10 Greatest Hard Rock Closing Tracks
7. Fairies Wear Boots - Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath had been bringing their form of melodic doom to the forefront in the early 70's. Across their second album Paranoid, the band provides delightful hymns of darkness that culminates in the stunning finish on "Fairies Wear Boots."
In a very un-metal move, the song has a distinctive swing feel to its timing, which gives the distorted riffs their own unique character. Bill Ward's excellent cymbal work lifts the track so that the tempo never feels too cheery or too monotonous. The way that Tony Iommi moves up and down the riff gives the feeling of being on a musical rollercoaster as the song's jaunty tempo plods along.
From a lyrical perspective, Ozzy Osbourne recounts the experiences that he had when being harassed by skinheads, cheekily mocking them as fairies as they clobbered him to the ground. As the song shifts in tone, Osbourne begins to discuss drug habits and the way that one can lose their mind as a result of dabbling in narcotics.
After hearing bold indictments about the darkness in the world, Sabbath's stellar finish is a subtle departure while staying rooted within the band's twisted form of sonic madness.