Every ACDC song ever is about something that fits comfortable into the overarching umbrella in the category of rock and roll. They have songs about partying, sex, crime, rebellion, and the devil. Among my favorites is their songs about hell.
Afterall what is more rock and roll then hell?
The first huge song about hell by ACDC is “Highway to Hell” from the 1978 album of the same name. This is the last album of the Bon Scott era, and it is appropriate that Scott’s final creation with ACDC would be an album named after a song about trucking to hell. Bon Scott himself was very, very rock and roll.
Unfortunately, “Highway to Hell” is not a concept album about a road trip to hell. Fortunately, it is what I like to call an “ACDC style concept album,” where the concept is rock and roll. All ACDC albums are rock and roll concept albums.
The truth is ACDC was never a strong album band. They albums were good, all of them, but only a handful could be considered great. ACDC shined on the strength of their individual songs. Your average ACDC song is good, most ACDC songs are good, but the ones that are more than that are bloody awesome. Following this, “Highway to Hell” the album is good, all the songs are good; “Highway to Hell” the song, is freaking awesome.
There is humour in the mood that “Highway to Hell” puts forth, a casual listen of the song could leave one to believe that this song is unironically celebrating dying and going to hell. Young Colin Kelly took great delight at the prospect of such a narrative, and such a narrative would be very rock and roll indeed, following that such a narrative would be very fitting for ACDC to sing about. I always found the lyric “my friends are going to be there too,” particularly charming, as it implies that everyone Bon Scott knows is also condemned to hell in the afterlife, and they are also loving it.
However, there is a slightly deeper meaning at play. This is ACDC, they are not exactly a deep band, but if the lyrics are paid sufficient attention to, “Highway to Hell” is actually a song celebrating life. The two verses lay this out for us:
“Living easy, living free,
Season ticket on a one-way ride.
Asking nothing, leave me be,
Taking everything in my stride.
Don't need reason, don't need rhyme,
Ain't nothing I would rather do,
Going down, party time,
My friends are going be there too.
No stop signs, speed limit,
Nobody's going slow me down.
Like a wheel, going spin it,
Nobody's going mess me around.
Hey Satan, paid my dues,
Playing in a rocking band.
Hey mama, look at me,
I'm on my way to the promised land.”
Once again, we have a little bit of room of interpretation, is Bon Scott describing a life of sin and an accepted fate of damnation? He is making pretty clear that he has paid his dues to go to hell, which, I think most people would think of as a confession of sin(s), having said that, I believe that is too mild, not rock and roll enough. I think ACDC is paying their dues to rock out in hell with pandemonium. Which is awesome, and naturally, very rock and roll. This also explains why the entire song is so upbeat. This also explains why all of Bon Scott’s friends are going to be there with him. You cannot have an ACDC concert in hell without the whole band, and I always assumed they were good friends.
It is fun to overthink a cock rock song like “Highway to Hell,” hence why I just did; but this is not a song meant to be taken very seriously. ACDC are taking their tour bus to hell, and as they do so they give us a great guitar rift that follows ever lyric, a groovy guitar solo, and everything comes together in the third chorus and outro. Great song. Pure rock and roll. Thank you ACDC.
ACDC, making hell sound like a fun place to be.
- King of Braves
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