AC/DC‘s new song “Shot In The Dark”, the first track the band has released in six years, is featured in the Dodge brand’s 60-second “Family Motto” video. The spot, which celebrates the brand’s historic, recent, first-place finishes in both the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market) and J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS), stars Gary Cole reprising his role as Reese Bobby and the iconic line, “if you ain’t first, you’re last,” from the 2006 Sony Pictures film “Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby” (which featured AC/DC‘s song “T.N.T.”).
The spot opens circa 1981 in Talladega County with Reese Bobby, in a new 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, on a walkie talkie imploring his young son Ricky Bobby, who appears to be driving a 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye and who yells, “I wanna go fast,” to pull the vehicle over. During the chase, Ricky Bobby calls out to his best friend Cal Naughton Jr., who appears to pull up next to Ricky in a 2020 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock and who proudly proclaims, “I had Mountain Dew for breakfast,” to help him outrun his father by using the infamous Shake ‘n Bake maneuver (with a twist!), leaving his father proud and asking his son to remember the family motto, “if you ain’t first, you’re last.”
“In our 60-second film, we needed to stay 100 percent true to the spirit of the original film, while simultaneously communicating the Dodge brand’s record of ‘firsts’ as ranked by our owners,” said Olivier Francois, chief marketing officer. “Maintaining brand authenticity extended beyond Sony Pictures, including our music alliance with Columbia Records and AC/DC, in addition to Gary Cole reprising his role as Reese Bobby, and having the original movie’s cinematographer, Oliver Wood, involved with this project. Together, we were able to accomplish this epic creative endeavor celebrating the Dodge brand’s first-place wins, which could almost be envisioned as a deleted scene from the original movie.”
Midway through the chase, the action stops and Ricky Bobby says to the camera, “Okay, our lawyers just want you to know that this isn’t real,” to which 10-year-old Cal Naughton Jr. says, “my stunt driver is a 45-year-old man!”
“Dodge is honored to be the first domestic brand to rank No. 1 in not only the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, but also the J.D. Power Consumer APEAL Study (mass market) in the same year,” said Tim Kuniskis, global head of Alfa Romeo and head of passenger cars — Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA — America. “And Dodge is launching three 700-plus-horsepower muscle cars this year with the new Challenger SRT Super Stock, Durango SRT Hellcat and Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye, proving that we firmly believe our new ‘Family Motto,’ ‘if you ain’t first, you’re last.'”
The video features the 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye (most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world), the 2020 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock (world’s quickest and most powerful muscle car) and the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat (most powerful SUV ever).
“Shot In The Dark” is the first single from AC/DC‘s long-awaited comeback album. The follow-up to 2014’s “Rock Or Bust” will feature AC/DC‘s 2020 lineup of Brian Johnson (vocals), Phil Rudd (drums), Cliff Williams (bass), Angus Young (guitar) and Stevie Young (guitar). The term “PWR UP”, which is featured in several of AC/DC‘s teasers is apparently the title of the LP, although there has been no announcement yet as to when it might be coming.
The full “Shot In The Dark” song is expected to be released this coming week.
Earlier in the year, prior to the coronavirus outbreak, it was rumored that AC/DC was about to announce a world stadium tour. The trek will apparently include Johnson, who was forced to leave the band mid-tour four years ago due to a dangerous level of hearing loss. He was eventually replaced on the road by GUNS N’ ROSES vocalist Axl Rose.
Two years ago, Brian and Phil, along with Angus and Stevie, were photographed outside Vancouver’s Warehouse Studios. Based on the pictures, the assumption was that AC/DC was in the midst of making — or at least planning — another album, with Rudd and Johnson both back in the lineup.
