The song's lyrics are based on a real event. On December 4, 1971, the band members were in Montreux, Switzerland to record songs for their new album. On the same day, the great Frank Zappa was giving a concert at the city's Casino with his band Mothers of Invention. During the performance of the song King Kong, a firecracker was launched from the audience. It hit the flammable ceiling of the hall and immediately the entire Casino building complex was engulfed in flames and completely destroyed.
Fortunately, there were no casualties, only a few slightly injured. The damage was extensive and estimated at $12 million, including Frank Zappa's musical equipment. Deep Purple members from their hotel could see the smoke from the burning Casino rising over the lake. Richie Blackmore dug up the first notes of the song and bassist Roger Glover pitched the idea of titling it Smoke on the Water. The lyrics were written later.
Smoke on the Water was one of seven songs on Deep Purple's flagship album Machine Head, released in March 1972. The song was a huge success, despite the band members' predictions to the contrary, and was also released as a single in 1973. Since then, it has been a staple in the concert repertoire of Deep Purple, the individual groups formed by their members, and any self-respecting electric guitarist who has the opportunity to solo and show off their virtuosity.
Smoke on the Water was honoured by the city of Montreux with a statue on the shores of Lake Geneva, including the band's name, the title of the song and the riff with notes. In 1994, 1,322 guitarists gathered in Vancouver, Canada to play the famous riff and enter the Guinness Book of World Records. Their record lasted 13 years and was broken on June 3, 2007 by 1,683 guitarists who responded to an invitation from a radio station in Kansas City, Kentucky.
Source:sansimera.gr
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