Format 7-inch single Genre Hard rock | Recorded 1976 Length 4:11 | |
B-side "R.I.P. (Rock in Peace)" Released 5 October 1976 (1976-10-05) | ||
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the title track and first track of their album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, released in September 1976, and was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott.
Contents
- Composition
- Influences
- Controversy
- Live recordings
- Recorded cover versions
- Live cover versions
- Uses in popular culture
- Personnel
- References
It was also released as a single – first in Australia in October 1976 with "R.I.P. (Rock in Peace)" as its B-side, and then in the UK in January 1977 as a maxi-single with "Big Balls" and "The Jack" as its B-sides. Once the Dirty Deeds album was finally released in the US in 1981 the "Dirty Deeds ..." single was released there (backed by "Highway To Hell"), where it reached number four on the then-new Top Tracks chart.
The song ranked No. 24 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs and in 2009 it was named the 31st best hard rock song of all time also by VH1.
It features a backing vocal consisting of a heavy breathing sound, made on the downbeat during verses. It also features the title in a spoken-word style at the end of the chorus; plus a scream at the end of the song. The full-length recording (approximately 4:11) has the title of the song chanted four times starting at 3:09, but on the more common edited version (approximately 3:51) the chant is heard only twice.
Composition
The song's narrator invites people experiencing problems to either call him on 36-24-36, an actual phone number in Australia at the time, or visit him at his home, at which point he will perform assorted unsavoury acts to resolve said problems. Situations in which he offers assistance include those involving lewd high school headmasters and significant others who are either adulterous or who persistently find fault with their partners. As detailed by the song, the "dirty deeds" performed at low cost include:
Two of the services offered share names with AC/DC's first two Australian albums, T.N.T. and High Voltage. They are also the names of songs that appeared on Australia's T.N.T. and the international version of High Voltage. Additionally, the six digits of the telephone number provided by the speaker are the idealized "perfect measurements" of a woman (36"–24"–36" = 90 cm–60 cm–90 cm).
Influences
The phrase "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" is a homage to the cartoon Beany and Cecil, which Angus Young watched when he was a child. One of the cartoon's characters was named Dishonest John, who carried a business card that read: "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Holidays, Sundays, and Special Rates." In the original, unreleased version of the song, the term "Dunder Chief" was used in place of the lyrics "done dirt cheap."
Controversy
In 1981, Norman and Marilyn White of Libertyville, Illinois filed a $250,000 lawsuit in Lake County, Illinois Circuit Court against Atlantic Records and its distributors because, they alleged, their telephone number was included in the song, resulting in hundreds of prank phone calls. Their attorney told the Chicago Tribune that the song's 36-24-36 digits were followed by a "hey!", which to his clients sounded like an "8", thus creating the couple's phone number.
Live recordings
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" has only been included on one official AC/DC live album, 1992's Live, sung by Scott's replacement Brian Johnson. This live version was released as a single. A video clip for the single was released containing footage from the Live at Donington home video, as well as other old clips mixed in the video. This video clip was later released on the DVD Family Jewels Disc 3, as part of the 2009 box set Backtracks.
An earlier version with Bon Scott, recorded live in Sydney (Haymarket) at the Festival of Sydney on 30 January 1977, was released on an Australian only radio 2JJ compilation album titled Long Live The Evolution. This live version was later released on Backtracks.
In 2007 on the Plug Me In three track bonus CD from Best Buy, a live version from Detroit, Michigan, (Joe Louis Arena) 17 or 18 November 1983 was released.
Recorded cover versions
Live cover versions
Uses in popular culture
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (or D4C) is the Stand name of the President of United States (Funny Valentine) in the popular Japanese manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run. In localized versions of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle, all subtitles and text references are changed to "Filthy acts at a reasonable price", and the in-game encyclopedia states that "nobody knows what D4C stands for".
AC/DC's version appears (in edited form) in the 2011 movie Bridesmaids.
The song was going to appear in the video game Grand Theft Auto III, but it was removed for unknown reasons. It is also unknown what radio station it would have appeared on in the game.
The song was used in the 2016 superhero film Suicide Squad, where The Flash (played by Ezra Miller) fights Captain Boomerang (played by Jai Courtney).