Which AC/DC song features bagpipes?

The story behind the answer

The AC/DC song featuring bagpipes is “It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll).” The distinctive instrument appears alongside the band's hard-rock guitars, bass and drums, making the track one of AC/DC's most recognizable recordings.

The song was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott and recorded in 1975. George Young, the band's producer and the older brother of Angus and Malcolm, remembered that Scott had previously been connected with a pipe band and encouraged the experiment. Scott obtained bagpipes and taught himself enough to record the part, despite not being an experienced piper.

The song first appeared on the Australian album T.N.T., released in December 1975, and later opened the internationally released version of High Voltage. Its lyrics describe the hardships of life on the road for a working rock band.

Live performances were difficult because the band had to tune around the bagpipes' drone. The famous 1976 music video, filmed in Melbourne with pipers on a flatbed truck, helped make the song an enduring Australian-rock landmark.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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