10 Best 1970s AC/DC Songs

Feature Photo: Lost Parables from Ballymena, Northern Ireland. ©jameshughes, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

AC/DC’s ascent in the 1970s was built on raw power, simple rock ’n’ roll, and a relentless touring schedule that carried the band far beyond Australia. Formed in Sydney in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, AC/DC quickly developed a sound driven by Angus’s attacking lead guitar and Malcolm’s rock-solid rhythm playing. The early lineup included Colin Burgess on drums, Larry Van Kriedt on bass, and Dave Evans on vocals, but that lineup changed quickly. Bon Scott replaced Evans in 1974, bringing the voice, humor, and dangerous stage presence that became inseparable from the band’s early identity. With Scott, AC/DC released the Australian albums High Voltage and T.N.T. in 1975, establishing the hard-edged style that would define the decade. The international edition of High Voltage followed in 1976, bringing material from those Australian releases to a much wider audience.

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap arrived in 1976, followed by Let There Be Rock in 1977, an album that pushed the band’s sound even harder. Cliff Williams joined on bass in 1977, locking in with Phil Rudd to form the rhythm section behind Angus and Malcolm Young. Powerage followed in 1978 with songs such as “Rock ’n’ Roll Damnation” and “Sin City,” while AC/DC continued touring and building an international audience. Then came Highway to Hell in 1979, produced by Mutt Lange and powered by one of the most recognizable opening riffs in rock history. The album became AC/DC’s major commercial breakthrough and the final studio album to feature Bon Scott. Scott died from acute alcohol poisoning on February 19, 1980, but the music he made with AC/DC during the 1970s remains one of the great runs in hard rock history.

#10 – T.N.T.

First issued on AC/DC’s Australian album T.N.T. in 1975 and later included on the international edition of High Voltage, “T.N.T.” is one of the band’s purest early blasts of hard rock. Written by Bon Scott, Angus Young, and Malcolm Young, the song runs on Scott’s gritty vocal, the Young brothers’ huge guitar sound, and that unforgettable “Oi! Oi! Oi!” chant. The title plays directly off the explosive compound, matching the swaggering troublemaker at the center of the lyrics. Harry Vanda and George Young produced the track, helping shape the raw sound that defined AC/DC’s mid-1970s records. Released as a single in 1976, “T.N.T.” reached No. 19 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. The line “lock up your daughters” also gave AC/DC’s first headlining British tour in 1976 its name, fitting the dangerous image the band was building at the time.

#9 – “Problem Child” – from Let There Be Rock

“Problem Child” first appeared on Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap in 1976 and was later included on the international edition of Let There Be Rock in 1977. Written by Bon Scott, Angus Young, and Malcolm Young, the song is built around a character who lives by his own rules and seems proud of every bit of trouble he causes. Scott’s taunting delivery gives the lyrics their bite, while Angus Young’s guitar work keeps the track moving with that sharp, blues-based AC/DC attack. The Let There Be Rock era also marked the end of Mark Evans’s run on bass, with Phil Rudd holding down the drums beneath Malcolm Young’s rhythm guitar. The song never needed a complicated arrangement because its attitude is the whole point. “Problem Child” never became a major standalone chart hit, but it endured as one of the band’s great Bon Scott-era live songs.

#8 – “Love at First Feel” – from Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

“Love at First Feel” appeared on the international version of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, mixing AC/DC’s hard rock with Bon Scott’s sly and provocative sense of humor. Written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Scott, the song is completely comfortable with the risqué side of the band’s early identity. Scott’s raspy vocal sits against Angus Young’s piercing guitar work, while Mark Evans and Phil Rudd keep the rhythm tight underneath it. The line about not knowing whether someone was “legal tender” is classic Scott wordplay, turning romance into something reckless and funny at the same time. Released as a single in Australia in early 1977 with “Problem Child” on the B-side, the song reached No. 63 on the Kent Music Report. It later inspired covers by Mark Kozelek and the French band Trust.

#7 – “Dog Eat Dog” – from Let There Be Rock

“Dog Eat Dog,” the second track on Let There Be Rock, takes AC/DC’s hard-rock attack and turns it toward the cutthroat side of everyday life. Written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott, the song deals with survival, competition, and the idea that everyone eventually has to fight for his place. Angus Young’s sharp lead guitar rides over Malcolm Young’s heavy rhythm playing, with Mark Evans on bass and Phil Rudd driving the beat. Scott delivers lines about an eye for an eye and every dog having his day with the kind of sneer that makes the song feel tougher than any long explanation ever could. “Dog Eat Dog” reached No. 60 on the Australian Kent Music Report. It never became one of AC/DC’s biggest singles, but it remained a fan favorite and returned to the band’s live set during the Black Ice era.

