Deep Purple’s Child in Time reflects on the Cold War’s threat of violence, eerily relevant today with Putin’s aggressive actions, showing history’s dangerous repetition.
A child in time—when is that time? Where is the child at that moment? Who does he or she meet then? What is happening around the child? How old is this child, and when can we assume they will slowly grow up? What impressions and thoughts are shaped within the child? As we know, what we experience as children shapes the direction of the rest of our lives. Were you well-guided by your educators as a child, or were you, as some say, neglected? I’ll never forget my mother constantly yelling during my younger years, “If you’re born on a dime, you’ll never be a quarter.”
Can you grow as a person in life?
The English rock band Deep Purple sang the song “Child in Time” as early as 1970 on their fourth album, Deep Purple in Rock. The song is the longest track on this studio album, clocking in at over ten minutes. According to the band members, the song was inspired by the “Cold War” that lingered like a terrible threat throughout the 1970s, haunting the minds of many. At that time, there was an intense arms race between Europe, which was just beginning to recover from World War II, and the USSR (now Russia).
The song emerged from a jam session between guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and then-organist Jon Lord. The man who sang the song, Ian Gillan, was also the lead vocalist in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.
Did Ian’s scream make him a superstar?
Ian Gillan sang Child in Time with tremendous passion and energy. The song contains long, intense outbursts that demanded a lot from him. Many praised Ian for hitting the high notes in the song, particularly the high C6, a note typically reserved for sopranos. Ian once shared that the organ part in the song was inspired by the 1969 track Bombay Calling by the band “It’s a Beautiful Day.” That song featured David LaFlamme on violin and vocals, Linda LaFlamme on piano and organ, Hal Wagenet on guitar, Mitchell Holman on bass and backing vocals, Val Fuentes on drums, Pattie Santos on tambourine and vocals, and Bruce Steinberg on harmonica.
What is the difference between right and wrong?
The song begins by asking the child, living in that time, if they know the difference between right and wrong. Does the child understand which side of the line they’re on? Can they even see this imaginary line that’s been drawn? Deep Purple seemed to assume that everyone, at some point, would be able to distinguish right from wrong in their own time. They believed that sooner or later, we would all recognize and condemn the reckless men who “shoot their guns at the world.” The lyrics imply that the “blind man’s” bullets—those fired thoughtlessly—will inevitably take their toll on the world.
Deep Purple literally sings, “Flying bullets that take their toll, if you’ve been naughty.” And they confidently add, almost condemningly, that we must have all been “naughty” at some point.
Do you close your eyes and bow your head?
Then, the lyrics turn more reflective: If you haven’t been hit by the flying lead in the heat of battle, you’d better bow your head and wait, because one of these projectiles will eventually find you. Death is inevitable, the song seems to suggest. We will all die; that much is certain.
Years later, the members of Deep Purple explained that this world hit was born out of their shared anxiety about the Cold War. The lyrics came easily to them, they said, because every band member felt the nuclear threat looming over their heads in 1970.
Is Child in Time still a topical song with real lyrics?
When I hear Child in Time on the radio today, in 2024, I find myself transported back to 1970. But now, the threat feels familiar, with the specter of Vladimir Putin looming. Once again, we live in highly uncertain times, facing a renewed arms race. Putin lulled Europe into complacency over the last few decades, convincing many that the threat of war had faded. Yet now, as war rages again on European soil, many countries find themselves ill-prepared to defend against a potential third world war.
A song like Child in Time puts me in a contemplative state. For many years, I believed in the possibility of ultimate world peace. Yet now, it feels distant, especially with leaders like Putin at the helm.
Can we grow as individuals despite the chaos?
It’s hard to answer that definitively. Can a person, born in difficult circumstances, rise above them? Can we grow into more than what we were taught or conditioned to be as children? The world around us and our experiences do shape who we are, but there is always the question of whether we can transcend those limitations. It depends on how much we learn from the past and how willing we are to embrace change.
Child in Time is still a song that resonates, even in today’s world. It carries a message about the fragility of life, the struggle to discern right from wrong, and the ongoing conflicts that plague humanity. As Deep Purple continues to perform this song on their world tour in 2024, its power to evoke deep reflection remains as strong as ever.Perhaps, as the song plays in stadiums across the world, we should all take a moment to reflect on where we stand in time and what kind of world we are leaving for the next generation of “children in time.”