See AC/DC’s 1981 Performance of ‘What Do You Do for Money Honey’
Rare footage has emerged of AC/DC performing “What Do You Do for Money Honey” in 1981.
The video comes from a concert in Tokyo during the band’s Back in Black Tour. The performance originally aired on a Japanese television program, and the newly released video still features the graphics and logos from that broadcast.
In the footage, singer Brian Johnson is seen hyping up the crowd with his rare blend of dynamic vocals and exuberant stage presence. A shirtless Angus Young wails alongside him on guitar, including a blistering solo roughly a minute into the performance. Rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd also enjoy some brief camera time, though they spend the majority of the song perched behind their dynamic leads.
You can watch AC/DC’s 1981 Tokyo performance of “Watch Do You Do for Money Honey” below.
The song was originally featured as the third cut on AC/DC’s legendary Back in Black album. Released in 1980, the LP was the band’s first without Bon Scott, the singer who died from acute alcohol poisoning in February that year. Faced with incredibly difficult shoes to fill, Johnson rose to the challenge, helping AC/DC craft one of their most iconic releases. Back in Black still ranks among the best-selling albums in history, with more than 25 million copies sold in the U.S.
The rare Tokyo “What Do You Do for Money Honey” performance and a second live video for “You Shook Me All Night Long” are being uploaded to the band’s official YouTube for the first time in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Back in Black on July 25. Both videos were previously included in the band’s Plug Me In DVD package, which was released in 2007.
Video courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment