Rock 'n' Roll Train
"Rock 'n' Roll Train" | ||||
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Brendan O'Brien | ||||
AC/DC singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Rock 'N Roll Train" on YouTube |
"Rock 'n' Roll Train" is a song by Australian rock band AC/DC. It is the first track on the album Black Ice to receive radio airplay. The band released a 7-inch vinyl single that featured the song "Rock 'n' Roll Train" on Side A, and "War Machine" on Side B. The 7-inch single came in a sleeve with its own unique artwork. The 7-inch vinyl was also made available in the United States through some independent record shops.
As with the success of the
With the exception of new material from an album they are touring behind, this is one of the only three songs released after "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" that the band still performs live in concert, the other two being "Thunderstruck".[citation needed] and Stiff Upper Lip.
Background
Originally composed with the title "Runaway Train",
On 27 August 2008, close to midnight, the single was uploaded to AC/DC's official website and AC/DC's
On 30 August 2008, the first Saturday of the U.S. college football season, the song was played extensively on
Throughout the month of November, the
The song was used to open shows on the Black Ice tour. A cartoon was played on the giant video screen above the stage; at the end of this cartoon a life-sized train came crashing out onto the stage. It is at this point that the band came out on stage and proceeded to play the song.
The song "Rock 'N' Roll Train" was also used in an episode of Knight Rider titled "Knight to King's Pawn".
Track listing
- "Rock 'n' Roll Train" – 4:21
- "War Machine" – 3:09
Music video
On 15 August 2008, AC/DC filmed the music video to accompany the song in London, where 150 contest winners and their guests were present.[9] The video premiered on 19 September on the band's official website.
On 23 October 2008, the band released the music video online in ASCII art in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format – the first music video to be produced in such format.[10]
The video also featured clips of the short film "London to Brighton in Four Minutes".
Awards
In 2009, "Rock 'n' Roll Train" was nominated for a Grammy award for
Chart performance
Chart (2008) | Peak position |
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Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[13] | 45 |
Japan ( Japan Hot 100 )
|
44 |
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks
|
1 |
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks
|
25 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
|
30 |
References
- ^ Kot, Greg (16 October 2008). "Let there be rock! AC/DC recycles classic sound on 'Black Ice'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 19 October 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ^ ASIN B001LNP3IO. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ "For Those About To Rock". Archived from the original on 25 December 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ August 2008, Tom Porter 19 (19 August 2008). "New AC/DC song Rock 'N' Roll Train leaked… sort of". Musicradar.com. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Kot, Greg (16 October 2008). "Let there be rock! AC/DC recycles classic sound on 'Black Ice'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 19 October 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ^ "New AC/DC Single Hits Radio, Web". Billboard.com. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ Top Rock Songs & Charts, Rock Music Hits & Popular Rock Music Charts| Billboard.com
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (19 November 2008). "Taylor Swift's 'Fearless' Flies at No. 1 With 592,000". Billboard magazine. Archived from the original on 21 May 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
- ^ "AC/DC wants YOU for their new video". AC/DC.com. 9 August 2008. Archived from the original on 12 August 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
- ^ AC/DC "Rock 'N Roll Train" – The World's First Music Video in an Excel Spreadsheet Archived 25 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger Split: What's Next for the Former Couple | People". Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
- ^ "Winner 2010 Song of the Year". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "Rock N' Roll Train by AC/DC - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved 8 June 2021.