Was looking for some more plant trivia but came across this one ... from here

Smoke On The Water, by Deep Purple was written on December 4, 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland. They were recording their album at the Casino when a fan shot a flare gun at the ceiling and fire broke out. The title referred to the smoke from the fire spreading over Lake Geneva from the burning casino as the members of the band watched from their hotel across the lake. SOTW is commonly the first song learned by many beginner guitarists. In fact, the song is so popular that one famous guitar store in London used to sport a sign on the wall reading "If auditioning a guitar, please refrain from playing 'Smoke on the Water,' as this is causing our staff mental torture." True story.