AC/DC

Band · The most durable writing partnership in hard rock

Photo: Ed Vill from Caracas, Venezuela · CC BY 2.0
Active 1973-present
Origin Sydney, New South Wales
Albums 17
Tracks 177
Most frequent collaborator George Young · 66 tracks
Genres Hard rockBlues rockRock and roll
Complete Artist
99%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 175 of 177 tracks

Does AC/DC write their own songs?

Yes. Angus Young and Malcolm Young hold a writing credit on 175 of the 177 tracks across the seventeen studio albums. The two exceptions are covers on the early Australian records. The singer shared the credit until 1990: Bon Scott on 50 tracks and Brian Johnson on 50.

By the Numbers

17
Studio Albums
177
Tracks Credited
99%
Self-Written
53
Years Active
10
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 175 / 177 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 177 tracks: how many AC/DC wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

AC/DC has a writing credit99%
99%
1%
Sole author175tracks99%
Co-written0tracks0%
Outside writers2tracks1%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
AC/DC's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 177 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)99%
Composer (music)99%
Producer11%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 177 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Angus Young 1973-present
99%
99%
6%
0%
Brian Johnson 1980-2016, 2018-present
28%
28%
1%
0%
Cliff Williams 1977-2016, 2018-present
0%
0%
0%
0%
Phil Rudd 1975-1983, 1994-2015, 2018-present
0%
0%
0%
0%
Stevie Young 2014-present
0%
0%
0%
0%
Malcolm Young Former 1973-2014
99%
99%
6%
0%
Bon Scott Former 1974-1980
28%
28%
0%
0%
Mark Evans Former 1975-1977
0%
0%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

AC/DC's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 99%
88%
89%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
1975High Voltage
1975T.N.T.
1976Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
1977Let There Be Rock
1978Powerage
1979Highway to Hell
1980Back in Black
1981For Those About to Rock We Salute You
1983Flick of the Switch
1985Fly on the Wall
1988Blow Up Your Video
1990The Razors Edge
1995Ballbreaker
2000Stiff Upper Lip
2008Black Ice
2014Rock or Bust
2020Power Up
Early · 96% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

96%
1970s
High Voltage, T.N.T. +4 more
100%
1980s
Back in Black, For Those About to Rock We Salute You +3 more
100%
1990s
The Razors Edge, Ballbreaker
100%
2000s
Stiff Upper Lip, Black Ice
100%
2010s
Rock or Bust
100%
2020s
Power Up

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where AC/DC sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

AC/DC
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Elvis Presley1%
Diana Ross10%
Eric Clapton40%
Santana59%
Donna Summer68%
The Rolling Stones76%
Aerosmith86%
99%AC/DC
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Discography 17 albums

Covers all seventeen AC/DC studio albums. The first two, High Voltage (1975) and T.N.T., were released only in Australia and New Zealand; the 1976 international album also titled High Voltage was assembled from those two and is treated as a compilation rather than an eighteenth studio record. Where the Australian and international pressings differ, the Australian track listing is used. The live albums, the box sets and the compilations are outside this scope.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

AC/DC177 tracks
GY66George Young, 66 tracks 54Harry Vanda, 54 tracks BO38Brendan O'Brien, 38 tracks RJ30Robert John "Mutt" Lange, 30 tracks BF12Bruce Fairbairn, 12 tracks 11Rick Rubin, 11 tracks V&8Vanda & Young, 8 tracks MF5Mike Fraser, 5 tracks BJ1Big Joe Williams, 1 track CB1Chuck Berry, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. GY George Young · BO Brendan O'Brien · RJ Robert John "Mutt" Lange · BF Bruce Fairbairn

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Angus and Malcolm Young hold a writing credit on 175 of the 177 album tracks, and the only two exceptions are covers on the first two Australian records. The third name changes exactly once in fifty years: Bon Scott is on 50 tracks, Brian Johnson on 50, and after 1990 neither singer appears on the credits again and the brothers write alone. Malcolm's name stays on every track of the two albums made after he stopped playing, and on the album made after he died. Production is where the variation lives instead, with George Young on 66 tracks, Harry Vanda on 54, Brendan O'Brien on 38 and Mutt Lange on 30.

Quick Facts

  • FoundedSydney, 1973, by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young
  • AuthorshipAngus and Malcolm Young write 175 of 177 album tracks
  • SingersBon Scott until 1980, Brian Johnson from 1980
  • Biggest albumBack in Black, one of the best-selling albums ever released
  • US number oneFor Those About to Rock We Salute You, their only Billboard 200 chart-topper
  • Recent formBlack Ice, Rock or Bust and Power Up all topped charts across ten countries

Creative Fingerprint

Two brothers and one singer at a time: the Young brothers on 175 of 177 album tracks across fifty years, with the singer sharing the credit until 1990 and never after.

The Story

AC/DC formed in Sydney in 1973 around the brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. Seventeen studio albums have followed across five decades, from the Australia-only debut in 1975 to Power Up in 2020. Bon Scott sang until his death in February 1980; Brian Johnson replaced him within months and Back in Black, released that July, became one of the best-selling albums ever made. Every album from Black Ice onward has gone to number 1 in most major markets.

Awards & Recognition

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003
Back in Black is one of the best-selling albums ever released
For Those About to Rock We Salute You reached number 1 on the Billboard 200
Black Ice and Power Up each reached number 1 in ten major markets

Frequently Asked Questions AC/DC

Does AC/DC write their own songs?
Yes. Angus Young and Malcolm Young hold a writing credit on 175 of the 177 tracks across the seventeen studio albums. The two exceptions are covers on the early Australian records. The singer shared the credit until 1990: Bon Scott on 50 tracks and Brian Johnson on 50.
How many albums has AC/DC released?
Seventeen studio albums, from the Australia-only debut in 1975 to Power Up in 2020.
Who are the two singers?
Bon Scott sang from 1974 until his death in February 1980, and Brian Johnson from 1980 onward. Each holds a writing credit on 50 album tracks.
Why did Brian Johnson stop being credited as a writer?
From The Razors Edge in 1990 the writing credit belongs to Angus and Malcolm Young alone. Johnson had co-written every album from Back in Black to Blow Up Your Video, and appears on no album credit after 1988.
Is Malcolm Young credited on the later albums?
Yes. He is credited on every track of Rock or Bust, which he did not play on, and on every track of Power Up, released three years after his death in 2017.
Who produces AC/DC?
The chair has changed hands repeatedly while the writing has not. George Young is on 66 tracks and Harry Vanda on 54 across the early albums, Robert John "Mutt" Lange on 30 across the 1979 to 1981 run, and Brendan O’Brien on 38 across the last three.
What is AC/DC’s best-selling album?
Back in Black, released in 1980, which is one of the best-selling albums by any artist.
Did AC/DC ever have a US number one album?
Once, with For Those About to Rock We Salute You in 1981. Black Ice, Rock or Bust and Power Up all reached the US top three.
Are the Australian and international albums different?
The first two albums were released only in Australia and New Zealand, and the 1976 international High Voltage was assembled from them for other markets. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and Let There Be Rock also had different Australian and international track listings.

Sources

Wikipedia: AC/DC Wikipedia: AC/DC discography Wikipedia: List of AC/DC members Wikipedia: Angus Young Wikipedia: Malcolm Young Wikipedia: Bon Scott