Deep Purple's Machine Head album opens with "Highway Star," a song about a terrestrial hot rod. It closes with "Space Truckin'," which takes the concept into the galaxy as lead singer Ian Gillan describes a wild ride through the solar system. Both songs are fueled by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's power chords.
Like many Deep Purple songs of this era, "Space Truckin'" started with a musical idea Ritchie Blackmore brought to the band. The riff he came up with came out of a finger exercise he did based on the Batman theme song.
The lyrics take us on a wild ride through space, with references to "the Borealice," "Pony Trekker" and "the Canaveral moonstop." Speaking with Songfacts, Deep Purple lyricist Ian Gillan said, "It's not literal - nothing in that song is literal. It's all a play on words."
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