The next album we’re looking at is 1988’s Blow Up Your Video. A video sounds quite quaint now but I remember when this album first came out and videos were everywhere. I used to regularly go to my local video shop, Titan Video. I find this album super exciting, maybe because it’s the first one that was brand new AC/DC for me, it was released after I’d been listening to them for a couple of years.

We’ve got eleven categories of lyrical content to choose from (and if none of these fit we’ll create new ones). Our categories so far are; sex, gambling, rocking (the importance of), love, personal power/ego, crime, loneliness, parties, the human condition, rejection of social norms and alcohol.

The Songs

Heatseeker – personal power/ego, supporting lyrical evidence “I’m a heatseeker charging up the sky”.

That’s The Way I Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll – Parties, supporting lyrical evidence “Party gonna happen at the union hall”.

Meanstreak – rejection of social norms, supporting lyrical evidence “I ain’t met no one who told me I got class” and “I always kick the castle that’s been built up on the beach” – a very anti-establishment image.

Go Zone – sex, supporting lyrical evidence “when the beaver sing let me out I’m closin’ in”.

Kissin’ Dynamite – sex, supporting lyrical evidence “she plays her games at night”.

Nick of Time – crime, but potentially from the unusual angle of escaping a life of crime, supporting lyrical evidence “Everybody trying to find you guilty, make you want to tow the line”.

Some Sin for Nuthin – I’m going to call this crime, and assume some sins are equivalent to crimes. This song is specifically about gaining from sin, supporting lyrical evidence “Ain’t gonna sin for nothing”.

Ruff Stuff – I’m fairly sure this is about sex but it might be about linen cambric, which is what ruffs were made of in Elizabethan times. Supporting sex lyrical evidence “She like to play around”.

Two’s Up – sex and gambling, supporting sex lyrical evidence “Love the way you girls work out, and make the partnership”, supporting gambling lyrical evidence “Down to my last dime, I ain’t got the sense to leave, the dealer’s cutting fine”.

This Means War – We have a new category here, war. Supporting lyrical evidence “I said this means war, this means war”.

Conclusion – This album is 35% sex, 20% crime, 10% personal power/ego, 10% parties, 10% rejection of social norms, 10% war and 5% gambling.

The next album we’ll look at is 1990’s The Razors Edge.