If you’ve ever picked up a guitar it’s nearly a guarantee that you’ve attempted to play “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple. It’s one of the most iconic riffs of all-time outside of maybe “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne or “Back in Black” by AC/DC, immediately recognizable for both its simplicity as well as its sheer groove. The backstory behind the song makes the mythical qualities of the riff even more compelling– on the eve of a recording session set to take place at the Montreux Casino for Machine Head, the band went to go and see a Frank Zappa concert in the casino’s theatre. During one of the songs some yokel in the crowd fired off a flare gun into the ceiling, setting the casino ablaze and completely destroying the space where Deep Purple was going to record. This incident inspired the band to record this song, with numerous references to the event littered all the way throughout the song– the smoke from the fire spreading out over Lake Geneva as the band watched the casino burn, the references to “some stupid with a flare gun”, and the infamous “Funky Claude” who was Claude Nobs and saved multiple lives that night during the escape.
Every great guitar riff has a story behind it, but no one is topping this one.
Standout Songs: “Smoke on the Water”, “Pictures of Home”, “Highway Star”
