Too many rock stars have died prematurely. Bon Scott was one of those rock artists we had to say farewell to before he died. The man embodied hard rock, having both lived and contributed to the life. This meant that he had an unhealthy lifestyle, fueled by alcohol and narcotics. Unfortunately, this is not a new phenomenon; too often, people who participate in rock become addicted and harm their health as a result of the chemicals imbedded in its base. In February 1980, Bon Scott died of severe alcohol intoxication. It took the globe by storm, as AC/DC had well and completely confirmed themselves as one of the best.
After the band had mourned, they were faced with the difficult decision of whether to continue making music or not. They opted to continue with AC/DC, but then had the difficult task of replacing Bon Scott, who could not be replaced due to his intensity and impactful voice. They chose someone with their own flair rather than someone who sounded like Scott. It represented a watershed moment in the history of AC/DC. Brian Johnson took on singing responsibilities. The band learned about Johnson via Bon Scott, who informed everyone how wonderful a rock and roll singer he was while still alive. “I remember the first time I heard Brian’s name was from Bon,” said Angus Young.
He continued: “Bon had mentioned that he had been in England once touring with a band, and he had mentioned that Brian had been in a band called Geordie, and Bon had said ‘Brian Johnson, he was a great rock and roll singer in the style of Little Richard’. And that was Bon’s big idol, Little Richard.”
When they started making music together for the first time after Scott’s death, they wanted to make an album that welcomed this new era of the band and paid homage to Bon Scott. This came in the form of the album Back In Black, which had a completely black cover to mourn Scott. In creating the titular song, however, rather than just being mournful, the band announced his immortality. The entire track is a testament to the former singer, saying that while he might be physically dead, spiritually, he will never die as he will always exist within the music of AC/DC.
This can clearly be seen in lines such as “Forget the hearse cos I’ll never die” and Johnson’s reference to having “Nine lives”. The new singer said he was nervous when writing the lyrics for the song as they were some of the first he wrote for the band, but in conveying this message in a rock-heavy way, he nailed it.
Funnily enough, Johnson admitted that he simply wrote, “Whatever came into my head,” and in the process, absolutely nailed making a song that mourned Scott but wasn’t sad in doing so. The perfect reflection.
