Album
Highway to Hell
Highway to Hell is AC/DC's sixth studio album, released on 27 July 1979 through Albert Productions and Atlantic Records. It sits at a turning point in the band's story: it was the first of three records produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, and the last to feature singer Bon Scott, who died on 19 February 1980.
For anyone tracing the group's path, this is the record where a new producer joined a hard rock band already deep into its run, with blues-rooted rock running through the sound. It comes straight before Back in Black, so it works as a final look at the Scott era and a hint of what the Lange partnership would bring next. Worth hearing for that moment alone.
Highway to Hell: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 41:30Tracklist
- 1Highway to HellScott, Young, Young3:28
- 2Girls Got RhythmScott, Young, Young3:24
- 3Walk All Over YouScott, Young, Young5:09
- 4Touch Too MuchScott, Young, Young4:26
- 5Beating Around the BushScott, Young, Young3:56
- 6Shot Down in FlamesScott, Young, Young3:23
- 7Get It HotScott, Young, Young2:34
- 8If You Want Blood (You've Got It)Scott, Young, Young4:37
- 9Love Hungry ManScott, Young, Young4:17
- 10Night ProwlerScott, Young, Young6:16
- Produced by
- Robert John “Mutt” Lange, Mutt Lange
- Recorded at
- Roundhouse (London)
- Recorded
- 24 March – 14 April 1979
- Mixed by
- Tony Platt
- Mixed at
- Basing Street Studios
- Engineered by
- Mark Dearnley, Kevin Dallimore
- Artwork
- Bob Defrin
- Photography
- Jim Houghton
- Label
- Atlantic
- Length
- 41:30
Line-up
- Phil Rudd · drums (drum set)
- Cliff Williams · bass guitar
- Angus Young · guitar
- Malcolm Young · guitar
- Bon Scott · vocals
Singles
- “Highway to Hell” · 27 July 1979
- “Girls Got Rhythm” · 2 November 1979
- “Touch Too Much” · 25 January 1980 (UK)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1979–1981 | 8 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1979–1981 | 17 |
| German Albums · 2024 | 2 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · Week: 12/2024 | 3 |
| Swiss Albums · Week: 12/2024 | 7 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1979–1981 | 13 |
| Dutch Albums · 1979–1981 | 14 |
| Swedish Albums · 1979–1981 | 24 |
| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ) · Week: 12/2024 | 30 |
| Finnish Albums · 2007–2009 | 37 |
All 19 charts
| Austrian Albums · 2007–2009 | 38 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1979–1981 | 38 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1979–1981 | 40 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1979–1981 | 46 |
| Spanish Albums · 2007–2009 | 67 |
| Italian Albums · 2007–2009 | 81 |
| Poland 2 · Week: 12/2024 | 95 |
| French Albums · 2011 | 135 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2020 | 156 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina · 2003 | Gold |
| Australia · 2013 | 5× Platinum |
| Austria · 1990 | Gold |
| Canada · 2024 | 9× Platinum |
| Denmark · 2024 | 2× Platinum |
| France · 1981 | Platinum |
| Germany · 1988 | Platinum |
| Germany · 1991 | Gold |
| Italy · 2022 | Platinum |
| Mexico · 2026 | Gold |
| Poland · 2024 | 2× Platinum |
| Spain · 2000 | Gold |
| Switzerland · 1991 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2013 | Platinum |
| United States · 2024 | 8× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
93.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
15k
ListenBrainz listeners
282k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
236k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Also released on 27 July
Every year →
More from AC/DC
Full discography →
High Voltage
1975
T.N.T.
