What inspired the song “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple?
Every human being can play the riff from “Smoke on the Water” on guitar. I don’t care if actually know how to play the guitar, have ever even seen a guitar or if you’re a baby — yes, you can go it. If I just type it out you’ll know exactly what it is: duh-duh-duuuh, duh-duh-duh-duhhh, duh-duh-duhh, duhh-duhh.
Maybe it’s because it connects with some deep part of our humanity on an unconscious level. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore has said that he based it on Symphony No. 5 by Ludwig van Beethoven. Classical music meets classic rock, I guess.
I think it’s also because, according to Deep Purple and the mythos surrounding the song, it was written in a moment of inspiration. What inspired “Smoke on the Water” and that iconic riff to be written?
Click START below to answer.
▼
The answer is: A fire at a Frank Zappa concert. The band was attending a Frank Zappa concert nearby where they had been recording, when a deranged fan approached the stage and shot off a flare gun. The flare caused the heating system to explode, setting the stage and instruments on fire and causing a panic. Luckily, no one died. The scene served as a moment of musical inspiration.If you listen closely to the lyrics, you’ll hear a direct reference: “Frank Zappa & the Mothers were at the best place around / But some stupid with a flare gun burned the place to the ground.”Source
Share This Trivia
Related Topics
Want More Nostalgia?
Check out our other quizzes and random trivia questions!
More Trivia
- What was Gloria Estefan's first #1 song?
- What year was DNA discovered?
- What are the names of Donald Duck's nephews?
- What year was "Happy Together" by The Turtles released?
- What's the name of the boarding school in "Dead Poets Society"?
- Which boxers faced off in "The Rumble in the Jungle"?
- Which actress played the first Bond girl in the James Bond movies?
- Which animal has fingerprints that are nearly identical to humans?