The_Jack

The Jack

"The Jack" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the third track of their Australian album T.N.T, released in December 1975, and was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott. It is also the third track on the international version of High Voltage, released in May 1976.

This is one of the few slow-paced songs in the band's catalog, and displays a heavy blues influence.

Influences

According to interviews, the song stemmed from real events when the five members of the band were sharing a house. A groupie who had slept with most if not all of the band contracted the disease (gonorrhea) and subsequently accused one of them of giving it to her.

Live recordings

"The Jack" has been included on all of the band's official live albums: If You Want Blood You've Got It (sung by Bon Scott, 1978), Live and its 2 CD Collector's Edition (sung by Scott's replacement Brian Johnson, 1992), Live from the Atlantic Studios (Scott, 1977), and Let There Be Rock: The Movie (Scott, 1979), with the last two being released in 1997 as part of the Bonfire box set. ("Whole Lotta Rosie" is the only other AC/DC song to appear on all five.)

The live recordings of "The Jack" have very different lyrics than the original LP versions. Whereas the LP version of the song uses poker metaphors as sexual innuendo, the live version tells the story in a literal manner.

Live Lyrics (not from Studio Version)

She gave me her mind She gave me her body But it seems to me she gave it to anybody But I made her cry And I made her scream And I curdled her cream But how was I to know that she had been there before She told me she was a virgin She was number 999 on the Clinical List And I had to fall in love with that dirty little bitch.

In the middle of the song, Angus would put away his guitar and perform a mock striptease. At the end of the striptease, he would turn his back against the crowd and pull down his shorts, revealing boxer shorts with a flag pattern (depending on which country the band is performing) before pulling his shorts back up and retrieving his guitar.