Ian Gillan said that the organ riff in "Child in Time" is based on
It's a Beautiful Day's 1969 song "
Bombay Calling". Gillan is quoted as saying that the song was created "using the Cold War as the theme", adding "the words came easily because we were all aware of the nuclear threat looming over us at what was probably the height of the Cold War." With themes of war and inhumanity, the song is regarded as a
heavy metal anthem and an example of
art rock. The first live recording was in September 1969, almost a year before the release of
Deep Purple in Rock, during the performance of
Concerto for Group and Orchestra. The recording was not included on the original album, but was later released in 1977 on the
Powerhouse compilation album. Other live versions can be found on the 1972 live album
Made in Japan, the
Scandinavian Nights/
Live in Stockholm live album, recorded in September 1970 and the BBC recordings released as
Deep Purple In Concert. Gillan also featured a live jazz influenced version of the song in his
Ian Gillan Band project of the late 1970s on
Live at the Budokan album. A staple of the Deep Purple live concerts in 1970–73 and later after their initial reunion tours of 1985, 1987–88, and 1993, the song was not featured regularly at concerts after 1995. It was re-added to the setlist for the band's 2002 European tour, with its final appearance in Deep Purple's live set being at
Kharkiv's Opera Theatre in March of that year. A shortened version of "Child in Time", with vocals by
Candice Night and preceded and followed by their instrumental "
Mond Tanz", appeared on the 2006
Blackmore's Night album
The Village Lanterne. == Charts ==