Ozzy Osbourne, the man who laid the foundation of heavy metal, breathed his last on July 22 but his genre-defining legacy lives on.
From his haunting wails in Black Sabbath songs to his electrifying solo career, the ‘Prince of Darkness’ turned his inner demons into dark anthems of rebellion, pain and power over the years.
Here’s a look back at seven iconic songs — some from his time with Black Sabbath and others from his solo ventures — that marked Ozzy’s rise and shaped the course of metal in the years to come.
Black Sabbath (1970)
A thunder crackles in the sky. A bell tolls. And then, the chunky, sludgy riff is heard — this started it all for Ozzy and the band. Black Sabbath was a blues band called Earth before penning their self-titled song. When they played it for the first time, it stopped all conversation in the pub, marking the beginning of an entire genre.
When Black Sabbath performed the opening of their doom-inspired eponymous song, the crowd was left in a mix of shock and fascination, with many traditional rock fans unable to accept the dark themes. Their debut ballad earned Ozzy the famous moniker — Prince of Darkness — and he truly embodied it.
War Pigs (1970)
Probably the most definitive Black Sabbath song, War Pigs is Ozzy’s anti-establishment howl, condemning warmongers, battles and corrupt leaders. With its ominous, razor-sharp lyrics, this song was a warning. The track was so influential that it was also set to be the title of the album, only to be replaced by the name Paranoid as the record label felt uncomfortable about the consequences.
Paranoid (1970)
Imagine writing a song in under 20 minutes just to make up for filler spaces in your album and it goes on to break charts in the country, catapulting your band to fame and becoming one of the most-covered songs of all time. Enter Paranoid, the title track for Black Sabbath’s second album, which often serves as a gateway for many new fans.
Clocking in at under three minutes, the song is — as you might have already guessed — about a man who is paranoid. However, the lyrics, despite the song’s title, never actually use the word “paranoid”. Written by Geezer Butler, Ozzy’s honest verses and distorted guitar notes capture the feeling of being overwhelmed by negative thoughts, making it a global anthem for those feeling alienated.
Iron Man (1970)
Another classic from the album Paranoid, Iron Man is a timeless tale of a man who travels to the future and experiences a devastating apocalypse. The song, with its iconic robot-stomp intro, instantly makes you feel bad for the Iron Man, who turns into an iron creature after his time travelling journey and is unable to communicate with others. Despite his inability to converse, he tries to warn everyone about the future, but no one listens to him.
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
To get out of a major writer’s block, the band had rented a giant castle in Gloucestershire, England to find some inspiration. Hearing the locals say the place was haunted, and that it contained a dungeon, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi instantly found the motivation to write, and that’s how he came up with Sabbath Bloody Sabbath in 1973.
The song is hailed by several fans as the band’s peak point of glory before Ronnie James Dio joined the band seven years later.
Crazy Train (1980)
After creating the blueprint for heavy metal for popular names like Metallica, Slayer, and Iron Maiden, Ozzy went on to reinvent himself as a solo artiste and pop icon.
When he was fired from Black Sabbath over his alcohol and drug use in 1979, fans thought it was all over. But he returned with Crazy Train, a solo debut song that marked a powerful comeback. With a searing guitar riff by Randy Rhoads’ coupled with Ozzy’s melodic war cry, the song became a metal anthem for the ages.
Written by Ozzy in collaboration with Randy and Bob Daisley, Crazy Train delves into the fear of annihilation faced by citizens during the Cold War. The chorus — “I’m going off the rails on a crazy train” — became Ozzy’s battle cry.
Mama, I’m Coming Home (1991)
Ozzy is coming home, not to lose it all again but to bask in the legacy he’s created. Beneath the darkness, doom and bat-biting headlines, the Birmingham-born legend has always laid bare his emotional vulnerability, especially in his solo juggernauts.
His 1991 hit was written at a time when his life and career were both spiraling, with him nearly losing everything. After he landed up in jail due to a violent outburst, Ozzy wrote this powerful anthem, dedicating it to his wife Sharon, the woman who saved his life.
Ozzy’s final bow came just weeks ago at an iconic farewell concert in Birmingham’s Villa Park, where he reunited with Black Sabbath in front of 40,000 fans.
Seated on a gothic-inspired throne, visibly frail from his illness, he delivered an unforgettable performance alongside Metallica, Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson, and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler. It was the perfect goodbye to a man who gave life to the darkness and took fans on a rollercoaster ride across generations.