Iron Man (song)

"Iron Man"
Single by Black Sabbath
from the album Paranoid
B-side	"Electric Funeral"
Released	September 18, 1970
Format	45 RPM
Recorded	1970
Genre	Heavy metal, hard rock
Length	3:33 (single) 5:56 (album)
Label	Vertigo Warner Bros. (US/Canada)
Writer(s)	Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward
Producer	Rodger Bain
Black Sabbath singles chronology
"Paranoid" (1970) "Iron Man" (1970) "War Pigs" (1970)
Paranoid track listing "Planet Caravan" (3) "Iron Man" (4) "Electric Funeral" (5)

"Iron Man" is a song by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath from their second studio album Paranoid released in 1970. It was later included on their initial greatest hits compilation We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll (1976), as well as all subsequent greatest hits compilations.

Writing and recording

The Iron Man riff.  Play

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 (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.

Awards and chart position

• In 2000, almost 30 years after the original studio version was released, a live version of the song won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.
• The song won spot #317 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
• The song was awarded the #1 spot on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs in 2006.
• The song peaked at #52 on The Billboard Hot 100 in 1972.
• The song returned to the charts in 2008 peaking at number 5 on Billboard's Hot Ringtones chart.

Personnel

• Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
• Tony Iommi – lead guitar
• Geezer Butler – bass guitar
• Bill Ward – drums

Covers

• The Cardigans covered the song on their 1996 album First Band on the Moon.
• Electric Eel Shock from Japan recorded an up tempo version on their 2005 album Beat Me they also often open live shows with the intro.
• Giant Sand covered the song on their 2002 album Cover Magazine.
• The Bad Plus covered the song on their 2004 album Give.
• Sir Mix-A-Lot (backed by metal band Metal Church) covered the song with new lyrics on Mix-A-Lot's 1988 album Swass.
• NOFX recorded a cover of the song which was released years later on their 1992 compilation, Maximum Rocknroll.
• Irish band Therapy? covered the song for the 1994 Black Sabbath tribute album Nativity in Black. Vocals on the track were provided by Ozzy Osbourne, who sang on the original.
• Busta Rhymes used the song on his 1998 album, E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front, as the backing for the song "This Means War", keeping the original chorus. Ozzy Osbourne is credited with a guest vocal.
• Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids covered the song on their 1990 demos, albeit with the lyrics altered to make reference to the Son of Sam murders.^{[citation needed]}
• Metallica covered the song when Black Sabbath was introduced in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
• Eddie Vedder has, on occasion, such as at the Reading Festival 2007, played the song on ukulele.
• Kanye West samples the song on his song "Hell of a Life" on his album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
• Four Tet performs an instrumental cover on the Black Sabbath covers album Everything Comes & Goes.^{[citation needed]}
• William Shatner covers the song alongside Zakk Wylde (former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist) on his 2011 album Seeking Major Tom.^{[citation needed]}
• Comedian Bob Rivers recorded a parody as the title track of his album I Am Santa Claus.

In other media

• It is featured in both the 2008 movie Iron Man (closing credits) as well as the video game based on the film (released simultaneously).
• It is featured in 2010 movie Cheeseburger.
• It is featured in 1999 movie Detroit Rock City.
• It is featured in 2005 biographical movie Dogtown and Z-Boys.
• Live performance of it was featured in the program Beat-Club.
• Shorter, but faster cover version is featured in 2005 music video game Guitar Hero.
• It is featured in the episode For Better or Verse of American TV series Beavis and Butt-Head. Also appears as an Air guitar chant in the episode "Plate Frisbee" and the short Frog Baseball.
• Instrumental sections of it are featured in the television commercials for the 2008 movie Iron Man as well as the beginning of the credits of the film.
• It is featured in the episode That Wrestling Show of American television period sitcom That '70s Show.
• It is featured in the episode The Deer Hunters of American Family comedy-drama series Gilmore Girls.
• It is featured in the episode Anthology of Interest I of American animated science fiction sitcom Futurama.
• Main character Dewey Finn plays its guitar riff to the other character Zack Mooneyham in 2003 movie School of Rock.
• It is featured in The Simpsons episode The President Wore Pearls, sung by Nelson Muntz. Nelson sings "I am Iron Man! Do do do do do do do vote for me!".
• Legendary wrestling tag team The Road Warriors used "Iron Man" as their entrance theme song while working in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

External links

• "Iron Man" lyrics
• We are Iron Man! A lowbrow literary mystery., The Boston Globe