Back in Black ( song ) - wikipedia Back in Black ( song ) `` Back in Black '' Single by AC / DC from the album Back in Black A-side `` What Do You Do for Money Honey '' Released 21 December 1980 ( 1980 - 12 - 21 ) Format 7 inch Recorded Compass Point Studios, The Bahamas, spring 1980 Genre Hard rock Length 4 : 15 Label Atlantic Songwriter ( s ) Angus Young Malcolm Young Brian Johnson Producer ( s ) Robert John `` Mutt '' Lange AC / DC singles chronology `` Hells Bells '' ( 1980 ) `` Back in Black '' ( 1980 ) `` Rock and Roll Ai n't Noise Pollution '' ( 1981 ) `` Hells Bells '' ( 1980 ) `` Back in Black '' ( 1980 ) `` Rock and Roll Ai n't Noise Pollution '' ( 1981 ) Alternative cover Cover of the Spanish release Audio sample file help Music video `` Back In Black '' on YouTube `` Back in Black '' is a song by AC / DC, appearing as the first track on side two of their 1980 album of the same name. Known for its opening guitar riff, the song was AC / DC 's tribute to their former singer Bon Scott. His replacement Brian Johnson recalled to Mojo magazine in 2009 that when the band asked him to write a lyric for this song, `` they said, ' it ca n't be morbid -- it has to be for Bon and it has to be a celebration. ' '' He added : `` I thought, ' Well no pressure there, then ' ( laughs ). I just wrote what came into my head, which at the time seemed like mumbo, jumbo. ' Nine lives. Cats eyes. Abusing every one of them and running wild. ' The boys got it though. They saw Bon 's life in that lyric. '' It peaked in the U.S. at No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1981 and was No. 51 on Billboard 's Top Tracks chart, which debuted in March 1981. `` Back in Black '' received the RIAA 's Master Ringtone Sales Award ( Gold and Platinum ) in 2006 and reached 2 × Platinum status in 2007. The song was ranked No. 4 by VH1 on their list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs, and in 2009, it was named the second greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1. It was also ranked No. 187 on Rolling Stone 's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The same magazine has also ranked `` Back in Black '' No. 29 on `` The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time ''. In 2010, this song came No. 2 in Triple M 's Ultimate 500 Rock Countdown in Melbourne, Australia. The top five were all AC / DC songs. It officially charted on the UK charts after 31 years in release ; peaking in at no. 27 as a result of AC / DC music becoming available on iTunes. It also reached no. 1 on the UK Rock Charts in the same week. Contents 1 Personnel 2 Sampling 3 Covers and other versions 4 Use in the media 5 Charts 6 Certifications 7 References 8 External links Personnel Angus Young -- lead guitar Brian Johnson -- lead vocals Malcolm Young -- rhythm guitar, background vocals Cliff Williams -- bass guitar, background vocals Phil Rudd -- drums Sampling In 1984, the Beastie Boys sampled `` Back in Black '' without permission for their song `` Rock Hard ''. In 1999, when they wished to include it on an upcoming CD compilation release, they sought permission but AC / DC refused. Mike D of the Beastie Boys quoted Malcolm Young 's reason for refusing as : `` ' Nothing against you guys, but we just do n't endorse sampling. ' '' The song `` Rock'n Roll Dance ( ' 92 Heavy Mix ) '' from Seo Taiji and Boys ' 1992 self - titled debut album samples `` Back in Black ''. Eminem released a version of his 1999 hit, `` My Name Is '', with `` Back in Black '' as the bassline. The song was also heavily sampled by the Evolution Control Committee in creating the song `` Rocked by Rape ''. Art Brut usually began their song `` Formed a Band '' with the intro to `` Back in Black '' when they played it live. A recorded version of this can be found on their 2006 Nag Nag Nag Nag EP. In 2010, Limp Bizkit samples the song during live performances of `` My Way. '' Covers and other versions Two live versions of the song later appeared on both versions of the album Live, as well as the Australian tour edition of Stiff Upper Lip. It has been covered by a number of artists, including Living Colour and Shakira. Other versions include : 1986 Boogie Down Productions, sampled without permission on `` Dope Beat ''. 1989 Red Hot Chili Peppers started using `` Back in Black '' as an intro and outro jam to some of their own songs at various live shows. In 1990 they played it as an ending jam to their own song, `` Sexy Mexican Maid '' on the television show, Night Music. In 1999 the band once again used `` Back in Black '' as an intro jam to their songs at a few of their live shows. 1989 Skrewdriver on Warlord 1995 Kid Rock, demo with no vocals, he scratched over the riff and added a hip hop beat to it ; he also covers it in concert usually just the riff in the middle of `` Devil Without a Cause '', but he will cover it fully occasionally. 1995 Australian band Regurgitator, on Fuse Box : The Alternative Tribute. 2001 Sampled by Five on the song `` Lay All Your Loving On Me '' from the album Kingsize. 2001 Hayseed Dixie, on A Hillbilly Tribute to AC / DC. 2003 Australian band The Fergusons performed the song live on Triple J as part of the station 's Wrong Way To The Top gig, which was part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. 