That’s about as much as I can suggest somebody do because there’s ingrained memories of the song in peoples’ minds.” “So, say, on the solo, I take it a out a little bit and do it my way for a little bit, and then bring it back to more like the original, and wrap it up with a lick that everybody would recognize. “On a tune that I didn’t write like ‘Smoke On The Water,’ I try to tread a line between homage and respect and originality,” he said. When we spoke with Steve Morse, who became Deep Purple’s guitarist in 1994, he talked about performing this song live. And there’s always the apprehension that Ritchie (Blackmore) isn’t gonna want to do it, ’cause he’s probably fed up with doing it.” Talking about the song’s merits as live material, Roger Glover said in Metal Hammer, “I think ‘Smoke On The Water’ is the biggest song that Purple will ever have and there’s always a pressure to play it, and it’s not the greatest live song, it’s a good song but you sorta plod through it. It took off when they released it as a US single over a year after the album came out. The band did not think this would be a hit and rarely played it live. “It makes it appear more dark and foreboding. He says that he first took an interest in the form in 1971 when he saw a BBC program called Wives of Henry VIII, and that there is indeed a trace of Renaissance in “Smoke On The Water.” “The riff is done in fourths and fifths – a medieval modal scale,” he explained on MySpace Music. Ritchie Blackmore has an affinity for renaissance music, which he writes and performs in his duo Blackmore’s Night. This prompted Ian Gillan to say “Break a leg, Frank,” into the microphone after recording this for a BBC special in 1972.ĭeep Purple bass player Roger Glover had some doubts about the title: he knew it was great but was reluctant to use it because it sounded like a drug song. He then broke his leg a few days later when a fan pulled him into the crowd at a show in England. The result was a song telling the story of these strange events just days after they happened – the recording sessions took place from December 6-21.įrank Zappa, who is mentioned in the lyrics, lost all his equipment in the fire. They needed one more song, so they put together “Smoke On The Water” using Gillan’s lyric and riff the guitarist Ritchie Blackmore came up with. The band was relocated to the Grand Hotel in Montreux, where they recorded the album using the Rolling Stones mobile studio. This image gave bass player Roger Glover the idea for a song title: “Smoke On The Water,” and Gillan wrote the lyric about their saga recording the Machine Head album. Deep Purple watched the blaze from a nearby restaurant, and when the fire died down, a layer of smoke had covered Lake Geneva, which the casino overlooked. Zappa stopped the show and helped ensure an orderly exit. It was the first thing that came into my head during that jam.”ĭeep Purple was in the audience for the show, and lead singer Ian Gillan recalls two flares being shot by someone sitting behind him which landed in the top corner of the building and quickly set it ablaze. It was a natural riff to play at the time. Ritchie Blackmore: “Ian Paice (Deep Purple drummer) and I often used to jam, just the two of us. The song was credited to Deep Purple…Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice. Smoke on the Water peaked at #4 in the Billboard 100 and #2 in Canada in 1973. The band was going to start recording their Machine Head album there right after a Frank Zappa concert, but someone fired a flare gun at the ceiling during Zappa’s show, which set the place on fire when Deep Purple was watching. Smoke On The Water took inspiration from a fire in the Casino at Montreux, Switzerland on December 4, 1971. This song was based on a true story that happened to the band. I’m not saying best but maybe the most famous….it’s simple for a beginner and sounds great when played right. It’s one of the most popular guitar riffs in rock. I’ve heard it murdered many times and I contributed to the count also. Go to any music store basement right now and some beginner will be playing this riff on guitar.