Deep Purple, “Highway Star”: One Of Blackmore’s Best Solos

Guitar World Calls It One Of The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos

Deep Purple’s ‘Highway Star’ is widely regarded as one of the first speed metal songs ever written because of its fast, driving pace and blistering guitar solos. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore outdid himself when he composed the classically influenced solo that Guitar World voted as one of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of all time, pretty much securing Blackmore’s position as one of the greatest guitar players in the world!

Blackmore’s use of blues scales and phrasing with dominant minor scales and ideas from European classical music when he’s composing and playing have resulted in some of his best work.

Blackmore makes the ‘Highway Star’ solo look nearly effortless no matter how many time he plays it! Seriously – it always sounds the same structurally even if he improvises a little, and even then it sounds like he’s already worked out at least 500 different ways to blow our minds with the same solo before he even picks up the guitar.

+ Highway Star lyrics +

Nobody gonna take my car
I’m gonna race it to the ground
Nobody gonna beat my car
It’s gonna break the speed of sound

Ooh it’s a killing machine
It’s got everything
Like a driving power big fat tires
And everything

I love it and I need it, I bleed it
Yeah, it’s a wild hurricane
Alright, hold tight
I’m a highway star

Nobody gonna take my girl
I’m gonna keep her to the end
Nobody gonna have my girl
She stays close on every bend

Ooh she’s a killing machine
She got everything
Like a moving mouth body control
And everything

I love her, I need her, I seed her
Yeah, she turns me on
Alright, hold on tight
I’m a highway star

Nobody gonna take my head
I got speed inside my brain
Nobody gonna steal my head
Now that I’m on the road again

Ooh I’m in Heaven again
I got everything
Like a moving ground, an open road
And everything

I love it and I need it, I seed it
Eight cylinders all mine
Alright, hold on tight
I’m a highway star

Nobody gonna take my car
I’m gonna race it to the ground
Nobody gonna beat my car
It’s gonna break the speed of sound

Ooh it’s a killing machine
It’s got everything
Like a driving power
Big fat tires and everything

I love it and I need it, I bleed it
Yeah, it’s a wild hurricane
Alright, hold tight
I’m a highway star
I’m a highway star
I’m a highway star