Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward formed Black Sabbath in 1968. Fans, critics, and music historians credit the band with creating heavy metal as we know it today. Others put a finer point on it, saying that Sabbath created doom metal with their early albums packed with monolithic riffs and dark lyrics.
Videos by American Songwriter
The band’s original legendary lineup released seven albums together between 1970 and 1978. Then, the rest of the band decided to fire Osbourne in 1979, prompting him to embark on a solo career. The original lineup would reunite a few times over the years, but their original albums capture the groundbreaking band at their finest. These songs are highlights of some of those releases.
1. “Paranoid” from Paranoid
The title track and lead single from Black Sabbath’s sophomore album, “Paranoid,” might be one of the most popular songs in heavy metal history. It was a hit for the band upon release in the United Kingdom and has been a favorite among their fans for decades.
Many don’t realize that “Paranoid” was written as an afterthought. The band needed a three-minute filler track for the album and Tony Iommi had a great riff he wasn’t doing anything with.
2. “Children of the Grave” from Master of Reality
Some don’t think of Black Sabbath as a socially conscious band, but they are. Songs like “War Pigs” and “Children of the Grave” are examples of the band’s stance on war. This song, taken from their third album, Master of Reality, is about a generation of children tasked with spreading peace and love. The song’s final lines sum up its meaning: Show the world that love is still alive, you must be brave / Or you children of today are children of the grave.
3. “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
No matter how much Black Sabbath fans love this song, they may not realize how important it was to the band. When they were working on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, the band was dealing with legal issues and negative reviews from critics. Tony Iommi was also fighting writer’s block. The riff from “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” was the first thing he wrote for the record. It helped him open the floodgates.
“The lyrics to ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ were about the Sabbath experience, the ups and downs, the good times and the bad times, the rip-offs, the business of it all,” songwriter/bassist Geezer Butler said. “Bog blast all of you was directed at the critics, the record business in general, the lawyers, the accountants, management, and everyone who was trying to cash in on us. It was a backs-to-the-wall rand at everyone,” he explained.
4. “The Wizard” from Black Sabbath
“The Wizard” is the second song from Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album. They also used it as the B-side of “Paranoid” ahead of their sophomore album. Many believe that the song was about the band’s weed dealer. However, that wasn’t the case. Geezer Butler looked to Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings trilogy for inspiration for the song. Additionally, Tony Iommi wrote in his autobiography that Butler and Ozzy Osbourne saw a man leaping around outside of a club and thought he looked like an elf. Those inspirations came together to create this song about a wizard who spreads good vibes wherever he goes.
Featured Image by Chris Walter/WireImage
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.