The Story Behind The Song: Who Made Who - AC/DC

Clairsy & Lisa’s The Story Behind The Song continues with AC/DC’s 1986 smash hit Who Made Who, Malcolm and Angus Young both talk about the making of the song and its connection to Stephen King.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let Me Tell You a Story. On Time, Clearsy releases
the story.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Behind the song Who Made Who ac DC, taken from
their nineteen eighty six album Who Made Who. It was
only one. It was one of only three new tracks
on Who Made Who, because the album is not only
a soundtrack to Stephen King's movie Maximum Overdrive Yes, but
a compilation album featuring tracks from previous albums. The video

(00:26):
was directed by David Mallett, filmed in the lobby of
and on stage at the Brixton Academy Music venue in London.
Fans and radio contest winners were dressed like Angus Young
and carried red cardboard guitars like Anguss Gibson SG.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
So let's get the whole story, you absolutely and let's
be honest list By nineteen eighty five, Fly on the Wall,
the ACDC story that was tarting to struggle a little bit.
Flying the Wall was not received well by critics and
didn't sell well. And this is only three or four
years after the incredible success of Back in Black. And
then for those about the rockwey salute you so they
needed a hit and Angus got approach from the one

(01:01):
and only Stephen King.

Speaker 4 (01:03):
He got in contact with my brother and myself were
in New York and he he was very much a
fan of our music and he asked us if we
would like to write some songs for his He was
making a movie called Maximum Overdrive, and he said it
would be very good if you know, you guys were interested,

(01:23):
and would you write some songs for it. So that's
where Who Made Who came from. It was mainly about
machines and order, the new machines. And you know they
say the computer doesn't mess up. Now you know which
is we all knowed they do. You know, numbers can
go wrong.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
That's why in the video that they were making an angus.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
Yes, it were earlier. And have you have you ever
seen the movie Maximum Overdrive? No, it don't waste two hours.
It's a really bad Amelia West of the movie. I've
never heard of her. Yeah at all today it was
pretty it was pretty bad. Look the song sold five
million copies, but the yeah, but let's be honest. Malcolm

(02:09):
Young there now late great Malcolm Young, that wonderful rhythm
guitarist from band, talked about you know the initial feeling
of Stephen King about the song.

Speaker 5 (02:16):
Who Made Who? Did You know, we came up with
that track and Stephen King hated.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
It, but he ended up he heard it a couple
of times. He said, I've listened to it on where
I listened to it all and it does it's it's
actually I can see it poor now who may do?

Speaker 5 (02:32):
He didn't know what we were talking about. But when
you watch you watched the film, we thought it should
have been made into a comedy to be you know.
Did he come to see this later on after he
came up with quever as his main mainly came his way,
and then he came backstage with his six packs, you know,
and he sat down and had a beer with us.

(02:55):
All he said, well, well, the only thing that was
it was the news.

Speaker 3 (03:02):
The movie was crap. He thought it.

Speaker 5 (03:03):
He says, I'll never direct another movie in my life.

Speaker 3 (03:06):
He hasn't believe he stuck to out. Yeah, it was
a pretty bad film.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
There was no misery.

Speaker 3 (03:13):
Well misery, Oh stop it, my leg's hurting.

Speaker 4 (03:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
What I also find had to believe lace. I mean,
this was a hit. Five million copies of a single
sold in nineteen eighty six. Is that ac DC with
Bran out front? Mangus on guitar. Despite the loss of Malcolm,
is still on the road. They're back touring again thirty
eight years later. There you go, It does unreal. He
made who ac DC the Story behind the song at
ninety six a m.