Music Blog

Highway Star: Made In Japan

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for Jim Adams’
Song Lyric Sunday.
Here’s what I have to say.

© Discogs

This week for Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday theme, “Performing Showcase”, the challenge is to write about a song from a live album. I have chosen a song by one of the greatest bands of all time and definitely one of my favorites.

Deep Purple got its start in London in 1968. Originally formed as a psychedelic and progressive rock band, the group shifted to a heavier sound in 1970 with their album Deep Purple In Rock. In the early to mid-seventies, Deep Purple had been referred to as “Britain’s hardest and heaviest metal group” and was listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records as “the globe’s loudest band”  for a 1972 concert at London’s Rainbow Theatre.

Just like any other band who has endured the test of time and is still touring today, Deep Purple has had multiple reincarnations. For me, the greatest lineup is the one here: Ritchie Blackmore (lead guitar), Jon Lord (keyboard, strings), Roger Glover (bass), Ian Gillan (lead vocals), and Ian Paice (drums). These days Deep Purple performs with original members Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ian Paice as well as Don Airey (keyboardist) and Steve Morse (lead guitar). To date, the band has sold more than 100 million albums.

It’s been said that Deep Purple’s Made in Japan is cheaply made, wildly popular and frequently reissued; all that is true. The live album was recorded during three nights in Osaka and Tokyo in August 1972 during the band’s first tour of Japan. Initially intended for release only in Japan, the album was later released worldwide to critical and commercial acclaim.

The set was bare bones, as if the band was performing less for the crowd or the tape machines or the cameras and more for the sheer enjoyment of jamming and laying down some tracks. In truth, while watching the videos this weekend, the first thought that came to mind was that the guys in the band looked like they could have been practicing in Ritchie Blackmore’s mother’s garage! Keyboard player Jon Lord later explained: “We were all so unconcerned about the whole thing that nobody was actually aware of being recorded. There was no diminution of the interplay, spontaneity and feeling that we usually get onstage”.

“Highway Star” first appeared on the 1972 studio LP Machine Head and remained one of the band’s live concert staples, being the opening song even before it was released on any album. However, the most famous live version is featured on Made in Japan. The Guardian said, “Blackmore’s playing is like a force of nature on the Made in Japan version; those slashing chords in the intro, and that amazing solo featuring the distinctive neo-classical descending runs, combining the spirits of Bach and Hendrix.” A 2012 readers’ poll in Rolling Stone magazine declared Made in Japan to be the sixth best live album of all time, adding the band has performed “countless shows since in countless permutations, but they’ve never sounded quite this perfect.”

This adrenaline-fueled rocker is said to be about a man and his love for his high-powered car, which he claims can out-race anything else on the road. There’s always been a bit of ambiguity as to whether the song is really about a car, a woman or amphetamines … all can be fast, he loves it, he needs it, it turns him on and makes him feel good. You decide for yourself; for me, I’m happy sticking with the car.

“Highway Star” spawned a sub-genre of heavy metal known as “speed metal”, later popularized by bands such as Motörhead and Metallica. It is also reported to be responsible for many speeding tickets!

From the live album Made in Japan, this is “Highway Star” by Deep Purple.


LYRICS

“This one is called Highway Star. Yeah!”

Nobody gonna beat my car
I’m gonna race it to the ground
Nobody gonna beat my car
It’s gonna break the speed of sound
Ooh, it’s a killing machine
It’s got everything
Like a driving power
Big fat tyres and everything
I love it and I need it, I feed it
Yeah, it turns me on
Alright, hold tight
I’m a highway star, yeah

Nobody gonna take my girl
I’m gonna keep her to the end
Nobody gonna take my girl
She stays close on every bend
Ooh, she’s a killing machine
She got everything
Like a moving mout
Body control and everything
I love it, I need it, yeah
Yeah, she turns me on
Alright, hold tight
I’m a highway star

Nobody gonna take my head
Now that I’m on the road again
Nobody gonna take my head
I gonna beat my…, yeah, yeah
Ooh, I’m in heaven again
I got everything
Like an open road
All my friends and everything
I love it and I need it, I feed it
Yeah, it turns me on
Alright, hold tight
I’m a highway star

