Buttkickin' Halloween Songs: "N.I.B." - Black Sabbath (1970)

Follow me now and you will not regret
Leaving the life you led before we met
You are the first to have this love of mine
Forever with me ’till the end of time…

In an effort to appeal to and attract more starry-eyed rom-com fans here at Hokeyblog, we’ve decided to add a romantic ditty to our Buttkickin’ Halloween Songs.

Of course, said romantic tune is from Black Sabbath, which means little of it will be conventional at all, and N.I.B. follows suit accordingly.

(Yes, a Black Sabbath tune. For our Halloween playlist. SHOCKING.)

Regardless, N.I.B. fits the bill perfectly. For starters, few things are as doomy and gloomy (and as crushingly metal) as early Sabbath. These are epic riffs from the minds of guitarist Toni Iommi and bassist/songwriter Geezer Butler. If you ain’t air guitaring at the very least, check your pulse.

Plus it opens with Geezer’s buttkickin’ bass solo, like some devilish overture…

But leaving the music out for a second — which is almost impossible to do — let’s talk about the romantic love story at the heart of N.I.B.. It’s actually quite simple, really. The Devil falls in love with a mortal woman, and pledges his undying, eternal devotion to her.

That’s about it. Who knew the Lord of Darkness was such a softy?

So by all means add N.I.B. to your Halloween playlist. Early Sabbath was pretty much made for the spookiest season of all, and this one just might help you win the heart of that special someone. Go easy on the sulfur and brimstone though. And especially the Drakkar Noir. This isn’t 1986.

Now I have you with me, under my power
Our love grows stronger now with every hour
Look into my eyes, you’ll see who I am
My name is Lucifer, please take my hand…