Graham Bonnet recently spoke with VRP Rocks on YouTube about the similarities between a Rolling Stones song and a Ritchie Blackmore tune.
The performer remembered the evening when Ritchie came up to him with a song proposal, stating:
“I remember one night he [Blackmore] came and he said to me, ‘Do you know that Rolling Stones song ‘Out of Time.’ ‘Baby, baby, baby, you’re out of time.’ He said, ‘I’ve got this idea,’ and this idea is sort of like [mimicking Blackmore’s playing].”
Melodic Similarities Explored
Bonnet went on to say, “You know which Rainbow song is comparable to ‘Out of Time?'”
“The melody is the same as the song ‘All Night Long.’ ‘You thought you were a clever girl.’ Chris Farlowe did it; a guy called Chris Farlowe, and that was a hit record in England. I said, ‘Okay, well, I’ll make up a melody around that’ and that’s what happened with that.”
Blackmore’s Creative Process And The Rolling Stones’ Influence
He explained the similarities between the two tracks and speculated on the Stones’ response:
“But we have always started on pretty good and that was just one moment where he said, ‘You can make something up of this, and Roger can write the words.’ It’s pretty much a complete rip of the melody; sort of. It’s not exactly the same but I don’t think the Rolling Stones would mind.”
The ‘Burn’ Controversy
Blackmore has been accused of ripping off songs before. This is not the first instance. Some have suggested that the guitarist may have plagiarized George Gershwin’s 1940 song “Fascinating Rhythm” for his work on the Deep Purple smash “Burn.” Glenn Hughes clarified the matter in a recent chat with Igor Miranda, saying:
“I mean, I don’t think Ritchie ripped it off from ‘Fascinating Rhythm.’ It does kind of sound like it. I don’t think he did it deliberately, but when we listen to those two songs, Gene Simmons is the one that told me about that, so it’s Gene’s fault for talking about it. But yes, indeed, it does sound a little bit like that.”
Nevertheless, Blackmore acknowledged on many occasions that he had plagiarized some parts of other compositions. He clarified, for example, that the riff from Deep Purple’s “Black Night” was originally used in a Ricky Nelson song. The guitarist disclosed that Jimi Hendrix’s “Stone Free” served as the inspiration for “Speed King.” Eric Clapton served as the influence for “Lazy,” another Deep Purple song, while Blackmore took cues from Mozart for “Highway Star.”
The whole interview with Bonnet is available to watch here.