Sharon Osbourne accused of rewriting Black Sabbath history
Black Sabbath fans are upset about changes to the songwriting credits for the classic track “War Pigs.” A Reddit discussion points to Brazilian Spotify listings that now credit Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi as the writers. Fans argue this is wrong because bassist Geezer Butler is widely known to have written the song’s lyrics.
Black Sabbath Fans Question Songwriting Credits for “War Pigs”
Some fans accuse Sharon Osbourne of trying to rewrite history for financial gain. They point out that Ozzy didn’t write the lyrics and, late in his time with the band, sometimes refused to sing lyrics written for him. The thread also mentioned past disputes involving the Osbournes over royalties with musicians Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake.
“Ozzy and Tony are credited for War Pigs on Brazilian Spotify. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t it Geezer Butler who wrote War Pigs? In the new Judas Priest version it says Ozzy and Tony did it,” one Reddit user pointed out.
The history of “War Pigs” supports these concerns. The song began as a jam called “Walpurgis,” which Butler described as “like Christmas for Satanists,” before evolving into the version on the Paranoid album. Butler has explained that the lyrics are about war being the “big Satan” and criticize leaders who start wars, not about the occult.
Black Sabbath’s usual songwriting method also backs Butler’s key role. Tony Iommi created the guitar riffs, Butler wrote most of the lyrics, and Ozzy focused on singing. Producer Rodger Bain added touches such as the famous air-raid siren, showing that the track was a group effort, not just the work of those currently credited.
