Mr. Crowley

Mr. Crowley is a 1980 heavy metal song performed by Ozzy Osbourne (with Randy Rhoads collaborating on the lyrics), released on the album "Blizzard Of Ozz". The song is one of Osbourne's first two singles as a solo artist following the breakup of Black Sabbath. It reached #46 on the U.K. charts.

Related Topics:
1980 - Heavy metal - Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard Of Ozz - Black Sabbath

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The song's title is a reference to the infamous Aleister Crowley, and the song as a whole is addressed to him. Mr. Crowley seems to cast the life of the occultist in a critical light; Osbourne asks Crowley, "Mr. Charming, did you think you were pure?" and invites Crowley to "ride my white horse", a possible reference to Death, who rides a pale horse according to the Bible. The line is open to interpretation, as Osbourne indicates in the following line, "It's symbolic, of course." Osbourne ends the song with a plea to the long-dead Crowley, "Was it polemically sent?/I wanna know what you meant", perhaps referring to Crowley's often-controversial doctrines.

Related Topics:
Aleister Crowley - Death - Bible

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The guitar solo in Mr. Crowley is ranked number 28 on Guitar World Magazine's 100 greatest solos. According to legend, Osbourne was dissatisfied with the first guitar solo that Randy Rhoads recorded for the song. Rhoads, in angry protest, went into the studio right away and banged out the famous solo. Afterwards, he stormed out and asked how THAT solo was. Osbourne smiled and said: "This is it!"

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Despite Osbourne's links to the occult, he was apparently unaware of the correct pronunciation of Crowley's name. Osbourne pronounces it to rhyme with "plow"; the name pronounced correctly rhymes with "grow".

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