Miracles of the Madman

For several weeks now I have been trying to write this list, going back to May, just after I published my article on Ronnie James Dio. One thing after another came up to interfere with completing the list. It was as if some outside force was creating distractions and other variables, preventing me from writing this article. Then, a week ago yesterday, we lost the most iconic figure in Heavy Metal music of all time, Ozzy Osbourne. A mere seventeen days after his final performance at the historical Back to the Beginning event in Birmingham. When I heard of Ozzy’s passing, it finally felt like time to release this article.

For me, like just about everyone in the heavy metal community, Ozzy was an intricate part of our childhood and was with us through our adulthood. His music, an anchor to our childhood. A life preserver when our lives were going under as adults. Ozzy was the first and only Ozzy. There was nobody like him prior to him, and there will be no other like him in the future. My inner child feels like a hero died, and my elder self is choked up knowing he is gone. Without Ozzy and Black Sabbath to listen to in my teen years, I truly do not know what I would have connected with to give me some peace when I was in seclusion, emotionally struggling. Thank you, Ozzy, for everything you have done for the world of not just metal, but all of music.

With a catalog of thirteen studio albums, five EP releases, five live album releases, sixty-five singles and more, Ozzy has a library of hit after hit. So, how does one choose a best-of list from such an iconic library? Well, just like my other list, I am not basing this list on commercial successes or greatest hits. I am picking what I feel are Ozzy’s best songs from his solo career (not my favorite songs, his best songs.). As Ozzy himself said, “Let the madness begin!”

Honorable Mentions…

- Everything from the first four Black Sabbath albums. Throughout these pioneering metal records, not only did Sabbath define their sound and lay the groundwork for several metal music genres, Ozzy developed himself vocally, exhibiting a vocal range and tone that nobody else has duplicated since. His voice was one of a kind. A prime example of Ozzy’s early vocal abilities can be found on the song “Solitude” off Master of Reality. That song is Ozzy’s most beautiful vocal performance of his career. (Fight me!)

- “Let Me Hear You Scream”- Album: Scream, released 2010. The one studio album released with guitarist Gus G at the shredding helm, this song was a call back to what Ozzy created prior to Ozzmosis. A hard-hitting heavy metal banger with metaphorical lyrics that go beyond a concert chant. They call for you to stand up for what you want and desire, to fight for what you deserve in life.

- “Mr. Tinkertrain”- Album: No More Tears, released 1991. With some of the creepiest overtones and lyrics Ozzy ever sang, accompanied by heavy guitars from Zakk, this song was a surprise for me and my friends when it was released. I consider it a horror-fashioned tale from the Prince of Darkness that connects with listeners where it hurst because of the dark subject matter, child predators.

- Anything off the first two Ozzy records that is not on this list. Ozzy released back-to-back albums in just over a year's time, with classic after classic song on each. Just like on the first two Sabbath albums, everyone and everything came together in perfect metal harmony.

With the honorable mentions completed, let’s see what twenty songs I claim are the…

Miracles of the Madman

Listen along with the Spotify playlist here

20- “Perry Mason”- Album: Ozzmosis, released 1995. The first single of a record I did not think we were going to ever get, since Ozzy retired three years prior. Ozzy did a solid job adjusting his music to what fit the nineties metal scene (what little there was of it). With the addition of Geezer Butler to the band for the studio album and first leg of the subsequent tour, this track has one of the catchiest bass riffs Geezer has ever done. The song is essentially Ozzy putting his real-life circumstances to use lyrically, addressing his time spent in courtrooms.

19- “Crazy Babies”- Album: No Rest for the Wicked, released 1988. The first single and video release for the album, I can remember when the album came out vividly thanks to Ozzy’s commercials advertising the record, and his new band. This track introduced the world to the long-term guitarist for Ozzy, Zakk Wylde and his pinch harmonics.

18- “The Ultimate Sin”- Album: The Ultimate Sin, released 1986. The title track off the second and final record to feature guitarist Jake E. Lee is the heaviest offering from the album and a superior track to the single “Shot in the Dark”. The cover art to this record hooked me on Ozzy in 1986.

17- “See You on the Other Side”- Album: Ozzmosis, released 1995. The third single off the double-platinum album, is a haunting homage to meeting the ones you love in the afterlife. This one brings a lump to my throat now with the passing of the Prince of Darkness. This is the best song Ozzy released off the album.

