Thunderstruck (song)
Encyclopedia
"Thunderstruck" is the first song on the 1990 AC/DC
album The Razors Edge
.
The song peaked at No. 5 on U.S. the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. It was released as a single in Germany
, Australia
, and Japan
. The song is said to be inspired by lead guitarist Angus Young
's hair-raising experience when a plane he was on was struck by lightning
. Another theory states that the song was conceived when the band watched a Combined Arms Livefire EXercise (CALFEX) at Ft. Hood. The band was so impressed by the M1A1 tank that they wrote a song about it. However, Angus Young stated in the liner notes of the 2003 re-release of The Razors Edge:
Contrary to popular belief, Young does not play "Thunderstruck"'s main riff with one hand. Instead, he picks every note. Additionally in all AC/DC live videos, Angus can clearly be viewed picking every note. The one-handed tapping
technique can only be seen in the "Thunderstruck" music video
. The opening riff oscillitates between B major and e minor.
The video which accompanied the single was filmed at London
's Brixton Academy on 1990. The audience members were given free T-shirts with the words 'AC/DC – I was Thunderstruck' on the front and the date on the back, and these T-shirts were worn by the entire audience throughout the filming of the video.
In 2010, this song topped Triple M's Ultimate 500 Rock Countdown in Melbourne
, Australia. The top five were all AC/DC songs.
With the exception of new material from an album they are touring behind, this is one of only two songs released after Back in Black
that the band still regularly performs live in concert, the other being "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
".
As of July 2010, the official music video on YouTube has more than views.
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
album The Razors Edge
The Razors Edge (album)
-Personnel:*Brian Johnson – lead vocals*Angus Young – lead guitar*Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals*Cliff Williams – bass, backing vocals*Chris Slade – drums, percussion-Tour:...
.
The song peaked at No. 5 on U.S. the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. It was released as a single in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The song is said to be inspired by lead guitarist Angus Young
Angus Young
Angus McKinnon Young is a Scottish-born Australian musician, and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the rock and roll band AC/DC. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other members of AC/DC in 2003 and is known for his energetic performances,...
's hair-raising experience when a plane he was on was struck by lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
. Another theory states that the song was conceived when the band watched a Combined Arms Livefire EXercise (CALFEX) at Ft. Hood. The band was so impressed by the M1A1 tank that they wrote a song about it. However, Angus Young stated in the liner notes of the 2003 re-release of The Razors Edge:
- "It started off from a little trick I had on guitar. I played it to Mal and he said 'Oh, I've got a good rhythm idea that will sit well in the back.' We built the song up from that. We fiddled about with it for a few months before everything fell into place. Lyrically, it was really just a case of finding a good title ... We came up with this thunder thing and it seemed to have a good ring to it. AC/DC=Power. That's the basic idea."
Contrary to popular belief, Young does not play "Thunderstruck"'s main riff with one hand. Instead, he picks every note. Additionally in all AC/DC live videos, Angus can clearly be viewed picking every note. The one-handed tapping
Tapping
Tapping is a guitar playing technique, where a string is fretted and set into vibration as part of a single motion of being pushed onto the fretboard, as opposed to the standard technique being fretted with one hand and picked with the other...
technique can only be seen in the "Thunderstruck" music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. The opening riff oscillitates between B major and e minor.
The video which accompanied the single was filmed at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Brixton Academy on 1990. The audience members were given free T-shirts with the words 'AC/DC – I was Thunderstruck' on the front and the date on the back, and these T-shirts were worn by the entire audience throughout the filming of the video.
In 2010, this song topped Triple M's Ultimate 500 Rock Countdown in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia. The top five were all AC/DC songs.
With the exception of new material from an album they are touring behind, this is one of only two songs released after Back in Black
Back in Black
Back in Black is an album by Australian rock band AC/DC. It is the seventh Australian and sixth internationally released studio album by the band....
that the band still regularly performs live in concert, the other being "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
"For Those About to Rock " is a song by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. The song was first released on AC/DC's eighth studio album For Those About to Rock We Salute You in 1981, and later as a single in 1982. The single's B-side contains an edited live version of "Let There Be Rock", recorded...
".
As of July 2010, the official music video on YouTube has more than views.
Chart positions
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart | 21 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Platinum |
Cover versions
- The rock band HinderHinderHinder is an American rock band from Oklahoma that was formed in 2001 by drummer Cody Hanson, guitarist Joe Garvey, and singer Austin Winkler. The band was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2007.-Formation and early history:...
have released a cover of the song as the final track, track 12 (Australian version) off their second album, Take It To The LimitTake It to the Limit (Hinder album)Take It to the Limit is the second studio album of rock band Hinder. The album has been in the works since January 2008 and was released November 4, 2008 on Universal Motown Records. The album was recorded by Jay Van Poederooyen and produced by Brian Howes at Van Howes Studios in Vancouver, BC,...
. - Psytrance supergroup 1200 Micrograms1200 Micrograms1200 Micrograms is a psychedelic trance act from Ibiza. The members are Riktam and Bansi from GMS, Raja Ram and Chicago. Raja Ram is Australian, but has lived in London for over 30 years. Bansi and Riktam are Dutch, Chicago is American, and the 3 live on Ibiza Island, Spain...
released a trance song sampling and inspired by "Thunderstruck" called "Numberstruck" on their 2007 album Magic Numbers. - David GarrettDavid Garrett (violinist)David Garrett is a record breaking German/American classical violinist and recording artist.-Personal life:...
covered the song in his 2009 album David GarrettDavid Garrett (album)David Garrett is a 2009 self-titled album by violinist David Garrett, released by Decca in the United States. It borrows all of its tracks from his earlier albums published in Europe, particularly Encore:- Track listing :...
. - American band MinistryMinistry (band)Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
covered the song in the album Every Day Is Halloween: The AnthologyEvery Day is Halloween: The AnthologyEvery Day Is Halloween: The Anthology is a compilation/remix album by Ministry, released on October 5, 2010. It features songs originally recorded by AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and Amy Winehouse. It was also released under the names Every Day Is Halloween: Greatest Tricks and Undercover...
, as a first single.
External links
- [ "Thunderstruck" at AllMusic.com]
- Songfacts for Thunderstuck
- The Ultimate AC/DC Discography