AC/DC As A Global Economic Indicator

Some alert journalists have noticed what appears to be a connection between the success of Australian hard rockers AC/DC and the health of the global economy. As reported on a blog from the financial section of Canada’s National Post, successful album releases from AC/DC, tend to coincide with gloomy economic conditions.

With their latest album, Black Ice, taking a turn at the very top of the charts in 29 countries, keen observers have noticed that there were concerns regarding the economy 28 years ago when AC/DC last enjoyed success at the top of the charts after the release of Back In Black in 1980.

The economy faced another bout with poor health back in 1991 when The Razor’s Edge was released. That album contained one of the group’s most successful hit singles, “Thunderstruck,” which is apparently a very popular track that’s used a lot during hockey games. I won’t question any claims regarding hockey coming from a Canadian, so I’ll take that as gospel.

Many of us also remember the infamous tech bubble back around 2000 when the internet did not take off quite as quickly as a lot of investors and venture capitalists had hoped. As a result, the bubble burst and the economy found itself suffering with another round of illness. No worries for AC/DC however. The group released Stiff Upper Lip, which wound up being certified platinum with more than a million sales in the U.S.

With eight years passed since AC/DC’s last album was released, some might wonder if Black Ice might be the last one that we get from the group. As a classic rock fan, I’m not particularly anxious to see AC/DC retire, but I have to wonder if it might benefit the economy in the long run.

Before you start calling me names, AC/DC fans should know that I was just joking. Heck, maybe the success of Black Ice will mark the bottom point of this current economic crisis, and we’ll soon see signs of a recovery.