You Shook Me All Night Long

AC/DC, 1980, from Back in Black. Solo by Angus Young.

Taut, no-note-wasted rock lead.

Angus Young's solo here is a model of economy. It arrives after the second chorus, runs only a few bars and uses little more than blues-box pentatonic phrases, but every lick lands squarely in the groove with real swagger. The SG's bite and Malcolm's rock-steady rhythm underneath give each bend room to snap. There's no showpiece speed, just melodic hooks you could hum, and that restraint is why generations of players learn it early. It proves how much a short, well-shaped break can lift a tightly built rock song. Listen for how Angus leaves small gaps between phrases, letting the rhythm section breathe before the chorus crashes back in.

You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC is ranked #112 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 6 lists, placing as high as #41 (Magazyn Gitarzysta).

In our lists

• The Most-Taught Solos — #50
• See Them Live — #38
• The Road Trip 50 — #23
• The 25 Greatest Hard Rock Guitar Solos — #19
• The 1980s — #21
• Solos in Hit Singles — #23
• SGs & Telecasters — #14
• The Best Angus Young Guitar Solos — #7
• The Best AC/DC Guitar Solos — #6

Sources

• Magazyn Gitarzysta: 100 solówek wszech czasów [100 solos of all time] — #41
• Bombay Lives (Substack): 100 Greatest Guitar Solos — #80
• Topito (now 10h26.com): Top 100 des plus grands solos de guitare de l'histoire (Benoit Floyd) — #80
• Guitar Tricks: 200 Best Guitar Solos of All Time — #98
• Rolling Stone: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — #100
• Digital Dream Door: 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos — #170