Black Sabbath (song)
Encyclopedia
"Black Sabbath" is a song by British heavy metal
band of the same name
, written in 1969 and released on the band's debut album, Black Sabbath
. In 1970, it was released as four-track 12" single, added with "The Wizard" on A-side and with "Evil Woman" and "Sleeping Village" on B-side, on the Philips Records label Vertigo
.
painted his apartment matte black, placed several inverted crucifixes, and put many pictures of Satan
on the walls. Osbourne gave Butler a book about witchcraft. He read the book and placed the book on a shelf before going to sleep. When he woke up, he claims he saw a large black figure standing at the end of his bed. The figure disappeared and Butler went to get the book, only to find that the book was gone. He then told Osbourne, who wrote the lyrics to the song.
A version of this song from Black Sabbath's first demo exists on the Ozzy Osbourne compilation album The Ozzman Cometh
. The song has an extra verse with additional vocals from Osbourne, right before the bridge into the fast part of the song.
is constructed with a harmonic progression including a diminished fifth. This particular interval is often known as diabolus in musica
, for it has musical qualities which are often used to suggest Satanic
connotations in Western music. The song "Black Sabbath" was one of the earliest examples in heavy metal to make use of this interval, and since then, the genre has made extensive use of diabolus in musica.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band of the same name
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, written in 1969 and released on the band's debut album, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath (album)
Black Sabbath is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath. Released on 13 February 1970 in the United Kingdom, and later on 1 June 1970 in the United States, the album reached number eight on the UK Albums Chart and has been recognised as the first main album to be credited...
. In 1970, it was released as four-track 12" single, added with "The Wizard" on A-side and with "Evil Woman" and "Sleeping Village" on B-side, on the Philips Records label Vertigo
Vertigo
Vertigo is a form of dizziness.Vertigo may also refer to:* Vertigo , a 1958 film by Alfred Hitchcock**Vertigo , its soundtrack** Vertigo effect, or Dolly zoom, a special effect in film, named after the movie...
.
History
According to the band, the song was inspired by an experience that Geezer Butler had related to Ozzy Osbourne. In the days of Earth, Geezer ButlerGeezer Butler
Geezer Butler is an English musician and songwriter. Butler is best known as the bassist and lyricist of heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He was also involved in Heaven & Hell from 2006 to 2010.-Career:Butler formed his first band, Rare Breed, with old friend John "Ozzy" Osbourne in the autumn of...
painted his apartment matte black, placed several inverted crucifixes, and put many pictures of Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
on the walls. Osbourne gave Butler a book about witchcraft. He read the book and placed the book on a shelf before going to sleep. When he woke up, he claims he saw a large black figure standing at the end of his bed. The figure disappeared and Butler went to get the book, only to find that the book was gone. He then told Osbourne, who wrote the lyrics to the song.
A version of this song from Black Sabbath's first demo exists on the Ozzy Osbourne compilation album The Ozzman Cometh
The Ozzman Cometh
The Ozzman Cometh is a compilation album by Ozzy Osbourne released in 1997. It is his second greatest hits collection and its initial, limited edition 2 CD pressing contained five previously unreleased songs...
. The song has an extra verse with additional vocals from Osbourne, right before the bridge into the fast part of the song.
Harmony
The main riffRIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
is constructed with a harmonic progression including a diminished fifth. This particular interval is often known as diabolus in musica
Tritone
In classical music from Western culture, the tritone |tone]]) is traditionally defined as a musical interval composed of three whole tones. In a chromatic scale, each whole tone can be further divided into two semitones...
, for it has musical qualities which are often used to suggest Satanic
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
connotations in Western music. The song "Black Sabbath" was one of the earliest examples in heavy metal to make use of this interval, and since then, the genre has made extensive use of diabolus in musica.
Cover versions
"Black Sabbath" has been covered by the following bands:- Flower Travellin' BandFlower Travellin' Bandis a Japanese heavy psych outfit that was first active in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They reunited in 2007. Vocalist Joe Yamanaka died on August 7, 2011 after a battle with lung cancer.-History:...
in 1970, on their album AnywhereAnywhere (Flower Travellin' Band album)Anywhere is a 1970 album by Flower Travellin' Band. It was their first release under the Flower Travellin' Band name and the first to feature the classic line-up of Joe Yamanaka, Hideki Ishima, Jun Kozuki and Joji Wada...
