After previous iterations of the group – the Polka Tulk Blues Band and Earth – the band settled on the name Black Sabbath in 1969. They distinguished themselves through occult themes with horror-inspired lyrics and down-tuned guitars. Signing to Philips Records in November 1969, they released their first single, "Evil Woman", in January 1970, and their debut album, Black Sabbath, was released the following month. Though it received a negative critical response, the album was a commercial success, leading to a follow-up record, Paranoid, later that year. The band's popularity grew, and by 1973's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, critics were starting to respond favourably.
Osbourne's excessive substance abuse led to his firing in 1979. He was replaced by former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Following two albums with Dio, Black Sabbath endured many personnel changes in the 1980s and 1990s that included vocalists Ian Gillan, Glenn Hughes, Ray Gillen and Tony Martin, as well as several drummers and bassists. Martin, who replaced Gillan in 1987, was the second-longest serving vocalist and recorded three albums with Black Sabbath before his dismissal in 1991. That same year, Iommi and Butler were rejoined by Dio and drummer Vinny Appice to record Dehumanizer (1992). After two more studio albums with Martin, who replaced Dio in 1993, the band's original line-up reunited in 1997 and released a live album, Reunion, the following year; they continued to tour occasionally until 2005. Other than various back catalogue reissues and compilation albums, as well as the Mob Rules-era line-up reunited as Heaven & Hell, there was no further activity under the Black Sabbath until 2011 with the release of their final studio album and 19th overall, 13, in 2013, which features all of the original members except Ward. During their farewell tour, the band played their final concert in their home city of Birmingham on 4 February 2017. Occasional partial reunions have happened since, most recently when Osbourne and Iommi performed together at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Black Sabbath have sold over 70 million records worldwide as of 2013, making them one of the most commercially successful heavy metal bands. Black Sabbath, together with Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, have been referred to as the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-seventies". They were ranked by MTV as the "Greatest Metal Band of All Time" and placed second on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" list. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them number 85 on their "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Black Sabbath were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. They have also won two Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance, and in 2019 the band were presented a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sabbath
Studio albums
Black Sabbath (1970)
Paranoid (1970)
Master of Reality (1971)
Vol. 4 (1972)
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
Sabotage (1975)
Technical Ecstasy (1976)
Never Say Die! (1978)
Heaven and Hell (1980)
Mob Rules (1981)
Born Again (1983)
Seventh Star (1986)
The Eternal Idol (1987)
Headless Cross (1989)
Tyr (1990)
Dehumanizer (1992)
Cross Purposes (1994)
Forbidden (1995)
13 (2013)
Paranoid
Black Sabbath Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning | Line by Line Meaning
She couldn't help me with my mind
People think I'm insane because
I am frowning all the time
All day long I think of things
But nothing seems to satisfy
Think I'll lose my mind
If I don't find something to pacify
Can you help me
Occupy my brain?
Oh yeah
I need someone to show me
The things in life that I can't find
I can't see the things that make
True happiness, I must be blind
Make a joke and I will sigh
And you will laugh and I will cry
Happiness I cannot feel
And love to me is so unreal
And so as you hear these words
Telling you now of my state
I tell you to enjoy life
I wish I could but it's too late
The first verse of "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath describes the narrator's break up with his girlfriend because she couldn't help with his mental state. He's constantly frowning and people think he's insane for it. The second verse explains that the narrator can't find satisfaction through anything and worries he'll lose his mind if he doesn't find something to soothe him. The chorus introduces the plea for help in occupying his brain and finding happiness in life. The third verse talks about how the narrator is blind to what makes true happiness and love seems unreal to him. The final verse reflects on the narrator's state and how he urges others to enjoy life despite not being able to himself.
The song describes the feeling of a person who's lost in their own thoughts and can't seem to find a way out. It speaks to the struggles of mental health and the hopelessness that comes with feeling like there's no escape. It's a cry for help from someone who's been pushed over the edge and needs someone to help them find their way back.
Line by Line Meaning
Finished with my woman 'cause
My relationship was causing more harm than good for my mental health, so I had to end it.
She couldn't help me with my mind
My partner wasn't able to provide me with the support and comfort I needed for my troubled thoughts.
People think I'm insane because
Due to my constant frowning and troubled thoughts, others perceive me as crazy.
I am frowning all the time
My worrisome and disturbed mental state causes me to wear a perpetual scowl.
All day long I think of things
My mind is continuously preoccupied with various thoughts and worries throughout the day.
But nothing seems to satisfy
Despite my constant thinking, I cannot seem to find any peace or contentment.
Think I'll lose my mind
I fear that if I cannot find a way to calm my troubled thoughts, I may go insane.
If I don't find something to pacify
I need to find some source of comfort or relief for my mental anguish.
Can you help me
I am reaching out to someone for assistance in finding peace and comfort.
Occupy my brain?
Can you provide me with something to occupy my mind and distract me from my worrisome thoughts?
I need someone to show me
I require guidance and direction from someone to help me find purpose and happiness.
The things in life that I can't find
I am unable to discover any meaning, fulfillment or purpose in my life.
I can't see the things that make
I am blind to the things in life that bring true happiness and joy.
True happiness, I must be blind
I am so lost in my own mental state that I am unable to recognize the things that bring happiness and fulfillment to others.
