B-side "Back in Black" (live) Format CD single, 7 inch Genre Hard rock | Released 25 June 1993 Recorded 1993 Length 4:24 | |
"Big Gun" is a song by AC/DC. It was released as a single in 1993 and can be heard on the soundtrack to the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Last Action Hero, as well as during reruns of the Savage Nation talk show as bumper music. It was later released on the 2009 box set Backtracks. It became the band's first No. 1 on the Album Rock Tracks chart in 1993.
Contents
AC/DC has played the song live only once during 1996 rehearsals but never at an official show.
Music video
The music video, directed by David Mallet, begins with Schwarzenegger breaking an entrance door to an AC/DC concert. As he walks around the crowd and the stage, observing each band member, Angus kicks his cap towards him. When Schwarzenegger puts on the cap, his clothes morph into Angus' trademark school uniform costume and signature Gibson SG. He then starts imitating Angus' on-stage antics throughout the video, including a scene in which Angus Young actually climbs up on Schwarzennegger's back and rides around the stage perched on his shoulders while continuing to play his guitar chords. The video also features a young Shavo Odadjian, the future bassist for the Armenian-American alternative metal band System of a Down.
The video was similar to the one for "You Could Be Mine" (released to promote Terminator 2: Judgment Day), where Schwarzenegger interacted with Guns N' Roses.
The video was released on Family Jewels Disc 3, part of the 2009 box set Backtracks. It was not released on the original Family Jewels, because it contains scenes from the movie and therefore had licensing issues.
As well as its worldwide release on the Last Action Hero soundtrack, the song could be found on iTunes with the rest of the soundtrack, making it the only song by AC/DC on iTunes. However, it was later removed from iTunes along with "Two Steps Behind" by Def Leppard. The song subsequently returned to iTunes along with AC/DC's entire catalogue, although it still is not available to purchase as a track on the Last Action Hero soundtrack; instead it can be purchased as a song from AC/DC's 2009 rarities boxset Backtracks.
CD maxi-single (US)
- "Big Gun" (Angus Young, Malcolm Young) – 4:25
- "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" (Live in Moscow) (Brian Johnson, Young, Young) – 6:42
- "Back in Black" (Live in Moscow) (Johnson, Young, Young) – 4:26
CD maxi-single (UK)
- "Big Gun" (Young, Young) – 4:25
- "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" (Live in Moscow) (Johnson, Young, Young) – 6:42
- "Shoot to Thrill" (Live at Donington) (Johnson, Young, Young) – 5:45
Personnel
This was the last song to feature then-drummer Chris Slade, before he left AC/DC a year later so that Phil Rudd could return to the band.