DEEP PURPLE - BLACK NIGHT

BLACK NIGHT

DEEP PURPLE

SONGWRITER: RITCHIE BLACKMORE; IAN GILLAN; ROGER GLOVER; JON LORD & IAN PACE

COUNTRY: U. K.

ALBUM: THE ESSENCIAL

LABEL: HARVEST RECORDS

GENRE: HARD ROCK

YEAR: 1970

 

         Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, but their musical approach has changed over the years. Originally formed as a psychedelic rock and progressive rock band, they shifted to a heavier sound with their 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock. Deep Purple, together with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, have been referred to as the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-seventies". They were listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records as "the globe's loudest band" for a 1972 concert at London's Rainbow Theatre and have sold over 100 million albums worldwide.

        Deep Purple have had several line-up changes and an eight-year hiatus (1976–1984). The 1968–1976 line-ups are commonly labelled Mark I, II, III and IV. Their second and most commercially successful line-up consisted of Ian Gillan(vocals) and Roger Glover(bass), who joined founder members Jon Lord(keyboards), Ian Paice(drums) and Ritchie Blackmore(guitar). This line-up was active from 1969 to 1973 and was revived from 1984 to 1989 and again from 1992 to 1993. The band achieved more modest success in the intervening periods between 1968 and 1969 with the line-up including Rod Evans (lead vocals) and Nick Simper(bass, backing vocals), between 1974 and 1976 with the line-up including David Coverdale(lead vocals) and Glenn Hughes(bass, vocals) (and Tommy Bolin replacing Blackmore in 1975), and between 1989 and 1992 with the line-up including Joe Lynn Turner(vocals). The band's line-up(currently including Ian Gillan, and guitarist Steve Morse from 1994) has been much more stable in recent years, although keyboardist Jon Lord's retirement from the band in 2002(being succeeded by Don Airey) left Ian Paice as the last original Deep Purple member still in the band.

    Deep Purple was 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.

          "Black Night" is a song by British hard rock band Deep Purple, first released as a single in June 1970 and later included on the 25th Anniversary version of their 1970 album, Deep Purple in Rock. It became a hit following its release, peaking at Nº 2 on UK charts, and remains Deep Purple's highest charting UK single. It topped the charts in Switzerland, and is one of only two singles from the band to chart in Ireland, peaking at Nº 4, thus making it the group's only Irish Top 10 hit. It was also the second non-album single penned by the band and also reached number 6 in South Africa.

Black night is not right

I don't feel so bright

I don't care to sit tight

 

Maybe I'll find on the way down the line

That I'm free, free to be me

Black night is a long way from home

 

I don't need a dark tree

I don't want a rough sea

I can't feel, I can't see

 

Maybe I'll find on the way down the line

That I'm free, free to be me

Black night is a long way from home

 

Black night, black night

I don't need black night

I can't see dark night

 

Maybe I'll find on the way down the line

That I'm free, free to be me

Black night is a long way from home.