My book Postcards From Hell explores my battles with depression and how the music of Deep Purple helped me to cope. This was particularly true of a song like Perfect Strangers
The Deep Purple reformation album was released in late 1984. The title track, Perfect Strangers is often cited as one of Deep Purple's finest tracks.
While I probably disagree with that, there is something incredibly inspiring about the Jon Lord keyboard intro followed by the simplistic grandeur of the guitar riff. The Lord/Blackmore combination was a mighty fearsome force and this track reminds us of what a potent combination they could be.
The song is about reincarnation.
But there are lines in this song that touch my soul in other ways. Specifically...
"Can you remember....remember my name?"
"If you hear me talking on the wind, you've got to understand, we must remain perfect strangers..."
and of course
"I remain in this silent well of sorrow..."
The song hit me and reminded me of some painful inadequacies when it was released.
It's a classic for Purple fans.
The original promo video celebrated the reformation of the band. A much more interesting video is the 2005 live version where Jon Lord(having by this stage left the band to pursue classical interests) makes a surprise appearance.
I've included both videos below
