In 1975, a Hard Rock Anthem Made History After Bon Scott Forgot To Mention One Crucial Detail About the Bagpipes

The use of the bagpipes in the AC/DC classic "It's a Long Way to the Top" make the track iconic. However, those bagpipes have a fun backstory.

When the 1975 hard rock anthem was being created, it didn't originally have the bagpipes. It was producer (and elder brother of Malcolm and Angus Young) George Young who realized that it needed something extra, just to add an oomph to the song, and that's when Bon Scott shared a bit of his past. He used to play in a pipe band.

So, off went Young to get some bagpipes. When Scott didn't tell anyone was that he played the drums in the band. He had to quickly figure out how to play the bagpipes, and even then, it was with the chanter - a record-type instrument that is used for teaching the bagpipes. The use of the drones within the music had a bigger story.

Mark Evanstold the story, sharing that after buying the bagpipes, Scott owned up to the lack of detail when it came to the position he had in the pipe band. The band then figured out how to make the drone sounds, sharing in an interview that they would blow "the drones individually and then the tape looped, and [they] got the chanter."

As much as the song became an iconic hit, it ended up "becoming a bit of a hassle" for any live performances. The band had to tune all the instruments to the drone of the bagpipes, because the drone is permanently locked to a B-flat.

It meant AC/DC didn't play the song live all that much, with Evans saying, "we probably played the song live maybe 30 times most." Since the death of Scott, the song hasn't been played live, as frontman Brian Johnson thought it would dishonor Scott.

Yet, it's become one of the most iconic songs and is one of those that most fans of the classic rock band will name first.

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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 12:16 PM.