Whole Lotta Rosie

"Whole Lotta Rosie" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the eighth and final track on the band's fourth Australian album, Let There Be Rock, released in Australia in March 1977, and was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott. It is also the eighth and final track on the international version of Let There Be Rock, released in June the same year.

It was also released as a single, with a B-side of "Dog Eat Dog", in 1978.

1 Composition
2 Influences
3 Early version
4 Live recordings and performances
5 Trivia
6 Personnel
7 Production
8 External links
9 References

[edit] Composition

The song is about an obese woman, Rosie, with whom the singer has had sexual relations. In addition to pointing out the woman's obesity, the singer finds her to be one of the most talented lovers he's ever experienced.

The song's first verse reveals Rosie's substantial physical measurements (42"-39"-56"), and that she weighs nineteen stone (approximately 266 pounds/120 kilograms). On the Live from the Atlantic Studios disc, however, Scott describes the titular woman as "...a Tasmanian devil... weighs 305 pounds...," a measurement that differs from the "19 stone" lyric.

[edit] Influences

The song's lyrics are based on Bon Scott's actual sexual experiences with an obese woman, whose first name was Rosie.^[1] There is an ongoing search for the real Rosie, although she has yet to be found.^[2]

Some believe the title is a reference to the Led Zeppelin classic "Whole Lotta Love",^{[citation needed]} but it is more likely just a variation of the idiomatic English phrase "a whole lot of [something]": hence the chorus lyric, "you're a whole lotta woman".

[edit] Early version

The song's main riff was also featured on an earlier recording with different lyrics, titled "Dirty Eyes", which saw official release on Volts, part of the Bonfire box set. "Dirty Eyes" features a different chord progression in the chorus, as well as a slower tempo than "Rosie".

[edit] Live recordings and performances

One of AC/DC's most popular songs, "Whole Lotta Rosie" has been included on each of the band's official live albums: three with Scott (If You Want Blood You've Got It, Live from the Atlantic Studios, Let There Be Rock: The Movie, the latter two released in 1997 as part of the Bonfire box set), and also three with Brian Johnson (released on Live, Live: 2 CD Collector's Edition, and also the tour edition of Stiff Upper Lip). The only other song that appears on all five of these releases is "The Jack". A live video of "Whole Lotta Rosie" is also featured on the DVD Family Jewels, from a 1978 performance on the BBC's TV concert series Rock Goes To College, on which Scott refers to Rosie as the "biggest, fattest woman who ever fornicated."

Current live performances of "Whole Lotta Rosie" are accompanied by a giant, inflatable "Rosie" as seen on the Live at Donington video. In March 2005, Q magazine placed the live version from If You Want Blood... at number 16 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.

[edit] Trivia

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After the death of Scott in 1980, Brian Johnson sang "Whole Lotta Rosie" in his audition as Scott's successor.^[3]

Angus the bull, the mascot of Aberdeen F.C., runs out to the riff from "Whole Lotta Rosie".

A live cover version, performed by Guns N' Roses, can be found on their "Live from the Jungle" EP, a CD that was released in Japan but is currently discontinued.

When they play the song live, the crowd usually yells "Angus" Between the opening chords until Bon/Brian starts to sing. This can be heard in the live album: If You Want Blood You've Got It, As well as following live performances.