Smoke on the Water

Buy the Album at Rhino.com

Written by: Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillian, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice
Produced by: Deep Purple
Released: May '73 on Warner Bros.
Charts: 16 weeks
Top spot: No. 4

Keyboardist Lord claimed that the working title for this song was "Durh Durh Durh" -- a transliteration of the riff that some beginner guitarist is probably trying out for the first time right now. The lyrics tell the story of a fan shooting a flare gun during a 1971 Frank Zappa show at the Casino in Montreux, Switzerland, setting the venue ablaze.

Appears on: Machine Head (Rhino)

Next: New Year's Day

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