(Credits: Far Out / TIDAL)
Wed 6 August 2025 2:00, UK
The recent passing of Ozzy Osbourne shocked the metal community to its core, as the life he had lived and the untouchable nature of the ‘Prince of Darkness’ meant that many people thought he may well live forever.
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” the singer’s family wrote in a heartfelt statement, noting, “He was with his family surrounded by love.”
A number of tributes poured in for Ozzy, given his work as a solo artist and with Black Sabbath had been a beacon of light for many people. Sabbath were often credited with creating heavy metal, and as such, the band have a profound connection with one another. Naturally, one of the most touching tributes was one that came from his bandmates.
“I just can’t believe it!” Wrote Tony Iommi, “My dear, dear friend Ozzy has passed away only weeks after our show at Villa Park. It’s just such heartbreaking news that I can’t really find the words, there won’t ever be another like him. Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother. My thoughts go out to Sharon and all the Osbourne family. Rest in peace Oz.”
While Iommi and his fellow bandmates will have been heartbroken at the news, at least they were able to perform on stage with him one final time before he passed. Iommi refers to the performance where Black Sabbath played their farewell gig at Villa Park, and it was an event for the history books. And, for their final ever song on stage together, what song did they choose? The heavy metal classic: ‘Paranoid’.
While ‘Paranoid’ wasn’t released until Sabbath’s second album, it remains one of their most important songs in their discography. The band wrote it as a last-minute effort when putting their finishing touches on the second record, and they needed another song to finish things off. Iommi came up with the iconic riff for ‘Paranoid’ in this period of desperation, and despite being basic, it remains one of the most important guitar riffs ever played.
“We didn’t have enough songs to fill the album. The producer said, ‘We need another song’. I went, ‘Oh, we don’t have another song’. ‘Well, can you come up with one? It can’t be any more than two and a half minutes’. We’ve never written anything less than bloody five minutes. The others had gone out to have something to eat, and I came up with this riff. So, when they got back, I played them this idea of ‘Paranoid’.”
Iommi appreciates just how important this riff was, but he is also well aware of how basic it is. He admitted that his style of playing has always favoured the basic over the complex; it just depends on what the song asks for.
“It’s basic. It’s not technical by any means,” he claimed candidly, “What I’ve always done is not try and play anything that’s flash, I play what I think is right for the song.”
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