AC/DC rises to a new all-time peak on the Billboard Global 200 as “Thunderstruck” climbs higher than ever and returns to No. 1 on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs list. NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MAY 21: Brian Johnson of AC/DC performs during the Power Up tour at Nissan Stadium on May 21, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
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AC/DC’s catalog is filled with some of hard rock’s most successful songs, but there’s one that stands out from the bunch as perhaps the Australian outfit’s biggest and, some would say, best. “Thunderstruck” seems to be even more popular today than it was when the group released it back in 1990. more than three and a half decades ago.
The tune has taken on new significance to fans all around the world, and it is largely responsible for keeping AC/DC on the Billboard charts. This week, the song returns to the summit on one tally in America and brings the rockers to never-before-seen heights on one of the company’s most competitive lists.
“Thunderstruck” Surges to a New Chart Peak
On the current edition of the Billboard Global 200, the ranking of the most-consumed songs around the planet, which is built using both sales and streaming data, “Thunderstruck” surges 60 spaces north. Last frame, the tune sat at No. 164. Now it’s up to No. 104. That’s a new peak position for the cut.
AC/DC Reaches a New Career High
“Thunderstruck” is one of five songs AC/DC has pushed to the Billboard Global 200 since its introduction in 2020. The track already stood out as the band’s loftiest performer, and as it climbs to a new height, so too does AC/DC.
“Thunderstruck” Extends Its Lead Over All AC/DC Hits
“Thunderstruck” is not only AC/DC’s highest-rising hit on the Billboard Global 200, but also its longest-running. As of this frame, the smash has spent 145 weeks on the 200-space rundown.
Another two tracks, “Back in Black” and “Highway to Hell,” have managed about a month, and they topped out at Nos. 191 and 142, respectively. A pair of cuts, “Shot in the Dark” and “You Shook Me All Night Long,” debuted on the list and then disappeared, opening at Nos. 150 and 199, which remain their peak positions.
“Thunderstruck” Returns to Both of Billboard’s Global Charts
Despite the fact that AC/DC originally hails from Australia, “Thunderstruck” remains a global sensation, thanks largely to American consumption. The single reappears on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., which nearly mirrors the Billboard Global 200, except all consumption from listeners in the U.S. is deliberately left out of the chart’s methodology. This frame, “Thunderstruck” is back at No. 138 after previously topping out at No. 123.
On the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., AC/DC has only scored three successes, and none have come close to matching the long run enjoyed by “Thunderstruck” on the Billboard Global 200. As it returns, the smash earns its forty-first turn on the tally. That’s more than twice as many as “Highway to Hell,” which has only appeared 18 times. “Shot in the Dark” debuted at No. 164 in October 2020 and hasn’t been seen since.
“Thunderstruck” Spends a Tenth Week at No. 1
In America, “Thunderstruck” only manages to make space on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart, which looks at the most-played tracks in that style on platforms such as Spotify. The AC/DC classic vaults from third place to first, returning to the summit. As of this period, “Thunderstruck” has spent a milestone 10 weeks running the show.
AC/DC Has Scored Two No. 1 Streaming Smashes
AC/DC has claimed four hits on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart since first appearing on the tally in November 2020. All of those tunes — “Thunderstruck,” “Highway to Hell,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” and “Back in Black” — have risen into the top three, but only “Highway to Hell” has also managed to conquer the rundown. It did so in the fall of 2020 and has thus far topped the roster twice.
On the list, “Thunderstruck” also stands out as the group’s longest-charting win, with 319 weeks as one of the most-streamed hard rock smashes in the U.S. None of the group’s other compositions have cracked 300 frames, but all of them have held on for years.
AC/DC Fills Three Spaces at Once
AC/DC fills three spaces on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart this week. As “Thunderstruck” once again sits on the throne, “You Shook Me All Night Long” bounds back into the top 10, surging from No. 15 to No. 6, while “Back in Black” reenters the genre-specific register at No. 19.
Back in Black Returns to Two Billboard Charts in America
UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 01: Photo of ACDC (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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In America, it is not The Razors Edge – the album that includes “Thunderstruck” – that charts, but rather Back in Black, AC/DC’s most successful full-length. The set nearly reenters the top 10 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart, pushing from No. 15 to No. 11.
The title finds its way back to both the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart, reentering the roster at No. 42, as well as the all-style Billboard 200, where it can be found at No. 167. Back in Black is one of the longest-charting releases on all three of those tallies, and it will soon crack 650 weeks on the most competitive albums roster in America.