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.
The Aviator
Deep Purple Lyrics
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In the silver of the night
The fragrance on the air
Was of another time
I cried in all my innocence
You were dressed in white
And even if I'd had the strength
I couldn't move to save my life
The fear and the thrill
Of the beast at the window
The shivers and the chills
On the hottest of nights
He walked right through
My open door
As I began to run, he threw
Some gold upon the floor, and said
There's plenty more
Where that came from
I'm tired of the bombs
I'm tired of the bullets
I'm tired of the crazies on TV
I'm the aviator
A dream's a dream whatever it seems
I flew along the lighted street
I flew above the town
I flew in ever rising circles
Ever further from the ground
As I begin to lose my breath
Printed faxes turn a spin
A distant corner of the room
Will open up and let me in
I'm tired of the news
I'm tired of the weather
I'm tired of the same thing every day
I'm the aviator
A dream's a dream whatever they say
In Deep Purple's song The Aviator, the singer is exploring a dream world on a mystical journey. Riding on the moonpath, the singer is surrounded by the silver of the night and the scent of another time. There is an ethereal quality to the atmosphere as the singer feels helpless in the presence of someone that they love who is dressed all in white. They are struck with fear as they are faced with a beast at the window and experience both shivers and chills on the hottest of nights.
Suddenly, the beast walks through the singer's open door and throws down some gold, which he assures the singer is just the beginning of more wealth to come. As the fear dissipates, the singer is struck by the boredom of the world they inhabit, they are "tired of the bombs," "tired of the bullets," and "tired of the crazies on TV." They declare themselves to be the aviator, someone who takes flight and dreams regardless of the circumstances surrounding them.
The singer's dreamscape continues as they fly above the town in ever-increasing spirals. As they begin to lose their breath, they see printed faxes spinning around and a distant corner of the room opening up to invite them in. It is a dream world where the singer can take flight and escape the monotony of everyday life. The aviator is an individual who embraces their imaginations and dreams, serves as a guiding principle for those seeking to escape the mundane world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Riding on the moonpath
The singer is journeying on a path illuminated by the moon.
In the silver of the night
The night is illuminated by a silver light.
The fragrance on the air
There is a particular scent in the air.
Was of another time
The scent evokes memories of a different era.
I cried in all my innocence
The artist wept despite being naive or inexperienced.
You were dressed in white
Another person nearby was wearing white clothing.
And even if I'd had the strength
The singer feels weak or powerless.
I couldn't move to save my life
The artist is unable to move, even if their life depended on it.
The fear and the thrill
The artist feels both afraid and excited.
Of the beast at the window
There is an animal or creature of some kind outside the window.
The shivers and the chills
The singer experiences physical sensations like shivers and chills.
On the hottest of nights
This is happening on a particularly warm evening.
He walked right through
The creature enters the room effortlessly.
My open door
The door is not closed or locked.
As I began to run, he threw
The singer tries to flee but the creature does something unexpected.
Some gold upon the floor, and said
The creature leaves a pile of gold on the ground and speaks.
There's plenty more
The creature has more gold than what was just given.
Where that came from
The creature implies that it can provide more gold.
I'm tired of the bombs
The singer is weary of hearing about explosions.
I'm tired of the bullets
The artist is tired of hearing about bullets or gun violence.
I'm tired of the crazies on TV
The artist is fatigued by watching mentally unstable people on television.
I'm the aviator
The artist identifies themselves as an aviator or pilot.
A dream's a dream whatever it seems
The singer believes that all dreams are just that, regardless of their appearance or significance.
I flew along the lighted street
The artist is gliding through a street that is illuminated.
I flew above the town
The singer is now airborne and above the town.
I flew in ever rising circles
The singer is spiraling upwards while in flight.
Ever further from the ground
The singer keeps ascending away from the earth.
As I begin to lose my breath
The artist starts to feel out of breath.
Printed faxes turn a spin
The artist sees printed faxes that are spinning around.
A distant corner of the room
There is a corner of the room farthest away from the singer.
Will open up and let me in
The corner of the room will become accessible to the singer.
I'm tired of the news
The artist is fatigued of hearing about current events.
I'm tired of the weather
The artist is tired of hearing about the weather.
I'm tired of the same thing every day
The artist is tired of the monotonous daily routine.
I'm the aviator
The singer identifies as an aviator or pilot.
A dream's a dream whatever they say
The artist believes that all dreams retain their dream-like nature, despite dismissive comments from others.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: IAN GILLAN, IAN ANDERSON PAICE, JON LORD, ROGER DAVID GLOVER, STEVEN J. MORSE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Rondo2ooo
One of DP's best albums... no matter what RB fans say. Beautiful, versatile and powerful.
@michaelkoszowski3716
Agreed !! ...i rate this album their 4th best in their career ...a really excellent record !!
@ericcampbell6370
This RB fan says he did them a favor by leaving. His apathy was holding them back. Purpendicular found them revitalized and hungry again.
Ritchie's my favorite guitarist, yet Purpendicular and Come Taste The Band are two of my favorite Purple albums.
It proves that everything doesn't revolve around him.
@marcusstreets9887
@@michaelkoszowski3716 I might be dropping down the list. The last three Now What, infinite and Whoosh! have all been excellent. And In Rock and Machine Head need to be in there. I still like Perfect Strangers - so much good music.
@lanenordgren7641
Life long RB fan. Also a Jon Lord, Ian Paice fan. Morse is a great player. This record is excellent. I saw this tour with ELP supporting. Both bands were on fire that night. Gillian actually sounded fresh as well. This record needed to happen.
@Retroscoop
It's not because one is a RB fan one can equally like the new era under Morse and Airey. The world is more complex than black and white or pro Israel or pro Hamas. Wasn't there something like 50 shades of grey our human eye can distinguish. Although one can ask ourselves the use of this, if so mainy brains can't distinguish what our eyes can.
@DP-hw9uq
I remember me buying this album when it was released back then. I had a good friend of mine who was a great fan of Deep Purple and we both bought the CD. God, we loved this song! It was his birthday and I bought two tickets for one of their world tour date, and we had a real good time, me and my friend, back then... school years, what a memory.
@awaken77
Purpendicular was exploiting fresh styles like folk and country. I consider it one of the best albums since 1984
@swagz262
It has a country song, a slow burn, a folk tune, and a legit waltz, Yeah, I think your right.
@88omair
That's Steve Morse for ya