#6 – “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll)” – from High Voltage

“It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll)” is AC/DC’s great song about what life in a working rock band really costs. It opened T.N.T. in Australia and later appeared on the international High Voltage, with bagpipes giving it a sound unlike almost anything else in hard rock. George Young suggested the pipes after remembering Bon Scott’s pipe-band background, and Scott learned enough to make the exchange with the guitars work. The lyrics strip away the glamour of touring and replace it with getting robbed, beaten up, worn down, and still pushing toward the next show. The song reached No. 9 on the Australian Kent Music Report and became one of the recordings most closely associated with Scott. Its famous video was filmed from a flatbed truck traveling down Melbourne’s Swanston Street with members of the Rats of Tobruk Pipe Band. After Scott’s death, Brian Johnson chose not to make the song part of his regular AC/DC performances, leaving it closely tied to Bon Scott’s era.

#5 – “Jailbreak” – from Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

“Jailbreak” is one of the grittiest story songs AC/DC recorded during the Bon Scott years. It appeared on the Australian edition of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap in 1976 and follows a prisoner serving sixteen years who decides he would rather risk everything than stay locked up. Written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott, the song moves with a sense of urgency that fits the escape story perfectly. Angus and Malcolm’s guitars, Phil Rudd’s steady drums, and Scott’s vocal make the whole thing feel like a short crime movie set to a hard rock riff. “Jailbreak” reached No. 10 on the Australian Kent Music Report, giving AC/DC another strong home-country single. Paul Drane’s 1976 video pushed the story even further, casting Scott, Angus, and Rudd as prisoners, Malcolm and Mark Evans as guards, and filling the clip with costumes, explosions, and fake blood.

#4 – “Rock ’n’ Roll Damnation” – from Powerage

“Rock ’n’ Roll Damnation” opens AC/DC’s 1978 album Powerage with a looser groove than many of the band’s heaviest songs, but it never gives up their edge. Written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott, the track was added after the record company pushed for a song with stronger single potential. That decision paid off when “Rock ’n’ Roll Damnation” reached No. 24 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming AC/DC’s first UK charting single. Handclaps and maracas give the track extra movement, and the absence of a conventional Angus Young guitar solo makes it unusual within the band’s catalog. Scott’s lyrics are pure defiance, telling the listener to take a chance while there is still a choice. The song has swagger without overworking the point, and that directness is exactly why it remains one of the strongest cuts on Powerage.

#3 – “Whole Lotta Rosie” – from Let There Be Rock

“Whole Lotta Rosie” is one of those AC/DC songs that sounds enormous from the first guitar riff. Released on Let There Be Rock in 1977 and recorded at Albert Studios with Harry Vanda and George Young producing, the track puts Angus Young’s guitar and Bon Scott’s larger-than-life vocal right out front. Scott turns a memorable romantic encounter into a funny, outrageous piece of rock ’n’ roll storytelling without losing the song’s hard edge. Malcolm Young’s rhythm guitar keeps everything locked down while Angus stretches out with the kind of lead work that made the song a monster onstage. “Whole Lotta Rosie” became a major live staple, where the crowd response and extended guitar work pushed its energy even higher. The combination of humor, bravado, and a crushing riff has kept it near the center of AC/DC’s identity for decades.

#2 – “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” – from Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” the title track from AC/DC’s 1976 album, is one of the band’s most recognizable Bon Scott-era songs. Recorded at Albert Studios and produced by Harry Vanda and George Young, it pairs Scott’s sly vocal with the Young brothers’ unmistakable guitar attack. The lyrics play like a darkly comic advertisement for someone willing to handle other people’s dirty work for a price. The album was not released in the United States until 1981, after Back in Black had made AC/DC massive, and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap then climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The song itself grew into one of the band’s signature tracks, helped by a riff and chorus that are impossible to mistake for anyone else. That mix of humor, danger, and stripped-down rock ’n’ roll is exactly what made early AC/DC so much fun.

#1 – “Highway to Hell” – from Highway to Hell

“Highway to Hell” is the defining AC/DC anthem of the 1970s and the title track of the band’s final studio album with Bon Scott. Recorded at Roundhouse Studios in London and produced by Mutt Lange, the song gave AC/DC a cleaner, more powerful sound without sanding away the band’s edge. Angus Young’s opening riff is one of the most recognizable guitar parts in rock, and Scott attacks the vocal with total confidence. “Highway to Hell” reached No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving AC/DC its first entry on that U.S. singles chart. The lyrics turn the rock ’n’ roll life into a declaration of freedom, excess, and refusal to slow down. The riff, rhythm, humor, danger, and attitude are all here in one song. More than four decades later, “Highway to Hell” still sounds like AC/DC at full power.