Back in Black

For this album's title track, see Back in Black (song). For other uses, see Back in Black (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Back to Black by Amy Winehouse.
Back in Black
A black cover with "AC/DC / BACK IN BLACK" in grey
Studio album by
AC/DC
Released25 July 1980 (1980-07-25)
RecordedApril–May 1980
StudioCompass Point (Nassau)
Genre
Length42:11
Label
ProducerRobert John "Mutt" Lange
AC/DC chronology
Highway to Hell
(1979) 		Back in Black
(1980) 		For Those About to Rock We Salute You
(1981)
Singles from Back in Black
  1. "You Shook Me All Night Long"
    Released: 15 August 1980 [1]
  2. "Hells Bells"
    Released: 31 October 1980 (EU)
  3. "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution"
    Released: November 1980 (UK)
  4. "Back in Black"
    Released: December 1980 (US)

Back in Black is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC, released on 25 July 1980, by Albert Productions and Atlantic Records. It was the band's first album to feature Brian Johnson as lead singer, following the death of Bon Scott, their previous vocalist.

After the commercial breakthrough of their 1979 album Highway to Hell, AC/DC was planning to record a follow-up, but in February 1980, Scott died from alcohol poisoning after a drinking binge. The remaining members of the group considered disbanding, but ultimately chose to continue on and recruited Johnson, who had previously been the vocalist for Geordie.

The album was composed by Johnson and brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, and recorded over seven weeks in the Bahamas from April to May 1980 with producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who had also produced Highway to Hell. Following its completion, the group mixed Back in Black at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The album's all-black cover was designed as a "sign of mourning" for Scott.

Back in Black was an unprecedented commercial and critical success. It has sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide,[2][3][4][5] making it one of the best-selling albums in music history. AC/DC supported the album with a yearlong world tour that cemented them among the most popular music acts of the early 1980s. It has since been included on numerous "greatest albums" lists. On 21 August 2024, the album was certified 27x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making it the third best-selling album in the United States and the best-selling album that never reached the top spot on the American charts.[6][7]

  1. ^ "AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  2. ^ Ma, Kai (6 June 2011). "Heavy Metal Under the Sea: Sharks Act Calmer When Listening to AC/DC". Time. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  3. ^ Sutcliffe, Phil (2010). AC/DC: High-Voltage Rock 'n' Roll: The Ultimate Illustrated History. Voyageur Press.
  4. ^ McNamee, Gregory (24 August 2010). "AC/DC, "Back in Black" (Great Moments in Pop Music History)". Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014.
  5. ^ Mierendorf, Mike (2 August 2012). "Cultural Impact: AC/DC – 'Back in Black'". Cultural Transmogrifier Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013.
  6. ^ "AC/DC's Back in Black Certified 25x Platinum". Kerrang!. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference RIAA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).