1980 Hit Ranked Among 'Best Rock Songs of All Time' Has a Tragic True Story

"Back in Black" by AC/DC is one of the most iconic and beloved hard rock songs ever recorded, but the true story behind the song's production is one that many fans may not know.

While Brian Johnson is known to most as the definitive voice of AC/DC, he wasn't the band's first singer. In fact, the Australian rock group had been through two different singers before Johnson catapulted them to international stardom.

Dave Evans was the first lead singer of AC/DC, but he was swiftly dismissed following the band's debut record and replaced with Bon Scott, who remained with the band for six years until 1980. The group had several big hits during this period, but it wasn't until 1979's Highway to Hell that they would truly break out and find a global audience. The album broke into the Top 20 on the Billboard 200.

Unfortunately, this would also be Scott's final record with AC/DC. The singer tragically passed away in 1980 following a night out in London with former musician Alistair Kinnear. His official cause of death was listed as acute alcohol poisoning, and his passing shook the music industry the world over.

After briefly considering disbanding, AC/DC hired a new singer to replace Scott-deciding that their next record would be written in his honor. They hired Brian Johnson, who helped write Back in Black.

The rock group has decided that their tribute to Scott would be a celebration of his legacy rather than an exercise in mourning-not just because of the music they were known for making, but because it better encapsulated Scott as a person.

Since the album's release, Back in Black has become the second-highest selling record of all time, with over 27 million certfied sales in the United States alone. It's easily AC/DC's most successful project, and it couldn't have been a more fitting tribute to the iconic frontman who built the band's success from the bottom up. The song was ranked No. 7 on Deezer's list of the Top 10 Rock Songs of All Time.

Despite the album's popularity, there is an ongoing dispute about whether AC/DC used Scott's unfinished lyrics after his death without properly crediting him. In Jessie Fink's biography of Bon Scott, an anecdote from Scott's then-girlfriend alleges that he wrote Back in Black before his death and was not credited when the album came out.

"I've never sat down and listened to [Back in Black] but the night that he died that was why he wanted to go out. He'd finished [the lyrics]," she claims. Atlantic Records senior vice president Phil Carlson denies this account, confirming: "[Johnson] wrote all the lyrics."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 6:53 AM.