Woman from Tokyo

Album: Who Do We Think We Are (1973)
Charted: 60
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Deep Purple started recording their Who Do We Think We Are in Rome in July 1972. At this point, the band had yet to tour Japan, but they had three shows scheduled there for August: two in Osaka followed by one at the Budokan arena in Tokyo. Drawing on Japanese imagery ("the rising sun," "an Eastern dream"), they concocted a story of a lovely lady from that country who drives them wild.

    Rome was sunny and relaxing, so the band spent a lot of time in the swimming pool in lieu of working. There was also a sound problem in the studio, and the only track they got out of those sessions was "Woman From Tokyo." The rest of the album was done in Germany.
  • This is one of the group's most popular songs, but they never had much affinity for it. They didn't start playing it live until they re-formed in 1984 after their 1976 split.
  • In 1973, this was issued as a single, achieving a modest chart position of #60 in America. It aged well and got a lot of airplay on AOR and Classic Rock radio stations, keeping it alive. The stretched out "Toe-Key-Oh" became a bit of an earworm and helped embed the song into many an auditory cortex.
  • On some compilations from the '70s, this song is listed as "live," which Roger Glover insists is a lie, since they never did the song live in that decade.

Comments: 2

  • Geo from Newcastle Upon TyneDeep Purple played Woman From Tokyo in Feb 1973 at a gig in Newcastle City Hall. It was introduced by Ian Gillan as new material and stood out as a great track.
  • Daniel Miller from Houston, TxI've always thought this song was about heroin. The lyrics strongly suggest it, as does the music, especially the middle section.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"They're Playing My Song

Gramm co-wrote this gorgeous ballad and delivered an inspired vocal, but the song was the beginning of the end of his time with Foreigner.

Is That Song Public Domain?

Is That Song Public Domain?Fact or Fiction

Are classic songs like "Over The Rainbow" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the public domain?

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors Examined

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors ExaminedSong Writing

Doors expert Jim Cherry, author of The Doors Examined, talks about some of their defining songs and exposes some Jim Morrison myths.

Church Lyrics

Church LyricsMusic Quiz

Here is the church, here is the steeple - see if you can identify these lyrics that reference church.

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TV

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)Songwriter Interviews

Chad tells tales from his time as drummer for Nirvana, and talks about his group Before Cars.