Angus started playing guitar when he was about five. Another kid who lived nearby had one, and Angus would come over and play on it. He got his own "guitar" by taking a banjo his ily had lying and the house and restrainging ita guitar. He didn't really get into guitar playing, thoguh, until his early teens. He got his first Gibson SG after seeing it in a friend's catalogue. Until then, he had been playing on an old Hofner guitar he got when his brother Malcolm got his Gretsch Jet Firebird.
For a part time job, before AC/DC and when the band had just started playing shows, Angus worked at a printing company in Australia.
Angus Young practiced with his band, AC/DC, which was just developing at the time. Angus had developed a trademark 'schoolboy' style in the band. One rumor is that he did not have time to change between his school uniform and band practice, and simply wore the uniform. The truth is though that his sister suggested he do it as a gimmick. Angus previously tried dressing as Zorro and also a gorilla. Eventually, it became a signature trademark of the entire band.
Angus Young is notorious for his wild onstage antics. He entertains audiences with his intense moves and jumps onstage and with his running back and forth across the stage while playing the electric guitar. During live shows, Angus would clamber on singer Bon Scott's shoulders and they would make their way through the audience with smoke streaming from a satchel on his back while he played an extended solo.
In later years, Angus performed moves such as his own version of the Duck Walk, which was inspired by his idol Chuck Berry, and his "spasm", during which he throws himself to the ground, kicking, shaking, and spinning in circles, while playing the guitar, of course; both can be seen in the "Who Made Who" video. Angus developed the "spasm" while playing live in a small club in Australia when he tripped over a cable onstage, while playing his solo. He made it into part of his act by having a seizure-like "spasm" onstage to make it seem as part of the act. It has grown ever since. Other gimmicks employed by Angus include his strip act, which is viewable during "Jailbreak" on AC/DC's Live At Donington DVD.
Angus Young influenced such bands as Guns N' Roses and Def Leppard. Angus cites his own influences as Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, and other blues/early rock players
Although Angus Young keeps his private life out of the media it is known that he now lives in Sydney, Australia and Aalten, Netherlands. It is also known that he married his wife Ellen in 1980 right before Bon Scott died.
Hard Times
Angus Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feeling low
Going down slow
Make it quake
And make a body shake
Tryin' to hold you down
They try to hold you back
Getting on the right track
Hard times, blue and sad
Don't you cross the line
Long run, make it fun
Freeing up the time
Heart a-pumping
Feet a-jumping
This hard lovin'
Keeps me runnin'
They try to hold you down
They can't push you around
Trying to hold you back
Getting on the right track
Hard times, blue and sad
Don't you cross the line
Long run, make it fun
Freeing up the time
Hard times, dead on time
Follow me down the line
Hard times, get online
Make a grown man blind
Hard times, these hard times
Sure ain't been good to me
Hard times, hard times
Sure been misery
Hard times, blue and sad
Don't you cross the line
Long run, make it fun
Freeing up the time
Hard times, dead on time
Follow me down the line
Hard times, get online
Make a grown man blind
In Angus Young's Hard Times, the previously upbeat guitarist takes on a more somber tone. From the very first line, the listener is hit with a feeling of despair, with the phrase "Feelin' low" being repeated throughout the song. The song appears to be about bouncing back from tough times, as Young sings "Tryin' to hold you down, They can't push you around,Trying to hold you back, Getting on the right track." He encourages listeners to not cross the line and make the most of their time, even when it feels like the world is against them.
The chorus of the song is perhaps the most impactful, as it repeats the phrase "Hard times, blue and sad." The repetition emphasizes just how difficult these times can be, but the rest of the chorus brings hope. "Long run, make it fun, Freeing up the time" suggests that by persevering and finding joy even in hard times, we can come out the other end stronger. The verses are punctuated by the upbeat rhythm section, perhaps representing the idea that despite the circumstances, there is always something to keep us moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Feeling low
Being emotionally down
Going down slow
Gradually getting worse
Make it quake
Create something big or impactful
And make a body shake
Feel the music and dance
Tryin' to hold you down
Others attempting to constrain you
They can't push you around
You won't let yourself be controlled
They try to hold you back
Others aiming to limit your progress
Getting on the right track
Finding the correct path towards success
Hard times, blue and sad
Difficulties that are depressing and melancholic
Don't you cross the line
Don't let your struggles defeat you
Long run, make it fun
Endurance can be enjoyable
Freeing up the time
Using time wisely to escape hardships, or gain new opportunities
Heart a-pumping
Feeling a strong emotional connection to the music
Feet a-jumping
Dancing energetically
This hard lovin'
The music is a challenging, yet adored experience
Keeps me runnin'
The music provides motivation, strength and inspiration to keep striving
Hard times, dead on time
Being in difficulty and running out of time
Follow me down the line
Come with me to face and overcome our struggles
Hard times, get online
Find support and guidance to navigate hardships
Make a grown man blind
Overwhelming trouble that is debilitating
Hard times, these hard times
Acknowledging the harshness of the struggles
Sure ain't been good to me
Expressing how hard times are bad and painful
Hard times, hard times
Repeating the phrase to emphasize the severity
Sure been misery
The struggles have created suffering and agony
Contributed by Leo I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.