The Wizard (Black Sabbath song)

"The Wizard"
Cover artwork for the Paranoid single, as used in the Netherlands
Single by Black Sabbath
from the album Black Sabbath
Released	24 March 1970 (France) [1]
Studio	Regent Sounds (London)
Genre	Heavy metal, blues rock [2] [3]
Length	4:24
Label	Vertigo
Songwriters	Geezer Butler Tony Iommi Ozzy Osbourne Bill Ward
Producer	Rodger Bain
Black Sabbath singles chronology
"Evil Woman" (1970) "The Wizard" (1970) "Paranoid" (1970)
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"The Wizard" is a song by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath from their 1970 album Black Sabbath . "The Wizard" was selected as their debut single in France, backed by "Evil Woman" which was released as A-side in many other countries. It was also the B-side to the 1970 single "Paranoid", which reached number 4 on the UK singles chart and number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100. ^[4]

Information

"The Wizard" is about a wizard who uses his magic to encourage people he encounters. In a 2005 interview with Metal Sludge, Black Sabbath bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler said the song's lyrics were influenced by the wizard Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings . ^[5]

Personnel

• Ozzy Osbourne – vocals, harmonica
• Tony Iommi – guitars, slide guitar ^[6]
• Geezer Butler – bass
• Bill Ward – drums

Covers and influence

The song was covered by Bullring Brummies, a short-lived project featuring Black Sabbath founding members Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, for the 1994 tribute album Nativity in Black . ^[7]

References

1. Hung, Steffen. "Black Sabbath - The Wizard". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
2. Monger, James Christopher. "Black Sabbath | Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 November 2019. Flush with eventual [heavy metal] genre classics like 'The Wizard,' 'N.I.B.,' and the aforementioned title cut, Black Sabbath was initially dismissed by critics
3. Wilson, Scott A. (2015). Music at the Extremes: Essays on Sounds Outside the Mainstream. McFarland. p. 131. ISBN   978-1-47662-006-0.
4. Strong, M. C. (1995). The Great Rock Discography . Edinburgh: Canongate Books Ltd. p.  65. ISBN   0-86241-385-0.
5. "Black Sabbath (album) review". Metal Sludge.
6. "Black Sabbath (album) review". Rolling Stone . 31 May 2009.
7. Parisien, Roch, Nativity in BlackReview, Allmusic , retrieved 15 July 2011