For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)

"For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" is a song by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. The song was first released on AC/DC's eighth studio album For Those About to Rock We Salute You in 1981, and later as a single in 1982. The single's B-side contains an edited live version of "Let There Be Rock", recorded in Landover, Maryland, in late 1981. The video to "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" was filmed at that same concert.

"For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)"
Single by AC/DC
from the album For Those About to Rock We Salute You
B-side"Let There Be Rock" (live)
ReleasedMarch 22, 1982
Recorded1981
GenreHard rock
Length5:43
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Robert John "Mutt" Lange
AC/DC singles chronology
"Let's Get It Up"
(1981)		 "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)"
(1982)		 "Guns for Hire"
(1983)
Music video
"For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" on YouTube

The song was later included on AC/DC's first soundtrack album, Who Made Who, released in 1986 for the Stephen King film Maximum Overdrive.

The title and central lyric of the song are based on an ancient salute used by Roman prisoners to be executed in the Colosseum, "Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant" ("Hail Caesar, those who are about to die salute you"). However, Angus Young later said that the inspiration for the cannons came from a very different source.[1] The band was cutting the first recordings of the song on the same day as Princess Diana of Great Britain's televised wedding. Angus recalled that "someone had the wedding on in the next room ... we were playing that part of the song when the cannons were going off and we paused a second and went 'hmmm ... that actually sounds pretty good.'" This coincidence also led to a cannon being featured on the cover of the album and single, as well as life-sized Napoleonic cannons becoming a regular stage prop at AC/DC concerts. The cannons fired in the song are mixed with exploding fireworks. However the actual takes were recorded later the next month as the mobile truck used to record the album (Mobile One) was being used to record Peter Gabriel's 4th eponymous album during the marriage of Charles and Diana.

AC/DC have often used the song to close live concerts, such as Live at Donington and No Bull as well as on their live CD AC/DC Live. It is also the song that concludes the most recent tour, Rock or Bust.

Personnel

Charts
Chart (1982) Peak
position
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[2] 4
UK Singles (OCC)[3] 15

References
  1. AC/DC: High-Voltage Rock 'n' Roll: The Ultimate Illustrated History p.122. Retrieved 4 June 2011
  2. "AC/DC Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  3. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
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