You shook me all night Long is undeniably one of AC/DC’s most famous tracks. Together with Back in Black and Highway to Hell, the song is in the triumvirate of the Australian rock band’s signature songs.
Originally appearing in 1980 on Back in Black, which is AC/DC’s most successful album, the words and music of You Shook Me All Night Long were composed by band members Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Brian Johnson. With the lyrics of the song, front man Brian Johnson tells the story of a night with a beautiful woman, who just so happens to be American.
The song was rereleased as a single internationally in 1986 with a 1983 live version of it as a B-side on the 12-inch maxi single. The other officially released live versions of the song are found on AC/DC’s album Live and the soundtrack to Howard Stern’s movie Private Parts. It also appeared on the album Who Made Who, which was released as the soundtrack to Maximum Overdrive, a Stephen King movie.
AC/DC’s You Shook Me All Night Long is a favorite piece played by guitar enthusiasts. On Guitar World magazine’s 100 greatest guitar solos list, this song is at number 80. Guitar World’s site online has tablature for the song.
You Shook Me All Night Long has been a longtime staple of AC/DC concerts, almost never being left out of set lists. Another way to tell that the song continues to be popular is that in the Triple M Ultimate Rock Countdown 2010 in Melbourne, Australia, the appeal of You Shook Me All Night Long placed it at number 5. In 2000, AC/DC performed it on the TV show Saturday Night Live.
The music videos for this song are another factor of the sustained interest in You Shook Me All Night Long. The first version of the video was directed by Eric Dionysus and Eric Mistler, and it is similar to the music videos for other Back in Black songs. It is on Back in Black: The Videos, a special that you can get by buying a recent Back in Black album, and on the Backtracks box set.
The more notorious music video, directed by David Mallet, has footage of Corinne Russell (a former Hill’s Angel and Page Three girl) on a mechanical bull while other women in the background, clad in risqué leather outfits, pedal on bicycle-like machines. The band told VH1 that their goal was to be as politically incorrect as possible. An edited version without the controversial shots of the women was also made.
