| "Iron Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Black Sabbath | ||||
| from the album Paranoid | ||||
| B-side | "Electric Funeral" | |||
| Released | October 1971 [1] | |||
| Recorded | June 1970 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Rodger Bain | |||
| Black Sabbath singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Iron Man" is a song by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in 1970 from the band's second studio album, Paranoid , and as a single in the US in October 1971.
Upon hearing Tony Iommi's main guitar riff at rehearsal for the first time, vocalist Ozzy Osbourne remarked that it sounded "like a big iron bloke walking about", with "Iron Bloke" quickly becoming a placeholder title as the band developed the song. Iommi had created the riff "on the spot" in response to a bass drum beat drummer Bill Ward started playing, creating a mood of "someone creeping up on you". [2] While recording the song, producer Rodger Bain and studio engineer Tom Allom had tremendous difficulty capturing the "power and depth of the sound" of his bass drum in the studio due to the limitations of the microphones available at that time. [3]
The lyrics, composed by bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler, tell the story of a self-fulfilling prophecy in which a man travels into the future and witnesses the apocalypse. In the process of returning to the present day to warn the human race, he is turned into steel by a magnetic field and is subsequently ridiculed and ignored by the people he intended to save. Feeling resentful, Iron Man retaliates by actually causing the apocalypse seen in his vision.
Butler has been clear that there is no link between the song and the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name, explaining that he had not read American comics as a child. Rather, he took his lyrical inspiration from Osbourne's "iron bloke" remark and he decided to compose the lyrics as a science fiction story. [3] Raised in a devout Catholic family, Butler also intended the song's subject as an allegory for Jesus Christ, but rather than forgiving his doubters and tormentors, Iron Man instead seeks vengeance. [4] Butler recalled, "I liked the Hammer horror films in the 1960s and magazines such as Man, Myth and Magic , but I had a few supernatural experiences as a child and dreams that came true and that, more than anything, shaped my interest in the occult", additionally citing H.G. Wells's novels as inspiration. [5]
The effect used to create Osbourne's distorted vocal in the song's intro has been a topic of conjecture. Some have speculated over the years that Osbourne's voice had been processed by a ring modulator, which had most famously been used to create the voices of the Dalek on the Doctor Who television program. Iommi used this effect on his guitar solo in the song "Paranoid" from the same album. [2] According to Butler, a much more low-tech method was used, with Osbourne singing through an oscillating metal fan.
The song peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972, becoming their highest-charting single on the chart. [6] It also reached number 68 on the Canadian RPM Magazine Top 100. [7] The live rendition of the song from their Reunion (2001) album won them the 2000 Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance. [8]
"Iron Man" was used in the end credits of Iron Man (2008), as well in its video game adaptation and the trailer for the 2010 sequel, Iron Man 2 . The character Tony Stark, alter-ego of Iron Man, also wears a Black Sabbath t-shirt in the 2012 film The Avengers . The song won spot number 317 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time as of 2004, and number 7 on their "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time" list in March of 2023. [9] [10] "Iron Man" was ranked the sixth best Black Sabbath song by Rock – Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check. [11] VH1 ranked the song as the greatest heavy metal song of all time. [12]
The professional wrestling tag team The Road Warriors used "Iron Man" as their entrance theme in the mid-1980s in the American Wrestling Association and other promotions.
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) [13] | Silver | 250,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define the genre with their first three albums Black Sabbath (1970), Paranoid (1970) and Master of Reality (1971). Following Osbourne's departure in 1979, the band underwent multiple line-up changes, with Iommi being the only constant member throughout their history.
Paranoid is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released on 18 September 1970 by Vertigo Records in the United Kingdom and on 7 January 1971 by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album contains several of the band's signature songs, including "Iron Man", "War Pigs" and the title track, which was the band's only Top 20 hit, reaching number 4 on the UK charts.
Master of Reality is the third studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in August 1971 by Vertigo Records. It is regarded by some critics as the foundation of doom metal, stoner rock, and sludge metal. Produced by Rodger Bain, who also produced the band's prior two albums, Master of Reality was recorded at Island Studios in London from February to April 1971. Guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler downtuned their instruments during the production, achieving what Iommi called a "bigger, heavier sound".
