Sweet Leaf
Encyclopedia
"Sweet Leaf" is a song by Black Sabbath
from their 1971 album Master of Reality
. The song, a hymn
to recreational cannabis
use, got its title from a packet of cigarettes bassist Geezer Butler
bought in Dublin that claimed the tobacco was "the sweet leaf." ("Sweetleaf" is also an English name for stevia
.) The song begins with a tape loop
of guitarist
Tony Iommi
coughing.
by:
by:
Guitar Hero 5
on March 29, 2010. A cover of the song is also available for download in the similar Rock Band
series.
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...
from their 1971 album Master of Reality
Master of Reality
Master of Reality is the third album by the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in July 1971. It is sometimes noted as the first stoner rock album...
. The song, a hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
to recreational cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
use, got its title from a packet of cigarettes bassist Geezer Butler
Geezer 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...
bought in Dublin that claimed the tobacco was "the sweet leaf." ("Sweetleaf" is also an English name for stevia
Stevia
Stevia is a genus of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family , native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America. The species Stevia rebaudiana, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its...
.) The song begins with a tape loop
Tape loop
In music, tape loops are loops of prerecorded magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound. Contemporary composers such as Steve Reich and Karlheinz Stockhausen used tape loops to create phase patterns and rhythms...
of guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Tony Iommi
Tony Iommi
Anthony Frank "Tony" Iommi is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as the founding member of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and its sole continual member through multiple personnel changes.Iommi is widely recognised as one of the most important and influential guitarists in...
coughing.
Cover versions
"Sweet Leaf" has been coveredCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by:
- Ugly Kid JoeUgly Kid JoeUgly Kid Joe is an American hard rock band from Isla Vista, California. The band's name spoofs that of another band, Pretty Boy Floyd. Ugly Kid Joe's sound includes a range of styles, including rock, glam metal, hard rock and heavy metal....
on their 1991 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...
As Ugly as They Wanna BeAs Ugly as They Wanna BeAs Ugly as They Wanna Be is an EP by the American heavy metal band Ugly Kid Joe. It was released in 1991. The title of the album is a parody of 2 Live Crew's 1989 album As Nasty as They Wanna Be....
. - Six Yard Box on their 1993 Imagination Is Greater Than Knowledge
- Storm Orphans on the 1993 Marijuana's Greatest Hits Revisited.
- Sacred ReichSacred ReichSacred Reich is a Phoenix, Arizona-based thrash metal band that formed in 1985. Singer/songwriter Phil Rind's interest was in socially conscious and political speed metal. After several records on Metal Blade Records, they signed to Hollywood Records for a short stint, but later returned to Metal...
on the 1995 compilation albumCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Hempilation: Freedom Is NORMLHempilation: Freedom Is NORMLHempilation: Freedom Is NORML is the first CD compilation album to benefit the organization NORML, released in November 1995. The songs that appear on the album all have marijuana as the subject matter. As of the end of 1998 "Hempilation" sold more than 110,000 units, and raised more than $90,000...
. - Stuck MojoStuck MojoStuck Mojo is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1989 by guitarist Rich Ward, Stuck Mojo is considered to be one of the pioneers of rap metal. Touring alongside bands such as Machine Head and Slapshot. Stuck Mojo's most successful album, Rising, peaked at #48 on the...
on their 1996 EP ViolatedViolatedViolated was a European-only EP released by rap metal band Stuck Mojo. The album was released as a means of promoting the band for its first ever tour overseas in Europe. The EP including a cover of Black Sabbath's Sweet Leaf, as well as two live songs....
. - AncientAncient (band)Ancient is a Norwegian black metal band from Eidsvåg, Nesset, formed in 1992. The band has released six full-length albums released by Metal Blade Records and a variety of mini-albums, EPs and special releases. Ancient used to have the classic raw black metal sound, similar to Darkthrone's works...
on the 1999 Det Glemte Riket. - GodsmackGodsmackGodsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
on the 2000 Black Sabbath tribute albumTribute albumA tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
Nativity in Black IINativity 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....
. - BigelfBigelfBigelf is a progressive rock/progressive metal band formed in Los Angeles, CA in 1991. They have since released three studio albums.-Biography:...
on their 2001 EP Goatbridge Palace. - GalacticGalacticGalactic is a funk and jazz jam band from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.-Origins and background:Originally formed in 1994 as an octet and including singer Chris Lane and guitarist Rob Gowen, the group was soon pared down to a sextet of: guitarist Jeff Raines, bassist Robert Mercurio,...
on their 2001 live album We Love 'Em Tonight: Live at Tipitina'sWe Love 'Em Tonight: Live at Tipitina'sWe Love 'Em Tonight: Live at Tipitina's is a live album by the New Orleans, LA based band Galactic. Recorded live at Tipitina's Uptown in New Orleans, LA.-Track listing:# Crazyhorse Mongoose – 6:35# Moog Marmalade – 5:20# Bobski/Jeffe 2000 – 2:48...
. - Six Feet UnderSix Feet Under (band)Six Feet Under is an American death metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed in 1993. The band was originally a side project by Cannibal Corpse vocalist Chris Barnes with guitarist Allen West of Obituary...
on their 2000 album Graveyard ClassicsGraveyard ClassicsGraveyard Classics is a cover album by American death metal band Six Feet Under. It includes cover versions of such classic rock hits as "TNT" by AC/DC, "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple, and "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix.-Track listing:...
