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It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)

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"It's a Long Way to the Top"
Song
B-side"Can I Sit Next to You Girl"
Songwriter(s)Angus Young
Malcolm Young
Bon Scott

"It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the first track of the group's album T.N.T., released in December 1975, and was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott. Musically, the song is notable for combining bagpipes with hard rock electric guitars, drums, and bass guitar; in the mid-part of the song there is a duet between the bagpipes and the electric guitar. It is composed in B-flat major.

A slightly shorter version of the song is also the first track on the international version of High Voltage, released in May 1976. This is on the original release and the 2003 remastered CD release of the album only. Other CD releases have the full version.

This song is also on the Volts CD of the Bonfire box set, released in 1997.

This was a signature song for Scott, who also played the side drum in Coastal Scottish Pipe Band WA in the 1960s. Current AC/DC lead vocalist Brian Johnson does not perform it, out of respect for his predecessor.[1]

Lyrics

The song has the band chronicle being on tour, in particular the hardships of doing so, including being mugged, assaulted, performing poorly, experimenting with drugs, unwanted affairs with women, and being cheated by a greedy agent. The band, however, accepts these hardships as natural on the path to stardom, telling the listener in the refrain that "It's a long way to the top/If you wanna rock 'n' roll".

Personnel

Production

Music video

The music video for "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)", was filmed on 23 February 1976 for the Australian music television program Countdown. It featured the band's then-current lineup, along with members of the Rats of Tobruk Pipe Band, on the back of a flat-bed truck traveling on Swanston Street in Melbourne, Australia. Known members of the Rats of Tobruk Pipe Band at the time of the video's filming include: Alan Butterworth, Les Kenfield and Kevin Conlon. The video was dubbed with the studio track from the T.N.T. album and is available on the Family Jewels DVD.[2]

The video was directed by Paul Drane.[3] David Olney was the cameraman.[4]

Two other videos for the song exist. One version, filmed the same day as the truck version, features the group miming the song on a stage in Melbourne's City Square in front of an audience.[5] The pipe players appear here as well. This version is available in the Backtracks box set. A third version features the group simply miming the song on a soundstage, making it appear as if it were being played live. Also, a version of the group performing the song on Australian Bandstand with Scott singing live over the studio track appears on the DVD set Plug Me In. This song was only performed live in 1976. This song was not played after Bon set the bagpipes down at the corner of a stage and they were destroyed by fans. It was performed one last time in 1979, but synthesisers were used instead of the bagpipes.[citation needed]

Popularity

In May 2001, Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary by naming the Best Australian Songs of all time, as decided by a 100-member industry panel. "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" was ranked as the ninth song on the list.[6] The song is regularly played during stoppages at AFL matches at the ANZ stadium in Sydney.

The song was also used in the 2003 movie School of Rock during the end credits sequence when Jack Black's character, Dewey Finn, is giving his kids an "after-school lesson" on rock.

In 2010, this song was ranked No. 3 in Triple M's Ultimate 500 Rock Countdown in Melbourne, Australia. The top five were all AC/DC songs.[7]

In the third episode of " Empire of Cricket", a 2009 British BBC TV documentary about the history of Cricket, "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" is played over the opening credits. The programme details the history of Australian cricket and its rise to dominance.

The Heavy Metal band Metallica play the song at every concert over the PA before they go on[citation needed].

Connection to ACDC Lane

On 1 October 2004 Melbourne, Australia's Corporation Lane was officially renamed "ACDC Lane" in honour of the band (street names in the City of Melbourne cannot contain the "/" character). This change was made in part because the music video for "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" was filmed on Melbourne's Swanston Street, near ACDC Lane. The Melbourne City Council's vote to rename the street was unanimous.[8] Bagpipers played "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" at the official renaming ceremony.[1]

Recorded cover versions

Performed by:

The song was covered during the credit sequence of the movie School of Rock, performed by Jack Black and the class of children he taught while masquerading as a teacher. However, the children ad-libbed their own lyrics towards the end of the song.

Billy Corgan covered the song live as an encore on almost every show during his 2005 tour supporting his debut solo effort TheFutureEmbrace.

A dramatic re-interpretation was released by Norwegian duo Susanna and the Magical Orchestra (a.k.a. Susanna Wallumrød and Morten Qvenild) in late summer 2006 on their second album Melody Mountain, which consists entirely of cover versions. Their style is slow and melancholic with only cembalo accompaniment to Wallumrød's pure vocal, and brings out the essential sadness of the song.

The band Hanson performed this song during some of the shows on the "Walk around the World" tour, often inviting the opening acts back on stage to sing together.

Melbourne Ukulele Kollective frequently play the song live, the most notable performances being during ABC-TV's Spicks and Specks in 2004;[9] and during the Australia Day flag-raising ceremony and people's march in 2009.

On the 34th anniversary of the filming of the music video, it was recreated as part of the SLAM (Save Live Australian Music) rally, to protest liquor licensing laws which threaten live music. About ten thousand protesters marched down Swanston Street and up Bourke Street to the Victorian Parliament House, accompanied by the RocKwiz band on a flatbed truck playing the song.

References

  1. ^ a b "The legend lives on in a laneway to heaven", The Age, 15 February 2005. Retrieved on 2007-02-15.
  2. ^ Video Footage and Liner Notes, Family Jewels 2-Disc DVD Set, 2005.
  3. ^ Dino Scatena, "Clip Go The Years", Sydney Morning Herald, 26 Feb. 2005, retrieved 13 December 2008
  4. ^ Johnston, Chris, "AC/DC still current 30 years on", The Age, 23 February 2006. Retrieved on 2007-02-15.
  5. ^ Donovan, Patrick (13 February 2010). "For a piper, it's a long way to the top from the back of a flatbed truck". The Age. Retrieved 2010-03-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "The final list: APRA'S Ten best Australian Songs". APRA. 2001-05-28. Archived from the original on 2008-03-08. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  7. ^ http://www.triplem.com.au/melbourne/music/ultimate-rock-100-1
  8. ^ Boulton, Martin, "Lane way to the top for AC/DC", The Age, 10 September 2004. Retrieved on 2007-02-15.
  9. ^ "Melbourne Ukulele Kollective on Spicks and Specks". MUK. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
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