Tuesday Metal Mania – Black Sabbath “Paranoid”

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 - Paranoid

WIKIPEDIA -

'Paranoid' was the first Black Sabbath single release, coming six months after their debut album was released. Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler (from Guitar World magazine, March 2004):

A lot of the "Paranoid" album was written around the time of our first album,"Black Sabbath". We recorded the whole thing in about 2 or 3 days, live in the studio. The song "Paranoid" was written as an afterthought. We basically needed a 3 minute filler for the album, and Tony came up with the riff. I quickly did the lyrics, and Ozzy was reading them as he was singing.

The song focuses on a paranoid man and the theme of paranoia, with the driving guitar and bass creating a nervous energy to go along with Butler's lyrics. Paranoid was also used as the name of the album, and somewhat unusually, the word paranoid is never mentioned in the lyrics. Originally the band had wanted to call the album "War Pigs" after the song of the same name, but the record company persuaded them to use Paranoid instead because it was less offensive. The album cover was a literal interpretation of a "War Pig"; it showed a pig with a sword and shield.