It’s the end of the week, and I want to send everyone off into the weekend with the best vibes possible. That’s why the Daily Music Picks newsletter features a weekly segment called Fun Song Fridays! Regardless of era, genre, or style, the criterion is simple: it must deliver the joy and excitement we all need in our lives.
You can access the entire Fun Song Fridays archive here. While you’re at it, add the companion playlist to your favorite streaming platform.
Hello! 😊👋
Welcome to a new edition of the Best Music of All Time newsletter!
Today’s music pick celebrates the 45th anniversary of an all-time hard rock anthem.
Genre: Hard Rock, Blues Rock
Label: Atlantic
Release Date: July 27, 1979
Vibe: 😈
More than sex-driven romps like “You Shook Me All Night Long” or stadium-shakers like “Thunderstruck,” “Highway to Hell” is the most fun AC/DC track to sing along to. It’s catchy, mischievous, and, perhaps most importantly, uncomplicated, even by the band’s standards. Those core tenets have been a big part of the group’s appeal for a half-century now. They don’t do prog-level intricate arrangements or odd time signatures. They don’t drag social commentary or industry drama into their lyrics. To their commercial benefit, AC/DC’s music has always done what it says on the box. It will rock and, more often than not, provide you with an acceptable sonic backdrop for a memorable night out.
The band was at a crossroads when they entered the studio to record the eponymous album. Atlantic, the label responsible for breaking them into FM radio, was so down on their prospects in America that they refused to release Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap stateside (an oversight that was later rectified). After George Young (Malcolm and Angus’ older brother) was convinced to step aside as producer, Atlantic wanted Hendrix and Zeppelin veteran Eddie Kramer to produce the record. However, he and the band didn’t get along, partly because of Bon Scott’s out-of-control drinking—a habit that would kill the singer a year later. To fill the void, the label tapped then-unknown Robert “Mutt” Lange for production duties. The rest, as they say, is history.
Lange’s penchant for a drier, more muscular sound paid enormous dividends for the group. Highway to Hell, led by this track as the lead single, sold more than 7 million units in the United States alone, making it their most successful album not named Back in Black. Institutions like Rolling Stone and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have named it one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded. Somehow, that still doesn’t encapsulate its greatness because that is intrinsically tied to the feeling you get whenever it’s played over the PA system in a public place. Seriously—get yourself in the middle of a crowded bar, ideally after a few drinks, bribe the bartender or DJ to queue this one up, and watch the fun unfold before your very eyes.
That, my friends, is what rock legacies are built on.
👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