AC/DC – You Shook Me All Night Long (1980)

Now, I like to think I’m someone fairly familiar with the tides of late 20th century philosophy. Building on the underlying principles of Marx (and, indeed, Darwin), I’ve followed the seminal writing of Foucault, the dead end of Derrida and the proto, then radical, feminism of Simon de Beauvoir and Sheila Rowbotham.

All of which encourages me to consider Brian Johnson’s second generation of AC/DC as worthy contributors to this canon.

Now, some may baulk at this judgement.

But, those who do, I invite you to consider the enticing ambiguity and comfort of seeing everything as a “metaphor”. Sometimes people speak literally.

When Johnson observes, in his opening lines, that “She was a fast machine, she kept her motor clean”, those thinking metaphorically may well come to a dim view about where he is coming from.

However, if one considers a more literal interpretation, then it is clear that Johnson is celebrating the postwar empowerment of women; their enhanced independence, and, by extension, their greater unmediated access to the most potent symbol of self expression and independence – the motor car. So, a song that, quite literally, celebrates the opportunities of women in the late 20th century.

Probably.

For me, you can’t beat the bit around 57 seconds when the bass guitar kicks in ….