Before Brian Johnson was singing “Back in Black” to packed stadiums, he was using that iconic rock voice to sell vacuum cleaners. A 1980 Hoover commercial featuring Johnson is drawing interest online decades later.
The future AC/DC frontman can be heard enthusiastically singing about the company’s vacuum. The backing track sounds like a rock song, and Johnson doesn’t exactly hold back.
AC/DC fans have fun with the Hoover gig
The unusual combination of rock and vacuum cleaners gave people plenty to joke about:
“Maybe the lyrics to I Put The Finger On You was actually Brian demonstrating proper operation of the vacuum cleaner?”
“Wouldn’t it have been great if the song said something like, “plug your vacuum into your AC/DC outlet…”
The story behind the commercial makes it even better. Johnson has said the Hoover gig helped convince him to make the trip that would ultimately land him the job as AC/DC’s new frontman.
Brian Johnson was unsure about auditioning for AC/DC
AC/DC was looking for a new singer following the death of their lead singer Bon Scott in February of 1980 at age 33. The band didn’t immediately know if or how it would move forward. Guitarist Angus Young explained in a Metal Hammer story, “We knew the world had lost a big talent and our fans were devastated.” Young added, “Honestly, we didn’t know what to do with ourselves at the time.”
Meanwhile, Johnson had already spent years fronting the British rock band Geordie. He later recalled that those years hadn’t left him with much money.
Johnson received a phone call from a woman asking if he would travel to London for an audition. She wouldn’t initially say which band, but after some prodding revealed it was AC/DC.
He was hesitant to take the audition. He had already tried to make a living in music and wasn’t eager to make the trip to London for another shot at it.
But then André Jacquemin, a British recording engineer associated with Monty Python, called with a paying job. Hoover needed someone to sing an advertising jingle in London.
“I wasn’t gonna do it, but a friend of mine, Andre, phoned us and said: ‘Brian, I have an advert I think would suit you fine. It’s £350.’ That was a big lump of money. It was a proper job, for Hoover,” Johnson recalled.
“And I thought, hang on, I could probably go down and do the AC/DC thing on the same day.”
One vacuum commercial before an iconic career
Johnson took the paying gig with Hoover, belting out the jingle about the company’s “new high-powered mover.” His trademark rasp is already there as he sings, “It also cleans. It also sweeps. It brushes right to the edge.”
The commercial job gave Johnson a paying reason to make the trip to London, where he also auditioned to become AC/DCs new frontman.
The decision worked out well.
On April 15, 1980, AC/DC officially announced Brian Johnson as its new lead singer. Just over three months later, the band released Back in Black with Johnson behind the microphone.
The album would become one of the best-selling records in music history. Not a bad return on a £350 commercial gig. As one fan joked in the comments under the commercial, “They should have played that tune on tour!”
