Deep Purple – Smoke on the Water

About The Song

“Smoke on the Water” is a song by the English rock band Deep Purple, released as a single in May 1973 from their sixth studio album, Machine Head, which was issued in March 1972 by Purple Records in Europe and Warner Bros. Records in the US. Written by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice, the track was produced by Deep Purple with engineering by Martin Birch. Recording occurred in December 1971, initially at the Montreux Casino’s Pavilion theatre in Switzerland, then at the Grand Hôtel de Territet after a fire disrupted plans. The single’s B-side featured a live version from the album Made in Japan.

The song achieved significant chart success. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 26, 1973, peaking at No. 4 on July 28, 1973, and charted for 16 weeks. It ranked No. 34 on Canada’s RPM year-end chart for 1973 and No. 50 on the US Billboard year-end Hot 100. Internationally, it reached No. 2 in Canada (RPM Top Singles), No. 7 in South Africa (Springbok Radio), No. 11 in Australia (Kent Music Report) and the Netherlands (Single Top 100), No. 20 in Germany (GfK), No. 21 in the UK (OCC, 1977 reissue), No. 27 in Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders), and No. 64 in France (SNEP). The Machine Head album hit No. 1 in the UK and No. 7 in the US, selling over 2 million copies in the US alone. The song earned a 2017 Grammy Hall of Fame induction and ranks No. 426 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs (2004) and No. 4 on Total Guitar’s Greatest Guitar Riffs (2004).

The song’s creation was inspired by a real event on December 4, 1971, when a fire destroyed the Montreux Casino during a Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention concert. A fan fired a flare gun at the venue’s rattan-covered ceiling, as referenced in the lyric “some stupid with a flare gun.” Deep Purple, planning to record there using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, witnessed the blaze. Bassist Roger Glover coined the title “Smoke on the Water” days later, inspired by a dream, as he recalled in a 2007 Classic Rock interview. The band relocated to the Grand Hôtel, converting its hallways into a makeshift studio with Claude Nobs, Montreux Jazz Festival director, assisting. The iconic riff, crafted by Blackmore on a Fender Stratocaster, was recorded after an initial attempt at the Pavilion, where police halted sessions due to noise complaints from neighbors.

Production details include Jon Lord doubling Blackmore’s riff on a Hammond C3 organ through a Marshall amp for a gritty tone, as noted in the Classic Albums documentary on Machine Head. Blackmore, in a 2004 Guitar World interview, likened the riff to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony inverted, emphasizing its simplicity. The vocals were recorded at the Grand Hôtel, with Gillan’s lyrics finalized after Glover’s title suggestion. A 2024 Super Deluxe Edition of Machine Head included a remix by Dweezil Zappa and a music video released on March 3, 2024, directed by Dan Gibling and Luke McDonnell. The song was not an immediate single choice; “Never Before” and “Highway Star” were released first, as Roger Glover expected the latter to be the hit, per a 2016 uDiscovermusic article. A Montreux sculpture honoring the song, featuring its riff in musical notes, was removed by 2017.

Video

Lyric

We all came out to Montreux
On the Lake Geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile, yeah
We’re gonna spend our time
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

They burned down the gambling house
It died with an awful sound
Funky Claude was running in and out
Pulling kids out the ground
When it all was over
We had to find another place
But 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

We ended up at the Grand Hotel
It was empty, cold, and bare
But with the Rolling truck Stones thing just outside
Making our music there
With a few red lights, 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