Thunderstruck

The opening riff of Thunderstruck, the one that instantly makes you nod your head, was born from a small guitar idea that Angus Young had. He showed it to his brother Malcolm Young, and he immediately thought of a rhythm that would fit perfectly behind it. They spent a few months mulling it over, trying things out, until everything started to click. The lyrics, according to Angus, came from the search for a catchy title. The idea of "thunder" came to mind, vaguely inspired by a childhood toy called "ThunderStreak," and they felt it had power. The essence was simple: AC/DC is power. The track was released as the first single from their twelfth studio album, The Razors Edge, in 1990.

The recording of Thunderstruck, with Bruce Fairbairn producing, took place in a context where a powerful sound was sought. The video accompanying the song was filmed at the Brixton Academy in London on August 17, 1990. For the occasion, all attendees at the concert were given t-shirts with the phrase "AC/DC – I was Thunderstruck" and the date printed on them. These t-shirts were worn by the entire audience during the filming. The song has had a notable impact, reaching number 4 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and number 1 in Finland, as well as reaching number 5 on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. In 2010, it topped Triple M Melbourne's Ultimate 500 Rock Countdown in Australia. It is estimated to have sold over 15 million copies as a single, and has become a fundamental piece for those starting out on guitar, although its popularity sometimes generates comments, such as those from Joe Davita in 2025, who expressed his weariness of hearing the riff in music stores. In 2012, it was reported that the song was used as part of the payload of a computer virus that affected the Iranian nuclear program, playing at full volume on several workstations. More recently, in 2025, the United States Department of Agriculture in Oregon used drones playing the song to deter wolves from attacking livestock.