Deep Purple – Highway Star

Deep Purple – Highway Star (Live in Copenhagen 1972)

This adrenaline-fueled rocker is about a man and his love for his high-powered car, which he says can out-race anything else on the road. It spawned a sub-genre known as “speed metal,” a division of heavy metal later popularized by bands such as Motörhead and Metallica. The song is responsible for many speeding tickets.

This song was born on a tour bus going to Portsmouth in 1971 when a reporter asked the band how they wrote songs. To demonstrate, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore grabbed an acoustic guitar and began playing a riff consisting of a single “G” repeated over and over, while vocalist Ian Gillan improvised lyrics over the top. The song was refined and was performed that same night. The song first appeared on the 1972 LP Machine Head and remained one of the band’s live concert staples, being the set opener even before it was released on any album.

The most famous live version is featured on the 1972 live album Made in Japan. The Guardian said, “Blackmore’s playing is like a force of nature on the Made in Japan version; those slashing chords in the intro, and that amazing solo featuring the distinctive neo-classical descending runs, combining the spirits of Bach and Jimi Hendrix.”

Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar solo on this track was ranked #15 on Guitar World magazine’s 2008 list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.

“Highway Star” – Single by Deep Purple from the album Machine Head
Released in July 1972 (Japan) and September 1972 (US)
Recorded 6–21 December 1971
Montreux, Switzerland
Songwriters Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice
Producer Deep Purple

Deep Purple
Ian Gillan – vocals
Ritchie Blackmore – guitars
Roger Glover – bass
Jon Lord – Hammond organ
Ian Paice – drums