Rock education: lesson two. To headbangers everywhere, again a non-necessity. You’re already about to rock, you’ve been thunderstruck, and you shoot to thrill. You cried when Bon Scott passed on, threw up those horns when Brian Johnson took his place, stayed up all night endlessly debating the merits of Flick Of The Switch, and you take personal offense to pathetic complaints that “they’re just making the same album over and over again”. For you, you already have the AC/DC t-shirts, the boxer shorts, every battle cry memorized, and side two of Back In Black already spinning as you shake your head at the nonbelievers.

But the rest of you, with your heads still and motionless, might be in need of some mandatory rock education courtesy of the Young brothers. As the world’s biggest rock band, AC/DC is a classic example of what the rock and roll ideology means to so many people. You can watch Angus Young strut on stage, slamming iconic power chords while Johnson screams about just what exactly girls will do for money and know immediately what rock and roll means. AC/DC promises a master’s course in rock theory in the space of three power chords and a high-pitched wail.

So the big question: what important sociological message is AC/DC trying to convey? Absolutely nothing. AC/DC has classically concerned itself with alcohol, women, loud noises, and not much else; their music is a living, breathing extension of their genuine, rock-and-roll lifestyle. AC/DC, other than a few somber moments upon Bon Scott’s death, doesn’t concern themselves with much else than getting your fist in the air, and keeping it there. And what else do true rockers have to worry about? AC/DC’s broad appeal comes from their ability to stay so consistent for so many years. Even as the music industry around them suffers an identity crisis and rapidly switches tones and genres, AC/DC lets nothing change them the way real rock and roll will always remain immortal. In this sense, AC/DC has become rock-and-roll itself, the standard for the genre and the bar everybody will try to jump over until the end of time.

But it’s a high bar to jump over. As rock graduates already know, nothing brings a feeling of raw power quite like AC/DC does. When AC/DC gets called “offensive”, they make their lyrics even more decadent. When AC/DC gets accused of sounding too much like they used to, they’ll bust out Highway to Hell and Girls Got Rhythm and all the oldies just to spite you. When their vocalist and good friend dies young and unexpectedly, an event that would end any lesser band immediately, AC/DC didn’t quit. They came out dressed in black, but rocking harder than ever, and sold more albums as a band than anyone ever has in history. AC/DC’s commitment to stay true only to themselves has inspired millions of people, many of which aren’t even fans of rock music, solely through their unrivaled power, raw energy, and total unwillingness to become something they’re not. AC/DC is likely the only rock band that can sell 200+ million albums and never sell out.