Make a joke and I will sigh
Even if someone tries to cheer me up or make me laugh, I cannot help but feel sad and disappointed.
And you will laugh and I will cry
You will enjoy the humor that I cannot see, and I will remain in a state of sadness.
Happiness I cannot feel
I am unable to experience any happiness or joy in my life.
And love to me is so unreal
Love seems impossible and unattainable to me due to my mental state.
And so as you hear these words
As you listen to my lament, I want you to understand the gravity of my thoughts and feelings.
Telling you now of my state
I'm sharing the current condition of my mental health with you.
I tell you to enjoy life
Despite my own struggles, I encourage you to find joy and fulfillment in your life.
I wish I could but it's too late
However, I cannot find that same enjoyment in life anymore due to my overwhelming mental anguish.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Michael Butler, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, William Ward
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Redstone Monster
Lyrics
Finished with my woman 'cause
She couldn't help me with my mind
People think I'm insane because
I am frowning all the time
All day long I think of things
But nothing seems to satisfy
Think I'll lose my mind
If I don't find something to pacify
Can you help me
Occupy my brain?
Oh yeah
I need someone to show me
The things in life that I can't find
I can't see the things that make
True happiness, I must be blind
Make a joke and I will sigh
And you will laugh and I will cry
Happiness I cannot feel
And love to me is so unreal
And so as you hear these words
Telling you now of my state
I tell you to enjoy life
I wish I could but it's too late
Сократ Мирный
Lyrics:
Finished with my woman cause
She couldn't help me with my mind
People think I'm insane because
I am frowning all the time
All day long I think of things
But nothing seems to satisfy
Think I'll lose my mind
If I don't find something to pacify
Can you help me
Occupy my brain?
Oh yeah!
I need someone to show me
The things in life that I can't find
I can't see the things that make
True happiness, I must be blind
Make a joke and I will sigh
And you will laugh and I will cry
Happiness I cannot feel
And love to me is so unreal
And so as you hear these words
Telling you now of my state
I tell you to enjoy life
I wish I could but it's too late.
kshitij waghmare
LYRICS:
Finished with my woman
'Cause she couldn't help me with my mind
People think I'm insane
Because I am frowning all the time (come on out)
All day long I think of things
But nothing seems to satisfy
Think I'll lose my mind
If I don't find something to pacify
Can you help me?
Occupy my brain
Oh, yeah (let me see your hands)
I need someone to show me
The things in life that I can't find
I can't see the things that make true happiness
I must be blind
Alright, let me hear you, come on
Alright, show it then, come on
Louder, come on
You ain't fucking loud enough, come on
Come on
Now I've heard
Louder, come on, put your fucking balls into it
Alright
Make a joke and I will sigh
And you will laugh and I will cry
Happiness I cannot feel
And love to me is so unreal
And so as you hear these words
Telling you now of my state
I tell you to enjoy life
I wish I could, but it's too late
Thank you, good night
You are the fuckin' coolest, man
I love you all
We love you, good night, God bless you
Allison S
@Juan Garces really? is it the tempo? I figure there are a few songs in every genre that almost everyone can't help but enjoy even if they generally don't like the genre, when it's a masterpiece, genre falls away.
Wrt Iron Maiden, I haven't heard any songs in particular that are immediately enjoyable. From what I recall, it is more so about thrashing and heavy drumming than anything else.
Yup. I just searched: "Iron Maiden's best song", and it gave me: "Hallowed Be Thy Name."
Pros
I like the concept and subject matter.
The beginning reminds me of Avenged Sevenfold, but then the song goes (for the non-genre aficionado) out of enjoyable bounds.
Cons
For example. the voice is super echo-y, it's an intended effect I realize, but to me, it doesn't feel as though the song had built up to that yet, and it's
competinglosing to the sound of the band.If the prior can be forgiven, this is the part, which I first recalled about the genre as a barrier to mass enjoyment, 3 mins and 30 seconds of only guitar and drum features that don't follow a melody or any particular connection to the first half of the song.
tl;dr It sounds like instead of complimenting each other's sound and blending together to create a piece that is greater than the sum of its individual parts, the music of heavy metal is a competition between the band members, and vocals is in last place... (hmm maybe that's why he added the echo?) Perhaps if i played the guitar, I'd enjoy it more idk 🤷
leokimvideo
The birth of METAL
Niklas Eriksson
Metal had already been around a while when this came out. Metal started with their first album "Black Sabbath".
ryyyan
Dude, you’re everywhere
Herman Aksom
actually, it's a typical hard rock) - the same thing Zeppelin, Purple, Hedrix, Krimson, Who or Blue Cheer already practiced. That these first two albums inspired those guys who would develop hard rock into HM later in the second half of the 1970s - definitely maybe.
Herman Aksom
dayRman there was no such precise terminology that days: everybody called typical hard rock bands like Zeppelin, Purple, Sabbath or even Scorpions - heavy metal bands. Just like anything provocative like Kiss, Motley Crue, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Venom or Mercyful Fate were called black metalists and even satanists. People were so susceptible and unprepared back then.
Kenny Hall
No it's not!
Daffyboy
53 years old and still better than modern music
Igor Zalejski
True...
El Peluca
Music is subjective. There is no "better" or "worse"
Dario Lippi
@El Peluca True. But there is a reason why music from 60s and 70s is listened by millions today..