Duh duh duh nana,

Those famous four notes. Begins the most famous heavy metal song known to the listening world, Ironman. Tony Iommi's riffs became the influence of a genre. "If it weren't for Black Sabbath, we wouldn't be here." says Lars Ulrich at tonight's Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

I began listening to Black Sabbath in my senior year of high school. Of course they'd been around for a few years prior to that, but I was still listening to Cream and the Animals, Deep Purple and the last trailing songs of the Beatles. Then I met a new kind of guy and his music. Black Sabbath was his music. That and a few others, Uriah Heep, King Crimson and the like. Sabbath was fun. There were catchy tunes, not "pop"y tunes but songs you could feel and sing along to while driving. One of my favorite songs is on BS IV. Changes It's a melodic lament of a song of lost love.

I feel unhappy
I feel so sad
I lost the best friend
That I ever had

She was my woman
I loved her so
But it's too late now
I've let her go

I'm going through changes
I'm going through changes

We shared the eve's
We shared each day
In love together
We found a way
But soon the world
Had its evil way
My heart was blinded
Love went astray

I'm going through changes
I'm going through changes

It took so long
To realize
That I can still hear
Her last goodbyes

Now all my days
Are filled with tears
Wish I could go back
And change these years

I'm going through changes
I'm going through changes

Black Sabbath though did what others didn't. Lead. With Ozzy's antics and that unique vocal sound, Tony Iommi's guitar riffs, Geezer Butler's underlying bass strength, and the magic of Bill Ward's drums they became the leaders of a new kind of music. In fact, their song Hand of Doom, spawned a new type of metal music: Doom.

Sabbath has sustained their stronghold of the genre. Rarely does someone hear a riff from Ironman or Paranoid and not recognize the song. And wonderfully, we haven't had to endure the selling of wares with a behind track of Sabbath.

If you're not familiar with them, go to iTunes and download a few songs. Familairize yourself with a different kind of music. Some of us were and still are metal heads. It makes people laugh when I say I love heavy metal music. They're surprised that little old me would even know who Black Sabbath are. I say actually I'm well rounded. But there is just something about the power behind the music that fills a void when things are just a bit out of control. It gives meaning to some of the craziness going on around us. And keep in mind, it's just music. No one really bit the head off a bat for fun.

Welcome to the Hall of Fame guys. It's been a long hard rock filled road. Welcome, you deserve it.