Have you ever wondered about the story behind a song that just grabs you from the first note? “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple is one of those songs. It’s instantly recognizable thanks to that legendary guitar riff, but the story of how it came to be is just as captivating as the music itself. For those who aren’t familiar with the tale, or for younger fans discovering this classic rock anthem, let’s dive into the fascinating real-life events that inspired the Smoke On The Water Song.
In December 1971, Deep Purple traveled to Montreux, Switzerland, with the ambitious goal of recording their next album, Machine Head. Their plan was to set up their recording equipment at the Montreux Casino, a well-known venue, and utilize a mobile recording studio owned by the Rolling Stones.
The band members themselves described their arrival in Montreux in the lyrics of the song:
We all came out to Montreux
On the Lake Geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile
We didn’t have much time
Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention were scheduled to perform at the Montreux Casino the night before Deep Purple was set to begin recording. Eager to experience the acoustics of the venue, Deep Purple decided to attend the Zappa concert. However, the evening took an unexpected and dramatic turn about an hour and a half into The Mothers’ performance.
During the concert, as Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore recounted, someone in the audience, described as “some stupid with a flare gun,” fired a flare gun (accounts also suggest it might have been matches). This reckless act ignited the casino, turning a night of music into a chaotic emergency. As former Turtle Howard Kaylan reportedly yelled “Fire!” referencing Arthur Brown’s hit song, it quickly became clear this was no joke.
Frank Zappa and the Mothers
Were at the best place around
But some stupid with a flare gun
Burned the place to the ground
Remarkably, despite the fire and the loss of Frank Zappa’s equipment, a recording of the concert survived. On this recording, starting around the 1:21 mark, you can even hear Frank Zappa calmly advising the audience to “calmly head for the exits,” a surreal moment captured amidst the unfolding disaster.
Eyewitness accounts detail the rapid escalation of the fire: “Announcements were made from stage as smoke appeared and the audience, which had been seated on the floor, began to make their way out… but the fire then suddenly intensified and threatened to trap people who had been near the stage.” The situation became so critical that fire crews had to break open plate glass windows to help people escape. While the casino’s wooden interior was completely destroyed, and a boiler explosion caused minor injuries, everyone thankfully escaped without serious harm. Deep Purple’s crew managed to save their gear by driving their van to safety.
From their hotel rooms, the members of Deep Purple watched the casino burn. They also observed Claude Nobs, the director of the Montreux Jazz Festival, actively involved in rescuing people from the fire. Nobs, affectionately nicknamed “Funky Claude” by the band, is immortalized in the song for his heroic actions. He also played a crucial role in finding Deep Purple an alternative recording location, and the band dedicated the Machine Head album to him.
They burned down the gambling house
It died with an awful sound
Funky Claude was running in and out
Pulling kids out the ground
When it all was over
We had to find another place
But Swiss time was running out
It seemed that we would lose the race
With their recording plans disrupted and time running out, Deep Purple desperately needed a new song to complete their album. They found a local theater, the Pavillon, and began working on a track built around a guitar riff Ritchie Blackmore had created. However, their loud music sessions at the Pavillon were quickly shut down by the police.
Eventually, the band found refuge at the Grand Hotel, which was empty and cold during the off-season. It was in this unconventional setting that they finally finished recording Machine Head, using the Rolling Stones mobile studio parked outside. The phrase “smoke on the water” itself emerged from the scene of the burning casino and the smoke drifting across Lake Geneva. Accounts differ slightly – some say someone in the band uttered the phrase while watching the fire, others suggest it came to one of them in a dream. Regardless, it perfectly captured the surreal imagery of the event and became the title of their defining song.
We ended up at the Grand Hotel
It was empty, cold and bare
But with the Rolling truck Stones thing just outside
Making our music there
With a few red lights and a few old beds
We made a place to sweat
Despite its now legendary status, “Smoke on the Water” wasn’t initially seen as a standout track by the band. They even planned to release “Never Before” as the album’s first single. However, “Smoke on the water song” resonated with audiences in a way no one anticipated, becoming a massive hit and one of the most recognized rock anthems of all time.
The legacy of “smoke on the water song” is undeniable. It has consistently ranked among the greatest songs and guitar riffs ever recorded. Rolling Stone magazine placed it at number 434 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Total Guitar magazine ranked the riff at number 4 on their Greatest Guitar Riffs Ever list, and Q magazine positioned it at number 12 in their 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.
The Montreux Casino was rebuilt, and recognizing the song’s role in putting Montreux on the global map, a monument dedicated to “smoke on the water song” stands there today as a tribute to the power of rock and roll and the unforgettable story behind this iconic track.
No matter what we get out of this
I know, I know we’ll never forget
Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky
Smoke on the water
Listen to “Smoke on the Water” on Spotify.
Source: Some details about the fire were sourced from Darker than Blue online magazine and Wikipedia.
