1972 Rock Hit Named Among Greatest Guitar Riffs Of All-Time

Walk into any music shop, and you're bound to hear it: those unmistakable, syncopated opening notes that have served as the universal rite of passage for generations of guitar players. Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water" is so deeply embedded in the DNA of rock 'n' roll that it feels like it always existed.

Yet, according to the experts at Guitar World, this ultimate classic-rock staple almost didn't happen. In a ranking of the greatest guitar riffs of all time, the 1972 anthem came in at number 4, trailing behind AC/DC's "Back in Black," Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train," and Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love."

Smoke on the Water: The 'Accidental' Masterpiece

When Deep Purple arrived in Montreux, Switzerland, in the winter of 1971 to record their seminal album Machine Head, they weren't trying to write a history-making hook. During their very first casual jam session, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore plugged his Fender Stratocaster into a mix of a Vox AC30 and a Marshall amplifier and naturally let out the four-note progression.

The rest of the band didn't think much of it at the time. "We didn't make a big deal out of it," frontman Ian Gillan later recalled. "It was just another riff. We didn't work on the arrangement - it was a jam."

The rough recording was shelved, and it likely would have stayed there if the band hadn't run into a major roadblock at the end of their studio sessions: they were completely short on material to fill out the album. Desperate for one more track, they dug out the forgotten tape from day one and decided to quickly layer vocals over the top of it.

A Riff Born From Real-Life Chaos

To match the heavy, gritty energy of Blackmore's chords, Gillan wrote lyrics detailing the literal, chaotic true story of their trip to Switzerland. The band had been scheduled to record at the famous Montreux Casino, but the entire venue tragically burned to the ground after a fire broke out during a live Frank Zappa concert.

With the casino fire as their backdrop and a last-minute arrangement locking the track into place, Deep Purple accidentally created a deathless rock classic out of pure necessity.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 9:32 AM.