AC/DC Classic Gets a Surprising Christian Music Transformation

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2 Jun 29, 2026

Some songs don't just play through your speakers. They become part of your story, and you jam out when you’re finishing the laundry and attempting to meet the last deadline of the day. AC/DC is one of those songs, and this AC/DC classic gets a surprising Christian transformation I never imagined in a million years.

For all of us, ’Thunderstruck’ was one of those songs that was loud, unforgettable, and made us feel like rebels in this big world. But did any of us ever imagine it could be a worship song? Yet somehow, that's what Joel Jackson does, and now I can't stop smiling every time it pops into my mind.

Joel Jackson is an up-and-coming worship artist with a head full of fiery red curls and a voice that carries both conviction and joy. He sat down at a piano inside a church sanctuary and breathed entirely new life into the rock classic.

Instead of singing about being ‘Thunderstruck,’ he sings:

I was caught reading one of those old Bible tracts.
Read I needed Jesus, then it was all no turning back.
My mind was racing for my Savior, what should I do?
Then it came to me all of a sudden—tell all the world the Good News.

Then comes the chorus that made me laugh, grin, and worship all at the same time.

And I was praying on my knees.
God, won't You save them, please?
I'm giving God all my time...
I've been Jesus-struck

I don't know how someone manages to take one of the greatest head-banging rock anthems ever written and turn it into something that makes you want to raise your hands instead of your fists, but Joel somehow pulls it off. The original ‘Thunderstruck’ was released by AC/DC in 1990 as the lead single from The Razors Edge. Driven by Angus Young's legendary guitar riff, it quickly became one of the band's signature songs and remains one of the most recognizable rock anthems ever recorded.

But hearing it echo through a church sanctuary with nothing more than a piano and a redeemed heart behind it reminded me of something beautiful: God has always been in the business of redemption. He redeems broken people. He redeems painful stories. Sometimes He even takes familiar melodies and gives them a completely new purpose.

Joel often introduces himself with these simple words: "My name is Joel Jackson and Jesus saved me from suicide and unbelief, so now I sing songs for him."

Maybe that's why these songs resonate so deeply. They're more than clever lyric swaps. They're the sound of a rescued heart overflowing. I have a feeling every time I hear ‘Thunderstruck’ from now on, my mind will quietly change one little word.

Not thunderstruck. Jesus-struck.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17