AC/DC Fans Are Trying to Pull Off a Christmas Miracle

AC/DC fans are trying to hijack the U.K. singles chart in order to give the band the No. 1 song in the country for the week of Christmas.

A brief backstory for those unaware: In the U.K., a "Christmas Number 1" has long been a big deal. Per Official Charts (the U.K.'s version of Billboard), "The festive top spot is a British institution and is often the most unpredictable chart race of the year. Previous Christmas Number 1s have been claimed by music icons, cartoon characters, punk-rock disruptors, TV talent show winners, and all-star charity records."

Notably, Rage Against the Machine fans were able to get a campaign going in 2009 to get "Killing in the Name" at the Christmas Number 1. They were successful, and Rage donated the sales from "Killing in the Name" during the campaign to charity. As a thank you, the band then performed a concert in London's Finsbury Park on June 6, 2010. That concert has since been released as a DVD concert film.

As for AC/DC, the Facebook page "AC/DC We Salute You" is rallying fans around "Thunderstruck" as the Christmas Number 1. The same group attempted to get "Highway to Hell" as the Christmas Number 1 in 2013. The track only got as far at No. 4 on the Christmas chart. However, it still was the first time an AC/DC song reached the top 10 in the U.K.

The campaign noted of "Thunderstruck," "It is fitting in a way. Last time out, we championed a Bon Scott song. This time, we're championing a Brian Johnson song."

The time period that will help determine U.K.'s Christmas Number 1 kicks off on December 15 at 12:01 AM. It wraps on December 21 at 11:59 PM. While U.S. sales do not factor into this chart, we certainly send a hearty good luck to AC/DC fans in the U.K. We're rooting for you!

The AC/DC catalog can be split into two parts: The Bon Scott years and the Brian Johnson years. For the sake of our latest list, we're going to focus on the Brian Johnson years.

Johnson was officially announced as the new singer for AC/DC on April 15, 1980. Back then, he faced the daunting challenge of following Scott, who had died suddenly in February 1980 just as AC/DC was enjoying international success from their latest album, Highway to Hell.

Not only did Johnson rise to the occasion, but he also helped lead AC/DC with the release of their monster hit Back In Black, which is one of the highest-selling albums of all time moving over 50 million copies worldwide and 25 million copies in the United States alone.

Over the course of the past four decades, Johnson has become one of rock's most iconic and easily recognizable voices ever. His official return to AC/DC in 2020 after a nearly four-year absence due to hearing loss issues was one of the bright spots in an unprecedentedly dark year.

In his honor, here's our ranking of the top 25 Brian Johnson AC/DC songs.

AC/DC announced in February their new European tour dates. This marks the first tour from the band since 2016.

The "Power Up" tour will kick off on May 17 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and will wrap on August 17 in Dublin. Currently, it's unknown whether AC/DC will expand their tour to other continents, but stay tuned.

In a brief statement from the band, they confirmed the lineup for the tour. Brian Johnson will be on vocals and joined by Angus and Stevie Young on lead and rhythm guitar, respectively. Matt Laug, who played with the band at Power Trip in October 2023, will be on drums.

As for bass, AC/DC has recruited Chris Chaney "to carry the torch for Cliff [Williams]." Williams retired shortly after the 2016 tour, but he appeared on AC/DC's 2020 album Power Up. Williams also performed at Power Trip with the band.