The Wizard (Black Sabbath song)

"The Wizard"
Cover artwork for the single, as used in the Netherlands
Single by Black Sabbath
from the album Black Sabbath
Released	13 February 1970
Genre	Heavy metal, blues rock[1]
Length	4:24 album version 4:46 studio outtake
Label	Vertigo (UK) Warner Bros. (US)
Writer(s)	Butler/Iommi/Osbourne/Ward
Producer(s)	Rodger Bain
Black Sabbath singles chronology
"Evil Woman" (1970) "The Wizard" (1970) "Paranoid" (1970)
Black Sabbath track listing "Black Sabbath" (1) "The Wizard" (2) "Behind the Wall of Sleep" (3) Audio sample file info · help

"The Wizard" is a song by the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, taken from their 1970 album Black Sabbath. It is the second track on the record. The song was composed by all four members of the group and was produced by Rodger Bain."The Wizard" was the B side to the title track of the band's second album Paranoid.

Information

"The Wizard" is about a wizard who uses his magic to encourage people he encounters. In a 2005 interview with Metal Sludge, Black Sabbath bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler said the song's lyrics were influenced by the wizard Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings.^[2] It was also believed to be about the band's drug dealer at the time.

Personnel

• Ozzy Osbourne – vocals, harmonica
• Tony Iommi – guitar, slide guitar^[3]
• Geezer Butler – bass
• Bill Ward – drums

Covers

The song was covered by Bullring Brummies for the Black Sabbath tribute album Nativity in Black..^[4]

The song was covered by Zakk Wylde's band Pride and Glory on the second disc of the reissue of Pride and Glory. Wylde had also been a member of Ozzy Osbourne's solo band at the time.

References

1. "The Official Black Sabbath Website :: The History of Black Sabbath". Blacksabbath.com. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
2. "Black Sabbath (album) review". Metal Sludge.
3. "Black Sabbath (album) review". Rolling Stone.
4. Parisien, Roch, Nativity in BlackReview, Allmusic, retrieved 15 July 2011

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics