Top Tweets for #GoodTimesGoodTimes

The story behind Black Sabbath’s song “War Pigs.” “War Pigs” is one of Black Sabbath’s most iconic and powerful songs. It is the opening track on their second album Paranoid, released in 1970. It is an anti-war anthem that harshly criticizes the politicians, generals, and powerful figures who start wars while poor young people are the ones who die in them. The lyrics were written primarily by Geezer Butler, the bassist. Originally, the song was called "Walpurgis," inspired by Walpurgis Night (a sort of "Satanic Christmas," according to Butler). It compared generals to witches at black masses. When they took it to the record label, they thought it was too satanic, so they changed the title to “War Pigs,” but kept almost all the lyrics. For Geezer, war was “the real Satan.” The song emerged during the band’s tours in 1969–1970. They were playing at a drab, empty venue in Zurich (Switzerland) and started jamming for a long time. Tony Iommi created the famous slow, heavy riff, while Geezer drew inspiration from the fear of the Vietnam War (although the UK wasn’t directly involved, many feared the conflict would escalate and they’d be drafted). Butler grew up in post-war Birmingham and hated how the rich sent the poor off to die. The final version lasts almost 8 minutes. It begins with an air raid siren (added by producer Rodger Bain), has an epic structure with tempo changes, and ends with a fast-paced, chaotic finale. Ozzy Osbourne sings it with rage, and Tony Iommi’s solo is legendary.