous thing in such high-stakes situations

Here comes the razors edge
The situation is coming to a critical point

You're living on the edge
You're in a precarious position

Don't know wrong from right
Uncertainty about what the best decision would be

They're breathing down your neck
Pressure is mounting

You're running out of lives
Running out of opportunities to make the right decision