Smoke on the Water

"Smoke on the Water" is a song by the English rock band Deep Purple. It was first released on their 1972 album Machine Head. In 2004, the song was ranked number 434 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, ranked number 4 in Total Guitar magazine's Greatest Guitar Riffs Ever, and in March 2005, Q magazine placed "Smoke on the Water" at number 12 in its list of the 100 greatest guitar tracks.

Composition

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

We all came out to Montreux, on the Lake Geneva shoreline
to make records with a mobile, we didn't have much time

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 usually plays the main riff using a finger pluck or occasionally a plectrum upstroke (to accentuate the tonic).

Smoke on the Water (album)

Smoke on the Water is a compilation album by the British hard rock band Deep Purple, released in 1998.

Track listing

References

Smoke on the Water (Red Foley song)

"Smoke On The Water" is a song written by Zeke Clements and recorded by Red Foley in 1944. The patriotic song, which forecasts destruction for the Axis powers, particularly Japan, was Foley's first song to hit No. 1 on the Folk Records charts, spending 13 weeks at the top and a total of 24 weeks on the chart. "Smoke on the Water" also peaked at No. 7 on the pop charts, and its B-side, "There's a Blue Star Shining Bright (In a Window Tonight)", peaked at No. 5 on the country charts.

Cover versions

References