"Knocking at Your Back Door" by Deep Purple

Song#:  2177
Date:  01/05/1985
Debut:  76
Peak:  61
Weeks:  7
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:   This UK band first got noticed in 1968 when their version of Billy Joe Royal's 1967 #52 single "Hush" reached #4 on the Pop chart. They had some trouble following it up, but came out swingin' in 1972 with their classic LP Machine Head, which featured the #4 rock standard "Smoke on the Water." After that, the band struggled with personnel changes and despite some solid selling albums, they split in 1976. Eight years later, members of what is considered the classic line-up of the band decided to reform. They signed with Polydor (Mercury for US distribution) and recorded the album Perfect Strangers. The return of the band was greeted warmly by Rock radio and three tracks from the LP made the Top 20 including this #7 hit. The success of this single at Rock allowing it to slip over onto the Pop chart for a few weeks. It would be their final single to do so. The album would get to #17 and eventually go platinum. It would be their last significant hit album in the US. The band has continued on in various forms over the years and has recorded albums along the way. Although their popularity died off in the US, they remained successful in Europe. Their 20th studio album, Infinite, was released in 2017 and hit #6 on the UK chart and #1 in both Germany and Switzerland.

ReduxReview:  Of course I knew both "Hush" and "Smoke on the Water," but that was about the extent of my knowledge of Deep Purple. Years later I became familiar with Machine Head, but I really wasn't a fan of the band. The return of the band escaped me, although for some reason I remember the album's cover. Their sound for the 80s certainly had a more commercial-leaning AOR sound that served them well at Rock radio. I didn't really care for it. This song is just eh for me. I don't find it very memorable. Neither apparently did the PMRC who seemed to have no issue with the very thinly veiled sexual reference in the title.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  The return of Deep Purple to the US charts was significant for their tour. In addition to old fans welcoming the band back, the album brought them new fans. There was a demand for tickets to their tour stops and the band even had to add shows. After the box office sales were calculated for the 1985 tour season, Deep Purple's tour was the second highest grossing of the year behind Bruce Springsteen's.

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