What was Black Sabbath's first single?

Black Sabbath's first single was “Evil Woman (Don't Play Your Games with Me).” The band recorded this version of a song originally written and released by the American group Crow. Black Sabbath's cover was issued in the United Kingdom on 2 January 1970, before the band's debut album appeared in February.

The single paired “Evil Woman” with “Wicked World” and helped introduce the newly renamed Black Sabbath to record buyers. It was released through Philips Records, with Vertigo handling the band's UK releases. The song is notable because it sounds more like blues-rooted hard rock than the darker, heavier material that soon defined the band.

A common mix-up is choosing “Black Sabbath,” “Iron Man,” or “Paranoid.” Those are among the band's best-known songs, but “Black Sabbath” was not their first single, and “Paranoid” came later in 1970. The song was also issued on the original UK version of the debut album, while some later North American editions replaced it with “Wicked World.”