AC/DC - Highway to Hell

"Highway To Hell"

Livin' easy
Livin' free
Season ticket on a one way ride
Askin' nothin'
Leave me be
Takin' everythin' in my stride
Don't need reason
Don't need rhyme
Ain't nothin' that I'd rather do
Goin' down
Party time
My friends are gonna be there too

I'm on the highway to hell
On the highway to hell
Highway to hell
I'm on the highway to hell

No stop signs
Speed limit
Nobody's gonna slow me down
Like a wheel
Gonna spin it
Nobody's gonna mess me around
Hey, Satan
Payin' my dues
Playin' in a rockin' band
Hey, mamma
Look at me
I'm on the way to the promised land

I'm on the highway to hell
Highway to hell
I'm on the highway to hell
Highway to hell

Don't stop me

I'm on the highway to hell
On the highway to hell
I'm on the highway to hell
On the highway to hell

(highway to hell) I'm on the highway to hell
(highway to hell) highway to hell
(highway to hell) highway to hell
(highway to hell)

And I'm goin' down
All the way
I'm on the highway to hell

For those who think that "Highway to Hell" is the song for a band that worships the Devil, STOP RIGHT THERE! Because you are very much mistaken. Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Phil Rudd have said that this song is an homage to their first 6 years. They explain that the song is about the hard times that they faced getting to where the were at the release of the album and song. It was "Hell" what they went through and thissong was meant to explain that.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Highway to Hell"
A-side label of one of Australian vinyl releases
Single by AC/DC
from the album Highway to Hell
B-side	"If You Want Blood (You've Got It)"
Released	27 July 1979
Format	7-inch
Recorded	March–April 1979
Genre	Hard rock
Length	3:27
Label	Atlantic
Writer(s)	Bon Scott, Angus Young,Malcolm Young
Producer(s)	Mutt Lange
AC/DC singles chronology
"Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" (1978) "Highway to Hell" (1979) "Girls Got Rhythm" (1979)
Highway to Hell track listing "Highway to Hell" (1) "Girls Got Rhythm" (2) Music video "Highway to Hell" on YouTube

"Highway to Hell" is the opening track of AC/DC's 1979 album Highway to Hell. It was initially released as a single in 1979.

The song was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott, with Angus Young credited for writing the guitar riff which became an instant classic.^[1] AC/DC had made several studio albums before and were constantly promoting them via a grueling tour schedule, referred to by Angus Young as being on a highway to hell.^[1]

Background

The song's title reflects the incredibly arduous nature of touring constantly and life on the road.

The single spent 45 weeks on the German Singles Chart, even though it peaked at only No. 30, in its 19th week on that chart.

Bon Scott, whose talent as a singer and rock frontman were at a peak, was found dead in the back of a friend's car just over six months after the song was released and would never enjoy the band's incredible success that was to come.

"Highway to Hell" won the 'Most Played Australian Work Overseas' category at the 2009 APRA Awards.

Personnel

• Bon Scott – lead vocals
• Angus Young – lead guitar
• Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Cliff Williams – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Phil Rudd – drums

Production

"Highway to Hell" was produced by Mutt Lange as part of the album by the same name, and his work is regarded as a significant factor in delivering one of the classic AC/DC albums, the emergence of the double-guitar sound, which was later perfected on Back in Black, and improved backing vocals with Malcolm Young, joined by Cliff Williams for the first time.

Live recordings

"Highway to Hell (live)"
Single by AC/DC
from the album Live: 2 CD Collector's Edition
B-side	"Hells Bells (live)"
Released	8 November 1992 (US)
Format	7-inch, CD
Recorded	1991
Genre	Hard rock, blues rock
Length	3:53
Label	Atco Epic (reissue)
Producer(s)	Bruce Fairbairn
AC/DC singles chronology
"Are You Ready" (1991) "Highway to Hell" (live) (1992) "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (live)
Live track listing "You Shook Me All Night Long" (11) "Highway to Hell" (12) "T.N.T." (13)

"Highway to Hell" has been included on three official live albums:

• Live: This was also released as a single. A video for the single was also released, containing a montage of footage from the Live at Donington home video.
• Let There Be Rock: The Movie
• Live at River Plate

List of accolades

• Ranked No. 258 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
• Ranked No. 152 on the 500 Greatest Classic Rock Songs compiled by 94.5 XKR.
• Ranked No. 23 on The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time, a book by Martin Popoff.
• The song "Highway to Hell" is part of the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.
• The master ringtone was certified Gold by the RIAA in June 2007 for sales in excess of 500,000.

