On the Record
By Jon Busdeker on May. 17, 2007
Q: I seem to remember hearing that there is a story behind the writing of the Deep Purple hit, “Smoke on the Water.” Can you tell me what the story is?
A: On Dec. 7, 1971, Frank Zappa and his Mothers of Invention were nearing the end of their encore song, “King Kong,” the culmination of a 90-minute concert at the theater in the Montreux Entertainment Complex in Montreux, Switzerland. During the song’s synthesizer solo, a fire broke out in the theater’s balcony, allegedly by a fan with a flare gun. In a 2002 interview with Steve Moore, Jim Pons, the former Mothers of Invention bassist, recalled seeing the flames but thought the blaze was small enough to be put out easily, so the band played on. However, the blaze grew larger and people started jumping onto the stage to get out. At that point, the band dropped their equipment and followed their bus driver downstairs, only to find that there was no exit.
With smoke following them, Pons said their driver used his fist to break a glass wall leading outside, enabling them to escape unharmed. Once outside, Pons said they watched the old building burn to the ground. Unbeknownst to Pons at the time, members of the hard rock band Deep Purple were watching the scene from their hotel window across Lake Geneva from the casino. They were in town to record what was to become their classic heavy metal album, “Machine Head.” As he watched the smoke on the water, bassist Roger Glover began jotting down the chorus of what was to become the band’s greatest hit, if not rock’s most recognizable guitar riff.
Q: Where can I buy Carrie Underwood’s new song “I’ll Stand By You”?
A: Carrie Underwood’s recording of the Pretenders 1994 hit was released recently as part of “American Idol’s” “Idols Give Back” campaign in which net proceeds go to a relief organization called Charity Projects Entertainment Fund. It is currently available only for download from iTunes. After performing the song on the April 25 episode of “American Idol,” the song has sold well for Underwood. It recently debuted in the Top 10 of the pop charts based on more than 124,000 downloads, making it the first iTunes exclusive track to debut in the Top 10.
Q: Who sings the song featured in the new Hilton commercial? The song has the line “I put some new shoes on.”
A: The song is “New Shoes” by 20-year-old Paolo Nutini. Born in Scotland, Nutini moved to London when he was 16 and signed to Atlantic Records when he was 18. His debut album, “These Streets,” was released in the UK in July 2006 and reached No. 3 on the album charts. It was released in the U.S. in January 2007.
Nutini says the album is an autobiographical journey through the last three years of his life. So far, the album has spawned four UK Top 40 hits including “New Shoes,” which peaked at No. 21 in March.
By Bradford Brady and John Maron. Send your questions about songs, albums, and the musicians who make them to
or visit http://www.musicontherecord.com. Brady and Maron are freelance music writers based in Raleigh, N.C.
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