DOWNLOAD THE SONGSHEET
You can play along with the recording! If you want a challenge it sounds even more fabulous and accurate with E5, D5 and G5 chords, but for purposes of group play - nope! I'm also going to abridge the songsheet to make it easier to play for a group without losing the exciting vibe! But since Ozzy Osbourne's died today, July 22, 2025, I wanted to get the song up.
"Paranoid" is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavy metal songs of all time. It reached number 4 on the UK singles chart and number 61 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Black Sabbath's first song to place on the US Billboard Hot 100. Cash Box described the song as being "as dense, musically as Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love,'" stating that "crashing, non-stop beat with gobs of bass and drums laced liberally with stinging, echoey vocals and hot guitar licks move the song along at a blistering pace."
Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band were previously named Earth, and before that the Polka Tulk Blues Band), they distinguished themselves through occult themes with horror-inspired lyrics and down-tuned guitars. Their first three albums, Black Sabbath, Paranoid (both 1970), and Master of Reality (1971), were commercially successful, and are now cited as pioneering albums in the development of heavy metal music. Black Sabbath have sold over 70 million records as of 2013, making them one of the most commercially successful heavy metal bands. The band have been referred to as being part of the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-seventies", along with Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. They were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. They have won two Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance, and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (3 December 1948 – 22 July 2025) was an English singer, songwriter and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adopted the nickname "Prince of Darkness". Osbourne became a founding member of Black Sabbath in 1968, providing lead vocals from their eponymous debut studio album in 1970 to Never Say Die! in 1978. The band was highly influential in the development of heavy metal music, in particular their critically acclaimed releases Paranoid (1970), Master of Reality (1971), and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973). Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 due to his problems with alcohol and other drugs. He then began a successful solo career with Blizzard of Ozz in 1980 and released 13 studio albums, the first seven of which received multi-platinum certifications in the United States. He reunited with Black Sabbath on several occasions. He rejoined in 1997 and helped record the band's final studio album, 13 (2013), before they embarked on a farewell tour that ended with a 2017 performance in their native Birmingham. Osbourne sold over 100 million albums, including his solo work and Black Sabbath releases. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006 and as a solo artist in 2024. He was also inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame both solo and with Black Sabbath in 2005. He was honoured with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Birmingham Walk of Stars. At the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards, he received the Global Icon Award. In 2015, he received the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.
On 5 July 2025, Osbourne performed his final show at the Back to the Beginning concert event amid ongoing health issues, having announced earlier in the year that this would be his last live performance, though he intended to continue recording music. Osbourne died seventeen days later, on 22 July 2025.