After previous iterations of the group β the Polka Tulk Blues Band and Earth β 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)
N.I.B.
Black Sabbath Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some people say my love cannot be true
Please believe me my love, and I'll show you
I will give you those things you thought unreal
The sun, the moon, the stars all bear my seal
Oh yeah
Follow me now and you will not regret
You are the first to have this love of mine
Forever with me 'til the end of time
Your love for me has just got to be real
Before you know the way I'm going to feel
I'm going to feel
I'm going to feel
Oh yeah
Now I have you with me, under my power
Our love grows stronger now with every hour
Look into my eyes, you'll see who I am
My name is Lucifer, please take my hand
Oh yeah
Follow me now and you will not regret
Leaving the life you led before we met
You are the first to have this love of mine
Forever with me 'til the end of time
Your love for me has just got to be real
Before you know the way I'm going to feel
I'm going to feel
I'm going to feel
Oh yeah
Now I have you with me, under my power
Our love grows stronger now with every hour
Look into my eyes, you'll see who I am
My name is Lucifer, please take my hand
The lyrics to Black Sabbath's song N.I.B. tell the story of Lucifer (the devil) convincing someone to love him. The first verse starts with the love being questioned, but the devil in the second verse offers up everything the person could imagine, claiming that they bear his seal. The chorus then invites the listener to follow him and leave their past life behind. The next verse signals that the person agrees to this love and the devil revels in the power he now has over them with their love growing stronger by the hour. Finally, the song ends with the devil revealing his true identity and offering his hand to the listener, asking them to take it.
The song has often been interpreted as a satanic love story or a warning against the devil's seduction. The lyrics are dark and ominous with a sense of danger lurking in the background.
Interestingly, the song's title N.I.B. stands for "Nativity In Black" and was originally called "Nibby," which was a reference to drummer Bill Ward's beard. The song's signature riff was actually improvised by guitarist Tony Iommi during a soundcheck and was kept for the final recording. The song was released on Black Sabbath's self-titled debut album in 1970 and is considered one of their most iconic tracks.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh yeah
An expression of excitement and enthusiasm
Some people say my love cannot be true
There are people who doubt the sincerity of my love
Please believe me my love, and I'll show you
If you believe me, I will prove the authenticity of my love
I will give you those things you thought unreal
I will provide you with everything that you believed was unattainable
The sun, the moon, the stars all bear my seal
I have control and dominion over the celestial bodies
Follow me now and you will not regret
If you come with me, you will not be disappointed
Leaving the life you led before we met
You will have to abandon your old way of life to be with me
You are the first to have this love of mine
You are the first person to experience and receive my love
Forever with me 'til the end of time
You will be with me for eternity
Your love for me has just got to be real
Your love for me must be genuine
Before you know the way I'm going to feel
You cannot predict my emotions
I'm going to feel
I am going to feel emotions
Now I have you with me, under my power
Having you with me means that you are under my control
Our love grows stronger now with every hour
Our love for each other increases over time
Look into my eyes, you'll see who I am
My true nature and identity can be discerned by looking into my eyes
My name is Lucifer, please take my hand
My name is Lucifer and I am offering you my hand in partnership
Lyrics Β© T.R.O. INC.
Written by: John Osbourne, Terence Butler, Tony Iommi, W T Ward
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sandip Biswas
@Manon Vernon Well, Geezer Butler the bassist was actually the rythym guitarist who down-tuned his guitar to play it as a bass. So in their 1st gig, Geezer had borrowed a bass from a friend and kind of played it like a guitar so they were kicked out and were told that the singer (Ozzy) and the bassist were crap.
Later on they were beaten up outside the bar by 2 big men.
- From an Interview with Geezer Butler
Bill Ward used to have these huge 15 minute drum solos, because of which they were kicked out and no body would call them, so they had to change their band name.
- From an Interview with Tony Iommi
They never had a positive review about their album as they never spoke about peace, love, sunshine and girls like Zepellin did, and yet somehow continued.
They never got any radio play because they were deemed as "satanic", and they became popular purely on word of mouth.
- From an Interview with Tony, Geezer and Ozzy
Wow that was a handful.
Joao Francisco
N.I.B.
Alguns dizem que o meu amor nΓ£o Γ© verdadeiro
Por favor, acredite em mim, meu amor, e vou lhe mostrar
Vou lhe dar as coisas que vocΓͺ julgava impossΓveis
O Sol, a Lua, as estrelas, todos trazem a minha marca
Ah, sim!
Siga-me agora, e vocΓͺ nΓ£o vai se arrepender
Deixando a vida que vocΓͺ levava antes de nos conhecermos
VocΓͺ Γ© a primeira a receber o meu amor
Para sempre comigo atΓ© o fim dos tempos
O seu amor por mim tem que ser real
Antes que vocΓͺ saiba como eu vou me sentir
Como eu vou me sentir
Como eu vou me sentir
Ah, sim!
Agora eu tenho vocΓͺ comigo, sob o meu poder
O nosso amor se fortalece a cada momento
Olhe nos meus olhos e vocΓͺ verΓ‘ quem eu sou
O meu nome Γ© LΓΊcifer, por favor, pegue na minha mΓ£o
Ah, sim!
Siga-me agora, e vocΓͺ nΓ£o vai se arrepender
Deixando a vida que vocΓͺ levava antes de nos conhecermos
VocΓͺ Γ© a primeira a receber o meu amor
Para sempre comigo atΓ© o fim dos tempos
O seu amor por mim tem que ser real
Antes que vocΓͺ saiba como eu vou me sentir
Como eu vou me sentir
Como eu vou me sentir
Ah, sim!
Agora eu tenho vocΓͺ comigo, sob o meu poder
O nosso amor se fortalece a cada momento
Olhe nos meus olhos e vocΓͺ verΓ‘ quem eu sou
O meu nome Γ© LΓΊcifer, por favor, pegue na minha mΓ£o
James Dandy
What I liked most about ozzy is that he never did drugs
Fanny S
Not true.
Jarrett Thomas
@Fanny S π
Joan
Ah, thanks for the good laugh. :)
SuperPig
@Fanny S r/wooooosh
Rob Cape
Drugs did ozzy
Native Dark Wolf
Man Bill is really hitting them drums like it owes him money
The Hunter
Lol π€£
Doug Tull
Easily one of my favorite 1970's drummers. Most people will cite Bonham or Moon, but Ward and Paice are equally as important to their respective bands. Ward's fills are unexpected and masterful.
Keith Oldenkamp
Ward is hardly ever mentioned as a great drummer. Truthfully? I like him better than Bonham