Shaun Ponsonby
07-01-2005, 03:38 PM
Its one of the greatest contoversies in the history of AC/DC: did the late Bon Scott write any of the lyrics on Back In Black? Bearing in mind that Bon died on Feb 19th 1980, and that the album was released just 5 months later.
Officially, Bon is not credited for writing any of the lyrics on the album, but there's a lot more to this scenario than the superficial. Firstly, Ian Jeffery, AC/DCs then tour manager, claims to have a file of papers which Bon wrote for the album.The band themselves have never denied this story, but insist that all of these were scrapped, and that Angus & Malcom Young wrote new lyrics along with new vocalist Brian Johnson. Journalist Malcom Dome claims to have seen some of these sheets himself, a couple of days prior to his death at The Music Machine in London, a popular place for the charismatic frontman and other like-minded musos (like LEMMY).
Bon proudly showed him some of the scribbles he had put down for the album he felt would DEFINE AC/DC., and also open up new possibilities. He says, "Its hard to be absolutely accurate from a distance of a quarter of a century and through the haze of of alcohol which enveloped that night, but one line sticks in my mind as being on one of those sheets: 'She told me to come, but I was already there'. A renowned lyric from the song 'You Shook Me All Night Long', it has Bon's trademark all over it-a neatly worked double-entendre that fits with the track record of the man that wrote 'Big Balls' and 'The Jack'."
But, there's further, albeit, circumstantial, evidence that leads AC/DC aficionados to suggest Bon Scott did play a role on 'Back In Black'. Compare lyrics like 'She's using her head' on 'Giving The Dog A Bone' with the Bom-era output, and with other lyrics written by Brian Johnson. It seems as though they belong more in the former's approach as opposed to the latter's. The fact is that Bon was a sprightly weaver of streetwise words, whereas, Johnson, is alot less subtle.
Of course, unless somebody unearths the actual sheets of paper that Bon wrote the lyrics for 'Back In Black' on, then none of this can be proven.It must also be pointed out that very few people have doubted the a lot of the lyrics were written after his death ('Hells Bells', for instance). However, nagging doubt remains. One fuelled when AC/DC released the 'BONFIRE' box-set in 1997, containing solely Bon Scott recrdings , plus (inexplicably) 'Back In Black'. Why was 'Back In Black' included? Was it AC/DCs way of indirectly aknowledging their debt to him on the album?
But, on a final thought, lets straighten out one myth. Bon Scott never recorded a demo for 'Back In Black'. Over the years, many have insisted that these tapes exsist. However, don't you think if that were the case, that by now, somebody would have managed to get them into the public domain?
And now, discuss...
Officially, Bon is not credited for writing any of the lyrics on the album, but there's a lot more to this scenario than the superficial. Firstly, Ian Jeffery, AC/DCs then tour manager, claims to have a file of papers which Bon wrote for the album.The band themselves have never denied this story, but insist that all of these were scrapped, and that Angus & Malcom Young wrote new lyrics along with new vocalist Brian Johnson. Journalist Malcom Dome claims to have seen some of these sheets himself, a couple of days prior to his death at The Music Machine in London, a popular place for the charismatic frontman and other like-minded musos (like LEMMY).
Bon proudly showed him some of the scribbles he had put down for the album he felt would DEFINE AC/DC., and also open up new possibilities. He says, "Its hard to be absolutely accurate from a distance of a quarter of a century and through the haze of of alcohol which enveloped that night, but one line sticks in my mind as being on one of those sheets: 'She told me to come, but I was already there'. A renowned lyric from the song 'You Shook Me All Night Long', it has Bon's trademark all over it-a neatly worked double-entendre that fits with the track record of the man that wrote 'Big Balls' and 'The Jack'."
But, there's further, albeit, circumstantial, evidence that leads AC/DC aficionados to suggest Bon Scott did play a role on 'Back In Black'. Compare lyrics like 'She's using her head' on 'Giving The Dog A Bone' with the Bom-era output, and with other lyrics written by Brian Johnson. It seems as though they belong more in the former's approach as opposed to the latter's. The fact is that Bon was a sprightly weaver of streetwise words, whereas, Johnson, is alot less subtle.
Of course, unless somebody unearths the actual sheets of paper that Bon wrote the lyrics for 'Back In Black' on, then none of this can be proven.It must also be pointed out that very few people have doubted the a lot of the lyrics were written after his death ('Hells Bells', for instance). However, nagging doubt remains. One fuelled when AC/DC released the 'BONFIRE' box-set in 1997, containing solely Bon Scott recrdings , plus (inexplicably) 'Back In Black'. Why was 'Back In Black' included? Was it AC/DCs way of indirectly aknowledging their debt to him on the album?
But, on a final thought, lets straighten out one myth. Bon Scott never recorded a demo for 'Back In Black'. Over the years, many have insisted that these tapes exsist. However, don't you think if that were the case, that by now, somebody would have managed to get them into the public domain?
And now, discuss...