As a society, we’re fairly dependent on electricity. But with all the benefits of electricity also come plenty of hazards for workers. EHS Daily Advisor wrote about electrical hazards this week so it makes sense that we go with an electricity-themed Song of the Week: AC/DC with the scorching “Live Wire.”
Originally released in 1975 on the Australian-only album T.N.T., “Live Wire” showed up the following year on AC/DC’s first international release, High Voltage. Led by singer Bon Scott and guitarist Angus Young, the band’s blues-based hard rock was raw and powerful, but it didn’t catch on here at first.
“Live Wire” was more about an electric personality than anything else, as Scott sings about being a “live wire” who will set the city on fire. Plenty of electricity puns follow. The band makes it work with monster riffs and hot solos from Angus Young.
The album received mixed reviews from critics and the band spent a few years opening for bigger acts in North America before finding some success with 1979’s Highway to Hell. Sadly, Scott died in early 1980, but the band was able to rebound with new singer Brian Johnson and record its biggest-selling album, Back in Black.
In the decades that followed, AC/DC became one of the biggest bands in rock, selling out stadiums through the ’80s and ’90s. The band has slowed down in the last 20 years, but this week they teased a possible announcement for another tour.