More than five decades after its release, Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” joins Spotify’s Billions Club – an elite collection of works that have accumulated more than one billion streams.
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Recognized as a classic of the heavy metal genre, “Paranoid” is the title track from the band’s 1970 LP, peaking at No. 4 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart and No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Though it continues to rock hard on Spotify and other streaming platforms, “Paranoid” was written in the studio “in five minutes,” Black Sabbath bass player Geezer Butler told Guitar World in 2004. The song was “written as an afterthought. We basically needed a three-minute filler for the album, and Tony (Iommi) came up with the riff. I quickly did the lyrics, and Ozzy (Osbourne) was reading them as he was singing.”
“Paranoid” is one of the essential songs in a Black Sabbath catalog that has racked up over 75 million records sold, including more than 24 platinum albums in the U.K. alone and over 15 million albums in the U.S., according to BMG, which represents the band’s recordings outside North America.
Black Sabbath was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, with members of Metallica doing the honors.
“Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’ breaking 1 billion streams on Spotify proves great music will always live beyond the year it was recorded,” remarks James Farrelly, BMG vice president, streaming U.K.
“New generations of rock and metal fans are continuing to discover Birmingham’s finest, in particular, we are thrilled to see the continued growth of the band’s streaming business in LATAM. When someone connects with a great song for the first time they don’t care if it’s fifty years or five days old, and ‘Paranoid’ sounds as fresh and vital as ever, ensuring a bright future for the U.K.’s darkest band.”
Since its commercial launch in 2008, Spotify has welcomed 581 tracks into its Billions Club.