The true story behind "Smoke On The Water"

[JohnnyRingo]

Last edited Sun Dec 4, 2022, 12:29 PM - Edit history (1)

Deep Purple on this date in December, 1971

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
Were at the best place around
But some stupid with a flare gun
Burned the place to the ground
Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky
Smoke on the water

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

Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky
Smoke on the water

Burn it down
We ended up at the Grand Hotel
It was empty, cold and bare
The Rolling truck Stones thing just outside
Huh, making our music there now
With a few red lights and a few old beds
We made a place to sweat

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
(I can't hear anything)

The lyrics of the song are about a real event. On Dec. 4, 1971 Deep Purple were in Montreux, Switzerland, where they had set up camp to record an album using a mobile recording studio (rented from the Rolling Stones and known as the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio—referred to as the "Rolling truck Stones thing" and "a mobile" in the song lyrics) at the entertainment complex that was part of the Montreux Casino (referred to as "the gambling house" in the song lyric).

On that night, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention played a concert in the casino's theatre. This was to be the theatre's final concert before the casino complex closed down for its annual winter renovations, which would allow Deep Purple to record there.
At the beginning of Don Preston's synthesizer solo on "King Kong", the place suddenly caught fire when somebody in the audience fired a flare gun toward the rattan covered ceiling, as mentioned in the "some stupid with a flare gun" line. The resulting fire destroyed the entire casino complex, along with all the Mothers' equipment.

The "smoke on the water" that became the title of the song (credited to bass guitarist Roger Glover, who related how the title occurred to him when he suddenly woke from a dream a few days later) referred to the smoke from the fire spreading over Lake Geneva from the burning casino as the members of Deep Purple watched the fire from their hotel. "It was probably the biggest fire I'd ever seen up to that point and probably ever seen in my life" said bass guitarist Roger Glover, "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".

The "Funky Claude" running in and out is referring to Claude Nobs, the director of the Montreux Jazz Festival who helped some of the audience escape the fire.

Do you remember the first time you heard "Smoke on The Water" and did you have any idea at that time what the song was really about?

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[ProfessorGAC]

1. The First Time I Was In Montreux...

...I walked over to the Grand Hotel just to say I was there, because of this song.
It was closed for renovations so I couldn't go in. Wish I could have.
The 2nd time I was there it was only an hour waiting to change trains to Milan.
I don't know if it was reopened of not. I probably should have grabbed a cab and checked it out.

[Doc Sportello]

2. Grear post!

I always assumed smoke on the water referred to smoke rising from the ruins, which were wet from the firehoses. I still can sing the words, even at my age.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

3. I have a bootleg of the Zappa performance

Someone runs onstage yelling “Fire,” and Flo, thinking it was a joke, says, “Ladies and Gentlemen, Arthur Brown!”

I love Deep Purple, but I’ve always thought “Smoke on the Water” scanned like a grade schooler’s “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” essay.

[samplegirl]

4. No but loved it

Smoke on the water a fire in the sky was played
frequently on radio.
Brings back my high school years!

[judesedit]

5. Liked that song a lot, but never knew the history. Thanks a bunch