The 'COMMERCIAL' Song AC/DC Didn’t Want To Record, And It Ended Up On The Charts

Summary

• Rock ’n’ Roll Damnation was recorded under pressure from Atlantic Records, despite AC/DC believing the album was already finished.
• The band disliked the track’s production and was forced to mime it on Top of the Pops, a moment they openly resented.
• Despite everything, Powerage eventually went gold in the UK and became a favorite among die-hard fans.

In June 1978, AC/DC got their first taste of chart action in the UK with “Rock ’n’ Roll Damnation”, which reached number 24.

Nothing to throw a parade over, but for a band that had never cracked the charts there before, it was a decent showing.

Just don’t assume there were champagne corks flying. According to Ultimate Classic Rock, the mood in the band was more irritation than celebration.

The song that ended up fronting the Powerage album wasn’t born out of inspiration. It was a label demand. Atlantic Records didn’t like the album the band had delivered, which the group believed was already done and dusted.

Former manager Michael Browning recalled that the suits wanted something with more “radio potential.” Meanwhile, the band had handed in a rawer, grittier album that actually sounded like them. “It was more about credibility,” Browning said. “Something they could actually be proud of as musicians.”

Cornered, Malcolm and Angus Young caved, one of the few times they ever did, and agreed to knock out a new track. What came out was “Rock ’n’ Roll Damnation”, a song that came with no guitar solo, some tambourine, maracas, and a touch of swing.

If that already sounds off, you’re not alone. Tour manager Ian Jeffery didn’t mince words: “When you hear that stuff, you know it’s not really what it’s supposed to be.”

Bon Scott’s lyrics had some bite, at least. Lines like “They say that you play too loud / Well, baby, that’s tough” and “Take a chance while you still got the choice” weren’t exactly subtle.

Still, the band had to suffer the indignity of lip-syncing the damn thing on Top of the Pops, a British TV institution not exactly known for respecting rock bands. “They absolutely hated it,” Jeffery said.

And when the song only charted modestly? The band fired back with a smirk: “See? You people don’t know a damn thing.”

Even with all the grumbling, the single bought AC/DC a little more runway with Atlantic.

Just enough for the label to roll the dice again on the next album, Highway to Hell, which would finally push the band into the global spotlight. Powerage would later go gold in the UK, even if it never matched the numbers of Let There Be Rock.

Years later, Malcolm Young was still annoyed.

“The label started pushing us for singles. We’d just dig in and keep going. These days, bands release eight singles per album. Pathetic, isn’t it?” Still, he had no illusions about what Powerage had become. “It’s the most underrated album we ever did. The real fans know it.”

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