Date:

Author:
Category:

Crazy Train (1980) - Ozzy Osbourne - All about the song

It was Ozzy Osbourne's first single released after leaving Black Sabbath in 1978....

Ozzy Osbourne: the story of the hit song "Crazy Train."

"Crazy Train" is the title single from heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne's debut solo album! An accompanying music video has been released to promote it. Osbourne and Robert Daisley are credited as co-writers of the song along with the late guitarist Randy Rhoads...The lyric tells of the Cold War and the fear of annihilation....

Where did it all start? Prerequisites...

Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne

The story of 'Crazy Train' began when guitarist Greg Leon, who originally took Rhoades' place in Quiet Riot, said he would help Randy write what later became a quickly recognisable riff... He had the floor:

"We were hanging out when I showed Rhoads the riff from Steve Miller's 'Swingtown', saying: "Listen to what's going to happen if you just speed this up..." So we messed around for a while..."

Notably, William Weaver claimed to have written the signature riff, then played it to Rhoades in the studio during one of the sessions... Anyway, and after the release of "Crazy Train", a note appeared in AllMusic:

"The main guitar riff of this song is a quality classic that runs the full minor scale... This hasn't happened since the heyday of Ritchie Blackmore and Deep Purple! Just amazing..."

Where does the title come from? Let's hear it for Ozzy:

"Randy was into trains - he collected model trains, and so did I. I've always been a fan of trains, and so was Randy. I said: "Randy, it looks like a train. But it sounds crazy." And I said: "It's a crazy train!"

From left to right Randy Rhoades, Lee Kerslake, Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Daisley.
From left to right Randy Rhoades, Lee Kerslake, Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Daisley.

Randy Rhoads was Ozzy's guitarist on this song - he was in Quiet Riot before he joined Osbourne. Like most of the guitar solos he recorded with Ozzy, here Rhoads had to "double" all of his guitar parts. This means he had to play every note of this very complex solo the same way, twice. This is one of the reasons why the solo on the recording sounds so unique....

"Rhoads was a very experienced and influential guitarist... He was the first one to say: 'Maybe you should do it in this key'! He was the first guy who listened to my opinion and gave me a break..."

Contrary to popular belief, supposedly another Ozzy song about his insanity, it's worth noting that "Crazy Train" is actually about the Cold War... Here are some lines confirming that fact:

"Millions of people are living as enemies."

"One man destined to rule and control."

"Heirs to the Cold War, that's what we've become."

Success, Impact...

It's no secret that "Crazy Train" is one of Osbourne's most famous and recognisable songs as a solo artist! It is also one of the most famous in terms of guitar solos! The track is ranked #9 in the top 40 greatest metal songs. In 2009, "Crazy Train" was ranked as one of the hardest rock hits!

https://youtu.be/bwDpAfFzcRQ

In America, "Crazy Train" entered the hot 100, spending a week at number 106. The track's impact was far greater than shown in the charts, as it became one of Ozzy's signature songs and helped the Blizzard of Ozz album to promote itself: over a million copies of the album were sold (and that was only in the US, over the next two years). Ozzy eventually became a media leader in America, where, with the help of his wife Sharon, he organised the successful Ozzfest festival and got his own reality show on MTV. Not bad for a British Heavy Metal singer!

Curious covers!

Subsequently, "Crazy Train" has been re-sung and re-played - by Nightwish, Pat Boone, Skid Row and many others. One of the most interesting is Sebastian Bach's version:

But the most scandalous was the Westboro Baptist Church's cover: a rearranged version was performed especially for the anti-homosexuality rally, which infuriated Osborne!

Popularity in Tic Toc!