16- “Believer”- Album: Diary of a Madman, released 1981. Off Ozzy’s greatest record, this is the first song I heard from the album, and I instantly thought, “He has heavier music than on Blizzard, fucking A!” For me, this song has stood about believing in yourself. Seeing past the doubters and allowing your Magick to shine to take you to the top of where you desire to be.

15- “Miracle Man”- Album: No Rest for the Wicked, released 1988. The solo Zakk lays down in this song blew me away the first time I heard it, and I am still blown away today. There is no doubt in my mind that Ozzy felt gratification in writing this song, which is about the fall of Jimmy Swaggart, the televangelist who attacked Ozzy for his music being Satanic.

14- “I Don’t Know”- Album: Blizzard of Ozz, released 1980. The perfect song to start off Ozzy’s first solo record with, and many times this song opened his live shows. The pick slide from Randy Rhodes into that riff and shred, ignites the headbanger within us all. The tempo changes and flow of the song are taken right from the Sabbath song writing formula. Killer tune!

13- “Goodbye to Romance”- Album: Blizzard of Ozz, released 1980: A blizzard of tunes are coming off the early Ozzy records, this being our second entry off his inaugural solo album. The first song written for Blizzard, and the first song Ozzy and Randy completed together, is a time-tested ballad about Ozzy moving on from his days in Sabbath. This song has lost none of its shine, and lyrically I recall connecting to it as I moved on from relationships as a youth. Listening to the lyrics today has a haunting premonition of Ozzy and Sabbath’s future. “I guess that we’ll meet, we’ll meet in the end”, ended up telling the tale of Ozzy’s journey through music, ending his career on stage with the original line up of Sabbath.

12- “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll”- Album: Diary of a Madman, released 1981. Ozzy writing about his critics, misconstrued lyrical meanings, and false connections with satanic symbolism is the heart to this tempo changing ballad. It’s about Ozzy being himself, and how he will not be disheartened or erased from creating music.

11- “Killer of Giants”- Album: The Ultimate Sin, released 1986. I remember hearing this song for the first time and immediately realizing that what I was expecting the song to be about was not what the song was about. This song was a plea for everyone to understand the ramifications of a nuclear war between the USSR (Russia) and the United States in the eighties. A legitimate fear tactic that gripped many of us at the time. The lyrical content of this song is an honest foundation for how governments viewed themselves in the public eye, and it still holds meaning to this day. Nothing has changed, just the way our fears are packaged and presented to society are through social media more than the evening news.

10- “No More Tears”- Album: No More Tears, released 1991. From the second most successful record of his solo career, and what I consider his third best album in his catalog, the title track is one of Ozzy’s darkest lyrical tales ever. Written while he sat in New Mexico, Ozzy tells the story of a serial killer and the time he spent with his victim. We get a taste of Ozzy’s Beatles influence here as well.

9 and 8- “Revelation Mother Earth/Steal Away the Night”- Album: Blizzard of Ozz, 1980. The Ozzy formula of humanity not caring for each other, disregard for the earth, and not learning our lessons throughout history hits hard here in this Sabbath callback ballad. Like Ozzy’s other global memorandums, this one stands the test of time and fits right into our society today. Ozzy’s vocals here have a throwback tone to the first Sabbath album, proving his retained ability to adjust his tone.

“Steal Away the Night” immediately follows Revelation on the album, and for me the song is an extension of its predecessor. The vibe of “Steal Away the Night” is the opposite of Revelation, an upbeat tempo song about finding love, being set free, and the masses rejoicing. These songs go together like “The Hellion and Electric Eye” by Judas Priest. A perfect musical phonaesthetic.

7- “Mama, I’m Coming Home”- Album: No More Tears, released 1991. Get out the lighters as we check in with the biggest radio hit off No More Tears. This song touched Ozzy fans and others outside the world of metal music alike. Let’s be honest, seeing him sing this song one last time on July 5, 2025, put tears in all our eyes. It was like a farewell from Ozzy to all his fans. Musically and lyrically, this song is a true classic.

