God Is Dead? Explained

God Is Dead?
Cover:Black Sabbath God Is Dead.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Black Sabbath
Album:13
Released:19 April 2013
Recorded:August 2012 – January 2013
Studio:Shangri-La (Malibu, California)
Genre:Doom metal
Length:8:54
Label:
Producer:Rick Rubin
Prev Title:The Devil Cried
Prev Year:2007
Next Title:End of the Beginning
Next Year:2013

"God Is Dead?" is a song by English rock band Black Sabbath, the second track on their nineteenth studio album, 13 (2013). It was released as the album's lead single on 19 April 2013, the first Black Sabbath release with Ozzy Osbourne since "Psycho Man" and "Selling My Soul" from Reunion (1998).

Composition

"God Is Dead?" has been described as a doom metal song.[1] Both the song title and figure on the single's cover, by Heather Cassils, are a reference to Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher who is famous for saying that "God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers?".[2] It is one of Black Sabbath's longer original compositions, second to "Megalomania" from their 1975 album, Sabotage.[3]

Release and reception

The song was released via an MP3 download on Amazon[4] and was also available as a free download to those who pre-ordered the full album on iTunes. The song in its entirety was posted on the official YouTube channel in promotion of this. The music video for the song, directed by Peter Joseph, known for the Zeitgeist film series,[5] was released on 10 June 2013. The song was featured in the second promo for the sixth season of Sons of Anarchy, a FX network television series.

"God Is Dead?" reached number 6 on the UK Rock Charts.[6] It was ranked the 14th-best Black Sabbath song by Rock - Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check.[7] The song later won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance on 26 January 2014,[8] the band's first Grammy Award in 14 years.[9] Also in 2014, the song won a Planet Rock Award for Best British Single.[10]

Personnel

Additional musician

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Listen to Black Sabbath's new song, "God Is Dead?" . CoS Staff . Consequence of Sound . 18 April 2013 .
  2. Web site: 13 — Black Sabbath Online . Black-sabbath.com . 13 May 2013.
  3. Book: Stolz, Nolan . Experiencing Black Sabbath: A Listener's Companion . 2017 . 199 . Rowman & Littlefield . 978-1-4422-5691-0.
  4. Web site: God Is Dead?: Black Sabbath: MP3 Downloads . Amazon.com . 13 May 2013.
  5. News: Black Sabbath – God Is Dead? . 11 June 2013 . Black Sabbath . Black Sabbath . 10 June 2013 . Vevo.
  6. Web site: 2013-05-04 Top 40 Rock & Metal Singles Archive . . 4 May 2013 . 13 May 2013.
  7. Book: Rehe . Christoph . Rock - Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check: alle Alben, alle Songs. Ein eclipsed-Buch . 2013 . Sysyphus Sysyphus Verlags GmbH . 978-3868526462 . de.
  8. Web site: Black Sabbath Wins 'Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance' Grammy Award. Blabbermouth.net. 26 January 2014. 26 January 2014.
  9. Web site: Black Sabbath Gives Statement About Grammy Nominations . wcsx.com . 26 January 2014 . 26 January 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131213230857/http://www.wcsx.com/gmi/classicrocknews/2013/12/11/black-sabbath-gives-statement-about-grammy-nominations#.UuW8e9LTncs . 13 December 2013 .
  10. Web site: The Rocks 2020 winners revealed . 21 February 2020 . Planet Rock . Scott Colothan . https://archive.today/20200311144238/https://www.planetrock.com/news/rock-news/the-rocks-winners/ . 11 March 2020 . live.
  11. Web site: Chart Log UK - Weekly Updates: Sales 2013 . 11 March 2021 . zobbel.de.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "God Is Dead?".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.