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)
Wheels
AC/DC Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't no stranger,
You give me rock 'n' roll, around the town,
Just foolin' around,
She's gonna break ya,
Wanna make ya,
Gonna make it,
Wanna take it down,
Wheels,
Spinnin' around my brain, driving you insane,
Wheels,
Rolling 'round my head, going through the red,
She wanna shake you, no way to save you,
She's got me shot, I'm fallin'
I'm blowin' it out,
Know what I'm talkin' about,
She's gonna ride you, wanna slide you,
Ain't no fakin' she wanna take you out,
You betcha right, she's gonna spin you 'round,
[Repeat: x2]
Wheels,
Spinnin' around my brain, driving you insane,
Wheels,
Rolling 'round my head, going through the red,
Wheels,
Flyin' down the road, ready to explode,
Wheels,
Burnin' down the road, hitting overload,
Wheels,
Hitting overload
Wheels,
Ready to explode
The lyrics to AC/DC's "Wheels" are about a woman who is a wild and dangerous lover. She gives the singer rock and roll around town and is just fooling around. However, she is also going to break him and wants to take him down. She is going to rock and roll and slide down, driving him insane.
The imagery of wheels spinning around in the singer's brain suggests that he is unable to escape this woman's hold on him. She shakes and rides him, making it clear that he cannot resist her. He is falling and blowing it out, a reference to losing himself in the heat of the moment. The repetition of the phrase "wheels" throughout the song suggests that this woman is like a vehicle that is careening out of control, and that the singer is along for the ride, unable to stop himself from being pulled into her orbit.
Overall, the song is a classic example of AC/DC's hard-driving, high-energy rock and roll style. The lyrics are full of vivid imagery and suggestive phrases that capture the thrill of a wild and untamed romance.
Line by Line Meaning
She was a danger,
She was someone who could cause harm or trouble.
Ain't no stranger,
She was someone who was not unfamiliar.
You give me rock 'n' roll, around the town,
She was someone who brought excitement and energy wherever she went.
Just foolin' around,
She played games and wasn't serious about things.
She's gonna break ya,
She will ruin you.
Wanna make ya,
She wants to influence and control you.
Gonna make it,
She is determined to succeed.
Wanna take it down,
She wants to take things to the next level.
She's gonna rock 'n' roll 'n' slide it down,
She will party and enjoy herself while doing so.
Wheels, Spinnin' around my brain, driving you insane,
The impact of her presence and energy is overwhelming and maddening.
Wheels, Rolling 'round my head, going through the red,
Her influence and energy are constantly on his mind and he can't ignore it.
She wanna shake you, no way to save you,
She wants to disrupt and unsettle you without the possibility of resisting.
She's got me shot, I'm fallin'
He is hit by her presence and influence and is falling under her spell.
I'm blowin' it out, Know what I'm talkin' about,
He is indulging in the excitement and energy that she brings.
She's gonna ride you, wanna slide you,
She wants to take control and enjoy herself at his expense.
Ain't no fakin' she wanna take you out,
She is not pretending and wants to eliminate him.
You betcha right, she's gonna spin you 'round,
He acknowledges that she will bring him on a wild ride.
Wheels, Flyin' down the road, ready to explode,
Their energy and momentum are building and reaching a potential destructive point.
Wheels, Burnin' down the road, hitting overload,
Their energy has become too much and is reaching a dangerous point.
Wheels, Hitting overload
Their energy has become out of control and overwhelming.
Wheels, Ready to explode
Their energy has reached a point where it is about to burst into something extreme and potentially destructive.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Angus Mckinnon Young, Malcolm Mitchell Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind