Talk:Paranoid (Black Sabbath song)

Gus Black Cover
Someone could add to the Covers section Gus Black, whose nice cover also appeared in an episode of Californication.

#6?
In my version of the book its #1
 * it was the sixth album.♠♦Д narchistPig♥♣ (talk) 15:34, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Dazed and Confused
Paranoid seems to have a little brother or sister, Led Zeppelin's Dazed and Confused. LIllIi 23:38, 2 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Interesting that you should mention that. I listen to 60's and 70's music a lot, and I never made the connection. In fact I still can't.


 * I totally agree, if you listen to Dazed and Confused at 1:55 and 5:00 (the Led Zeppelin version at least, not too familiar with the other versions) it sounds a lot like Paranoid. 86.83.254.201 (talk) 13:08, 7 December 2007 (UTC)
 * From sixteen years later ... from my days playing guitar in my teens, I can confirm that it is the exact same riff, the exact same B power chord and four notes after it, in both songs, the only difference being that in the Sabbath version the chords are slightly slower and not played staccato (you also hammer the fifth and octave notes on when playing the chord in the Sabbath version to give it that slurred sound).
 * I doubt that anyone knowledgable enough would accuse Sabbath of lifting it ... there's not enough there to make that claim, and it's such a natural and obvious use of the blues scale, for any originality to be asserted. Daniel Case (talk) 04:55, 22 October 2023 (UTC)

Listen to "Communication Breakdown".... I'd say, "Paranoid" is almost a copy of that song.--ClaptonDennis (talk) 02:39, 19 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Not really, other than just using that muted root note as a pedal for most of the main riff. And in "Paranoid", the whole chord is muted as you pedal it. Zeppelin also uses only that one note till that A-D-A chord burst; "Paranoid" descends from B to A before the unmuted burst. Daniel Case (talk) 04:58, 22 October 2023 (UTC)

Megadeth Ref.
added a megadeth ref. to the article, concerning their cover version of Paranoid, which is pretty well known and they still preform it live from time to time. LyTe 05:32, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

-- Is anyone sure Pantera covered Paranoid? I have heard the supposed song but it sounds like Megadeath.
 * Yeah it's not Pantera - it's Megadeth. MusicBrainz and Winamp can analyze the file and tell u its megadeth, not pantera. its still cool tho —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.185.103.160 (talk) 09:37, 30 October 2007 (UTC)

Riff swiped from Led Zeppelin?
This song seems to be identical to a riff from LZ's "Communication Breakdown". I'm looking for an online source, but it's very obvious if you listen to it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.49.117.53 (talk) 04:03, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

Not really identical, just maybe similar rhymically, although, the paranoid riff has 16 extras measures....Also Communication breakdown uses E A D..Paranoid uses Em D G and C. The song may have been an influence rhymically, it's not identical by any stretch. and The Beatles song 'Im down' contains the same rhymic structure in parts..that was written in 1965. These arent 'swiped' riffs,, just natural influences. 81.159.181.245 (talk) 23:15, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

More song details please
I came to this page hoping that some kind soul would have included some 'technical' description of the way the guitar parts were played. There is a quite distinctive 'tone' presumably through some kind of fuzz/distortion pedal (?). The song is very well produced IMHO but maybe is 'compressed' to make it more radio friendly.

Some might say it predates punk too with its concise driven format. The lyrics sound bluesy tho... 'finished with my woman' etc. Or it could be C&W?!

Maybe it could also be placed in context. I was an impressionable teenager back then I loved to see bands like BS, DP et al getting in the pop charts. Likely though you had Paranoid denied top spot by dire fodder like 'Grandad' etc.

Are there any versions floating around as bootlegs etc with different lyrics maybe?

BS must have got paranoid about playing this - can't imagine the audience letting them get away without playing it! To this day Ozzie still does it - I recall a clip on YT of the re-united band (?) playing it on the Letterman Show (?) or some such. Argh, conformity at last.

I presume BS did this on TOTP? Must check YT. Royzee (talk) 07:10, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

The audio equalisation in the recording is rather unusual in that there is very little high frequency content. The lyrics seem to be concerned more with depression than paranoia ? 86.168.35.202 (talk) 12:10, 24 August 2016 (UTC)

B-side
The info box says it is Rat Salad. The article says it's "The Wizard." I'm fairly sure it's Rat Salad, so unless anyone objects, I'll make the change.Tenho Karite (talk) 18:49, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Mötley Crüe?
Is is true that Mötley Crüe covered "Paranoid"? I can't find it anywhere. -J04n (talk) 15:40, 4 March 2009 (UTC)

