Ride On (AC/DC song)

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"Ride On"
Single by AC/DC
from the album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Released1977
RecordedJanuary- March 1976
GenreBlues rock
Length5:53
LabelAlbert Records
Songwriter(s)Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Bon Scott
Producer(s)Harry Vanda, George Young
AC/DC singles chronology
"T.N.T."
(1976) 		"Ride On"
(1977) 		"Love At First Feel"
(1977)

"Ride On" is a song and single by Australian hard rock band AC/DC originally released on the album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and later re-released on the album Who Made Who. In both versions, the song is sung by Bon Scott. Atypically for an AC/DC song, it has a sad, slow blues, almost ballad-like feel to it. The lyrics concern a man reflecting on mistakes he has made in a relationship while drinking alcohol. It has frequently been cited as one of AC/DC's best songs.[1][2][3]

"Ride On" was covered by the French band Trust on their self-titled 1979 debut album, after supporting AC/DC in Paris in the fall of 1978. Bon Scott jammed the song with Trust at Scorpio Sound Studios in London on February 13, 1980, six days before his death. A recording of it would later surface on the Bon Scott Forever Volume 1 bootleg.

AC/DC has played the song live only once, on June 22, 2001, at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis (near Paris), during the Stiff Upper Lip Tour. At the end of that show, the band unexpectedly came back after their traditional two-songs encore, dressed as football players (with the blue color of the French football team), and played "Ride On" for John Lee Hooker, who had died the day before, although it was not explicitly mentioned as a tribute.

Composition[]

The song is composed in the key of C major.

It is a slower blues song with a tempo of 70, contrasting with the faster rock 'n' roll tracks that comprise the rest of the album, and AC/DC's catalogue as a whole. The song's lyrics express Bon Scott's intentions and urge to "change [his] evil ways."

It is notable for being one of the few songs in which drummer Phil Rudd uses a ride cymbal.

Personnel[]

Other versions[]

The Beasts Of Bourbon album The Low Road featured a cover of "Ride On". Eric Burdon covered the song on his 1980 album Darkness Darkness. Fur covered the song on the tribute album Fuse Box

References[]

  1. ^ "Top 10 Bon Scott AC/DC Songs". Ultimateclassicrock.com. 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  2. ^ Clem Bastow. "Australian anthems: AC/DC – It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock'n'Roll) | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  3. ^ ""Ride On" | Readers' Poll: The 10 Best AC/DC Songs". Rolling Stone. 2014-10-15. Retrieved 2016-07-27.

External links[]

  • Lyrics on official acdcrocks.com site
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