Do You Think the Beatles Are Heavier Than Black Sabbath? Here’s Why Some People Do

If you were to ask the average person walking down the street which band was heavier, Black Sabbath or the Beatles, even those unfamiliar with mid-20th century rock ‘n’ roll would likely choose the former. After all, many consider the members of Black Sabbath to be the godfathers of heavy metal. Four suit-clad, mop-topped boys from Liverpool? Well, that’s lighter fare.

However, Foo Fighters founder Dave Grohl would suggest otherwise. During a 2019 appearance on the BBC Sounds program, Radio 2 Beatles, the multi-instrumentalist made a case for why he believes the Fab Four are heavier than some people realize. See if you agree.

Why Dave Grohl Argues The Beatles Are Heavier Than Black Sabbath

Dave Grohl, like countless other artists around the world, cites the Beatles as one of his most significant influences when he first started playing music. During his time on BBC’s Radio 2 Beatles, Grohl highlighted some of his favorite works from the Fab Four’s catalogue, including “Hey Bulldog” off Yellow Submarine. However, Grohl honed in on an album that came three years later: the Beatles’ iconic and highly influential Abbey Road.

“The [song] that stands out to me the most and the one that has always been my favorite from that record is called “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” Now, of course, I love music,” Grohl told the show audience. “I love Black Sabbath. I love Motörhead. But I think nothing is as heavier, melodically, darker, deeper, than the riff on this song” (via AlternativeNation). 

“When I was a kid, there was something about it that actually made me scared,” he continued. “It’s a beautiful song. It’s a love song. However, the riff just seems so dark and foreboding. I learned to play it when I was young, and still, to this day, it’s one of my favorites when I sit down with a guitar.”

The Fab Four Tried To Sound Even Heavier On A Previous Album

While it’s hard to deny the “dark and foreboding” feel of the Beatles’ iconic 1969 track “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” the Fab Four were shooting for something nasty, gnarly, and gritty a year earlier on their eponymous “White Album.” Indeed, before there was “I Want You,” there was “Helter Skelter,” and funnily enough, we have the Who’s Pete Townshend to thank for that.

Songwriter Paul McCartney recalled the moment he got the inspiration to write “Helter Skelter, which was born out of friendly competition,” in Anthology. “I was in Scotland, and I read in Melody Maker that [the Who’s] Pete Townshend had said: ‘We’ve just made the raunchiest, loudest, most ridiculous rock ‘n’ roll record you’ve ever heard.’ I never actually found out what track it was that the Who had made. But that got me going.” 

“I said to the guys, ‘I think we should do a song like that—something really wild,’” McCartney continued. “And I wrote “Helter Skelter.” You can hear the voices cracking, and we played it so long and so often that by the end of it, you can hear Ringo saying, ‘I’ve got blisters on my fingers.’ We just tried to get it louder. ‘Can’t we make the drums sound louder?’ That was really all I wanted to do: make a very loud, raunchy rock ‘n’ roll record.”  

So, are the Beatles actually heavier than Black Sabbath? Well, we think that depends on whether or not you’re going on a track-by-track basis. What do you think?

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