. - The ThrowawaysThe Throwaways (Australian Band)The Throwaways were a musical group from Melbourne, Australia who played from 1989 to 1995, consisting of Marc Dorey, Sean Baxter, Dave Kendal, Mat Butler and later Matt Charles...
in 1993, on their album Postmadonna Primadonna. - Type O NegativeType O NegativeType O Negative was a gothic metal band from Brooklyn, New York City. The band also incorporated elements of doom metal and thrash metal. Their dramatic lyrical emphasis on themes of romance, depression, and death resulted in the nickname "The Drab Four"...
in 1994, for the Black Sabbath tribute album Nativity in BlackNativity in BlackNativity in Black is the name of two Black Sabbath tribute albums that came out in the 1990s and 2000s. The albums were recorded with various heavy metal bands paying tribute to Black Sabbath for their influence on the heavy metal genre of rock music....
. - VaderVader (band)Vader is a Polish death metal band from Olsztyn, formed in 1983. According to Piotr Wiwczarek, the band's founding singer and guitar player, the band's name was inspired by Darth Vader from the Star Wars film series. Lyrical themes include stories by H. P. Lovecraft, WW2, horror and anti-christian...
in 1996, on their Future of the PastFuture of the Past (Vader album)Future of the Past is the third album by the Polish death metal band Vader. It consists entirely of covers by various bands.-Track listing:-Credits:* Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek − guitar, vocals* Leszek "Shambo" Rakowski − bass...
album. - Iced EarthIced EarthIced Earth is an American heavy metal band from Tampa, Florida. Originally formed under the name "Purgatory" in 1984, Iced Earth has released a total of ten studio albums, one live album, three EP's, two compilations and boxsets...
in 2002, on their Tribute to the GodsTribute to the GodsTribute to the Gods is a tribute/cover album by heavy metal band Iced Earth. It is notable as the last Iced Earth album featuring Larry Tarnowski on lead guitar, and the last featuring singer Matt Barlow on vocals until his 2007 return, and their last album with Century Media...
album. - Van Helsing's CurseVan Helsing's CurseVan Helsing's Curse are a side project, orchestra of Twisted Sister lead singer, Dee Snider. Along with Snider the group featured a five-piece rock band, a six-piece choir, and six-piece string section.-History:...
in 2004, on their album Oculus Infernum.
Sampled
- Ice TIce TTracy Marrow , better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American musician and actor.He was born in Newark, New Jersey and moved to the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles when he was in the 7th grade. After graduating from high school he served in the United States Army for four years...
has sampled "Black Sabbath" twice: on 1989's "Shut Up, Be Happy" from the album The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say and 1991's "Midnight" from the album OG: Original GangsterOG: Original GangsterO.G. Original Gangster is the fourth album by Ice-T. Released in 1991, the album has been praised by many as the artist's best. The album introduces the band Body Count, whose thrash metal sound is in sharp contrast to the rest of the album's material....
. - BreakcoreBreakcoreBreakcore is a style of electronic music largely influenced by hardcore techno, drum and bass and Intelligent dance music. Its sound is largely characterized by a high-tempo, well-timed mingling of distorted kick drums , break beats arranged from samples of the Amen break, and audio samples from a...
artist Venetian SnaresVenetian SnaresVenetian Snares is the main performing alias of Canadian electronic musician Aaron Funk .From Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Funk is known for making electronic music often in odd numbered time signatures...
heavily sampled the vocals and guitar on his Sabbath DubsSabbath DubsSabbath Dubs is an EP by breakcore artist, Venetian Snares, under the alias Snares. Released on 10" green marbled vinyl . Aaron's main sample source on this EP is the heavy metal band Black Sabbath...
dubstepDubstepDubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
. - MegadethMegadethMegadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
uses this song as an intro when they play a live show, it's been used since the late '80s.