The Rock song Angus Young said he wished he had written

Over the past five decades, guitarist Angus Young co-wrote some of the most important Rock and Roll songs of all time with AC/DC. In collaboration with his late brother Malcolm Young and vocalists Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, most of the band’s tracks were written, helping them become one of the best-selling groups in the world.

Although they have an incredible discography, there are still a few songs Angus wishes he had written and he once revealed one of them.

The Rock song Angus Young said he wished he had written

The song Angus said he would have liked to write was “You Really Got Me” by The Kinks, which he considers a great track that concentrates a tremendous amount of power into just a few minutes. He analyzed the song and the musical scene of the 1960s from which it originated when he was asked about the album “Rock or Bust” (2014), which features many short tracks.

“Yeah, it was (deliberate). I guess it goes back in time in the 60s when songs were short and sweet, you know. I mean, when you heard all those great songs, like The Kinks ‘You Really Got Me’. They all packed that power into a few minutes. Then The Who ‘My Generation’, they all were power packed. That’s what we wanted, we wanted as much punch into each track as we done,” he told Triple M.

They were one of Angus’ favorite bands when growing up and it makes perfect sense that he mentioned the 1964 track in an interview with Lockerroom in 2014. Because it was one of the songs that changed the entire landscape of Rock music, opening up countless possibilities within the genre. Written by Ray Davies and with the powerful riff created by his brother Dave Davies, it is considered a blueprint of Heavy Metal music.

What Angus Young said about being in a band formed by brothers like the Kinks

When asked how he and Malcolm never got into a big fight, despite examples like The Kinks and Oasis, Angus Young said: I wouldn’t call them a band (Oasis) (laughs). I suppose maybe in the modern sense. You look at the two Kinks, Ray and Dave Davies. I think they’re a better example. (We get along) just fine, really. I’ve actually got more brothers. All together there were seven boys in the family,” he said. Brian Johnson who was part of the same in interview with Guitar World in 2000, gave an example of how they were also connected with their older brother and producer George Young. “What I love is sometimes Mal or Ang will look at George and just go ‘ummm’. (Then) George will go ‘hmm’ and they’ve just had a conversation. Words don’t get in the way of their communicating,” the singer said.

The core of The Kinks has always been the brothers Ray and Dave Davies, but like almost all bands formed by siblings, tensions can be much higher than in bands formed by friends or people with similar musical interests. Most brothers have disagreements at some point in their lives, but when they are in the same band, those conflicts can become more frequent.

So the relationship between Ray and Dave was not always good, something quite different from Angus and Malcolm Young. The two always maintained a strong bond, with no egos clashing, as they consistently collaborated with one another. Angus has always praised Malcolm and their connection. Once, when asked about The Kinks and Creedence Clearwater Revival as examples of bands formed by brothers

He said:

“He’s (Malcolm) certainly an underrated rhythm guitar player. That’s true. Musically, I’m the left hand and he’s the right hand. Add the two together, we play as one. As for writing, I might have an idea, like the riff for ‘Moneytalks’. I’ll play it for Malcolm when we come to do an album, and he does the same. Then we play critic with each other (and say) “Oh, that’s a good one…,” Angus told Classic Rock in 1992.

Dave Davies showed support for Malcolm Young after he had to retire due to his health

The AC/DC co-founder and rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young sadly passed away in 2017 at the age of 64, a victim of dementia. Because of the disease, he had to retire from the band in 2014. After the news was shared by the band, Dave Davies posted a special message expressing his support for Malcolm.

“Malcolm Young, never give up. Remember all the important ‘tricks’ you learnt and keep going over and over them in your mind. Always exercise your hands and fingers – picking coins from the floor, picking pins from a flat surface, constantly touch the tips of your fingers with the thumb and try to do it faster and faster. Imagine playing your best solos ever in your mind before you go to sleep daily,” Dave Davies said. At the time, Dave had been through a recent health scare, having suffered a stroke in 2013. During recovery he had to re-learn how to play the guitar.

Although AC/DC and The Kinks are from different generations, their older brother George Young has a connection with them. He was part of the successful 60s Australian group The Easybeats, famous for the worldwide hit “Friday on My Mind”. That single was produced by Shel Talmy, who previously worked with The Kinks in “You Really Got Me”. The most famous cover of that song was done by Van Halen, a band Angus admired a lot.