| "Iron Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
) | ||||
| Single by Black Sabbath | ||||
| from the album Paranoid | ||||
| B-side | "Electric Funeral" | |||
| Released | October 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1970 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 5:56 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Rodger Bain | |||
| Black Sabbath singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Iron Man" is a song written and performed by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released on their 1970 album Paranoid. The lyrics tell the story of a man who time travels into the future and sees the apocalypse. In the process of returning to the present he is turned into steel by a magnetic field, and his attempts to warn the public are ignored and mocked. Feeling shunned and alone, Iron Man plans his revenge on mankind, causing the apocalypse seen in his vision.[1]
Upon hearing the main guitar riff for the first time, vocalist Ozzy Osbourne remarked that it sounded "like a big iron bloke walking about".[2] The title became "Iron Man", with Geezer Butler writing the lyrics around the title. Osbourne sang behind a metal fan to get the sound effect in its first line, 'I am Iron Man!'.[3] Despite the title, the song has no connection to the Marvel Comics character of the same name,[4] although it was used in the end credits of the 2008 movie Iron Man, 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.
Awards and accolades
- The song won spot number 317 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time as of 2004.[5]
- "Iron Man" was ranked the sixth best Black Sabbath song by Rock – Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check.[6]
- The song peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972, becoming their highest-charting single on the chart.[7]
- The song reached number 68 on the Canadian RPM Magazine Top 100.[8]
- VH1 ranked the song as the greatest heavy metal song of all time.[9]
- The live rendition of the song from Reunion won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.[10]
Personnel
- Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
- Tony Iommi – guitar
- Geezer Butler – bass
- Bill Ward – drums
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[11] | Silver | 200,000 |
|
| ||
See also
References
- ^ "BLACK SABBATH – FAQ version 2.0". Black Sabbath Online.
- ^ Classic Albums – Paranoid, by Isis Productions/Eagle Rock Entertainment
- ^ "'Guitar Hero': The Video Game That Literally Rocks". MTV News. 14 December 2005. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- ^ "The Story Behind Black Sabbath's Iron Man". 102.9 WMGK. 5 August 2016. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. 9 December 2004. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ Rehe, Christoph (2013). Rock – Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check: alle Alben, alle Songs. Ein eclipsed-Buch (in German). Sysyphus Sysyphus Verlags GmbH. ISBN 978-3868526462.
- ^ Billboard Singles for Black Sabbath at AllMusic
- ^ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.7505.pdf
- ^ VH1.com. archived 2007-11-18.
- ^ https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/black-sabbath
- ^ "British single certifications – Black Sabbath – Iron Man". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 April 2020. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Iron Man in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.