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1979 song by AC/DC
"
Night Prowler
" is the final track on the 1979
AC/DC
album
Highway to Hell
. It is notable among other AC/DC songs for its slow rhythm, ominous lyrics, and controversy stemming from its association with the mid-1980s
Richard Ramirez
serial killings.
Production
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"Night Prowler" is a
hard rock
song.
[1]
It begins with two deep breaths being taken in quick succession, intended to create a tone of "fear and loathing".
[2]
The song ends with lead singer
Bon Scott
muttering, "Shazbot! Nanu nanu!", the catchphrase used by
Robin Williams
on the popular sitcom
Mork and Mindy
.
[3]
"Night Stalker" controversy
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In June 1985, a highly publicized murder case began revolving around
Richard Ramirez
, who was responsible for more than 15 brutal murders as well as rapes and attempted murders in
Los Angeles
. Nicknamed the "Night Stalker", Ramirez was a fan of AC/DC, particularly the song "Night Prowler". Police also claimed that Ramirez was wearing an AC/DC shirt and left an AC/DC hat at one of his crime scenes. During the trial, Ramirez shouted "
Hail Satan
!" and showed off the
pentagram
carved into his palm. The incident brought extremely bad publicity to the band, whose concerts and albums were suddenly campaigned against by parents in Los Angeles County.
[4]
On
VH1
's
Behind the Music
on AC/DC, the band claimed that while the song had taken on a murderous connotation by Ramirez, it is actually about a boy sneaking into his girlfriend's bedroom at night.
Personnel
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References
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Studio albums
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Compilations
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Live albums
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EPs
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Soundtracks
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Singles
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Video albums
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Tours
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Related articles
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