The metal track has found a new round of fame thanks to the popular service for creating and watching short videos Tik-Tok! It's worth noting that more than 50 thousand clips were shot under the original sound of "Crazy Train"! Let's see some of them:

https://www.tiktok.com/@snubbyj/video/6897029000837745926?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowQWeUw6ipKZqkYTXekDuPAyTUogmEMHy5SLgErgpjVzJ2tHaRKf5ld3ioCZHpXsD%2FGgA%3D&language=ru&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAA4L_dY7AmCOMEAdOOXnimU0eIVxyE8o5yOqWfyc40czXdz-FcBRsiPu_-sXZMP41U&share_link_id=4F1EA1BC-4DC9-480C-A7C0-282052F09AFF&share_music_id=6897029023092820742&tt_from=copy&u_code=dg1e9l1mgfifhh&user_id=6904657338674971653&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=copy&source=h5_m&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v2&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6915706928220767749

https://www.tiktok.com/@higgiwitit/video/6910050131807079685?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowQWeUw6ipKZqkYTXekDuPAyTUogmEMHy5SLgErgpjVzJ2tHaRKf5ld3ioCZHpXsD%2FGgA%3D&language=ru&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAA4L_dY7AmCOMEAdOOXnimU0eIVxyE8o5yOqWfyc40czXdz-FcBRsiPu_-sXZMP41U&share_link_id=4F1EA1BC-4DC9-480C-A7C0-282052F09AFF&share_music_id=6897029023092820742&tt_from=copy&u_code=dg1e9l1mgfifhh&user_id=6904657338674971653&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=copy&source=h5_m&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v2&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6915706928220767749

https://www.tiktok.com/@rocksquatchdesigns/video/6906674294714158341?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowQWeUw6ipKZqkYTXekDuPAyTUogmEMHy5SLgErgpjVzJ2tHaRKf5ld3ioCZHpXsD%2FGgA%3D&language=ru&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAA4L_dY7AmCOMEAdOOXnimU0eIVxyE8o5yOqWfyc40czXdz-FcBRsiPu_-sXZMP41U&share_link_id=4F1EA1BC-4DC9-480C-A7C0-282052F09AFF&share_music_id=6897029023092820742&tt_from=copy&u_code=dg1e9l1mgfifhh&user_id=6904657338674971653&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=copy&source=h5_m&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v2&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6915706928220767749

The essence of the trend is to visually simulate the playback of the opening sound with... Yes, yes! You didn't see it coming! Using tubes of ordinary wrapping paper! It looks quite unusual and entertaining that is said.....

Interesting facts...

  • It was the first single Ozzy Osbourne released after leaving Black Sabbath in 1978. He left the band after a particularly heated argument with guitarist Tony Iommi, when former bandmates characterised Ozzy as a "lost bum". In the end, "Crazy Train" was a triumph for Ozzy, as he proved that he could succeed outside of the illustrious band, albeit with a lot of help from his crew.
  • The end features the voice of a studio engineer saying "Egg" through an oscillator. Ozzy asks him what he had for breakfast this morning.....
  • In 1999, it was used in an advert for Mitsubishi cars. In 2012, the track was used in an advert for the Honda Pilot. Given the dynamic sound, it's not at all surprising....
  • The instrumental part of this song was a beat of the track "Let's Go" by Trick Daddy feat. Twista & Lil Jon, which reached number seven in the United States in 2004. It was also inserted into the band Hollywood Undead's song "Undead" in 2008.
  • Ozzy Osbourne has released an animated music video in September 2020 as part of Blizzard Of Ozz's 40th anniversary celebrations. The clip features hand-drawn cartoon images of the Prince of Darkness and his band. After a guitar solo by Randy Rhoads, the guitarist soars into the sky as his bandmates watch him...

  • Ozzy Osbourne's former bassist, Bob Daisley, has sued the musician and his company Blizzard Music Limited for unpaid royalties. The musician accused Osbourne of withholding over $2 million in unpaid song royalties! Fortunately, Osbourne was able to prove his case ....

LEAVE ANSWER

Please enter your comment!
please enter your name here

7 + 3 =

'Pretty Woman With A Secret': Debbie Harry's 'Blondie' Secrets She Long Hid From Fans

Debbie Harry: facts about her personal life and career Debbie Harry is unfortunately a rarity: a surviving 78-year-old punk scene icon whose career developed during the era of...

