Back in Black by AC/DC

Overview

Key: E major · Chords used: 7 · Sections: 11

Form: Intro → Verse → Chorus → Verse → Chorus → Solo → Chorus → Bridge → Chorus → Interlude → Outro

Where these chords come from: an expert transcription of the original recording made for the Rock Corpus RS 200 (de Clercq & Temperley, 2011), analysis by Trevor de Clercq. This page shows that transcription as-is: the analysis below is generated directly from it by code, not written by AI. Consecutive repeats of a chord are shown once, and the piano voicings are our playable arrangement of each chord symbol, not a note-for-note transcription.

Section by section

Intro

• E – D – A/C♯ (×4)
  I – bVII – IV⁶

Verse 1

• E – D – A/C♯ (×4)
  I – bVII – IV⁶

Chorus 1

• A – E – B (×2)
  IV – I – V
• G – D – A (×2)
  bIII – bVII – IV
• E – B – A – E – B – G – D
  I – V – IV – I – V – bIII – bVII

Verse 2

Same chords as Verse 1.

Chorus 2

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Solo

• E – D – A/C♯ – E – D – A/C♯ – E – A – E – A (×4)
  I – bVII – IV⁶ – I – bVII – IV⁶ – I – IV – I – IV

Chorus 3

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Bridge

• E – A – E
  I – IV – I

Chorus 4

Same chords as Chorus 1.

Interlude

• Am
  iv

Outro

• E – D – A/C♯ – E – D – A/C♯ – E – A – E – A (×3)
  I – bVII – IV⁶ – I – bVII – IV⁶ – I – IV – I – IV
• E – D – A/C♯ – E
  I – bVII – IV⁶ – I

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• D (bVII) is borrowed from the parallel key, E minor.
• G (bIII) is borrowed from the parallel key, E minor.
• Am (iv) is borrowed from the parallel key, E minor.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords and sections: the Rock Corpus RS 200 (de Clercq & Temperley, 2011), analysis by Trevor de Clercq. Expert by-ear harmonic analysis of the original recording, shown on this page.
• Cross-check: the Rock Corpus RS 200 (de Clercq & Temperley, 2011), analysis by David Temperley. Independent by-ear analysis of the same recording. The two analysts agree on the chord (root and major/minor) for 83% of the song.
• Not verified: the two RS 200 analysts differ in places (see their agreement above).
• Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.