After previous iterations of the group â the Polka Tulk Blues Band and Earth â 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)
Snow Blind
Black Sabbath Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Things that don't come easily
Feeling happy in my vein
Icicles within my brain (cocaine)
Something blowing in my head
Winter's ice, it soon will spread
Death would freeze my very soul
My eyes are blind but I can see
The snowflakes glisten on the tree
The sun no longer sets me free
I feel there's no place freezing me
Let the winter sun shine on
Let me feel the frost of dawn
Fill my dreams with flakes of snow
Soon I'll feel the chilling glow
Don't you think I know what I'm doing
Don't tell me that it's doing me wrong
You're the one who's really the loser
This is where I feel I belong
Crystal world with winter flowers
Turns my day to frozen hours
Lying snowblind in the sun
Will my ice age ever come?
The lyrics of the song "Snow Blind" by Black Sabbath are about the effects and addiction to cocaine. The first verse speaks to the feeling of elation and happiness that comes with the drug, while also acknowledging the difficulty in obtaining it. The reference to "icicles within my brain" is a direct reference to the physical sensation of cocaine use.
The second verse tackles the harsh reality of the drug, referencing the spread of its use and the deadly consequences it can bring. Despite the knowledge of this danger, the singer finds happiness in the drug's effects which ultimately leads to a seemingly never-ending cycle of addiction.
The chorus uses the imagery of snow to represent the blanketing and numbing sensation that addiction can bring. While the winter environment is normally associated with feelings of loneliness or despair, the singer feels a sense of belonging in this lifestyle.
The final verse is a poetic description of the helpless feeling that addiction can bring, with the reference to a "crystal world" implying a sense of fragility and eventual breakage. The lyric "lying snowblind in the sun" speaks to the temporary blindness that cocaine use can bring, and the question "will my ice age ever come?" implies a sense of longing for change, but ultimately feeling trapped in this addictive state.
Line by Line Meaning
What you get and what you see
The things you receive and what you observe in the world
Things that don't come easily
Those things are not attained effortlessly
Feeling happy in my vein
Sense of happiness coursing through my veins due to cocaine use
Icicles within my brain (cocaine)
Cocaine's effect creating a feeling of icicles in the user's brain
Something blowing in my head
A sensation of something happening in the mind
Winter's ice, it soon will spread
As winter intensifies, so does the ice
Death would freeze my very soul
The idea of dying in the freezing cold would chill one's soul
Makes me happy, makes me cold
The cold due to winter and cocaine use still brings about happiness
My eyes are blind but I can see
The person's eyes may not see clearly, but they are aware of certain things
The snowflakes glisten on the tree
Snowflakes sparkle on the tree
The sun no longer sets me free
The sun no longer provides a warm escape
I feel there's no place freezing me
The person feels no other place could chill them as much as snow and cocaine does
Let the winter sun shine on
Let the winter sunrays warm the person
Let me feel the frost of dawn
The feeling of chilly nature early in the morning pleases the user
Fill my dreams with flakes of snow
The individual dreams about snowflakes
Soon I'll feel the chilling glow
The user is longing for the next feeling of coldness
Don't you think I know what I'm doing
Do not tell the user they do not know what they are doing
Don't tell me that it's doing me wrong
The person does not believe the effects they are experiencing are negative
You're the one who's really the loser
The person pointing out cocaine's negatives is the true loser
This is where I feel I belong
The individual feels where they currently are is where they should be
Crystal world with winter flowers
The world covered in ice and snow looks like crystal jewels, with some flowers peeking through
Turns my day to frozen hours
The time feels like it's frozen due to being surrounded by the coldness
Lying snowblind in the sun
Pleasure from past drug use causes one to feel snowblind in direct sunlight
Will my ice age ever come?
Inquiry as to whether the future holds more moments of such coldness
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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What you get and what you see
Things that don't come easily
Feeling happy in my vein
Icicles within my brain (cocaine)
Something blowing in my head
Winter's ice, it soon will spread
Death would freeze my very soul
Makes me happy, makes me cold
My eyes are blind but I can see
The snowflakes glisten on the trees
The sun no longer sets me free
I feel there's no place freezing me
Let the winter sun shine on
Let me feel the frost of dawn
Fill my dreams with flakes of snow
Soon I'll feel the chilling glow
Right
Don't you think I know what I'm doing
Don't tell me that it's doing me wrong
You're the one who's really the loser
This is where I feel I belong
Crystal world with winter flowers
Turn my days to frozen hours
Lying snowblind in the sun
Will my ice age ever come?
Mark Leaman
I was there, I lived it. I was 19 yrs old . I am now 64. Those were the best years of my life!
Loathing Wretch
The best years in music were from 1965-1975, I loved all the psychedelic rock, the flower power, hippie songs, the blues... But I was born too late...
Mark Leaman
@Loathing Wretch better late than never!
ridin 3rdcoast
ok boomer
Mark Leaman
@ridin 3rdcoast I made it, you may not with that attitude!
Ken Wolf
Me too
EMMETT SULLIVAN
I never thought I would see the day listening to Ozzy would be an escape from insanity!
Mini Doumbia
Yeah me too
NHJT
He helped to prepare us for it
Michael Rains
Indeed...this song is a warning on the issue of drugs. Compared to the crazy politics...Ozzy is almost normal. And that is sad.