Behind the Riff

1. “Smoke on the Water” – Deep Purple (1972)
It’s the riff every teenage guitarist learns first and for good reason. Four simple notes, played with raw power and changed rock history. In December 1971, Deep Purple were in Montreux, Switzerland, to record Machine Head when a fan fired a flare gun inside a Frank Zappa concert, burning the casino to the ground. Watching from across Lake Geneva, Ritchie Blackmore picked up his Strat and began hammering out the now-iconic blues-based riff that mirrored the smoky chaos they’d just witnessed. “We all came out to Montreux…” the rest is history. Recorded with a chunky tone from a cranked Marshall amp and no effects, “Smoke on the Water” became the anthem of pure rock defiance

2. “Whole Lotta Love” – Led Zeppelin (1969)
Before metal, before hard rock had a name and there was that riff. Jimmy Page, holed up in London’s Olympic Studios, laid down a thunderous, fuzz-soaked blues lick that felt dangerous and sexy in equal measure. The secret weapon? A Gibson Les Paul through a small Supro amp, mic’d up close for maximum grit. Page spliced the middle section using tape edits that predated digital sampling by decades creating a psychedelic storm unlike anything on radio. When it hit U.S. airwaves in 1970, rock got heavier, louder and infinitely cooler.

3. “Back in Black” – AC/DC (1980)
Born from tragedy and forged in triumph. After the death of frontman Bon Scott, AC/DC regrouped with new singer Brian Johnson and guitarist brothers Angus and Malcolm Young locked in a studio in the Bahamas. The result? A riff so simple and so mean, it could knock down walls. Malcolm’s Gretsch Jet Firebird through a snarling Marshall defined the band’s no-nonsense sound with punch and no polish. “Back in Black” wasn’t just a comeback; it was a resurrection. The riff became a global rallying cry for rock’s unkillable spirit.

Three riffs. Three moments. Each one a lightning bolt that electrified generations and still makes every air-guitar warrior feel 17 again.