Ride On (AC/DC song)
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"Ride On" is a song and single by Australian hard rock band AC/DC originally released on the album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and later re-released on the album Who Made Who. In both versions, the song is sung by Bon Scott. Atypically for an AC/DC song, it has a sad, slow blues, almost ballad-like feel to it. The lyrics concern a man reflecting on mistakes he has made in a relationship while drinking alcohol. It has frequently been cited as one of AC/DC's best songs.[1][2][3]
"Ride On" was covered by the french band Trust on their self-titled 1979 debut album, after supporting AC/DC in Paris in the fall of 1978. Bon Scott jammed the song with Trust at Scorpio Sound Studios in London on February 13, 1980, six days before his death. A recording of it would later surface on the Bon Scott Forever Volume 1 bootleg.
AC/DC has played the song live only once, on June 22, 2001, at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis (near Paris), during the Stiff Upper Lip Tour. At the end of that show, the band unexpectedly came back after their traditional two-songs encore, dressed as soccer players (with the blue color of the french soccer team), and played this song as a tribute to John Lee Hooker, who had died the day before, although it wasn't explicitly mentioned as such (earlier that evening, Brian Johnson had held a banner with the bluesman's name, probably given by someone in the public).
Composition
The song is composed in the key of C major.
It is a slower blues song with a tempo of 70, contrasting with the faster rock 'n' roll tracks that comprise the rest of the album, and AC/DC's catalogue as a whole. The song's lyrics express Bon Scott's intentions and urge to "change [his] evil ways."
Personnel
- Bon Scott – lead vocals
- Angus Young – lead guitar
- Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Mark Evans – bass guitar
- Phil Rudd – drums
Other versions
The Beasts Of Bourbon album The Low Road featured a cover of "Ride On". Eric Burdon covered the song on his 1980 album Darkness Darkness.
References
- ^ "Top 10 Bon Scott AC/DC Songs". Ultimateclassicrock.com. 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ^ Clem Bastow. "Australian anthems: AC/DC – It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock'n'Roll) | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ^ ""Ride On" | Readers' Poll: The 10 Best AC/DC Songs". Rolling Stone. 2014-10-15. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
External links
- Lyrics on AC/DC's official website
