Sweet Leaf

"Sweet Leaf" is a song by Black Sabbath from their third studio album Master of Reality, released in 1971. It is considered as one of the band's signature songs. It was included on their initial greatest hits compilation We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll (1976).

"Sweet Leaf"
Song by Black Sabbath
from the album Master of Reality
Released21 July 1971 (1971-07-21)
RecordedRecord Plant, Los Angeles, California, 1971
GenreHeavy metal, stoner rock
Length5:05
LabelVertigo (UK)
Warner Bros. Records (US)
Songwriter(s)Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward
Producer(s)Rodger Bain

Overview

The song begins with a tape loop of guitarist Tony Iommi coughing from a joint he was smoking with bandmate Ozzy Osbourne.[1] The song refers to marijuana, which the band was using frequently.[2] The title of the song was taken from a packet of Irish cigarettes which said "It's the sweet leaf".

Significance

Sweet Leaf, alongside the rest of Master of Reality arguably represents the origin of the stoner rock genre. In 2015 a compilation album, also titled Sweet Leaf, comprising covers of Black Sabbath songs by stoner rock bands was released by Deadline Music.[3]

"Sweet Leaf" was ranked the 10th best Black Sabbath song by Rock - Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check.[4]

Notable Samples

The main guitar riff, paired with a loop of a drum sample from Led Zeppelin's version of When the Levee Breaks[5], is the instrumental basis of the Beastie Boys' song "Rhymin & Stealin", the first track on their breakthrough album Licensed to Ill (1986). [6]

The Red Hot Chili Peppers play the riff as the outro to their hit song "Give It Away" (1991).[7]

The Butthole Surfers have reworked the song as "Sweat Loaf" (1987), and Shooter Jennings samples music from it in his 2005 song "Put the 'O' Back in Country" (2005).[8]

References
  1. Symptom of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath 1970–1978 (Media notes). Black Sabbath. Rhino. 2002.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ByComplex. "The Best Songs About Weed". Complex. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  3. "Sweet Leaf - A Stoner Rock Salute To Black Sabbath (2015, CD)". Discogs. 2015-10-30. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  4. 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 3868526463.
  5. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/beastie-boys-led-zeppelin-licensed-to-ill/
  6. "Black Sabbath - Google Books". Books.google.com. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  7. "Black Sabbath - Google Books". Books.google.com. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  8. "Black Sabbath - Google Books". Books.google.com. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
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