We’ve never been too adept at decifering symbolic rock lyrics, other than that they often refer to sex. So it was nice when Deep Purple recorded Smoke on the Water and, as Parade magazine reports, the monster hit could not have been more literal. “Some stupid with a flare gun” burned the casino in Montreux, Switzerland near where Deep Purple was finishing up their Machine Head album, “to the ground”. Guitarist Richie Blackmore said he based his iconic riff on Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Classic.
– Jet Cannon