Putting back "Protopunk" in the genre-box...
I think it fits. When I first heard this song, the first thing that hit me genre-wise was punk, I didn't even THINK metal. Now, of course, that's just me, but obviously the person who put "Protopunk" there the first time felt the same way, so if anyone has any arguments, I'm happy to here. Until then, I'll put it in. CheezerRox4502 (talk) 23:07, 31 March 2009 (UTC)
 * First off thank you for bringing up your argument on the talk page and not just making the change. Seconf off here is my opinion: you (and aparently one other person) thinking that "Paranoid" is Protopunk is your Point of View.  The validity of your point of view is irrelevent in that Wikipedia is an encyclopedia not a blog or fansite.  For it to be labeled protopunk, or stoner rock, or anything else it should be referenced elsewhere as such and that reference should be cited on the page.  In my opinion the infobox should have "heavy metal" and only "heavy metal". J04n(talk page) 23:46, 31 March 2009 (UTC)

Honestly, can't you hear the, for lack of a better term, punk-iness in the song? The fast speed, the power chord riff? I mean, I just find it obvious. Maybe it's just me and that other anonymous person, but I think it should at least have a mention in the article or something. Or a proper debate between two people. CheezerRox4502 (talk) 00:28, 15 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Whether or not I hear a punk-like sound in the song has no bearing on the suitibility of including it on the page. If there is a reputable source (not a blogger of fan) saying it is proto-punk, or anything else for that matter, then and only then it should be included.  Wikipedia is not about the opinions or points of view of its editors, it is about verifiable information. J04n(talk page) 00:40, 15 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Sorry, I do agree that "what we think" is not encyclopedic here; we are not publishers of our own thoughts. We rely upon experienced commentators to do this for us. Allmusic are generally regarded as reliable when defining genres, and so are other professional publications. Anything else is disregarded, because we have to go with what is said by those reliable sources. Sorry, but that's the way it is. Rodhull  andemu  01:11, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

Origin
The claim that this song was written specifically as a last-minute album-filler seems to be contradicted by this early live version (on YouTube) with different lyrics. Andy Mabbett (User:Pigsonthewing); Andy's talk; Andy's edits 11:41, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

Protopunk?
I know somebody already mentioned this, but rolling stone confirmed it: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6596095/paranoid I believe protopunk should be added as a genre. Rockgenre (talk) 01:55, 10 September 2009 (UTC)
 * No. It is a heavy metal song. Maybe punk musicians were influenced by it? But the song itself has no punk characteristics. 142.167.168.143 (talk) 03:58, 11 September 2009 (UTC)
 * The song is heavy metal, but that doesn't mean it isn't protopunk too.Rockgenre (talk) 20:39, 11 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I agree with the first comment that the song is not protopunk. The Rolling Stone piece would have to be supported by another source. Aussie Ausborn (talk) 00:37, 12 September 2009 (UTC)
 * The requirement of a second source on this is an unfair burden of proof. The previous thread required a source from a professional publication which Rolling Stone certainly is.  As a compromise I suggest putting it in the body of the article. J04n(talk page) 02:17, 12 September 2009 (UTC)
 * "The source says nothing about protopunk"-Aussie. That's a straightforward lie because it says "Paranoid," a two-minute blast of protopunk, became Sabbath's biggest single. It is also proof of the short distance between heavy metal and the Ramones." Could you not read that? And I definately do not need two sources for this, but to comprise I will just put it in the article and not in the genre. Rockgenre (talk) 06:12, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Let's keep this discussion civil. J04n(talk page) 09:12, 12 September 2009 (UTC) One use of the phrase in a Rolling Stone blurb is not sufficient to label the song "protopunk". You need a consensus of sources. WesleyDodds (talk) 05:47, 14 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Protopunk isn't a genre, just a term used to describe music artists who influenced punk rock. --John of Lancaster (talk) 23:56, 25 March 2012 (UTC)

Protopunk, again.
A quote from 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, page 202, "The iconic title track comes next, a proto-punk blast of alienation that remains Black Sabbath's signature anthem"Rockgenre (talk) 21:47, 17 October 2009 (UTC)

Speed metal
Could this be the original speed metal song? AmericanLeMans (talk) 05:58, 10 February 2012 (UTC)
 * I don't think so. Speed metal didn't come about until the late 1970s, but you could try to find a reliable source that describes it as speed metal. --John of Lancaster (talk) 00:03, 26 March 2012 (UTC)

Terribly Written, Horrible Grammar
So everybody out there thinks this page is a-okay, huh? --50.141.213.227 (talk) 07:23, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

'About' section looks pretty awful. 50.10.165.34 (talk) 04:05, 13 February 2013 (UTC)