#  The “horrible” 1985 number one that Brian Johnson admits “still makes me puke to this day”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-horrible-1985-number-one-that-brian-johnson-admits-still-makes-me-puke-to-this-day/
- Published: 2026-11-04T09:47:17+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T02:53:23+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1985-number-one-that-brian-johnson-admits-still-makes-me-puke-to-this-day/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Johnson still detests Starship’s “We Built This City”.
- The 1985 hit sold over a million copies worldwide.
- AC/DC resisted pressure to alter its sound.

## Summary

Brian Johnson has singled out Starship’s “We Built This City” as a symbol of the commercial rock sound he despised in the 1980s. His criticism reflects AC/DC’s resistance to pressure from music executives to reshape their sound for wider exposure.

The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1985 and sold more than 500,000 copies in the US and over a million worldwide. In a 2008 interview, Johnson said it still made him feel sick; he also recalled rejecting an executive’s suggestion that AC/DC imitate Judas Priest, despite the band receiving little radio or television exposure.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.