Tuesday Metal Mania – Black Sabbath “Iron Man” [VIDEO]

Remember when MTV stood for Music Television? They actually showed videos all day. Of course, the negative side to this is they also ushered in an age of music where it mattered more about how you looked than how you sounded, but for the sake of this article, that’s a moot point.

Every Tuesday, I give you classic Metal video featuring bands you know, some you may have forgotten about, and others that just bring back good memories. Have a suggestion for a video you want to see or share? Lay it down in the comment section, and your video may be next week’s featured tune.

And now, today’s video:

Black Sabbath - Iron Man

"Iron Man" is taken from Black Sabbath's second studio album Paranoid released in 1970.

The title of the song was conceived by Ozzy Osbourne. Geezer Butler took to writing the lyrics around the title. The song was originally entitled "Iron Bloke". Upon hearing the main guitar riff for the first time, Osbourne remarked that it sounded "like a big iron bloke walking about". The title was later changed to "Iron Man".

Despite the song's title, it bears no connection to the Marvel superhero character Iron Man, which was created and first appeared in Tales of Suspense # 39 March 1963 (though it has become associated with the character due to this misconception, and was used in the 2008 film Iron Man based on the Marvel character). Butler wrote the lyrics as 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. He is rendered mute, unable verbally to warn people of his time of the impending destruction. His attempts to communicate are ignored and mocked. This causes Iron Man to become angry, and have his revenge on mankind, causing the destruction seen in his vision. The vocal effects on Osbourne's opening line, "I am Iron Man", were achieved by having him sing from behind a metal fan. Get More Here