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"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" | ||||
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Single by AC/DC | ||||
from the album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap | ||||
B-side | "R.I.P. (Rock in Peace)" | |||
Released | 5 October 1976 18 February 1977 (UK)[1] | (Aus)|||
Recorded | 1976 | |||
Studio | Albert (Sydney) | |||
Genre | Hard rock | |||
Length | 4:11 | |||
Label | Albert | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
AC/DC singles chronology | ||||
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"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" is a hard rock song by the Australian band AC/DC. Written by group members Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott, it was recorded for the title track of their album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, released in September 1976.
It was also released as a single – first in Australia in October 1976 with "R.I.P. (Rock in Peace)" as its B-side, and then in the UK in February 1977 as a maxi-single with "Big Balls" and "The Jack" as its B-sides. Once the Dirty Deeds album was finally released in the US in 1981 the "Dirty Deeds..." single was released there (backed by "Highway To Hell"), where it reached number four on the then-new Mainstrem Rock Tracks chart.
The song ranked No. 24 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs[2] and in 2009 it was named the 31st best hard rock song of all time also by VH1.[3]
It features a backing vocal consisting of a heavy breathing sound, made on the downbeat during verses. It also features the title in a spoken-word style at the end of the chorus; plus a scream at the end of the song. The full-length recording (approximately 4:11) has the title of the song chanted four times starting at 3:09, but on the more common edited version (approximately 3:51) the chant is heard only twice.