Deep Purple have released a video for Johnny’s Band, one of the highlights of the band’s recent InFinite album. The video was directed by Craig Hooper and Collin Games, who worked with the band on their From Here To inFinite documentary, and the track will be released as a limited edition single in July.
The song tells the story of the typical highs and lows of an imaginary band.
“I was thinking about VH1’s Behind The Music, and that every band’s story is the same,” Roger Glover told Classic Rock in April. “They start with nothing, then they get some success, then they get huge success, then drink and drugs and women destroy them, then they end up suing each other, then 20 years later they get back together again because they realise it was the best time they ever had. Johnny’s Band is the story of every band. It’s a universal story. But it’s not about Purple! There’s a reference to Louie Louie in the guitar solo that places it firmly in the 60s.”
“Johnny’s Band was almost a pop song”, he continues. “Steve came up with the idea, and not all the band liked it at first: Ian Paice thought it was a bit flippant, but Ian Gillan loved it, and eventually we decided to do it. We knew what the meter of the song was going to be, and realised it needed something really strong over the chorus to make it work.”
Deep Purple are currently on the inFinite – The Long Goodbye tour. See full dates below.
- Roger Glover's track-by-track guide to Deep Purple's InFinite
- Deep Purple’s Don Airey announces K2 box set
- Listen to Ritchie Blackmore's first new Rainbow recordings in two decades
- Read Classic Rock, Metal Hammer & Prog for free with TeamRock+
Deep Purple inFinite Tour (US dates with Alice Cooper)