Back in Black

AC/DC, 1980. Solo by Angus Young.

Short, punchy and perfect.

Angus Young weaves fills around Malcolm's riff, then takes a central solo and a long, climactic outro. The playing fits so well it feels composed, with the outro mixing stuttering blues licks, fast runs and call-and-response phrases against the band. According to engineer Tony Platt, the solos were the only overdubs, and Angus played them wearing a wireless transmitter so he could move freely. It is short, punchy and perfectly placed. Listen for the call-and-response in the outro, where Angus fires off a phrase and the band answers, as if the whole group is having a conversation.

Back in Black by AC/DC is ranked #79 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Angus Young and the song was released in 1980. It appears on 9 lists, placing as high as #7 (ADCI).

The story of Back in Black

Back in Black is the title track of AC/DC's seventh album and the band's tribute to singer Bon Scott, who died in February 1980. Malcolm Young had been using the riff for years as a warm-up, and the band had already chosen the album title before the song itself was written. When new singer Brian Johnson came in, the group asked for lyrics that celebrated Scott rather than mourned him.

Johnson has said he wrote down whatever came into his head and privately thought the result sounded like gibberish, but the band felt it captured Scott's spirit. Scott had left behind sketches for a number of songs, yet the group chose to start fresh with Johnson. The finished lyric turns grief into defiance, with its lines about forgetting the hearse and never dying reading as a tribute to Scott's lasting presence.

The album was tracked at Compass Point Studios in Nassau in April 1980 with producer Mutt Lange and engineer Tony Platt, then mixed at Electric Lady Studios in New York in May. The band played together in one room, with Malcolm's and Angus's Marshall rigs screened off on opposite sides and Johnson singing from the control room. Platt miked each guitar cabinet with Neumann U67s or a U67 and U87 pair, turning amps up only as far as needed.

Back in Black was released on 25 July 1980, only five months after Scott's death, and went on to become one of the best-selling albums ever. The title track was issued as a US single in December 1980 and reached number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100. After AC/DC's catalogue arrived on iTunes, it re-entered the UK chart in 2012 at number 27 and topped the UK rock chart.

The solo

Angus Young plays the lead guitar, weaving fills around Malcolm's riff and taking a central solo plus a long, climactic outro. Ultimate Classic Rock describes the playing as so well fitted that it feels composed, with the outro mixing stuttering blues licks, fast runs and call-and-response phrases against the band. At Compass Point, Tony Platt recorded Angus through Marshall 50-watt and 100-watt heads and cabinets, capturing each speaker cabinet with two Neumann microphones. According to Platt, Angus's solos were the only overdubs: he played them wearing a radio transmitter so he could move freely, then carried on with rhythm guitar to the end of the take. Songfacts adds that Angus has said he has never quite been able to reproduce the recorded performance.

Legacy

Back in Black is one of the most recognisable songs in hard rock and a fixture on all-time lists. Rolling Stone ranked it 187th among the 500 greatest songs and 29th among the 100 greatest guitar songs, VH1 put it second among hard rock songs, and Ultimate Classic Rock named it Angus Young's best solo. Metal Hammer called its riff one of the greatest ever. It holds seven-times platinum status in the US and has been used in films from Iron Man to Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Top 10 facts about Back in Black

Malcolm Young had played the main riff as a warm-up for years before it became the song.
Songfacts
The band asked Brian Johnson for lyrics that celebrated Bon Scott rather than dwelling on his death.
Wikipedia
Angus Young recorded his solos as overdubs while wearing a radio transmitter, then kept playing rhythm to the end of the song.
Sound on Sound
Brian Johnson recorded his vocals from the control room at Compass Point, and no guide vocals were used.
Sound on Sound
Bob Ludwig mastered the album at Masterdisk in New York, with Tony Platt and Mutt Lange checking test pressings.
Sound on Sound
The single is certified seven-times platinum by the RIAA in the United States.
Wikipedia
In 2012 the song returned to the UK chart at number 27 and topped the UK Rock and Metal chart after AC/DC's music reached iTunes.
Wikipedia
The Beastie Boys sampled the track on Rock Hard without clearance, and AC/DC later refused permission for it to be reissued.
Wikipedia
Kurt Cobain reportedly learned Back in Black as the first song he played on guitar, at age 14.
Songfacts
Ultimate Classic Rock ranked the song's solo number one among Angus Young's greatest.
Ultimate Classic Rock

Live versions

Live (1992 Collector's Edition) (1992) Recorded across the 1990–91 world tour, including Donington and Moscow, with Brian Johnson.
Live at River Plate (Buenos Aires) (2011) Filmed December 2009 with 32 HD cameras; the last live release with Malcolm Young.
Reading Festival with Muse and Brian Johnson (2017) Muse brought Johnson onstage to sing the song during their headline set.

Notable covers

Shakira (2004) Performed on her Tour of the Mongoose and released on Live & off the Record.
Living Colour Funk-metal band's cover noted among the song's best-known versions.
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (2007) Brass-led version performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Brothers (1993) Norwegian band whose version was the top-selling single in Norway that year.
Muse featuring Brian Johnson (2017) Live collaboration at Reading Festival.

In our lists

The Most-Taught Solos — #6
See Them Live — #23
The Road Trip 50 — #21
The 25 Greatest Hard Rock Guitar Solos — #16
The 1980s — #16
Solos in Hit Singles — #21
SGs & Telecasters — #10
Most Divisive — #9

Sources

What guitar was used on the Back in Black solo?

A gibson sg through a Marshall amp, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Back in Black rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#79 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 9 of them.

Who wrote Back in Black?

Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson wrote the song.

Is Back in Black about Bon Scott?

Yes. It was written as a celebratory tribute to Bon Scott, AC/DC's singer who died in February 1980.

Where was Back in Black recorded?

It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, in April 1980 and mixed at Electric Lady Studios in New York.

Who played the guitar solo on Back in Black?

Angus Young played the solos, recording them as overdubs through Marshall amplifiers.

Who produced Back in Black?

Robert John "Mutt" Lange produced it, with Tony Platt engineering.