Iron Man (song)

"Iron Man" is a song by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in 1970 from the band's second studio album, Paranoid.

Background and composition

Upon hearing Tony Iommi's main guitar riff at rehearsal for the first time, vocalist Ozzy Osbourne remarked that it sounded "like a big iron bloke walking about", with "Iron Bloke" becoming the placeholder title for a short time as the band worked out the song. Iommi had explained that he had created the riff "on the spot" and had done so while Bill Ward was drumming while envisioning "someone creeping up on you". He also felt he related the most to the song.

The lyrics, composed by bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler, tell the story of a self-fulfilling prophecy in which a man travels into the future and witnesses the apocalypse. In the process of returning to the present to warn the human race, he is turned into steel by a magnetic field and attempts to warn the public, but is widely ignored and derided. Feeling embittered towards humanity, Iron Man retaliates by causing the apocalypse seen in his vision. Butler also explained that the song was not in reference to the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name, explaining that he had not read American comics as a child. He was inspired to write the song after Osbourne told the band to create a song called "Iron Man", and decided to write the song in a science fiction context. Butler recalled, "I liked the Hammer horror films in the 1960s and magazines such as Man, Myth and Magic, but I had a few supernatural experiences as a child and dreams that came true and that, more than anything, shaped my interest in the occult", additionally citing H.G. Wells's novels as inspiration. Butler also wanted to ensure that the songwriting was relevant to his contemporary world, noting that at the time, the Space Race took place, and was fascinated with the idea of exploring a cyborg who desires to do good while also dealing with difficult treatment from humanity, describing it as a "cry for help". As such, he wanted to also involve other tangential topics into the songwriting, including war, politics, and pollution. Furthermore, Butler also stated that the Iron Man was meant to be an allegory for Jesus, and that instead of forgiving his tormentors, he sought revenge. 

The sound design behind distorted vocals in the beginning featuring Osbourne say "I am Iron Man" has been a topic of debate. It has been theorized that Osbourne either sang through an oscillating metal fan or his voice was processed by a ring modulator, which created a wobbly electronic effect by mixing the input signal with an oscillator. This is the device used to create the voices of the Dalek on Doctor Who, and it is something Iommi used on his guitar solo in "Paranoid" (1970). While recording the song, Ward said that at the time, they could not get the right microphone to capture the "power and depth of the sound". As such, producer Rodger Bain and sound engineer Tom Allom had to work extensively in order to capture the proper sound.

Reception and legacy
The song peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972, becoming their highest-charting single on the chart. It also reached number 68 on the Canadian RPM Magazine Top 100. The live rendition of the song from their Reunion (2001) album won them the 2000 Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance.

"Iron Man" was used in the end credits of Iron Man (2008), as well in its video game adaptation 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. The song won spot number 317 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time as of 2004, and number 7 on their "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time" list in March of 2023.  "Iron Man" was ranked the sixth best Black Sabbath song by Rock – Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check. VH1 ranked the song as the greatest heavy metal song of all time.

The professional wrestling tag team The Road Warriors used "Iron Man" as their entrance theme in the mid-1980s in the American Wrestling Association and other promotions.

Personnel
Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
Tony Iommi – guitars
Geezer Butler – bass
Bill Ward – drums

Certifications

See also
 Self-fulfilling prophecy
 Ontological paradox

References

1970 songs
1971 singles
Black Sabbath songs
NOFX songs
Songs about time travel
Songs written by Ozzy Osbourne
Songs written by Tony Iommi
Songs written by Geezer Butler
Songs written by Bill Ward (musician)
Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance
Warner Records singles