- - AC/DC's 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' Hits 50 This Year

Jacqueline Burt CoteFebruary 10, 2026 at 10:00 PM

0

Photo by Chris Walter on Getty Images

This year is a big one for important rock album anniversaries, with records like Frampton Comes Alive, Hotel California and Blondie's self-titled debut all turning 50 in 2026. Another legendary album celebrating its 50th birthday is AC/DC's Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap...although that one has a slightly more complicated timeline.

While Dirty Deeds...was released in Europe, Australia and New Zealand in 1976, it wasn't officially released in the U.S. until 1981, over one year after lead singer Bon Scott died (he was replaced by Brian Johnson in 1980).

“We didn’t have much time to do that album," founding member and guitarist Malcolm Young recalled about the making of Dirty Deeds...in a 1992 interview with Metal CD, per Classic Rock.

“After High Voltage we seemed to be touring constantly," Young continued. "Then we signed the record deal to go over to England and just as we’d completed the tour. They told us we had to do another album. All we did was go straight into the studio after doing the night’s gig and knock up some new ideas.”

When it came to the album/song's name, Young credited his brother and bandmate with the idea.

“It was Angus that came up with the song title, 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,'" Young explained, adding, "It was based on a cartoon character that had the phrase as his calling card [Dishonest John in the TV cartoon Beany And Cecil]."

"'Big Balls' was the other one from that record that sticks in the mind," Young said. "It was just a bit of a joke, a bit of fun. We needed to fill up the album, someone came up with a rumba or a tango, and Bon started writing these hilarious words. Bon loved an innuendo and he was obsessed with his balls.”

Dirty Deeds...peaked at #3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart upon its release, and half a century later, it's still attracting plenty of listeners. At the time of this writing, the album on the whole has racked up over 600 million streams on Spotify, with the title track taking the lion's share of hits with more than 400 million. Coming in at a distant second place? "Big Balls," with 60,623,879 streams.

Related: This 1981 AC/DC Hit Has Surprisingly Violent Origins

This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”