Our purple man is on a barely lit stage, littered with red plastic cups and broken glass shards, with little rainbow-colored specks of light flying slowly - almost unwillingly - around him, while he sings to a dark, empty hall, with only a bouquet of lavenders withering away on one of the front row seats, nothing more to lose, the world’s most broken heart in his chest, his cheeks wet with tears, and his throat tired of crying. “Soldier of Fortune” by Deep Purple is the song to go to.
Written by Ritchie Blackmore, the band’s founding guitarist, and David Coverdale, the band’s new lead vocalist, and released on the album “Stormbringer” in 1974, it never actually got to compete in charts for various reasons, but it was widely appraised by many and had numerous covers and adaptations by outstanding bands such as Whitesnake, Opeth and Black Majesty throughout the years.
Blackmore starts our purple man’s journey with a remorseful guitar melody, Coverdale’s incredibly soulful vocals follow shortly. His bittersweet voice, together with the track’s slow, 67 bpm speed, turn the song into a somber, lonely tune; despite it being in D major. At 0:45 the chorus begins and you fall ever so deeper into the melancholy of this stage with gloomier vocals. Yes, the drums do join in on the chorus and drums usually kick the song up a notch, but even they are hurting and carrying a heavy burden in this darkness. Guess they too, are soldiers of fortune. The guitar solo after the chorus comes out of nowhere, it almost feels alive, singing back to our lonely man on the stage, answering his questions, coming to his aid. Alas, it’s just a guitar, and the second verse begins. 1:59 and Mr. Purple loses his temper for a moment, overwhelmed by all the emotions and memories that haunt him, but this anger quickly subsides into a tear rolling down his face, just like the ones shed before that night. 2:14 and the second chorus begins. If you listen closely, you can hear the organ-like harmonies in the background. Is that the sound of a ray of light shining onto the stage? Has our purple hero broken down the walls of this dark hall with his voice?
The lyrics of this song are a ballad and an absolutely downtrodden one at that. Not a single bit of joy in them. Just imperviously melancholic. But that’s okay. Sometimes it’s okay to be sad. Sometimes you should stop forcing yourself to be happy. it’s okay to grieve. It’ll help you break down the walls of darkness like our hero and find your way into the light yet again.
And... scene… see you in the next review folks.
Sincerely