Hard as a Rock
{{Short description|1995 single by AC/DC}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Hard as a Rock
| cover = Acdchardasarock.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = AC/DC
| album = Ballbreaker
| B-side = Caught with Your Pants Down
| released = September 1995
| recorded =
| studio = Ocean Way (Los Angeles)
| venue =
| genre = Hard rock
| length = 4:31
| label = Elektra Records
| writer =
| producer = Rick Rubin
| prev_title = Big Gun
| prev_year = 1993
| next_title = Hail Caesar
| next_year = 1996
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|X9s_CQx4ylU|"Hard as a Rock"}}}}
}}
"Hard as a Rock" is a song by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC that the group released in September 1995, through Elektra Records, as the first single from its thirteenth studio album. Titled Ballbreaker, that parent album also came out in September 1995. The song became AC/DC's second number one hit on the Album Rock Tracks chart published by Billboard inside of the United States, with that achievement having followed after 1993's "Big Gun".
Performances of the track have been included on three of AC/DC's live concert DVDs. These include No Bull (of which an audio version is found on the Australian tour edition of Stiff Upper Lip), Stiff Upper Lip Live and Live at the Circus Krone, which is featured in the Deluxe Edition of the 2009 boxset Backtracks. A live version recorded during the band's Stiff Upper Lip World Tour in 2001 at the Stade de France in Paris appears on the 2007 Plug Me In three-disc DVD. It is also featured on the 2012 film Battleship, along with "Thunderstruck".
Critical reception
Pan-European magazine Music & Media noted upon the release of the single, "Like their inbetweenie 'Big Gun', it's produced by fan Rick Rubin, which marks a return to the original dry blues rock sound after a "pompous" period with Bruce Fairbairn."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1995/MM-1995-09-16.pdf|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=12|issue=37|date=16 September 1995|page=10|access-date=17 March 2025}} Music journalist Paul Moody of the British publication NME wrote, "What can Angus and co mean? 'Hard as a Rock' finds the DC, deliriously, back to the sort of form that made them high priests of gonzo rock several million years ago. Angus clunks out the sort of riff Billy Duffy spent ten years looking for in The Cult. 'Uncle' Brian Johnson starts howling the title in a manner not dissimilar to a castrated wildebeest and, erm, that's it, full throttle to the brain-scrambled mega-orgy of your choice. Not quite as testicle-crunchingly mega as 'Highway to Hell' or ultra-subtle 'live fave' 'The Jack', but no worries."{{cite magazine|first=Paul|last=Moody|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/53561004827/|title=Singles|magazine=NME|date=23 September 1995|page=44|access-date=13 March 2024}}
Music video
The music video for "Hard as a Rock" was directed by British director David Mallet, and set at the Bray Studios in Windsor, Berkshire. Many fans gathered to be a part of this video, and can be seen in front of the stage, and also seen behind the bars which surrounds the stage the band plays on. Also, in the video, lead guitarist Angus Young is seen playing his Gibson SG on a wrecking ball, which destroys a building. Angus Young had stated in the documentary that he had a fear of heights when doing this before. The video can be seen on the 2000 DVD version of No Bull (which also includes the documentary on how the video was made) and the Backtracks box set.
Track listings
- CD single
- "Hard as a Rock" – 4:30
- "Caught with Your Pants Down" – 4:14
- 7-inch single
- "Hard as a Rock" (LP version) – 4:30
- "Caught with Your Pants Down" (LP version) – 4:14
Personnel
- Brian Johnson – lead vocals
- Angus Young – lead guitar
- Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Cliff Williams – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Phil Rudd – drums, percussion
Charts
See also
{{Portal|1990s}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060512113525/http://www.acdccentral.com/lyrics.html#HAAR Hard as a Rock Song Lyrics]
- [http://www.bassmasta.net/a/ac_dc/115153.html Hard as a Rock Guitar Tabs]
{{AC/DC singles}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Number-one singles in Finland
Category:Songs written by Angus Young
Category:Songs written by Malcolm Young
Category:Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin