The final parting of the “great and terrible” Ozzy from Black Sabbath seemed like an irreparable loss for heavy music. It was impossible to imagine a cult band without a charismatic frontman. It was also hard to believe in the success of Osbourne’s solo career, given his deep drinking and violent temper.
But time has shown that both sides got along just fine without the other. In 1980, the “Godfather of Heavy Metal” released a wonderful Blizzard of Ozz record. And his former colleagues, having invited vocalist Ronnie James Dio to play the role, pleased the fans with the equally cool studio work Heaven and Hell. The title track of the album will be discussed in the article.
The history of the creation of the song Heaven and Hell
It has long been customary in Black Sabbath to consider all members of the group as official songwriters. But it is known that the main part of the music was composed by Tony Iomi, and the words of the composition were written by Ronnie. Ronnie James Dio explained the meaning of Heaven and Hell in the liner notes for the deluxe edition of the album:
I always wanted to write a song called Heaven and Hell. It outlines my belief that the earth can be a place for good and bad. How to live, only you can choose … The lyrics are true: “The world is full of kings and queens who will close your eyes and steal your dreams.” Life is full of contradictions.
2010
In an interview with VH1, Dio said that the composition is dedicated to the choice between good and evil, which invariably faces a person. At the same time, the musician is sure that each of us has “heaven and hell”, so it is always difficult to choose.
Release and achievements
In addition to Black Sabbath, the song has been played by Dio and Heaven & Hell. It has also been performed by Manowar, Anthrax, Overkill and other famous bands.
In 2011, a cover of Heaven and Hell was recorded by the Christian band Stryper, which caused it to be heavily criticized by believing fans. Michael Sweet explained their choice this way:
There were songs that we thought about, but decided that we probably shouldn’t. There were some Ozzy songs, some Maiden songs, some Priest songs. We have done our best to select relevant texts. Some might argue, “How do they justify playing a Sabbath song?” If you read the words “Heaven and Hell”, that’s exactly what Stryper could write. There is nothing wrong with the text.
Rock Confidential
Martin Popoff ranked the track at number eleven on The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time. Channel VH1 included the song in the ranking of the best hard rock songs of all time.
Clip Heaven and Hell
And now another Heaven and Hell music video filmed at a London concert in 2005.
Interesting Facts
- Dio claims to be more proud of this song than any of his other works.
- The famous bass riff was created by session musician Geoff Nicholls. Critics see it as similar to the bass line from Quartz’s Mainline Riders, in which Nicholls used to play.
- The song is included in the soundtrack of the computer game GTA IV.
Heaven and Hell lyrics
Sing me a song, you’re a singer
Do me a wrong, you’re a bringer of evil
The devil is never a maker
The less that you give, you’re a taker
So it’s on and on and on, it’s heaven and hell, oh well
The lover of life’s not a sinner
The ending is just a beginner
The closer you get to the meaning
The sooner you’ll know that you’re dreaming
So it’s on and on and on, oh it’s on and on and on
It goes on and on and on, Heaven and Hell
I can tell, fool, fool
Well if it seems to be real, it’s an illusion
For every moment of truth
There’s confusion in life
love can be seen as the answer,
But nobody bleeds for the dancer
And it’s on and on, on and on and on
and on and on and on and on
They say that life’s a carousel
Spinning fast, you’ve got to ride it well
The world is full of kings and queens
Who blind your eyes and steal your dreams
It’s heaven and hell, oh well
And they’ll tell you black is really white
The moon is just the sun at night
And when you walk in golden halls
You get to keep the gold that falls
It’s heaven and hell, oh no
Fool, fool
You’ve got to bleed for the dancer
Fool, fool
Look for the answer
Fool, fool, fool
Heaven and Hell Lyrics
Sing me a song, you’re a singer
Treat me bad, you do evil
The devil is not creative
You take even the little you give
It happens all the time, it’s heaven and hell, oh yeah
The lover of life is not a sinner
The end is just a beginner
The closer you get to the point
The sooner you’ll know what you’re dreaming about
It happens all the time, this happens all the time
It happens all the time, heaven and hell
I’ll tell you
Fool, fool
Although it seems real, it’s an illusion
For every moment of truth
There is confusion in life
Love may seem like the answer
But no one mourns for the dancer
It happens all the time, all the time
Constantly, constantly
They say life is a carousel
What’s spinning fast and you gotta hold on well
The world is full of kings and queens
Who will close your eyes and steal your dreams
It’s heaven and hell, oh yeah
They’ll tell you that black is white
That the moon is the same sun in the night
And when you enter the golden chambers,
You will have to hold back the falling gold
It’s heaven and hell, oh no
Fool, fool
You must mourn for the dancer
Fool, fool
Looking for an answer
Fool, fool, fool
Song quote
When writing a song, you never say, “I just wrote something great,” because it’s not for you to judge, but for people. But years later, I listen to this song and say, “Yeah, they’re right, it’s a great song,” and “Heaven and Hell” was just a great album in its entirety.
Ronnie James Dio
Stand Up And And Shout: The Anthology, 2003
