Recorded in 1971 and released one year later, "Highway Star" is part of the "Machine Head" LP. This song was born on a tour bus going to Portsmouth in 1971 when a reporter asked the band how they wrote songs. To demonstrate, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore grabbed an acoustic and began playing a riff consisting of a single "G" repeated over and over, while vocalist Ian Gillan improvised lyrics over the top. The song was refined and was performed that same night.

The track remains one of the band's staple live performances, and was the set opener for many years. These days the song is usually an encore. Two live versions of this song can be heard on the Deep Purple-Extended Versions Live Compilation CD. The version from the live album "Made in Japan" is one of their best "lives", containing a guitar solo (Ritchie Blackmore) which was considered revolutionary at that time, especially for a hard rock band (Jimi Hendrix was already in its tremendous guitar solos times). This solo is in the second part of the hit (after 4:30 min in this version), imitating the organ solo (Jon Lord) in the first part of the performance. Deep Purple is considered to be one of the greatest bands in the history of music because it unites singers with approximately equal talent and high artistic value on each of their domain: Ian Gillian (vocals), Roger Glover (bass), Ian Paice (drums), Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Jon Lord (organ) - the members in their most successful period (1968-1975).