It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) - Recorded Cover Versions

Recorded Cover Versions

Performed by:

  • Jack Black School of Rock Motion Picture (2003)
  • Pat Boone In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy (1997)
  • Dead Moon Destination X (1999)
  • Dropkick Murphys The Singles Collection, Vol. 2 (2005)
  • Electric A Tribute to AC/DC (2006)
  • John Farnham Age of Reason (1990)
  • John Farnham & Tom Jones - Together in Concert (2005)
  • Iced Earth (Tribute to the Gods (2002)
  • Lemmy Cover Me In '80s Metal (Fantastic Price Records, 2006)
  • Local H Pack Up The Cats B-Side
  • The Meanies Fuse Box – An Alternative Tribute (1995)
  • Melbourne Ukulele Kollective, ABC-TV's Spicks and Specks (2006)
  • Motörhead Thunderbolt: A Tribute to AC/DC (1998)
  • Nantucket Long Way to the Top (1980)
  • Scarlett Pomers A Millennium Tribute To AC/DC (2010)
  • Rawkus AC/DC: Hometown Tribute (2002)
  • Sandra Weckert Bar Jazz (2003)
  • The Wiggles The Andrew Denton Breakfast Show - Musical Challenge (2000)
  • Lucinda Williams (Little Honey (2008)
  • Thunderstruck (Original Soundtrack (2004)
  • Eric Fish Gegen den Strom (2007, as Ein langer Weg in German)

The song was covered during the credit sequence of the movie School of Rock, performed by Jack Black and the class of children he taught while masquerading as a teacher. However, the children ad-libbed their own lyrics towards the end of the song.

Billy Corgan covered the song live as an encore on almost every show during his 2005 tour supporting his debut solo effort TheFutureEmbrace.

A dramatic re-interpretation was released by Norwegian duo Susanna and the Magical Orchestra (a.k.a. Susanna Wallumrød and Morten Qvenild) in late summer 2006 on their second album Melody Mountain, which consists entirely of cover versions. Their style is slow and melancholic with only cembalo accompaniment to Wallumrød's pure vocal, and brings out the essential sadness of the song.

The band Hanson performed this song during some of the shows on the "Walk around the World" tour, often inviting the opening acts back on stage to sing together.

Melbourne Ukulele Kollective frequently play the song live, the most notable performances being during ABC-TV's Spicks and Specks in 2004; and during the Australia Day flag-raising ceremony and people's march in 2009.

German Medieval Metal Band In Extremo played the song on their Tranquilo-Acoustic Tour in 2009 on German Bagpipes.

On the 34th anniversary of the filming of the music video, it was recreated as part of the SLAM (Save Live Australian Music) rally, to protest liquor licensing laws which threaten live music. About ten thousand protesters marched down Swanston Street and up Bourke Street to the Victorian Parliament House, accompanied by the RocKwiz band on a flatbed truck playing the song.

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