“An Olympic event”: the Deep Purple song that was near-impossible to sing
Among the three pioneering metal bands, Led Zeppelin is often celebrated for their towering, expansive take on rock music. However, their London counterparts, Deep Purple, also had a flair for crafting intricate, winding compositions. While the ‘Black Night’ band are undoubtedly heavy rock trailblazers, they are not typically heralded for their thematic depth. That said, one of their most significant moments broke this mould, delivering a work of immense musical and thematic substance, arguably surpassing the groundbreaking efforts of Zeppelin and Black Sabbath in that era.
Over the years, Deep Purple have undergone numerous iterations, producing a range of albums celebrated as classics by their devoted followers. Among these, their 1970 fourth album, Deep Purple in Rock, is often regarded as their most essential release. It features heavy metal staples like ‘Speed King’ and ‘Black Night’ and showcases the storied Mark II lineup: vocalist Ian Gillan, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, bassist Roger Glover, keyboardist Jon Lord, and drummer Ian Paice—all delivering performances at their peak.
It’s not only these blazing moments that mark out In Rock as being a significant body of work. The song that showed not only their collective brilliance but the fact they weren’t a one-dimensional outfit was ‘Child in Time’. More extensive than anything Led Zeppelin had ever done at that point, it’s a snaking piece clocking in at 10:20, comprised of the definitive Ian Gillan vocal performance – displaying his remarkable full range – a scintillating head-to-head between Blackmore and Lord, and lyrics that discussed the ongoing Cold War. It confirms with one listen that the group were never just another long-haired band of metal lovers.
Interestingly, according to Gillan, the song was a fusion of various influences. He once revealed that ‘Child in Time’ has two facets: music and lyrics. While that might seem obvious, he explained that the music was based on the song ‘Bombay Calling’ by the genre-bending San Francisco group It’s A Beautiful Day, who were known for fusing jazz and psychedelic rock.
Some members of Deep Purple were enamoured with the theme from ‘Bombay Calling’, a highlight of their self-titled 1969 debut album, and one day, Lord was jamming it on his keyboard. It sounded great through the prism of his own virtuosity, so the band elected to play around with it and modify it, although Gillan himself had never heard the original. They eventually slowed it down, and it provided the introduction to what became ‘Child in Time’.
Inspired by the striking notes, Gillan wrote the iconic opening couplet, “Sweet child in time / You’ll see the line”, which led to a number concerning the horrors of the Cold War emerging. Following that thematic basis being struck upon, Lord finalised his keyboard parts, and Blackmore did so for his guitar. Regarding the track’s success, he said in a 2002 interview: “The song basically reflected the mood of the moment, and that’s why it became so popular.”
Despite being so significant for their career, Deep Purple haven’t played ‘Child in Time’ since 2002’s European tour. This is not due to changing lineups or the fact that the Cold War, as they understood it, has long since ended but because Gillan’s voice simply can’t keep up with the impressive range of the recording anymore. He was in his mid-20s when they recorded it and is now 79. Understandably, reaching some of the high notes is impossible. However, it was always tricky, and from the outset, the vocalist saw it as “an Olympic event”, not just a song.
“I always thought of ‘Child In Time’ not as a song but more like an Olympic event,” he told Rock FM in 2022. “It was so challenging. But yeah, when I was young, it was effortless. So we got to the point when I got to about 38 years old, and it just didn’t sound right. So I thought, ‘Better not to do it badly. Better not to do it.'”
It’s a shame that Deep Purple stopped playing one of their ultimate cuts, but unfortunately, the times have changed. They remain one of the last acts of their era that continue pushing on, boldly sticking with their craft when others have admitted defeat.
