Nightmare

Album: The Eternal Idol (1987)
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Songfacts®:

  • Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi wrote "Nightmare" when he was asked to write a song for the soundtrack to the horror movie A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, which explains the lyric about meeting the devil in a dream within a dream. Tony wanted to be involved with the film, but his management held out for more money and the filmmakers backed off. Black Sabbath ended up using it on their album The Eternal Idol.
  • The Eternal Idol was Black Sabbath's 13th studio album, and their first with lead singer Tony Martin, who was with the band for five albums, leaving in 1997 when Ozzy Osbourne returned to the fold. Bass player Bob Daisley wrote most of the lyrics on the album, as Iommi wasn't impressed with what Martin came up with. "He assumed, oh, Black Sabbath, it's all about the Devil, so his lyrics were full of the Devil and Satan," he explained in his book Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven And Hell With Black Sabbath. "It was too much in your face."

    Martin did more writing on their next album, Headless Cross.
  • Dokken ended up contributing the title song to A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. The song was called "Dream Warriors" per directive of the movie studio.

Comments: 1

  • Paul Phillips from ScotlandTony Martin didn’t write the lyrics for The Eternal Idol that was Bob Daisley. Tony Martin was brought in at the last minute when the original vocalist on the album Ray Gillen left and re-recorded all the vocals making no lyrical changes.
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