2003 Back in Baroque... The String Tribute to AC / DC. 2004 Six Feet Under, on Graveyard Classics 2. 2004 ApologetiX, on New & Used Hits : The Best of ApologetiX Vol. 1 & 2. 2005 Wing, on Wing sings AC / DC. 2007 Troy `` Trombone Shorty '' Andrews & Orleans Avenue recorded live at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. 2007 Public Enemy, `` Black Is Back '', a revamped version done in tribute to AC / DC. This is a reworked version as the original that was unreleased on album due to legal red tape, but it can viewed freely on YouTube. 2007 Those Darn Accordions, on Squeeze Machine. 2010 Muse played the song on the third day of Big Day Out in Australia, with Nic Cester from Jet on vocals. Since then, Muse play the `` Back in Black '' solo as an outro to `` Hysteria '' in most live performances. 2010 Carlos Santana on his cover album Guitar Heaven : The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time ; this version features rapper Nas. 2011 - 2012 Backstreet Boys sampled the instrumentals of the song during the song `` Everybody ( Backstreet 's Back ) '' on the NKOTBSB Tour. 2010 Skindred on Metal Hammer 's The Metal Forge, Vol. 2 : A Tribute to AC / DC. 2012 Anastacia on her covers album It 's a Man 's World. 2012 Robbie Williams used a portion of the song during `` Kids '' on his last stadium tour. Use in the Media This song was used in TV shows and films including Black Hawk Down, School of Rock, The Sopranos, Supernatural, Iron Man, Megamind, Grudge Match, The Smurfs, The Muppets, Death Wish, and Ash vs Evil Dead, in addition to an episode of Alias, which originally aired after Super Bowl XXXVII on ABC. `` Back in Black '' appeared in the trailers for the films Lilo & Stitch, Kung Fu Panda 3 and Death Wish as well as the video game Call of Duty : Black Ops II. The song is used as the entrance song for Iowa Hawkeyes football during home games at Kinnick Stadium. The song was used in 2014 commercials for The Blacklist. In a 2002 Gap commercial, the model plays the opening riff and then proclaims ' My first love ? Angus Young '. Four years later, the company featured the song in their 2006 Gap in Black advert featuring footage of the late British actress Audrey Hepburn dancing in Funny Face. The song has been used in Walmart TV commercials for several years. The song is used in the 2015 ads for the Chevrolet Colorado and Nissan 's Black Friday promotion. The song was used in Riley 's First Date ?, a short film based on the 2015 film, Inside Out. Wrestler Vampiro uses the song as his theme music. Charts Chart ( 1981 ) Peak position US Billboard Hot 100 37 US Billboard Top Tracks 51 US Cash Box 39 Chart ( 2012 ) Peak position Australia ( ARIA ) 65 France ( SNEP ) 58 Scotland ( Official Charts Company ) 28 South Korea ( Gaon Karaoke International Chart ) 65 UK Rock & Metal ( Official Charts Company ) UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 27 US Digital Songs ( Billboard ) 20 US Hard Rock Digital Songs ( Billboard ) US Hot 100 Recurrents ( Billboard ) 14 Chart ( 2015 ) Peak position Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) 100 Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales Canada ( Music Canada ) ( Ringtone ) 2 × Platinum 80,000 Italy ( FIMI ) Platinum 50,000 Mexico ( AMPROFON ) Gold 30,000 United Kingdom ( BPI ) Gold 500,000 United States ( RIAA ) ( Mastertone ) 2 × Platinum 2,000,000 shipments figures based on certification alone sales + streaming figures based on certification alone References ^ Jump up to : `` The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time ''. Archived from the original on 4 April 2010... Rolling Stone. Jump up ^ `` Back In Black by AC / DC ''. Songfacts. Retrieved 6 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` 40 Greatest Metal Songs ( 40 -- 31 ) ''. Archived from the original on 13 September 2006... VH1. MTV Networks. 1 -- 4 May 2006. Jump up ^ `` Vh1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs ''. Archived from the original on 4 January 2009... VH1. Prefix Magazine. 1 -- 5 January 2009. Jump up ^ `` Back in Black ''. Archived from the original on 28 May 2007... Rolling Stone. 9 December 2004. Jump up ^ `` Triple M 's Ultimate Rock 500 ''. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012... Triple M. ^ Jump up to : `` Official Singles Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 June 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` 2012 Top 40 Rock & Metal Singles Archive -- 1st December 2012 ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 May 2014. Jump up ^ `` AC / DC nix Beastie Boys sample '' ( LexisNexis Academic Search ). NME. 11 November 1999. Retrieved 15 February 2007. Jump up ^ `` Jazz Fest Live -- live recordings from New Orleans Jazz Fest ''. Archived from the original on 1 January 2011... Jazz Fest Live. Jump up ^ Bianco, Robert ( 23 January 2003 ). `` Super ' Alias ' will bowl you over ''. USA Today. Retrieved 6 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` AC / DC 's Music Featured In ' Riley 's First Date ' Short Film ''. Blabbermouth.net. 16 October 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Back in Black -- Awards ''. