Ozzy Osbourne’s single favourite song of all time: “That haunting melody”
Ozzy Osbourne, or as he also liked to be called, the Prince of Darkness, gained notoriety after he became the lead singer of Black Sabbath in 1967.
At 14, he heard The Beatles’ song ‘She Loves You’ for the first time and knew from that moment that “I was going to be a rock star the rest of my life”. Despite tumultuous teenage years, during which Osbourne engaged in a string of petty crimes that resulted in a six-week stint in prison, he found a sense of purpose by forming a band.
Alongside Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward, Osbourne formed Black Sabbath, although they went through a series of name changes until they found the perfect moniker to suit their dark sound. Their 1970 debut, Black Sabbath, has been credited as the first heavy metal album, with the opening track of the same name regarded as the first doom metal song. Although the album was negatively received by some critics at the time, it has retrospectively received praise for its impact on the music industry.
Regardless of the poor reception to their debut, the album shifted a considerable number of copies, and their sophomore effort, Paranoid, proved to be much more successful. With heavy-hitting cuts such as ‘War Pigs’, ‘Paranoid’ and ‘Iron Man’ included on the album, the band cemented itself as one of the most important of its time. It wasn’t long before Osbourne was recognised as a musical icon – one known for getting himself into plenty of controversies.
Osbourne has engaged in some questionable behaviour over the years, such as biting the head of a dove and a bat. Although he was kicked out of Black Sabbath in 1979, Osbourne continued to find success as a solo artist, with his most recent effort, Patient Number 9, released in September 2022. However, in the 2000s, Osbourne also became a reality star, appearing alongside his wife, Sharon, and two of his children, Kelly and Jack, in an MTV show called The Osbournes.
It is safe to say that Osbourne has enjoyed a turbulent life, just as he intended. But what has been the soundtrack to these decades? Osbourne has been an outspoken fan of The Beatles for a long time, citing John Lennon’s Imagine as one of his all-time favourite albums. Despite his adoration for the band, Osbourne once revealed that his favourite song is not by the Fab Four as one might think, but instead by Procol Harum.
Osborne chose their number one single, ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, as his favourite song. It is one of the few tracks to sell over ten million copies and became an anthem of the 1967 Summer of Love. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 and is reportedly the most-played record by British broadcasting over the past 70 years.
Discussing the track, Osbourne said: “When I hear that haunting melody on the Hammond organ, I immediately become transfixed.” The song sounds worlds apart from the heavy riffs and rhythms of Black Sabbath; however, it demonstrates how Osbourne has been influenced by a wide stretch of genres.
He wasn’t the only one. His idol, John Lennon, was also a huge fan. In his book Lennon: The Definitive Biography, Ray Coleman talks about an episode at a party at Brian Epstein’s house, just before the release of the Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper Coleman describes how: “We spoke a little about the state of the music scene, and he (Lennon) said there was one ‘dope’ record which he couldn’t get off his mind. He couldn’t remember the title. All other pop music of that period was ‘crap’, one of his favourite words at that time.”
“Next day John phoned me,” Coleman continues, “I remembered after I’d gone what record it is that I can’t stop playing,’ he said. ‘It’s that dope song, Procol Harum’s ‘Whiter Shade Of Pale’. It’s the best song I’ve heard for a while. You play it when you take some acid and … whoooooooo.’” The track has long been associated with the drug experience of the decade but that shouldn’t mean its categorisation is a bad one
