The Beatles hit Ozzy Osbourne calls “one of the greatest ever written”
Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne was just 11 years old when the 1960s dawned. Despite his youth, he was fortunate enough to witness the full-fledged revolution that unfolded in the realm of rock and roll during his teenage years. The transformative period of the ’60s profoundly impacted the young Osbourne, instilling in him a passion for the genre that would go on to define his life and career. Naturally, when delving into the ’60s rock scene, minds often gravitate to The Beatles, and it’s precisely this kind of musical innovation that left a lasting impression on the ‘Prince of Darkness’.
Shortly after co-founding Black Sabbath with Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward, Osbourne and the rest of the band sent shockwaves through the world with their unprecedented heaviness and dark lyrical themes. It was a real game-changer, and their pioneering of the metal genre continued to be a source of inspiration for many that followed. Beyond his legendary tenure, however, Osbourne ventured into a successful solo career, all the while embracing conversations about what he considers to be the best musicians and songs of all time.
Despite his association with heavy music, Osbourne held a deep affection for various music genres, particularly those infused with great lyricism and catchy, resonating melodies. It was during those early ’60s years that his musical trajectory became initially defined when he first encountered The Beatles’ music over the airwaves.
This exposure inspired him, and he made a resolute decision during this moment to carve a musical path for himself. As decades rolled by, his love for the Fab Four persisted, and in 2004, he shared his thoughts on the band’s best efforts in an interview with Rolling Stone. One of which was ‘Hey Jude’, which he claims is “hands down one of the greatest songs ever written.”
In truth, rarely do songs possess the innate ability to inspire a nation of avid rock enthusiasts as effortlessly as ‘Hey Jude’. Standing as a jubilant masterpiece of music, the track persistently appears seamlessly interwoven into the very tapestry of our shared consciousness. “That’s his best song,” Paul McCartney once said, praising his long-term songwriting partner John Lennon.
Although the pair are the credited writers of the track, Lennon gifted a certain amount of praise to his fellow partner in crime, who had an active role in its inspiration. Lennon explained: “It started off as a song about my son Julian because Paul was going to see him. Then he turned it into ‘Hey Jude’. I always thought it was about me and Yoko, but he said it was about him and his.”
During his 1980 Playboy interview, Lennon expanded on this sentiment: “He said it was written about Julian. He knew I was splitting with Cyn and leaving Julian then. He was driving to see Julian to say hello. He had been like an uncle. And he came up with ‘Hey Jude’. But I always heard it as a song to me.”
As a paragon of metal music innovation, it’s entirely fitting that Osbourne would hold such an affinity for a melodic masterpiece like ‘Hey Jude’. Being a maestro of melodies himself, his recognition of talent in fellow artists serves as a testament to the exceptional craftsmanship displayed by both parties.
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