The Story of DEEP PURPLE’s “Stormbringer”

First time I listened to Deep Purple’s “Stormbringer” was a life-changing moment for me. I may have been just a little girl but I knew well how to experience music and let it flow through my body and soul. After the first couple of times I played it, I knew two things: first, that male vocalist will occupy an important part of my life; second, this will be one of the tunes I will be seeking empowerment and strength from.

I don’t know a person who doesn’t love Deep Purple, even though fans’ preferences when it comes to line-ups are sometimes different. I love the classic Purple years, as well as their grandiose 80s comeback with “Perfect Strangers” but the Coverdale years, I believe, are always what I come back to. That’s why I wanted to give the spotlight to a beloved Deep Purple track of mine, performed by the magnificent David Coverdale. On top of all, he introduced the song to a whole new generation a couple of years ago on Whitesnake‘s 2015 “The Purple Album”. With all that in mind, I believe we have to acknowledge the significance of “Stormbringer” and most importantly, never forget to play it as loud as possible!

• “Stormbringer” is the opening track to Deep Purple’s 1974 album of the same name. It’s the second release, after “Burn” to feature David Coverdale as the lead vocalist of Deep Purple. The album failed to match the commercial excellence of the band’s previous releases, such as the iconic “Machine Head”, “Who Do We Think We Are!” and even “Burn”; however it did give birth to some outstanding classics. “Stormbringer”, “Soldier of Fortune” and “High Ball Shooter” are some of the tunes from the album that surely stood the test of time. Moreover, it will always be remembered as the album that brought the (temporal) departure of Ritchie Blackmore and the album with the perfect Coverdale/Hughes vocal collaboration.

• Written by Ritchie Blackmore and David Coverdale, “Stormbringer” is a powerful heavy metal blast, showcasing the band’s love for hard solid rock&roll, soul and even funk music. The tune grabbed everyone’s attention with its peculiar lyrics and intriguing title, making it one of Deep Purple’s essential live acts during the ‘70s.

• The title and theme of the song have always been subjected to questions and constant fan interest. The charismatic mysticism that surrounds “Stormbringer” has often been associated with Michael Moorcock who uses the same name to describe a magical sword, appearing on a couple of his fantasy novels. David Coverdale, however, denied any relation with Moorcock’s works or that he had any prior knowledge of his work, before writing the song.

“I wrote the lyrics about a mythical creature called Stormbringer who, in a surrealistic story, creates a lot of trouble. But I never even considered Michael Moorcock‘s work,” David Coveradle explained in a 1974 interview with New Musical Express.

• At the beginning of “Stormbringer”, David Coverdale speaks some gibberish which always sounded quite spooky and devilish, at least to me. According to Glenn Hughes, this was in fact the “dialogue that Linda Blair’s character utters in the film The Exorcist when she is questioned by the priest.” [?]

• “Stormbringer”’s hook line – “Ride the rainbow, Crack the sky” is supposedly where Ritchie Blackmore got the idea to name his next band “Rainbow”.
  

• In 2015, Whitesnake released “The Purple Album”, consisting of interpretations of classic songs from Deep Purple band lineups Mark III and Mark IV – the time when David Coverdale was DP‘s frontman. Among the remakes were tunes such as “Burn”, “Soldier of Fortune”, “Might Just Take Your Life”, “Mistreated” and of course “Stormbringer”. This newer version of the 1974 gem was heavier, more intense and in my personal opinion, better than the original.

Whitesnake‘s version of “Stormbringer” (The Purple Album, 2015)

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Stormbringer Lyrics

 

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References:
Lyrics retrieved from http://www.azlyrics.com
DEEP PURPLE’s Stormbringer Turns 40 – “I’ve Never Embraced The Expression Heavy Metal Because All My Themes Are Emotional”, retrieved from http://bravewords.com/features/deep-purples-stormbringer-turns-40-ive-never-embraced-the-expression-heavy-metal-because-all-my-themes-are-emotional
“Stormbringer” (Album) Official Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormbringer_(album)
“Stormbringer” SongFacts, retrieved from http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=14243

P.S. I don’t own any audio or visual material used in this publication. All the rights and credits go to the owners and/publishers.
The publication expresses my personal opinion and in no way is trying to make a generalized statement. Please be kind and considerate when you read and/or comment.
Cheers~