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From album
Paranoid
Black Sabbath · 1970 · Track 1
Details
Duración7:54
ÁlbumParanoid
Año1970
ISRCUSWB11304627
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The story behind
The song *War Pigs* by Black Sabbath kicks off with an immediate, captivating power, and for good reason. Originally intended as *Walpurgis*, Geezer Butler's idea was to draw an analogy between witch gatherings and the inherent evil of war. However, the record label deemed the original name too dark, and thus *War Pigs* was born, retaining the lyrics that were already written. It's a piece conceived at a time when mandatory military service no longer existed in the UK, but the Vietnam War kept many young men fearful of being sent to the front lines. Butler has explained that the lyrics weren't aimed at politics, but at pure evil, at how the powerful initiate conflicts for their own benefit, while the younger generation pays the price.
This composition, which became the opening track of the album Paranoid in 1970, has its roots in the band's improvisation sessions. Tony Iommi, co-writer along with Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward, recalled that it emerged from one of those moments of musical exploration. The version we hear today features details added by producer Rodger Bain and engineer Tom Allom, such as the air-raid siren and the acceleration at the end, decisions in which the band did not intervene but which proved very successful. The song's ending, in fact, has its own name on some releases: *Luke's Wall*, a tribute to the band's technical crew. The recording of the album Paranoid was a swift process, completed in just a few days in June 1970.