Classic Songs: ‘Paranoid’ by Black Sabbath.

Heavy metal pioneer Ozzy Osbourne aka the “Prince of Dark” has died this week aged 76. Some say it’s a miracle he even lived through to old age. Nonetheless, how do you celebrate the life and legend of Ozzy Osbourne? How about jumping feet first into a greatest hits mayhem list? Famously, he will always be remembered for biting the head off a real bat on stage in Des Moines, Iowa in 1982. While he also did other extremely brainless things like snort ants, in lieu of cocaine, his “Batman” moment truly cemented his erratic and anarchical persona for the rest of his famed life. It’s fair to say Osbourne lived a life that only a few really could. It was a life filled to the brim with drugs, booze and rock ’n’ roll. He lived the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, which unfortunately included many substance-induced blackouts, illnesses, drunken and coked-up shooting sprees (of chickens and cats!) and an very ugly domestic violence incident where he attempted to choke to death his wife Sharon Osbourne. 

While it’s easy to take a cheap shot at his troubled life, let’s not forget Osbourne’s incredible contribution to music. Blessed with an incredible (untrained) voice and charisma, Osbourne led the charge as frontman for Black Sabbath beginning in 1969. Alongside his co-founding Black Sabbath brothers – Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward – they would pave the way for an entire generation of metal heads. In 1979, after being fired for his relentlessly bad behaviour, he embarked on a solo career which would produce in total 13 studio albums. Moreover he was inducted into the Rock ’N’ Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006 and as solo artist in 2024. 

Arguably what earned him praise the most from critics and fans, away from his antics was, of course, his music. Osbourne’s voice in particular was like no other at the time. Beginning in 1970 on Black Sabbath’s self titled debut album, the opening title track Black Sabbath introduced the sounds of rain, church bells, thunder and impending doom to a whole new audience. It is followed up (right on clue) by the unholy vocals of Osbourne, who announces to the world: “What is this that stands before? Figure in black which points at me.” Interestingly, a song about the occult was arguably a rare outing for any band of that period, but for Black Sabbath it would set in motion the beginning of what we now refer to as doom metal. In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine named Black Sabbath the greatest heavy metal song of all time, surprisingly even ahead of Metallica’s masterpiece Master of Puppets.

Ozzy Osbourne’s dark lyrics and pessimistic tone, especially set against Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi’s extraordinary guitar work, greatly influenced and defined what heavy metal would be in those early years. Songs like Evil Woman, Don’t Play Your Game With Me and N.I.B, a satanic song with a twist, were the first songs fan passionately embraced.

In the same year as their debut album, Black Sabbath began writing songs for their next record War Pigs, later remained Paranoid (1970). When it was finished it was a game changer, still today cited as one of the most influential metal records ever in the development of the genre. Black Sabbath’s sophomore release produced classics like War Pigs, a Vietnam-era antiwar song and Iron Man, a song about a time traveller who returns from the future with a warning of humanities impending doom. However, the one song that solidified the bond between Black Sabbath and its fans was the seminal title track, Paranoid.

Released in September 1970, with its driving opening riff, surging rhythms, and dispirited lyrics, Paranoid is consistently ranked among the greatest heavy metal songs of all time. While it’s easy to assume that the song is about Ozzy Osbourne, it is in fact about bassist Geezer Butler’s troubled youth. The song was originally just a new riff Tony Iommi was working on during a lunch break at the tail end of the recording sessions for their new album Paranoid. When the rest of the band returned from lunch, they loved what they heard and Geezer Butler began writing lyrics for it. In less than the time it takes to eat a sandwich the song was written and subsequently recorded for the album. The record company upon hearing the new track immediately insisted that it should be released as the band’s next single. The rest they say is history, changing forever the lives of four long-haired young men from Birmingham, England.