What is the opening track on AC/DC's 1980 album 'Back in Black'?

The opening track on AC/DC’s 1980 album Back in Black is “Hells Bells.” Its tolling bell and slow, imposing guitar riff create one of the most recognizable openings in hard rock.

“Hells Bells” was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Brian Johnson. It was the first song on Back in Black, AC/DC’s seventh studio album and its first release with Johnson as lead vocalist. The album followed the February 1980 death of Bon Scott, and the song’s dark, ceremonial atmosphere helped establish the record as both a tribute and a new beginning for the band.

The album was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, between April and May 1980, with producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange. The bell heard in the introduction was not simply a standard studio effect: a large bronze bell was recorded separately at the John Taylor bell foundry in Loughborough, England, using a mobile recording setup.

Listeners sometimes confuse “Hells Bells” with “Back in Black,” the album’s title track, or “Shoot to Thrill,” another major song from the record. Neither opens the album; “Hells Bells” sets the tone before the second track begins.