One of the best tracks on Back in Black, one of hard rock's greatest albums, "You Shook Me All Night Long" isn't that different from the rest of the classic 1980 album. It's got a simple beat; a melodic, heavy rock- boogie riff; a shrill, pumping guitar solo; Brian Johnson's gravelly, raspy vocals; and easy-to-learn, almost exultant, double-entendre lyrics ("Taking more than her share/Had me fighting for air/She told me to come but I was already there"). What also made "You Shook Me" so significant and unforgettable was that it was equal parts naughty and proud, pop-tinged yet stomp-worthy -- which is exactly what AC/DC exemplified when at their best. "You Shook Me" is a night-after bragging session with a heavy dose of swagger and pomp, yet its pop-tinged guitar chords give the song a slap-on-the-back, beer-swilling friendliness. The song was included on AC/DC's 1986 album Who Made Who, and its accompanying video got substantial airplay on MTV. In 1994, Veruca Salt named their debut album American Thighs (from the song's lyric "And knocking me out with those American thighs"). "You Shook Me" is such a hard rock staple that it's still popular at sporting events and bars, and it remains one of AC/DC's, and hard rock's, most memorable party anthems. |