AC/DC Tickets – Rocking on Dirty Deeds: A Comparative Critique

AC/DC didn’t make many people stop and ponder life’s questions when they were rocking in their heyday. And you can probably assume that with their current tour they’re sticking to their guns, playing a lot of the old stuff and running with the familiar themes. While you can point to a number of lyrical subjects in their songwriting, one that sticks out above the rest is rocking. Chasing women and getting inebriated are both very common themes, but based purely on the amount of songs with the word “rock” in the title (“There’s Gonna Be Some Rockin’,” “Rocker” “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Want to Rock and Roll),” “Rock n’ Roll Singer,” “Let There Be Rock,” “Rock n’ Roll Damnation,” “’Rock n’ Roll Aint No Noise Pollution,” “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You),” etc.), you can imagine these guys were very serious about being rockers, rocking and basic rock n’ roll things.

Therefore, it’s not uncommon that the average AC/DC tickets buyer will try to ponder the question: What AC/DC song rocks the hardest? That kind of study would take a whole novel. For the purpose of narrowing down some of the parameters of the debate, we’ll focus on two classic songs about rocking from AC/DC’s Dity Deeds Done Dirt Cheap album, “There’s Gonna Be Some Rockin’” and “Rocker.” Let’s take a look at the lyrics.

THERE'S GONNA BE SOME ROCKIN'

“Well me and the boys are out to have some fun/ Gonna put on a show - Come on lets go/ There's gonna be some rockin'/ There's gonna be some rockin'/ There's gonna be some rockin' at the show tonight./ Every night there's a rock 'n' roll Queen/ Gonna quiver and quake/ Gonna shake her thing/ There's gonna be some rockin'/ We got a big fat sound/ Wanna share it round/ Got a big bass drum/ Gonna have some fun/ There's gonna be some rockin'”

ROCKER

“I'm a rocker/I'm a roller/I'm a right out of controller/ I'm a wheeler/I'm a dealer/ I'm a wicked woman stealer/I'm a bruiser/ I'm a cruiser/I'm a rockin' rollin' man./ Got slicked back hair/Skin tight jeans/ Cadillac car/ And a teenage dream./I'm a rocker/ I'm a roller/ A rockin' rollin' man/ Got lorex socks/ Blue suede shoes/ V8 car/ And tattoos/ I'm a rocker/ I'm a roller/ A rockin' rollin' man”

The similarities between these song lyrics are too numerous to name, but when you see them side by side you can notice some subtle differences in rock philosophy. “There’s Gonna Be Some Rockin’” describes an even that will, if AC/DC can help it, rock in the foreseeable future, whereas “Rocker” describes a person (“I” not “We”) who has already achieved the status of “rocker” (as well as “roller”). First person narration is the most obvious difference, but also the least meaningful.

If we’re here to discover what rocking is, then we need to look at the rock each song seeks to relate to the audience. That said, the major difference seems to be a matter of superficiality. “There’s Gonna Be Some Rockin’” is a vastly superior AC/DC rock song because the rocker it describes is a doer. He’s going to have some fun, include others, share it round, quiver, quake, put on a show. He gets after it and makes rock happen. In contrast, “Rocker” seems to portray a man who rocks simply because of his many possessions- a fast car, tattoos, women, tight jeans, lorex sox (what are those anyways?).

So you have to ask yourself, are you a rocker because you have the gear, or are you a rocker ‘cause you take the wheel and steer? Do you necessarily rock because of the things you own, or because of the lifestyle you lead? Actions rock much louder than possessions.

If you’re looking for sold-out AC/DC tickets, http://www.stubhub.com/ac-dc-tickets/ is where you can find them.