AC/DC Score Highest Debut on 'Billboard's' Mainstream Rock Songs in a Decade

AC/DC Score Highest Debut on ‘Billboard’s’ Mainstream Rock Songs in a Decade

2020-10-19

AC/DC have announced their highly-anticipated 17th full-length album, "Power Up," will arrive on Nov. 13, 2020.

AC/DC – Story by Cat Badra, courtesy photo

AC/DC are back with a new song, “Shot in the Dark,” and the track has earned the band their highest debut on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart in more than 10 years

AC/DC’s “Shot in the Dark” is a bona fide rock hit. The new single from the legendary Australian rock band — which marks their first bit of new music off their upcoming album, “Power Up” — debuted at number five on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs airplay ranking its first week out.

The showing for “Power Up” marks AC/DC’s highest debut on the chart, which was created in 1981. “Power Up” also brings AC/DC their best-charting single on the Mainstream Rock Songs in more than a decade.

AC/DC are in good company, as Disturbed was the last group to debut that high on Mainstream Rock Songs with their single “Inside the Fire,” which entered the chart at number five in 2008.

In other news, AC/DC’s Angus Young recently opened up about why he chose not to include late AC/DC member Malcom Young’s playing on the upcoming AC/DC album.

“I know a lot of people have been saying, did Malcolm actually play, is it his instrument on the new album? I chose not to do that because I felt Malcolm himself wouldn’t like me trying to splice his guitar work,” he told Spain’s RockFM classic rock radio station.

“Malcolm and myself, a lot of what we had done through the years, we’d make notes with the tracks,” he continued. “Some might be a little bit rough here and there, and I polished them up. In other cases, Malcolm might have done just a small bit and then I would do the next verse. The bulk of the contribution of Mal is mainly musical.”

“Power Up” is AC/DC’s follow-up to 2014’s “Rock or Bust.” The set, which is out Nov. 13, was recorded by the surviving members of AC/DC’s classic “Back in Black” lineup — guitarist Angus Young, singer Brian Johnson, bass player Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd — as well as guitarist Stevie Young, nephew of Angus and the late Malcolm Young.

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Cat Badra

Meet the expert - Cat Badra is a music writer for Audio Ink Radio and a range of other music, sports and lifestyle publications. She's a graduate of Michigan State University with a master's degree in theater and speech. Contact her at cat@audioinkradio.com.