Covers

• Sam Kinison covered the song in 1990 for his comedy album Leader of the Banned.
• Tiny Tim covered the song on his 1993 album "Rock".
• Marilyn Manson covered it as part of the soundtrack for the 1999 film Detroit Rock City.
• In 2002, Angry Samoan covered it for the punk tribute album For Those About To Rawk: A Punk Tribute to AC/DC.
• American band Lazlo Bane recorded the song for their 1970s covers album Guilty Pleasures, though hard rock is not their typical music style.
• Maroon 5 performed it on their It Won't Be Soon Before Long Tour, with Ryan Dusick (drummer) on vocals and lead guitar. Their version of it is also on their live EP 1.22.03.Acoustic.
• Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed the song several times through their tour of Australia in 2014.
• Quiet Riot covered the song on their 1999 studio release, Alive & Well.
• In 2010, the song was covered by Jonathan Groff in the Glee episode, "Hell-O".
• X Factor UK 2014 contestant Ben Haenow covered at 4th live show.
• Billy Joel has performed it live regularly throughout the years.

Chart performance

Chart (1979) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 52 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 14 France (SNEP) 23 Germany (Official German Charts) 30 Netherlands (Single Top 100) 17 Spain (PROMUSICAE) 24 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 36 US Billboard Hot 100 47 Chart (1992) Peak position Australia (ARIA) 29 Netherlands (Single Top 100) 69 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 37 US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 1

Chart (2012) Peak position Scotland (Official Charts Company) 36 UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 40 US Billboard Hot Digital Songs 1 Chart (2013) Peak position Ireland (IRMA) 23 Scotland (Official Charts Company) 2 UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 4

Track listing

UK

Released 1992 by ATCO

1. "Bonny"/"Highway to Hell (Live)"
2. "Hells Bells (Live)"
3. "The Jack (Live)"

Germany and France[edit]

Released 1992 by ATCO

1. "Highway to Hell (Live)"
2. "Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be (Live)"
3. "High Voltage (Live)"

Australia[edit]

Released 1992 by Albert Productions / Epic Records

1. "Bonny"/"Highway to Hell (Live)"
2. "High Voltage (Live)"
3. "Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be (Live)"

US and Canada[edit]

Released 1979 by Atlantic Records (Atlantic #3617)

1. A Side: "Highway To Hell"
2. B Side: "Night Prowler"

Released 1992 by ATCO (Atco #98491-2)

1. "Highway to Hell (Live)"
2. "Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be (Live)"

Released 1992 by ATCO (Atco #96135-2)

1. "Highway to Hell (Live)"
2. "Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be (Live)"
3. "The Jack (Live)"
4. "High Voltage (Live)"

Released 1992 by ATCO

1. "Highway to Hell (Live)"
2. "Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be (Live)"
3. "The Jack (Live)"
4. "High Voltage (Live)"
5. "Back in Black (Live)"

Use in popular culture

• The song is used as a walk-up song by designated hitter Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox.
• The song is featured in the How I Met Your Mother; Season 7 Episode 12 "Symphony of Illumination".
• The song is featured in the Family Guy; Season 10 Episode 7 "Amish Guy".
• The song is featured in the 2010 20th Century Fox film Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.
• The song is featured in the 2010 Paramount Pictures film Iron Man 2.
• The song is featured in the 2010 Paramount Pictures film Megamind, along with its trailers.
• The song's guitar riff is briefly played in the 2003 Paramount Pictures film School of Rock.
• The song is featured in the 2008 TV show Top Gear; season 12 episode 1, particularly during the introduction of "Rig Stig".
• The song is featured in the 2007 TV show House; Season 3 Episode 21 Family.
• The song is featured in the 2005–present TV show Supernatural.
• The song is featured in the 2003 New Line Cinema film Final Destination 2.
• The song is featured in the 2000 New Line Cinema film Little Nicky.
• The song is featured in The Simpsons; Season 10 Episode 18 "Simpsons Bible Stories".
• The song is featured in the 1998 WWE pay-per-view SummerSlam.
• The song is featured as the title song in the 1981 movie Heavy Metal (film)
• The song's guitar riff is used as the "Rock and Roll" piece in Pocoyo Musical Blocks
• This song is featured in the 1999 New Line Cinema film Detroit Rock City .
• This song is featured in the 2007 Buena Vista Pictures film Wild Hogs .

