Speed King

About Speed King

"Speed King" is a song by the English rock band Deep Purple, from their 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock. A live version from Deep Purple in Concert was released as the B-side of the US release of the single "Black Night". "Speed King" is not a cover, however many of its lyrics are borrowed from popular oldies, including "Rip It Up", "Good Golly Miss Molly", "Tutti Frutti", "Great Balls Of Fire" and "The Battle of New Orleans". The song was the first song to be written by vocalist Ian Gillan, who wrote the lyrics by writing down a mix of lines from Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Chuck Berry songs in the order that they came to mind. In an interview with Gillan, he stated: "The first things that came into my head were Chuck Berry and Little Richard words, so I just stole them." Possibly because of this, the song was never played without him. However, during the years that he has been in the band, it has been one of the band's staple live performances. more »