6- “Little Dolls”- Album: Diary of a Madman, released 1981. I remember a story from a high school friend who told me how his English teacher used this Ozzy song to explain story writing to his class. (Teacher was a big Ozzy fan) The song is written in a second-person narrative, placing the listener in the role of being the protagonist while the antagonist is the unknown Voodoo practitioner. The opening drum riff by Lee Kerslake is tribal and sets the tone for the terror tale to come. Randy lays down a guitar riff as heavy as Sabbath’s early work, while Ozzy’s vocals are spine-chilling and powerful. (Side note: I ended up liking this song more after the English lesson usage.)

5- “Crazy Train”- Album: Blizzard of Ozz, released 1980. The song where it all started for our love of Ozzy going solo after the Sabbath firing. His first solo single release that introduced the world to Randy Rhodes, and Ozzy’s ability to stylistically change from his roots in Black Sabbath. This is Ozzy’s anthem, and one of the most iconic songs in metal history. The opening guitar riff on the record is one of the top ten most iconic riffs of all time.

4- “Rock N Roll Rebel”- Album: Bark at the Moon, released 1983. This was Ozzy’s first song where he used his music to fire back at critics and allegations thrown at him by religious and political factions. This is Ozzy shouting back at how he is all about being an outside the box thinker, paving his own way in music, but he was misunderstood by society outside of the metal community. Ozzy telling the truth about himself and those who tried to paint him as a “Satanic” influence on youth, while shutting down the haters and remaining firm in his path.

3- “Mr. Crowley”- Album: Blizzard of Ozz, released 1980. This song captivated me from the first time I listened to it, to the day I realized I was reading books by the man Ozzy is singing about, Aleister Crowley. Ozzy wrote the song about Crowley because he found him fascinating, but Ozzy was not into Black Magick. The song is based on curiosity about Crowley’s motivation to work with the forces he did. The guitar work by Randy here is outstanding, the heavy riffs and lightning - fast shreds… my favorite song on the album.

2- “Bark at the Moon”- Album: Bark at the Moon, released 1983. This is my favorite Ozzy guitar riff of all time. Jake E. Lee is one of the most underrated guitarists in metal, and I use this song as an argument to show his genius. For many, the album did not live up to what us Metal Heads got from Diary and Blizzard prior, and with this being Ozzy’s first record after Randy’s death, we had expectations. Mine were not disappointed as this was a transitional record for Ozzy, going from what he created into what he would end up doing, and that is sort of going glam (think of that hair he sported for The Ultimate Sin and the sparkling coats). Jake had incredibly huge shoes to fill in Randy’s place, and brought his own abilities to the forefront, shining by taking what Randy did and making it his own when playing live, and putting the power into the new music he helped create to make those songs feel equally important. Lyrically, the song is a blend of psychology and horror. A man’s descent into madness, while becoming a werewolf by the moonlight. (My favorite music video of all time.) Speaking of a descent into madness, that brings us to the greatest Ozzy song of his solo career…

1- “Diary of a Madman”- Album: Diary of a Madman, released 1981. The best of all things Ozzy is right here in this song. The song is about insanity, destiny, and emotional inner torment. This song resonated with me the moment I heard, “Screaming at the window,” and still finds its mark on my mental state of being today as I write this article. Though not a direct biographical tale, Ozzy pours feeling into the song, which I think is why it has such a strong connection with listeners. Randy’s classical guitar influences are prominent here, marrying with established haunting distorted metal music tones.

For me, like so many of us, realizing that the man who created much of the music that brought us all together, the music that kept many of us strong when we were feeling weak, the historical music that paved a path for artists after him (just as his artists (heroes) paved a path for him and three other Brummies to follow) is physically gone from this realm. Our Ozzy, who loved his fans and lived his life creating music for us all to share with him, is no longer here to yell at the crowd, “Go fucking crazy!” But Ozzy will never die, because he is in our hearts. His music is on our records, tapes, CDs, iTunes, and it is on our playlist. The photos and videos will remain for us to see. The songs will be here to be played. And we will all know he is with us every time those words come flying through our speakers….

“All aboard!!!! Ha, ha, ha, ha….”

Rest in Peace Ozzy

We all love you!

Boris Lee is an American author best known for his work in horror fiction and as a columnist covering music and other arts. His anthology of short horror stories, The Shadows of Insanity, was a Best Thriller Top Ten Finalist. Musically Lee is the front Monster for the band, Boris & The Horribles, whose music can be found on all streaming services in 2025. Currently, Lee lives in California where he is creating new horrors for readers everywhere.

For more about Boris Lee, check out his website here: Boris Lee

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