Yuri Antonov - The Hardest Idol: Antics and Scandals That Made Producers Walk Away From the Master

Yuri Antonov: character, scandals, antics Recently, producer Sergey Lavrov said that Yuri Antonov is the most difficult, capricious and wayward maestro of the domestic variety, with whom he...

Ozzy Osbourne's parents' first reaction to Black Sabbath's music is 'amazement and support'

What Ozzy Osbourne's parents really thought of Black Sabbath Today, Black Sabbath is known worldwide as an iconic rock band that has come to epitomise an entire era....

Top 7 most famous alcoholic musicians

The most famous foreign musicians who suffered from alcoholism: their history, names, influence Creative activity is almost always associated with stress. Sleepless nights during the development of an album, negative reaction...

Best film soundtracks by Duran Duran

What British songs have been played in films "Duran Duran" is a British new wave and synth-pop band formed in 1978. Releasing their debut album in 1981, the collective...

Moody's Mood (1980) - George Benson - All about the song...

History of the song "Moody's Mood": George Benson's version, popular covers... "Moody's Mood" is George Benson's famous hit: recorded with Patti Austin, the track perfectly complemented the iconic...

Top 20 best songs of the band "Resurrection"

The best songs of the band "Resurrection" The group "Resurrection" - a collective that gave listeners a lot of original songs. Their creativity is diverse: from the light "Snow Baba" to the spirit-filled Russian philosophy...

The great live albums of 1978-1985 that changed the history of...

8 live albums from 1978-1985 that changed history... If the dawn of the '70s marked the beginning of the popularity of live albums thanks to rock maestros like Cream, The Who, Rolling Stones...

Give Me the Night (1980) - George Benson: All about the song "Give Me the Night."

History of the song "Give Me the Night" by George Benson "Give Me the Night" is a song recorded by American jazz and R&B musician George Benson. It was released...

Call Me - Blondie (1980) - All about the song ...

History of the song "Call Me" by Blondie Today, the light and breezy "Call Me" is included in Rolling Stone magazine's Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time....

Top 10 songs about high school: Classic rock!

10 classic rock songs about high school High school is high on everyone's list of memories. Memory is selective. All the unpleasant things that happened during school gradually...
Recommended

Queen's first hit that got the band on the radio

Queen - "Seven Seas of Rhye": All about the song, history and facts, translation The Kingdom of Rhye was surrounded by seven seas, where fairies and other... lived together.

Best Song From The Rolling Stones' Worst Album

The Rolling Stones - "She's a Rainbow": all about the song, story and meaning, recording This song isn't quite like what you expect to hear....

Yoko Ono Admits She's A "Witch" - and 4 More "Witchy" Songs About Women

The best rock songs about witches: translations, clips and facts The connection between witchcraft and rock and roll has been around for many decades. Thanks in large part to a conservative society that still...

Top 3 Led Zeppelin Songs Written by Jimmy Page Solo

Led Zeppelin songs written by Jimmy Page Today, classic rock is still at the very centre of popular music, alongside genres such as country and hip-hop. А...

Who she is - Jimi Hendrix's mysterious "cunning lady".

Jimi Hendrix - Foxy Lady: meaning and history of the song, muse Jimi Hendrix didn't like to write songs - or rather lyrics to them: according to him, "usually...

The band "Jeopardy" has a healing effect

How the band "Bardak" heals the public The band "Bardak", playing real rock with pronounced hard rock and blues tones, continues to gain momentum. The album "Russkiy...

The painful real meaning of the "Floyd" song Hey You

The history and meaning of the song Hey You by Pink Floyd Few concept albums can match the greatness of Pink Floyd's "The Wall". Released in 1979, the album...

Thomas Anders' worthy singles after Modern Talking

The best solo singles by Thomas Anders from Modern Talking Thomas Anders' name has forever earned its place in the hearts of millions of listeners around the world. And domestic music lovers...