Deep Purple have had several line-up changes and were broken up for eight years from 1976 to 1984, with drummer Ian Paice being the band's only constant member. The first four line-ups, which constituted the band's original 1968–1976 run, are officially indicated as Mark I (1968–1969), Mark II (1969–1973), Mark III (1973–1975) and Mark IV (1975–1976). Mark I comprised the founding members of Deep Purple, Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Rod Evans (vocals), Jon Lord (keyboards), Paice (drums) and Nick Simper (bass), while Mark II was the most commercially successful line-up, with Ian Gillan and Roger Glover replacing Evans and Simper respectively. Mark III saw David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes replace Gillan and Glover respectively, while Mark IV featured Tommy Bolin replacing Blackmore. The band split in July 1976 and Bolin died from a drug overdose five months later. In 1984, Deep Purple reformed with the Mark II line-up, which remained in place until Joe Lynn Turner replaced Gillan in 1989. Gillan rejoined in 1992, with Blackmore leaving for the second and final time the following year. He was replaced temporarily by Joe Satriani and then permanently by Steve Morse. In 2002 Don Airey replaced Jon Lord, which saw Deep Purple settle into its longest running line-up, unchanged for the next twenty years, until Morse announced his departure from the band in 2022. His place was taken by Simon McBride. Paice, Glover, Gillan, Airey and McBride comprise the current line-up of Deep Purple.
Deep Purple were ranked number 22 on VH1's Greatest Artists of Hard Rock programme] and a poll on radio station Planet Rock ranked them 5th among the "most influential bands ever". The band received the Legend Award at the 2008 World Music Awards. Deep Purple (specifically Blackmore, Lord, Paice, Gillan, Glover, Coverdale, Evans, and Hughes) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
INTRODUCTION
Deep Purple Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
past midnight I still see the land.
People are sayin' the woman is damned,
she makes you burn with a wave of her hand.
The city's a blaze, the town's on fire.
The woman's flames are reaching higher.
We were fools, we called her liar.
All I hear is "Burn!"
I didn't believe she was devil's sperm.
She said, "Curse you all, you'll never learn!
When I leave there's no return."
The people laughed till she said, "Burn!"
Warning came, no one cared.
Earth was shakin', we stood and stared.
When it came no one was spared.
Still I hear "Burn!"
You know we had no time,
we could not even try.
You know we had no time.
You know we had no time,
we could not even try.
You know we had no time.
The sky is red, I don't understand,
past midnight I still see the land.
People are sayin' the woman is damned,
she makes you burn with a wave of her hand.
Warning came, no one cared.
Earth was shakin, we stood and stared.
When it came no one was spared.
Still I hear "Burn!"
The lyrics of Deep Purple's song Introduction seem to describe a chaotic and apocalyptic event that has taken place. The song’s enigmatic opening creates a mood of confusion and fear by telling us of the sky being red, events past midnight and people warning that "the woman is damned."The lyrics suggest that there is a witch or sorceress who has brought about the town’s fiery destruction. The lines "she makes you burn with a wave of her hand" and "The woman’s flames are reaching higher," further emphasize this point. The people who were warned about her didn't take the statements seriously, and now the city is ablaze and the town is on fire.
As the song progresses, the lyrics get more intense in their portrayal of the disaster. The lines "We were fools, we called her liar" and "Earth was shakin’, we stood and stared" suggests that the people were caught unawares and overwhelmed by the situation. The repeating chorus of "Still I hear Burn" cement the idea of destruction that has taken place, and the consequences of not heeding warnings. The final lines of the song imply regret and a sense of helplessness, "You know we had no time. We could not even try. You know we had no time."
Overall, Introduction is a song that is open to interpretation, but it is clear that it depicts an event where people had to pay the price for not believing in warnings and heeding to them. It begins with confusion and ends with a feeling of remorse and a sense of having no control.
Line by Line Meaning
The sky is red, I don't understand,
The ominous red color of the sky is confusing and alarming.
past midnight I still see the land.
Even in the dead of night, the surroundings are visible due to the blaze.
People are sayin' the woman is damned,
There are rumors that the woman in question is cursed by the divine.
she makes you burn with a wave of her hand.
She has the power to make people suffer with a mere gesture.
The city's a blaze, the town's on fire.
Both the city and town are engulfed in flames.
The woman's flames are reaching higher.
The intensity of the fire fueled by the woman is increasing rapidly.
We were fools, we called her liar.
People were foolish to not believe her and dismiss her warnings and call her a liar.
All I hear is "Burn!"
The only thing being said now is a warning about the blazing fire.
I didn't believe she was devil's sperm.
The singer didn't believe the woman was associated with evil.
She said, "Curse you all, you'll never learn!
She cursed the people for not heeding her warnings and learning from their mistakes.
When I leave there's no return."
She had warned that leaving would have irreversible consequences.
The people laughed till she said, "Burn!"
People didn't take her seriously until the fire started.
Warning came, no one cared.
The warnings of the impending danger were ignored.
Earth was shakin', we stood and stared.
Even when the earth shook, people could only watch in fear and awe.
When it came no one was spared.
When the fire finally arrived, it affected everyone without discrimination.
Still I hear "Burn!"
Even after the chaos, the only thing left to hear is the warning to beware of the burning.
You know we had no time,
People did not have the time to make any preparations or avert the disaster.
we could not even try.
The people were helpless and couldn't do anything to stop the blaze.
You know we had no time.
This line emphasizes the urgency and lack of options in the situation.
The sky is red, I don't understand,
This repetition emphasizes the confusion and disbelief of the situation.
past midnight I still see the land.
Even after the fire has wreaked havoc, the aftermath is still visible in the dead of night.
People are sayin' the woman is damned,
This line is repeated to show that the rumor about the cursed woman is still being talked about.
she makes you burn with a wave of her hand.
This line is repeated to further emphasize the woman's deadly power.
Warning came, no one cared.
This line is repeated to signify the gravity of the situation which was deliberately ignored.
Earth was shakin, we stood and stared.
This line is repeated to show that no one was prepared and people could only helplessly watch the unfolding disaster.
When it came no one was spared.
This line is repeated to underscore the fact that the fire affected everyone.
Still I hear "Burn!"
This line is repeated to indicate the aftermath and the haunting echoes of the disaster.
Lyrics © THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC.
Written by: UNKNOWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
harrymapex
I saw Purple on 30th Sept 1972 at the (then) Brixton Sundown (now the Academy) in London, just after the release of the "Made in Japan" LP.
WHAT a gig!
My Brother and I have a long-running dispute about who was the better, Zep or Purple......in my mind, there was no finer band than Purple at that time.
I finally decided at that gig, and watching Ian Paice intensely all night night, that I REALLY wanted to play drums - I only achieved that 6 years later, and I'm still rubbish!!!!!!!
Cheers guys - thanks for the memories.
Ryan Mason
Ian Paice was 68 and still had more energy and groove than most modern drummers here
Dash Riprock
Did you mean younger drummers? Because Ian is a modern drummer.
Mr_c
Still a great band! Ian Gillans voice is always on top!
Unchz
yep
Rod
Still one of the greatest rock bands of all time!
lonesome Tin Man
Agreed
I grew up on the purple
One of the greatest bands of all time
Who influenced many. A rock bands
john scialfa
You mean still one of the greatest rock bands still playing.... They'll always be one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
DV DODDS
Roger Glover is one of the most underrated Bass Guitarists.....
Catherine Williams
He's also an underrated producer as well His solo work was pretty unconventional.
Eduberto Palitroke
@Denis Kostic For your sister.