Music Blog

The Rock Classic That Almost Wasn’t

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Today’s theme at Song Lyric Sunday
is all about songs that feature great
guitar riffs. Here’s my response. 🎸

My featured song today has one of the most recognizable and oft-played riffs in rock ’n’ roll history – solid, simple and catchy as hell. And yet, as Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan once said, “Smoke On The Water might never have been released”, because initially the band didn’t think of it as anything special. 

In the winter of 1971, when Purple began work on the Machine Head album in Montreux, Switzerland, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore played the riff in their first jam session, and as Gillan recalled: “We didn’t make a big deal out of it. It was just another riff. We didn’t work on the arrangement – it was a jam.” 

But by the end of the recording sessions they came up short of material, and so, in Gillan’s words, “We dug out that jam and put vocals to it.” Blackmore played his Strat and was plugged into – as far as Gillan could recall – “a Vox AC30 and/or a Marshall”. Over that mighty riff, the singer told the true story of how the Montreux casino – where Purple had been scheduled to record – burned down in a fire that started during a Frank Zappa concert. The lyrics “someone stupid with a flare gun burned the place to the ground” were born and with that, a deathless rock classic was created.

This is “Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple.

Lyrics

We all came out to Montreux
On the Lake Geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile, yeah
We didn’t have much time now

Frank Zappa and the Mothers
Were at the best place around
But some stupid with a flare gun
Burned the place to the ground

Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky
(Smoke) on the water, you guys are great

They burned down the gambling house
It died with an awful sound
Funky Claude was running in and out
He was pulling kids out the ground now

When it all was over
Find another place
Swiss time was running out
It seemed that we would lose the race

Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky
Smoke on the water

Burn it down

We ended up at the Grand Hotel
It was empty, cold and bare
The Rolling truck Stones thing just outside
Huh, making our music there now

With a few red lights and a few old beds
We made a place to sweat
No matter what we get out of this
I know, I know we’ll never forget

Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky
Smoke on the water
(I can’t hear anything)

one more time
(Smoke on the water) hey!

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Ian Gillan / Jon Lord / Ritchie Blackmore / Roger Glover / Ian Paice
Smoke on the Water lyrics © Glenwood Music Corp.

Six String

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week. Be sure to check out Jim’s site.

Thanks for stopping by. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2024

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40 thoughts on “The Rock Classic That Almost Wasn’t”

  8. Such a wonderful sound and song. I like that they were telling the true story of what happened that night. We were in Germany when this album came out and we bought it, and played it many times. 🙂

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      1. Guitar World ranked this as #4 on their list of the 50 greatest guitar riffs of all time coming in behind Back In Black – AC/DC, Crazy Train – Ozzy Osbourne and Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin.

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