“Oh, my soul“

Nobody gonna take my car
I’m gonna race it to the ground
Nobody gonna take my car
It’s gonna break the speed of sound
Ooh, it’s a killing machine
It’s got everything
Oh, a moving mouth
Big fat tyres and everything
I love it and I need it, I bleed it
Yeah, it turns me on
Alright, hold tight
I’m a highway star
I’m a highway star
I’m a highway star

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Blackmore/Gillan/Glover/Lord/Paice
Made In Japan lyrics © Mauve Music Inc

Performing Showcase

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

Thanks for stopping by and listening to some tunes.

That’s all she wrote, kids. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2025

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy’s Notes 🖊️🎶, The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, The Rhythm Section, et al., and are not for use by anyone without permission. NAR©2017-present.

51 thoughts on “Highway Star: Made In Japan”

  6. “Made in Japan” – good ole days! 🙂

    While it certainly hasn’t suffered from obscurity, “Highway Star” remains one of my favorite Deep Purple songs. As such, I dig the live version of “Made in Japan,” though I prefer the studio version on “Machine Head”, which still is my favorite hard rock album of all time! 🙂

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        1. He was the best! He recorded the original Broadway cast album but did not appear in the production because of his Deep Purple obligations. I wonder how different his life would have been if he did appear in the Broadway production of Superstar.

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  11. I can see the critics are back again, but that seems normal now. I never had a fast car, but most of my friends drove Corvettes, Chevelles or GTOs. I spent my money on getting a nice stereo, where the music would ramp me up and I didn’t have to worry about getting a speeding ticket, although I did get a few of them. I loved your choice Nancy, and it was great to hear this song again and read your very informative post.

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    1. Everyone’s a critic! I forget who said that but I’m trying to be more tolerant of people who don’t know their ass from their elbow!

      We never had fancy cars when we were first starting out but we did have a great stereo system and put it to good use every night. This album in particular was one of my favorites. We knew how to have fun and it really got the action going. Thanks for a great challenge and a terrific comment, Jim.

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      1. That statement is often attributed to SpongeBob SquarePants and the foolish, ignorant people that lack basic understanding should keep their mouths shut if they don’t have something good to say. You have a wonderful attitude, and I am glad that we have become good friends, Nancy.

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  13. I’d like to think it’s about the car and the girl with the touch of innuendo. You’ve knocked it out of the park with your choice today, Nancy. Thanks for sharing. I do love Deep Purple. The video you found is fantastic too. What a great start to my Sunday.

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  14. Deep Purple “Made in Japan” is an absolute classic, Nancy … meanwhile, down here in Aussieland, there were many great live albums from our line-up of great bands, Powderfinger, AC/Dc, INXS, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, but today I’ll choose “Midnight Oil’s” Scream in Blue Live (1992)

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    1. I wish you had a chance to see them, Clive. Definitely the loudest group we ever saw (which is saying a lot). This is one of those groups where each member complemented the other perfectly. This super groups still sounds fresh and new today and can easily go up against anything in this genre and come out on top. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Clive. Happy Father’s Day!

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      1. The loudest I ever saw was Uriah Heep. Absolutely deafening, made the building shake!

        Thanks for your good wishes – I’m having a day of posh cakes provided by my daughters 👍

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  17. Deep Purples never been one of my favourite bands, Nancy, … in fact I couldn’t tell you two of their greatest hits, … but, as with anything else,… with the help of background info, from you, … eyes (or in this case ears) are opened, … I shall be listening via Alexa today, … ‘cos it’s 7am here, I don’t want to shock the neighbours, … have a great Sunday, …💫💙💫

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    1. Hahaha! No, don’t want you getting in any trouble with the folks next door! Well, now you have 1 great song by DP; I guarantee there are many more and Alexa will lead you to them. Thanks for giving DP a try even though they weren’t your favorite, Penn. The mind is a terrible thing to waste!

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