. - Gov't MuleGov't MuleGov't Mule is a Southern rock jam band formed in 1994 as an Allman Brothers Band side project by Warren Haynes and Allen Woody.The band released their debut album Gov't Mule in 1995...
on their 2003 DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
The Deepest End, Live In ConcertThe Deepest End, Live In ConcertThe Deepest End, Live in Concert is a two disc live album and video by Gov't Mule, released on October 7, 2003. It was recorded in New Orleans on May 3, 2003....
. - Widespread PanicWidespread PanicWidespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring...
on their 2004 live albumLive albumA live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
JackassolanternJackassolanternJackassolantern is the sixth live album released by the Athens, GA based band Widespread Panic. The album was recorded during various Halloween shows that the band has performed. It was released on September 28, 2004 and was the third of three live releases in 2004 by the band. The album is...
. - SapattivuosiSapattivuosiSapattivuosi is a Finnish Black Sabbath tribute band singing in Finnish. The band was initiated as a project by vocalist Hannu Paloniemi, drummer Simo Vehmas, and guitarist Janne Halmkrona . Sapattivuosi's first two albums covered songs from the Ozzy Osbourne era. Then vocalist Paloniemi left the...
on their 2005 Vol. 2. - AlexisonfireAlexisonfireAlexisonfire was a five-piece, Juno-nominated post-hardcore band that formed in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 2001. The band consisted of George Pettit , Dallas Green , Wade MacNeil , Chris Steele , and Jordan Hastings .They describe their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls...
on the 2006 Trailer Park Boys The Movie Soundtrack. - Thou on the 2009 EP Through the Empires of Eternal Void.
- MogwaiMogwaiThe word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...
on a 1998 split single with MagooMagoo (band)Magoo are an indie rock band who formed in Norfolk, England in 1992.-Biography:The band give their influences as Guided by Voices, Stereolab, Pavement, The Flaming Lips, and John Peel, and spent their early years playing local venues in the Norwich area....
on Fierce Panda RecordsFierce Panda RecordsFierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass...
Credited use in other songs
Osbourne, Iommi, Butler, and Ward are credited for the following songs because of the use of instrumentation of "Sweet Leaf":- "Sweat Loaf" by The Butthole SurfersButthole SurfersButthole Surfers is an American alternative rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second...
on their 1987 album Locust Abortion TechnicianLocust Abortion TechnicianLocust Abortion Technician is the third full-length studio album by American experimental punk band the Butthole Surfers, released in March 1987...
. - "Busted in Baylor County (Sweet Leaf version)" by Shooter JenningsShooter JenningsWaylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings is an American singer-songwriter active in the country music and Southern rock genres as well as making his first foray into psychedelic rock in 2009...
on their 2005 album Put the "O" Back in Country.
Samples
Portions of "Sweet Leaf" have been sampledSampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
by:
- The Beastie BoysBeastie BoysBeastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
for "Rhymin' & Stealin" on their 1986 album Licensed to IllLicensed to IllIn 1998, the album was selected as one of The Sources 100 Best Rap Albums.It is still the only album by a white hip-hop act to receive the coveted 5 mics from The Source....
. - Murphy's LawMurphy's Law (band)Murphy's Law is an American hardcore band from New York City, New York, formed in 1982. While vocalist Jimmy Gestapo remains the only founding member of the band, the line-up has consisted of former members of bands such as Skinnerbox, Danzig, The Bouncing Souls, Mucky Pup, Dog Eat Dog, Hanoi...
sampled the beginning of this song at the end of "Quest for Herb", which appears on their 1989 album Back with a BongBack With A BongBack With A Bong is the third album from New York hardcore punk band, Murphy's Law.It was released in 1989 on Profile Records and subsequently re-released on Another Planet Records in 1994 with the previous self-titled album on the same disc....
. - The Red Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
guitarist John FruscianteJohn FruscianteJohn Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
plays the main riff as the outro on their song "Give It Away". - Pansy DivisionPansy DivisionPansy Division is an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California in 1991. Featuring primarily gay musicians and focusing mostly on gay-related themes, Pansy Division is one of the more melodic-oriented bands to emerge from the "queercore" movement that began in the 1980s.-Early...
for "Headbanger" on their 1997 compilation album More Lovin' From Our OvenMore Lovin' From Our OvenMore Lovin' From Our Oven is a compilation of singles, unreleased tracks, demos and other rare songs by queercore band Pansy Division.-Track listing:#"I'm Gonna Be A Slut"#"Manada"#"Pretty Boy "#"Hockey Hair"#"Headbanger"...
. - The ending of Sabbath Bloody SabbathSabbath Bloody Sabbath (song)"Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" is a song by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath. It is the title track of the band's fifth album Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. It was released on the album in 1973. The song is the opening track on the album....
cover by AnthraxAnthraxAnthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
on their I'm The ManI'm the Man-Personnel:*Joey Belladonna – Vocals*Dan Spitz – Lead guitar*Scott Ian – Guitar*Frank Bello –Bass*Charlie Benante – Drums...
EP has Sweet Leaf main riff introduction preceeded by coughing.
Other media
The original version of the song has been made available and playable in music video gameMusic video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5 is a music video game and the fifth main entry in the Guitar Hero series. The game was developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision, and released internationally in September 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, 3 and Wii consoles...
on March 29, 2010. A cover of the song is also available for download in the similar Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
series.