Highway to Hell - Bruce Springsteen (w Eddie Vedder & Tom Morello) - Bri...

Highway to Hell" is the opening track of AC/DC's 1979 album Highway to Hell. It was initially released as a single in 1979.

The song was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott, with Angus Young credited for writing the guitar riff which became an instant classic. AC/DC had made several studio albums before and were constantly promoting them via a grueling tour schedule, referred to by Angus Young as being on a highway to hell.

Highway to Hell is an album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It was the band's fifth internationally released studio album and the sixth to be released in Australia. It was the last album featuring lead singer Bon Scott, who died early the following year on Tuesday, February 19, 1980.

By 1978, AC/DC had released five albums internationally and had toured Australia and Europe extensively. In 1977, they landed in America and, with virtually no radio support, began to amass a live following. The band's most recent album, the live If You Want Blood, had reached #13 in Britain, and the two albums previous to that, 1977's Let There Be Rock and 1978's Powerage, had seen the band find their raging, rhythm and blues-based hard rock sound. Although the American branch of Atlantic Records had rejected the group's 1976 LP Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, it now believed the band was poised to strike it big in the States if only they would work with a producer who could give them a radio-friendly sound. Since their 1975 Australian debut High Voltage, all of AC/DC's albums had been produced by George Young and Harry Vanda. According to the book AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll, the band was not enthusiastic about the idea, especially guitarists Angus Young and Malcolm Young, who felt a strong sense of loyalty to their older brother George:

Being told what to do was bad enough but what really pissed off Malcolm and Angus was they felt that George was being treated disrespectfully by Atlantic, like an amateur with no great track record when it came to production...Malcolm seemed less pleased with the situation and went so far as to tell Radio 2JJ in Sydney that the band had been virtually "forced" to go with an outside producer. Losing Harry was one thing. Losing George was almost literally like losing a sixth member of the band, and much more.

The producer Atlantic paired the band up with was South African-born Eddie Kramer, best known for his pioneering work as engineer for Jimi Hendrix but also for mega-bands Led Zeppelin and Kiss. Kramer met the band at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida but, by all accounts, they did not get on. Geoff Barton quotes Malcolm Young in Guitar Legends magazine: "Kramer was a bit of a prat. He looked at Bon and said to us, 'Can your guy sing?' He might've sat behind the knobs for Hendrix, but he's certainly not Hendrix, I can tell you that much." Former AC/DC manager Michael Browning recalls in the 1994 book Highway to Hell: The Life and Times of AC/DC Legend Bon Scott, "I got a phone call from Malcolm in Florida, to say, 'This guy's hopeless, do something, he's trying to talk us into recording that Spencer Davis song,' 'Gimme Some Loving,' 'I'm a Man,' whatever it was..." Browning turned to Zambian-born producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange to step in. Lange was best known for producing the Boomtown Rats #1 hit "Rat Trap" and post-pub rock bands like Clover, City Boy, and Graham Parker. In 1979 singer Bon Scott told RAM magazine, "Three weeks in Miami and we hadn't written a thing with Kramer. So one day we told him we were going to have a day off and not to bother coming in. This was Saturday, and we snuck into the studio and on that one day we put down six songs, sent the tape to Lange and said, 'Will you work with us?'" The band had also signed up with new management, firing Michael Browning and hiring Peter Mensch, an aggressive American who had helped develop the careers of Aerosmith and Ted Nugent.

Recording commenced at the Roundhouse Studios in Chalk Farm, north London in March 1979. In his book Highway to Hell, Clinton Walker writes, "The band virtually moved into the Roundhouse Studios in Chalk Farm, spending the best part of three months there. That, to start with, was a shock to AC/DC, who had never previously spent more than three weeks on any one album...Sessions for the album - 15 hours a day, day-in day-out, for over two months - were grueling. Songs were worked and reworked." Lange's no-nonsense approach was appreciated by the band, whose own work ethic had always been solid. In an article by Mojo's Sylvie Simmons, Malcolm Young stated that Lange "liked the simplicity of a band. We were all minimalist. We felt it was the best way to be...He knew we were all dedicated so he sort of got it. But he made sure the tracks were solid, and he could hear if a snare just went off." In the same article Angus Young added, "He was meticulous about sound, getting right guitars and drums. He would zero in - and he was good too on the vocal side. Even Bon was impressed with how he could get his voice to sound." In AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll, Arnaud Durieux writes that Lange, a trained singer, showed Scott how to breathe so he could be a technically better singer on songs like "Touch Too Much" and would join in on background vocals himself, having to stand on the other side of the studio because his own voice was so distinctive. The melodic backing vocals was a new element to the band's sound, but the polish that Lange added did not detract from the band's characteristic crunch, thereby satisfying the band and Atlantic Records at the same time.

