AC/DC singer Brian Johnson insists the lyrics to “Back In Black” (1980) are his, and not his predecessor Bon Scott’s. That’s what Johnson writes in his memoirs, which have just been published under the title “The Lives of Brian”. “That’s the truth and I really hope that settles it,” the singer wrote.
“It was me at the end of the pen, I wrote every night and every morning, just using the title as a basis to work with,” Johnson states in chapter 22 of the book entitled “Rolling Thunder”. Bon Scott died during pre-production of the album at the age of 33. Recordings only started after his death, with Brian Johnson as the new singer. Nevertheless, since the release of the album there have been rumors that at least some of the lyrics come from Scott.
in one interview with the US ROLLING-STONE, Johnson explains how the rumor started. “There was a certain journalist — an author in Australia — who just didn’t want to let this thing go,” says Johnson. His bandmates Malcolm and Angus Young advised him not to bother. “And of course it became more obvious with each passing day that Bon hadn’t done it because the riffs hadn’t been written then. The boys were still there. So we didn’t say anything.”
Nevertheless, he felt the need to clarify the matter after more than 40 years. “It wasn’t something that hit my stomach, but every once in a while a fan would come up to me and say, ‘This guy says that.’ And it wasn’t actually true,” Johnson says. “I hated having to explain myself and that’s why it’s in the book, I thought I want to get that cow off the ice once and for all.”
In the interview, Johnson also explains why he stopped writing the lyrics in the eighties: “I think it was a management decision. It had nothing to do with me. ‘Listen Brian, I think the guys are going to do all the lyrics now.'” It apparently wasn’t a big deal for the singer: “I never thought about it that much. I just said, ‘Okay, let the boys go and do it.'”