‘Thunderstruck’: AC/DC Smash Named After Childhood Toy Inspires Bagpipe Legend—The Daily Earworm
Aussie rockers AC/DC scored one of their biggest hits in 1990 with the release of “Thunderstruck” off their album The Razors Edge. Today’s Daily Earworm takes a look at the song’s origins, its success, and the inspiration it provided to a fellow Aussie musician.
The Origin of “Thunderstruck”
Ahead of AC/DC‘s September 24, 1990, release of their 12th studio album, entitled The Razors Edge, the band fired up anticipation in their fanbase with the release of the album’s lead single, “Thunderstruck.” The song started off as a short guitar riff in the mind of Angus Young, and grew from there. His brother Malcolm built on it, and over the course of a few months, the two brothers slowly built the rest of the song. Here is Angus Young’s account of the process from the album’s liner notes, including how they came up with the song’s title:
It started off from a little trick I had on guitar. I played it to Mal and he said “Oh, I’ve got a good rhythm idea that will sit well in the back.” We built the song up from that. We fiddled about with it for a few months before everything fell into place. Lyrically, it was really just a case of finding a good title … We came up with this thunder thing, based on our favourite childhood toy ThunderStreak, and it seemed to have a good ring to it. AC/DC = Power. That’s the basic idea.
The ThunderStreak toy referenced was a hydrofoil toy made by the Ideal Toy Company back in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Early models were rubber band-powered, while later versions evolved to battery power.
The Success of “Thunderstruck”
“Thunderstruck” offered a lot more power than the toy it was modeled after. The single rocketed into the Top 10 in ten different countries, and topped the charts in Finland. The song was one of the best-selling in history, moving more than 15 million copies worldwide and receiving diamond certification in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The popularity of “Thunderstruck” helped The Razors Edge reach the Top 10 in 11 countries, and hit #1 in Canada and Finland. The album was certified platinum or higher in 12 countries and sold over six million copies in the United States alone. “Thunderstruck” was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Video, and the album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.
The Badpiper
After more than 50 years of making music, AC/DC has inspired its share of musicians across multiple generations. One of the more interesting ones, though, comes from their native Australia. A bagpipe player there became an internet sensation when he started playing “Thunderstruck” in the streets while simultaneously shooting flames from his bagpipes. The original video had more than three million views.
Taking on the name the Badpiper, the musician eventually found his way onto “Australia’s Got Talent.” Armed with a new backing band, his flaming bagpipes rendition of the song helped him make it to the semifinals of the competition show. Over the years, the Badpiper has grown his following to the point that he is now touring all over the world, performing “Thunderstruck” and other rock tunes.
“Thunderstruck” Legacy
“Thunderstruck” became one of AC/DC’s biggest hits and one of their trademark songs live. The fan favorite has been used in ads, tv shows, and movies. However, a true testament to the song’s power was the usage of the song in the computer virus used to attack the Iranian nuclear program in 2012, and the blaring of the song from drones by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to deter wolves from attacking livestock in 2025. When Angus Young said that the idea is that “AC/DC = Power,” it seems that big brother was listening.
The Daily Earworm is a daily column that tells the stories, from the historic to the lesser-known, of some of the music industry’s greatest songs, albums, and artists. Here are some other music tales that you may find interesting:
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