"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).
| "God Is Dead?" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Black Sabbath | ||||
| from the album 13 | ||||
| Released | 19 April 2013 | |||
| Recorded | August 2012 – January 2013 | |||
| Studio | Shangri-La (Malibu, California) | |||
| Genre | Doom metal[1] | |||
| Length | 8:54 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Rick Rubin | |||
| Black Sabbath singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "God Is Dead?" on YouTube | ||||
Composition
edit"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
editThe 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
edit- Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
- Tony Iommi – guitar
- Geezer Butler – bass guitar
Additional musician
- Brad Wilk – drums
Chart performance
edit| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] | 79 |
| Canada Rock (Billboard)[12] | 6 |
| Germany (GfK)[13] | 99 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[14] | 139 |
| UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[15] | 6 |
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[16] | 26 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[17] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b CoS Staff (18 April 2013). "Listen to Black Sabbath's new song, "God Is Dead?"". Consequence of Sound.
- ^ "13 — Black Sabbath Online". Black-sabbath.com. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ Stolz, Nolan (2017). Experiencing Black Sabbath: A Listener's Companion. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 199. ISBN 978-1-4422-5691-0.
- ^ "God Is Dead?: Black Sabbath: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ Black Sabbath (10 June 2013). "Black Sabbath – God Is Dead?". Vevo. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
- ^ "2013-05-04 Top 40 Rock & Metal Singles Archive". Official Charts Company. 4 May 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ Rehe, Christoph (2013). Rock - Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check: alle Alben, alle Songs. Ein eclipsed-Buch (in German). Sysyphus Sysyphus Verlags GmbH. ISBN 978-3868526462.
- ^ "Black Sabbath Wins 'Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance' Grammy Award". Blabbermouth.net. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ^ "Black Sabbath Gives Statement About Grammy Nominations". wcsx.com. 26 January 2014. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ^ Scott Colothan (21 February 2020). "The Rocks 2020 winners revealed". Planet Rock. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020.
- ^ "Black Sabbath Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ "Black Sabbath Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ "Black Sabbath – God Is Dead?" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ "Chart Log UK - Weekly Updates: Sales 2013". zobbel.de. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Black Sabbath Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Black Sabbath – God is Dead?" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 10 June 2024.