Deep Purple's 1973 Hit 'Smoke on the Water' Has Wild Origin Story

You might not be that familiar with English rock band Deep Purple's musical catalog, but you almost certainly know the riff from their 1973 hit "Smoke on the Water." It's one of the most recognizable – and, let's face it, catchy – guitar riffs of all time.

Released on their second studio album, Machine Head, on March 30, 1972, the group debuted "Smoke on the Water" as the final single off said album in May 1973. Deep Purple didn't expect the song to really take off, but it climbed to No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also became certified Gold in three countries, including the US and the UK.

Rolling Stone included "Smoke on the Water" on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time," while Total Guitar ranked the track at number four on its "Greatest Guitar Riffs Ever" list. Q Magazine also hailed the song's masterful guitar work, placing it at number 12 on its list of "100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever!" The tune was eventually inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2017.

Besides being an all-around great song, "Smoke on the Water" has a wild origin story, too. Deep Purple was supposed to record at the Montreux Casino in Montreux, Switzerland, in December 1971. Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention played a concert there the night before Deep Purple's recording session. However, a concert attendee fired a flare gun at the rattan-covered ceiling, setting the building ablaze.

Thankfully, nobody was injured, but the casino complex went up in smoke (literally). The members of Deep Purple watched the smoke from the fire spread over Lake Geneva from their hotel, as the casino is on its shoreline. Bassist Roger Glover claimed the title of the song came to him in a dream.

"It was probably the biggest fire I'd ever seen up to that point and probably ever seen in my life. It was a huge building. I remember there was very little panic getting out because it didn't seem like much of a fire at first. But, when it caught, it went up like a fireworks display," Glover said.

"Smoke on the Water" memorialized Montreux Casino, which was eventually rebuilt. Lines like "We all came out to Montreux, on the Lake Geneva shoreline" and "But some stupid with a flare gun burned the place to the ground" tell a true account of that night. The line "Funky Claude was running in and out" refers to Claude Nobs, the director of the Montreux Jazz Festival, who assisted with fire rescue efforts. The band dedicated Machine Head to Nobs.

Deep Purple recorded most of "Smoke on the Water" at an empty theater called The Pavilion before the police ordered them to leave. They eventually recorded the rest of their sophomore effort in the Grand Hôtel de Territet, which would eventually become their most commercially successful record.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 2:13 PM.