I will admit, I never was a huge fan of Black Sabbath or their front man, Ozzy Osbourne. They first caught my attention when I was at the end of my head-banger phase and was moving towards mellower music. But Ozzy was a big deal in music and in reality TV – more on that later – and with his recent passing, there’s no way we can not do a “Start Your Weekend Right” post to honor his contributions.
At first, I wasn’t sure how to pick six songs from a performer I didn’t know all that well, but when I went to look, it seemed like I may have known them a little better than I thought. Six songs triggered my memory, so here, in no particular order, are those six tunes.
First, four from Black Sabbath:
Paranoid (Live, 2017): A live clip from the final concert of Black Sabbath in 2017, this shows that Black Sabbath wasn’t just a studio band, but a pretty rocking concert act as well. This song was from the eponymous 1970 album, Black Sabbath’s second album – yes, they were around that long.
Iron Man (Live, 1999): If you think you recognize this song from the trailers of the 2008 Marvel film “Iron Man,” you’re right. But like Paranoid, this song comes from that same 1970 album. Ozzy later described the inspiration for the tune:Upon hearing Tony Iommi's main guitar riff at rehearsal for the first time, vocalist Ozzy Osbourne remarked that it sounded "like a big iron bloke walking about", with "Iron Bloke" quickly becoming a placeholder title as the band developed the song. Iommi had created the riff "on the spot" in response to a bass drum beat that drummer Bill Ward started playing, creating a mood of "someone creeping up on you".
Ozzy and the band members have always affirmed that the song had no connection to the comic-book character.
Read Also: Start Your Black Friday Weekend Right With Five Great Songs From the Sixties
Hole In the Sky (Live, 1975): This one’s from a live 1975 show at the Santa Monica Auditorium in California, and it had me rethinking that whole “a little after my time” notion, as I was 14 when this was recorded. This one’s from Black Sabbath’s sixth studio album, “Sabotage,” but I prefer the live version. A biographer who wrote about the band, one Mick Wall, had some interesting takes on the song:
Author Mick Wall wrote that, in the song, "Ozzy rants and raves about going through a hole in the sky, 'seeing nowhere through the eyes of a lie."
Children Of the Grave (Live, 2017): Another cut from the farewell concert, this song is generally considered one of Black Sabbath’s best. In 2020, the British rock magazine “Kerrang” listed the song as number six on their ranking of the top 20 Black Sabbath songs; in 2021, “Louder Sound” ranked it number five out of 40. And, oddly, the song was featured in the 2022 movie “Beavis and Butthead Do the Universe.”Read Also: Start Your Weekend Right With Five Great Fun Rock Tunes From the Early Seventies
And now, two from Ozzy’s solo shows:
No More Tears (1991): The title track from Ozzy’s 1991 solo album, this song arose from Ozzy’s band just “messing around in rehearsals.” Ozzy later described the song as “a gift from God,” as noted in the album’s liner notes.
Mama I’m Coming Home (1991): This one’s a bit different. Also from 1991’s “No More Tears,” this song strikes a very different tone for Ozzy Osbourne. An American Songwriter interview claims that the song was inspired by Ozzy’s realizing that he would soon be dead it he didn’t get sober, and the song is dedicated to his wife Sharon for standing by her man.Ozzy Osbourne was a man of consequence in the music world, whether people liked his style or not. I won’t comment on his television career, as I never watched it – I despise “reality” television. But Ozzy and Black Sabbath have a long history; he and his wife Sharon were together for a long time - not all that common in the music business - and I’m sure Ozzy’s family misses him.So, if you have any Black Sabbath favorites – or any other of Ozzy’s various adventures to share – let us know. The comments are all yours!