"War Pigs" is an anti-war protest song by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in 1970. It is the opening track from the band's second studio album Paranoid (1970).
Black Sabbath is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released on 13 February 1970 by Vertigo Records in the United Kingdom and on 1 June 1970 by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album is widely regarded as the first true heavy metal album, and the opening track, "Black Sabbath", has been referred to as the first doom metal song.
Anthony Frank Iommi Jr. is an English musician. He co-founded the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader, primary composer, and sole continuous member for over five decades. He is considered one of the trailblazers and pioneers of heavy metal music, and is responsible for inspiring numerous subgenres of metal, most notably doom metal. Iommi was ranked number 13 on Rolling Stone's 2023 list of greatest guitarists of all time.
Sabotage is the sixth studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released on 28 July 1975. The album was recorded in the midst of a legal battle with the band's former manager, Patrick Meehan. The stress that resulted from the band's ongoing legal woes infiltrated the recording process, inspiring the album's title. It was co-produced by guitarist Tony Iommi and Mike Butcher.
William Thomas Ward is an English musician. He was a co-founder and the original drummer for the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. Ward helped found Black Sabbath in 1968 alongside bandmates Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi (guitarist) and Geezer Butler (bass).
"Paranoid" is a song by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in 1970 off the band's second studio album, Paranoid (1970). It is the first single from the album, while the B-side is the song "The Wizard". The song is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavy metal songs of all time. It reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 61 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Reunion is a live album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released on 19 October 1998. As implied by the title, the album features a reunion of the original Black Sabbath lineup of vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward. The album represents the first new release featuring that version of the group since 1978's Never Say Die! and Osbourne's subsequent firing the following year. Black Sabbath received their first ever Grammy Award in 2000 for the live recording of "Iron Man" taken from Reunion.
"Black Sabbath" is a song by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, written in 1969 and released on their eponymous debut album in 1970. In the same year, the song appeared as an A-side on a four-track 12-inch single, with "The Wizard" also on the A-side and "Evil Woman" and "Sleeping Village" on the B-side, on the Philips Records label Vertigo. In Japan and the Philippines, a 7-inch single on the Philips label was released with "Evil Woman, Don't Play Your Games with Me" on the A-side and "Black Sabbath" on the B-side.
"Changes" is a ballad by Black Sabbath. It first appeared on Vol. 4, which was released in 1972.
"Heaven and Hell" is the title track of Black Sabbath's ninth studio album. The music was primarily written by guitarist Tony Iommi, but as with almost all Sabbath albums, credit is given to the entire band. The lyrics were entirely written by newcomer Ronnie James Dio.
"Fairies Wear Boots" is a song by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, appearing on their 1970 album Paranoid. It was released in 1971 as the B-side to the single "After Forever".
"Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" is the opening title track of English heavy metal band Black Sabbath's 1973 album of the same name.
"Symptom of the Universe" is a song by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath from their 1975 album Sabotage.
"Children of the Sea" is a song by heavy metal band Black Sabbath, from their ninth studio album, Heaven and Hell (1980).
"God Is Dead?" is a song by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, the second track on their nineteenth studio album, 13 (2013). It was released as the album's lead single on 19 April 2013, the first Black Sabbath release with Ozzy Osbourne since "Psycho Man" and "Selling My Soul" from Reunion (1998).
"End of the Beginning" is a song by English metal band Black Sabbath, the opening track on their nineteenth studio album, 13 (2013).
Black Sabbath: The End of the End is a 2017 concert documentary film about English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, performing the final show of their farewell concert tour, known as The End Tour. The performance took place at the Genting Arena in Birmingham, England, on 4 February 2017, and features founding Black Sabbath members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, with session drummer Tommy Clufetos filling in for the band's original drummer, Bill Ward. The film also features footage of "The Angelic Sessions"—the band's final studio recordings, recorded in the days following the final show.