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 6 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` CASH BOX Top 100 Singles -- Week ending MARCH 7, 1981 ''. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012... Cash Box magazine. Jump up ^ `` ARIA Top 100 Singles -- Week Commencing 3rd December 2012 '' ( PDF ). ARIA. Pandora. 4 January 2013. p. 3. Retrieved 6 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` Lescharts.com -- AC / DC -- Back in Black '' ( in French ). Les classement single. Retrieved 6 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 June 2014. Jump up ^ ( in Korean ) `` GAON 노래방 CHART -- 2013 년 4 월 3 주차 ''. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014... Gaon Music Chart. Jump up ^ `` AC / DC Chart History ( Digital Songs ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved 6 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` Hard Rock Digital Songs : January 12, 2013 ''. Billboard. Retrieved 8 May 2014. Jump up ^ `` Hot 100 Recurrents : December 8, 2012 ''. Billboard. Retrieved 8 May 2014. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- AC / DC -- Back in Black ''. Singles Top 100. Retrieved 1 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Canadian single certifications -- AC / DC -- Back in Black ''. Music Canada. Jump up ^ `` Italian single certifications -- AC / DC -- Back in Black '' ( in Italian ). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Jump up ^ `` Certificaciones -- AC / DC '' ( in Spanish ). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Jump up ^ `` British single certifications -- AC / DC -- Back in Black ''. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 15 December 2017. Enter Back in Black in the search field and then press Enter. Jump up ^ `` American single certifications -- AC / DC -- Back in Black ''. Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH External links Lyrics on AC / DC 's official website AC / DC singles discography High Voltage `` Can I Sit Next to You, Girl '' ( Australia ) `` Baby, Please Do n't Go '' ( Australia ) T.N.T. `` High Voltage '' ( Australia ) `` It 's a Long Way to the Top ( If You Wanna Rock ' n ' Roll ) '' ( Australia ) `` T.N.T. '' ( Australia ) High Voltage ( International ) `` It 's a Long Way to the Top ( If You Wanna Rock ' n ' Roll ) '' ( international ) `` High Voltage '' ( international ) Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap `` Jailbreak '' `` Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap '' `` Love at First Feel '' Let There Be Rock `` Dog Eat Dog '' `` Let There Be Rock '' `` Whole Lotta Rosie '' Powerage `` Rock ' n ' Roll Damnation '' Highway to Hell `` Highway to Hell '' `` Girls Got Rhythm '' `` Touch Too Much '' Back in Black `` You Shook Me All Night Long '' `` Hells Bells '' `` Back in Black '' `` Rock and Roll Ai n't Noise Pollution '' For Those About to Rock We Salute You `` Let 's Get It Up '' `` For Those About to Rock ( We Salute You ) '' Flick of the Switch `` Guns for Hire '' `` Nervous Shakedown '' `` Flick of the Switch '' Fly on the Wall `` Danger '' `` Sink the Pink '' `` Shake Your Foundations '' Who Made Who `` Who Made Who '' Blow Up Your Video `` Heatseeker '' `` That 's the Way I Wanna Rock ' n ' Roll '' The Razors Edge `` Thunderstruck '' `` Moneytalks '' `` Are You Ready '' Live `` Highway to Hell '' ( live ) `` Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap '' ( live ) Ballbreaker `` Hard as a Rock '' `` Hail Caesar '' `` Cover You in Oil '' Stiff Upper Lip `` Stiff Upper Lip '' `` Safe in New York City '' `` Satellite Blues '' Black Ice `` Rock ' N Roll Train '' `` Big Jack '' `` Anything Goes '' `` Money Made '' Rock or Bust `` Play Ball '' `` Rock or Bust '' Non-album single `` Big Gun '' Book : AC / DC Category : AC / DC songs Portal : AC / DC Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Back_in_Black_(song)&oldid=830218836 '' Categories : 1980 songs 1981 singles AC / DC songs APRA Award winners Atlantic Records singles Song recordings produced by Robert John `` Mutt '' Lange Songs in memory of deceased persons Songs written by Angus Young Songs written by Brian Johnson Songs written by Malcolm Young Hidden categories : Articles with Korean - language external links CS1 Italian - language sources ( it ) CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from March 2014 Singlechart usages for France Singlechart usages for Scotland Singlechart usages for UK Singlechart making named ref Singlechart usages for Billboarddigitalsongs Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Sweden Certification Table Entry usages for Canada Certification Table Entry usages for Italy Certification Table Entry usages for Mexico Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom Certification Table Entry usages for United States Talk Contents About Wikipedia Български Ελληνικά Español Euskara فارسی Français Italiano Nederlands Português Русский Suomi 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 13 March 2018, at 14 : 10. 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Question: what is the meaning of back in black
Answer: AC/DC's tribute to their former singer Bon Scott