1975
High Voltage
1976
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
1976
Let There Be Rock
1977
Powerage
1978
If You Want Blood You’ve Got It
1978
Back in Black
1980
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
1981
Flick of the Switch
1983
’74 Jailbreak
1984
Fly on the Wall
1985
Who Made Who
1986
Blow Up Your Video
1988
The Razors Edge
1990
Live
1992
Ballbreaker
1995
Bonfire
1997
Stiff Upper Lip
2000
Black Ice
2008
Backtracks
2009
Iron Man 2
2010
Live at River Plate
2012
Rock or Bust
2014
Power Up
2020
The best of 1979
All of 1979 →
More on Atlantic
The label →![[Led Zeppelin IV] by Led Zeppelin, album cover](/img/2e61da88-39e9-3473-81d2-c964cb394952/300)
[Led Zeppelin IV]
Led Zeppelin · 1971
Back in Black
AC/DC · 1980
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin · 1969
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin · 1969
Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin · 1970
Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin · 1975
Houses of the Holy
Led Zeppelin · 1973
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
AC/DC · 1976
Whole Lotta Love
Led Zeppelin · 1970
Acoustically
Led Zeppelin · 1972
Let There Be Rock
AC/DC · 1977
Powerage
AC/DC · 1978
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 27 July 1979 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 27 July 1979 | |
| Wikidata | 27 July 1979 | |
| US release | 30 July 1979 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 27 July 1979 | earliest UK or European date |
46 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | DE | Atlantic | other | |
| 1979 | DE | Atlantic | other | |
| 27 July 1979 | GB | Atlantic | original | |
| 27 July 1979 | CA | Atlantic | original | |
| 27 July 1979 | AU | Albert Productions | original | |
| 30 July 1979 | US | Atlantic | other | |
| 1985 | JP | Atlantic | other | |
| 1986 | US | Atlantic | 075678156021 | other |
| 1987 | CA | Atlantic | 075678156021 | other |
| 1987 | AU | Albert Productions | 5099974666829 | other |
| 1987 | XE | Atlantic | other | |
| 1989 | AU | Albert Productions | 9399746526112 | other |
| 10 May 1989 | AU | Albert Productions | 9399746526129 | other |
| 10 August 1989 | JP | Atlantic | 4988014727617 | other |
| 1990 | XE | Atlantic | 07567192442 | other |
| 1990 | DE | Atlantic | 075678156021 | other |
| 1994 | US | ATCO Records | other | |
| 1994 | AU | Albert Productions | 724347000621 | other |
| 1994 | CA | ATCO Records | 777499229488 | other |
| August 1994 | XE | ATCO Records | 075679241924 | other |
| 16 August 1994 | US | ATCO Records | 075679241924 | other |
| 1995 | GB | Albert Productions | 724347708824 | other |
| 25 October 1995 | AU | Albert Productions | 724347708824 | other |
| 21 December 1995 | JP | ATCO Records | 4988029402042 | other |
| 17 October 2000 | XE | Elektra | 075679241955 | other |
| July 2002 | AU | Albert Productions | 9397603354427 | other |
| 2003 | US | Columbia | 5099751076414 | other |
| 2003 | US | Columbia | 696998020627 | other |
| 2003 | XE | Epic | 5099751076414 | other |
| 2003 | CA | Columbia | 696998020627 | other |
| 2003 | XE | Albert Productions | 5099751076421 | other |
| 18 February 2003 | US | Epic | 696998020627 | other |
| 3 March 2003 | XE | Epic | 5099751076421 | remaster |
| 30 June 2003 | AU | Albert Productions | 9397603364822 | other |
| 14 October 2003 | US | Epic | 696998020610 | other |
| 8 April 2005 | AU | Albert Productions | 9397603385322 | other |
| 8 July 2006 | AU | Albert Productions | 0828768666821 | other |
| 19 December 2007 | JP | Albert Productions | 4547366035193 | other |
| 2009 | XE | Columbia | 886973994429 | other |
| 2009 | XE | Albert Productions | 5099751076414 | other |
| 19 November 2012 | XW | Epic | 886443673458 | other |
| 7 October 2014 | XW | Epic | 886444889896 | other |
| 2016 | RU | Albert Productions | 0886974589020 | other |
| 2020 | XW | Columbia | 886444889896 | remaster |
| 2020 | XW | Columbia | 886443673458 | other |
| — | — | Albert Productions | 5099708020620 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| itunes | 1500×1500 | native |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |