About song: Smoke on the Water

“Smoke on the Water” is one of the great songs composed by the British hard rock band Deep Purple released on 1972 album Machine Head. In year 2004, this song was ranked as no 426 on the list of Rolling Stone magazinem. In March 2005, the song was at number 12 in the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks of Q magazine.

“Smoke on the Water” is known for and recognizable by its central theme, a four-note “blues scale” melody harmonised in parallel fourths. The riff, played on a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar by Ritchie Blackmore, is later joined by hi-hat and distorted organ, then drums, then electric bass parts before the start of Ian Gillan’s vocal.

Jon Lord doubles the guitar part on a Hammond C3 organ played through a distorted Marshall amp, creating a tone very similar to that of the guitar. Blackmore uses two fingers to pluck[2] so the pairs of notes can be played exactly simultaneously, to match the organ’s timing more closely.

The song order is intro(riff)-verse-chorus-riff-verse-chorus-riff-solo-riff-verse-chorus-riff-solo. The first solo is performed on guitar by Ritchie Blackmore, and the second and final solo is performed on an organ by Jon Lord until the song fades out.

“Smoke on the Water” was included on Machine Head, which was released in early 1972, but was not released as a single until a year later, in May 1973. The band members have said that they did not expect the song to be a hit, but the single reached number 4 on the Billboard pop singles chart in the United States during the summer of 1973, number 2 on the Canadian RPM charts, and it propelled the album to the top 10. Live performance of the tune, featuring extended interplay between Blackmore’s guitar and Jon Lord’s Hammond organ would become a centerpiece of “Deep Purple’s” live shows, and a version of the song from the live album Made in Japan became a minor hit on its own later on in 1973.

Watch song at YouTube