"Maybe I'm a Leo" is a song by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

rock group

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

, from their 1972 album ''

Machine Head A machine head (also referred to as a tuning machine, tuner, or gear head) is a geared apparatus for tuning stringed musical instruments by adjusting string tension. Machine heads are used on mandolins, guitars, double basses and others, and ar ...

''.

History

Roger Glover Roger David Glover (born 30 November 1945) is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the member of the hard rock bands Deep Purple and Rainbow. As a member of Deep Purple, Glover was inducted into the Rock and Ro ...

says: "I wrote the riff to "Maybe I’m a Leo" after hearing

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

's " How Do You Sleep?". I liked the idea that the riff didn't start on the down beat, like 99% of riffs do. Most of the songs on ''Machine Head'' were from the first take, or not long after." Singer

Ian Gillan Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is a British singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice. Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...

is a Leo (born 19 August), the only group member at the time with that astrological sign. The song was rarely played by the band live; however, three live recordings of it have been released on albums: ''

Deep Purple in Concert ''Deep Purple in Concert'' is a live album by the English hard rock band Deep Purple, recorded by the BBC for their "In Concert" live series in 1970 and 1972. First released in 1980 in the UK, with the current US edition being made available in ...

'', recorded in 1972; ''

Live at the Olympia '96 ''Live at the Olympia '96'' is a live double album by British hard rock band Deep Purple. It was recorded at the Olympia in Paris on 17 June 1996 during the '' Purpendicular'' tour and released in 1997. Initial copies of the release have a ...

''; and ''

Live at Montreux 2011 ''Live at Montreux 2011'' is a live release by English hard rock band Deep Purple's mk VIII lineup credited as Deep Purple with Orchestra, and performed alongside the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt conducted by Stephen Bentley-Klein. This concert ...

''. The

SACD Super Audio CD (SACD) is an optical disc format for audio storage introduced in 1999. It was developed jointly by Sony and Philips Electronics and intended to be the successor to the Compact Disc (CD) format. The SACD format allows multiple aud ...

version of ''Machine Head'' has an alternative guitar solo on "Maybe I'm a Leo".

Personnel

Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guitar ...

– guitar *

– vocals *

– bass guitar *

Jon Lord John Douglas Lord (9 June 194116 July 2012) was an English orchestral and rock composer, pianist, and Hammond organ player known for his pioneering work in fusing rock with classical or baroque forms, especially with the British rock band Deep ...

– organ *

Ian Paice Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple. He is often cited as one of the greatest drummers of all-time. He remains the only member ...

– drums

Cover versions

The Atomic Bitchwax The Atomic Bitchwax is an American stoner rock band from New Jersey, formed in 1992 by bassist/singer/songwriter Chris Kosnik, guitarist Ed Mundell, and drummer Keith Ackerman. They did not release their first full-length album until 1999, upon ...

on their album '' 3''. *

Gov't Mule Gov't Mule (pronounced "Government Mule") is an American Southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of the Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Fans often refer to Gov't Mule simply as ''Mule''. ...

on ''

The Deep End, Volume 1 ''The Deep End, Volume 1'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Gov't Mule. It was released on October 23, 2001, by ATO Records and Evangeline Records. After the death of founding member and bass guitarist Allen Woody, the band con ...

''in which Roger Glover made a guest appearance. *

Paul Gilbert Paul Brandon Gilbert is an American hard rock and heavy metal guitarist. He is the co-founder of the band Mr. Big, and was also a member of Racer X, with whom he released several albums. In 1996, Gilbert launched a solo career, for which h ...

on ''Smoke on the Water, a Tribute to Deep Purple'' *

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

used to perform the song during their early concerts. * Glenn Hughes, Luis Maldonado &

Chad Smith Chad Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith is also the drummer of the h ...

on '' Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head''.

References

{{authority control 1972 songs Deep Purple songs Songs written by Ian Gillan Songs written by Roger Glover Songs written by Ritchie Blackmore Songs written by Jon Lord Songs written by Ian Paice