Angus Young reveals he came up with Highway To Hell while sitting on the toilet

Angus Young has revealed that he wrote the iconic verses to Highway To Hell during a trip to the loo.

• READ MORE: Angus Young says that AC/DC try to “never get too serious” when songwriting

Speaking to Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1’s Essentials Radio, Angus recalled the writing session in Miami, Florida where he and his brother – the late rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young – came up with the classic AC/DC tune.

“I started playing the beginning, the intro. And so I was doing the da-da-da, da-da-da,” Angus said. “And then I said to Malcolm – I had this thing about the drums – and I said, ​‘I just want it to come in in the right spot.’ And he said, ​‘Okay.’”

With Malcolm behind the drums, the tune started to come together, but it still needed the words to bring it back home. This was when Angus laid a lyrical golden egg – while on a bathroom break, no less.

“I went to the toilet,” he said. “And I was there and I’m sitting and thinking.”

“I’m just sitting on the throne more or less. And then I go, ​‘I think I’ve got it. I’ve got it. I’ve got it. I’ve got the idea in my head. And then I came [back out to the rehearsal room] and I said, ​‘I’ve got it. Highway To Hell.’”

The song had found its words, but it was a suggestion from Malcolm that would turn it into an anthem.

“I was over the chords that we had tried out through a chorus,” Angus said. “And [Malcolm] went, ​‘Yeah, that’ll work.’ And he said, ​‘If we spread it out a bit into a full singing thing,’ So he came up with a spread of it – (singing) Highway to hell.”

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