The album's most famous song is the title track. From the very beginning, Atlantic Records hated the idea of using the song as the album title, with Angus recalling to Guitar World's Alan Di Perna in 1993:

...just because you call an album Highway to Hell you get all kinds of grief. And all we'd done is describe what it's like to be on the road for four years, like we'd been. A lot of it was bus and car touring, with no real break. You crawl off the bus at four o'clock in the morning, and some journalist's doing a story and he says, 'What would you call an AC/DC tour?' Well, it was a highway to hell. It really was. When you're sleeping with the singer's socks two inches from your nose, that's pretty close to hell.

In a 2003 interview with Bill Crandall of Rolling Stone, Angus Young recalls the genesis of the song:

We were in Miami and we were flat broke. Malcolm and I were playing guitars in a rehearsal studio, and I said, "I think I have a good idea for an intro", which was the beginning of "Highway to Hell". And he hopped on a drum kit and he banged out the beat for me. There was a guy in there working with us and he took the cassette we had it on home and gave it to his kid, and his kid unraveled it [laughs]. Bon was good at fixing broken cassettes, and he pasted it back together. So at least we didn't lose the tune.

The words to "Highway to Hell" took on a new resonance when Scott drank himself to death in 1980. AllMusic's Steve Huey observes:

The lyrics displayed a fierce, stubborn independence in his choice of lifestyle ("Askin' nothin', leave me be"; "nobody's gonna slow me down"), but not really loneliness (of hell: "goin' down! party time! my friends are gonna be there too"). It's ironic that Scott seems most alive when facing death with the fearless bravado of "Highway to Hell", yet it's undeniably true, especially given his positively unhinged performance. The untutored ugliness of his voice; the playfulness with which he used it to his advantage; the wails, growls, screeches, and scratches - all these qualities combine to give the song an unbridled enthusiasm without which it might take on an air of ambivalence.

Bon Scott's lyrics on Highway to Hell deal almost exclusively with lust ("Love Hungry Man", "Girls Got Rhythm"), sex ("Beating Around the Bush", Touch Too Much", "Walk All Over You"), and partying on the town ("Get It Hot", "Shot Down in Flames"). In his 2006 band memoir, Murray Engelheart reveals that Scott felt the lyrics of songs like "Gone Shootin'" from the previous album Powerage were "simply too serious." "Touch Too Much" had been first recorded in July 1977 and features a radically different arrangement and lyrics from the Highway to Hell version. The final version of the song was performed by Scott and AC/DC on the BBC music show Top of the Pops a few days before his death in 1980. The song "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" was the title of the band's live album from the previous year and stemmed from Scott's response to a journalist at the Day on the Green festival in July 1978 who asked what they could expect from the band and Scott replied, "Blood". Perhaps the album's most infamous song is "Night Prowler", mainly due to its association with serial killer Richard Ramírez. In June 1985, a highly publicised murder case began revolving around Ramírez, who was responsible for several brutal killings in Los Angeles. Nicknamed the "Night Stalker", Ramírez was a fan of AC/DC, particularly the song "Night Prowler". Police also claimed that Ramirez was wearing an AC/DC shirt and left an AC/DC hat at one of the crime scenes. During the trial, Ramírez often muttered "Hail Satan" and showed off the pentagram carved into his palm. This brought extremely bad publicity to AC/DC, whose concerts and albums faced protests by parents in Los Angeles.[4] On VH1's Behind the Music on AC/DC, the band maintained that the song had been given a murderous connotation by Ramírez, but is actually about a boy sneaking into his girlfriend's bedroom at night while her parents are asleep, in spite of the song having lyrics such as "And you don't feel the steel, till it's hanging out your back".[5] Musically, the song is similar to the band's previous song "Ride On" from Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", which is itself strikingly similar to ZZ Top's "Jesus Just Left Chicago." The final words spoken by Scott on the song are "Shazbot, na-nu na-nu", phrases used on the then-popular American sitcom, Mork and Mindy, by lead character Mork (a visiting extraterrestrial played by Robin Williams). The phrase closed the album.