"Shot in the Dark" is a single by Australian rock band AC/DC from their seventeenth studio album Power Up. The song was recorded late 2018 to early 2019. It was released on 7 October 2020, and is the band's first single released since 2015's "Rock the Blues Away" from their album Rock or Bust. The song was used as the official theme for WWE Survivor Series and is part of the MLB The Show 21 soundtrack.
The song was nominated for two Grammys for the 64th Grammy Awards, Best Rock Performance and Best Music Video.
At the APRA Music Awards of 2022, the song was nominated for Most Performed Rock Work. It ultimately won that award.
On 7 October 2023 the band played the song live for the first time at the Power Trip festival, the bands first show since 2016. They are currently playing the song on their Power Up Tour.
Music video The music video, directed by David Mallet, premiered on AC/DC's YouTube channel on 26 October 2020.
Release On 1 October 2020, the band teased the new single in a 30-second video posted on Twitter, appearing to power up the amp with its iconic lightning bolt logo while playing the song, and noting PWR/UP, short for Power Up. AC/DC went on hiatus after completing their Rock or Bust tour in 2016, which featured Guns N' Roses singer, Axl Rose. In 2018, members Brian Johnson, Phil Rudd, and Cliff Williams rejoined the band after the two-year hiatus. On 5 October 2020, the band shared another short clip composed of behind-the-scenes footage featuring brief appearances by all five members of the band.
Personnel AC/DC Angus Young – lead guitar, backing vocals Brian Johnson – lead vocals Cliff Williams – bass guitar, backing vocals Phil Rudd – drums Stevie Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Additional personnel Brendan O'Brien – production Mike Fraser – engineering, mixing Ryan Smith – mastering Billy Bowers – additional engineering
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "Shot in the Dark" Chart (2020) Peakposition Australia Digital Tracks (ARIA) 3 El Salvador (Monitor Latino) 12 New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) 5 UK Singles Sales (OCC) 30 UK Singles Downloads (OCC) 25 US Digital Song Sales (Billboard) 5
Year-end charts +Year-end chart performance for "Shot in the Dark" Chart (2021) Position US Hot Hard Rock Songs (Billboard) 9 US Rock Airplay (Billboard) 24
Certifications
References