Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Ordinary Man’ Was One Of The Bright Spots Of 2020

Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

December 3rd, 2020 6:00 AM

Considering everything that happened in 2020, it’s actually quite easy to forget about some of the positive things from this year, especially if they happened pre-coronavirus, which seems like another lifetime ago. However, something rock fans the world over need to be grateful for this year was the release of Ordinary Man, the twelfth studio album from Ozzy Osbourne.

Released on February 21, Ordinary Man marked Ozzy’s first new album since 2010’s Scream. Despite being shut out from receiving any Grammy nominations, Ordinary Man was Ozzy’s best album in decades and boasted an incredible lineup of guests including Slash, Duff McKagan, Elton John, Tom Morello, Chad Smith and Post Malone.

Frankly, the fact the album happened at all is borderline miraculous considering all of the health issues Ozzy has been battling since October 2018. Back then, he had to cancel his then remaining North American tour dates on his “No More Tours 2” farewell tour due to needing hand surgery to treat three staph infections in his right hand.

Things only got worse. In January 2019, Osbourne was diagnosed with a severe upper-respiratory infection that resulted in the postponement of the entire European leg of “No More Tours 2.” The infection developed into pneumonia that landed Osbourne in the ICU in February 2019 which led to him postponing tour legs in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

In April 2019, all of Ozzy’s remaining tour dates that year were postponed following spine and neck surgery after he fell in his home in Los Angeles and aggravated old injuries he sustained from his 2003 ATV accident that nearly ended his life. The fall was so bad at one point doctors thought Ozzy would never walk again.

After all of this, Ozzy would then go public in January 2020 about his years-long battle with Parkinson's disease.

Through it all, it was making Ordinary Man that helped keep Ozzy moving forward. He said in a January 2020 interview with Kerrang!, “…I honestly think making this album is the best medicine I could have had. I was doing something, something I like to do. I wish I could do more, but it just felt great.”

When you listen to Ordinary Man, what you hear is a man coming to grips with the good, the bad and the ugly of his life. All of his health issues forced Ozzy to do something he likely hasn’t done much of during his 50+ year career: Sit down for a very, very long period of time and reflect back on everything he’s done. The over-arching theme of the album is, perhaps, most succinctly expressed in the title track, which features guest vocals from Sir Elton and two epic guitar solos from Slash.

Ozzy pleads in the song’s pre-chorus and chorus, “Don’t forget me as the colors fade/When the lights go down, it’s just an empty stage/Okay/Yes, I’ve been a bad guy/Been higher than the blue sky/And the truth is I don’t wanna die an ordinary man/I’ve made momma cry/Don’t know why I’m still alive/Yes, the truth is I don’t wanna die an ordinary man.”

While Ozzy is one of rock/metal’s biggest icons, he’s always had a flair for ballads, and “Ordinary Man” is one of the best ballads and overall songs in his entire solo catalog. The album should have nabbed a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album, but the fact “Ordinary Man” didn’t get recognized with Grammy nominations for Best Rock Performance or Best Rock Song is maybe the most ridiculous oversight. It’s a missed opportunity for the Recording Academy to “give a man his flowers” who has more than deserved them.

What 2021 holds for Ozzy Osbourne is unknown, but what rock fans learned in 2020 (and 2019, for that matter) is this: Even with every conceivable setback thrown at him, everyone’s favorite Prince of Darkness will never stop swinging for the fences. And sometimes, he can still knock it out of the park.

Ozzy Osbourne: His Top 40 Solo Songs Ranked

• 40. “Let It Die” from ‘Scream’ (2010)

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  The kick-off song from Ozzy’s last album for a decade, ‘Scream.’ Producer Kevin Churko (Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch) gave Ozzy’s sound a bit of a modern metal sheen here, with a more processed guitar sound, a funky cowbell line, and even some guttural vocals, although the song soon veers into a pretty intense jam that could have been an outtake from a classic Black Sabbath era.

• 39. “Black Rain” from ‘Black Rain’ (2007)

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  The title track from one of Ozzy’s less-popular albums, this song is a highlight mainly because of Ozzy’s quick return to harmonica playing. Ozzy isn’t really an instrumentalist, but he also played harmonica on Black Sabbath’s “The Wizard,” 37 years earlier.

• 38. Dweezil Zappa w/ Ozzy – “Stayin’ Alive” from ‘Confessions’ (1991)

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  We can hear the complaints coming already about the inclusion of this one: lighten up and have fun with this, Ozzy clearly did. It’s one of many goofy Ozzy collabs: he’s also worked with Was (Not Was) and Kim Bassinger (“Shake Your Head”), DMX and Ol’ Dirty Bastard (“Nowhere To Run”), the Wu-Tang Clan (“For Heaven’s Sake 2000”) and even Miss Piggy (“Born To Be Wild”). And yeah, Post Malone.
• 37. “Working Class Hero” from ‘Under Cover’ (2005)

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  No one has more “working class” cred than Ozzy; the artist formerly known as John Michael Osbourne grew up to a poor family in post-World War II Birmingham, England, one of six siblings living in a two-bedroom house. This understated version of the John Lennon classic doesn’t need power from big guitars or drums; the pain in Ozzy’s voice tells the story.

• 36. “Road To Nowhere” from ‘No More Tears’ (1991)

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  By the early ‘90s, hair metal was dead. Generally speaking, so were power ballads. But “Road To Nowhere” saw Ozzy looking back on his life (much like in the newer and better “Ordinary Man”); the lyrics rang true and felt less cheesy than many of hard rock’s slow jams that dominated radio in the late ‘80s.

• 35. “The Ultimate Sin” from ‘The Ultimate Sin’ (1986)

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  Ozzy’s fourth solo album was a difficult one; he’d just emerged from rehab and he was fighting with current and former members of his solo band. The title track and lead-off song from the album was a strong start to the record, most of which didn’t really hold up.
• 34. “Shot In The Dark” from ‘The Ultimate Sin’ (1986)

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  The last song and the easy highlight from Ozzy’s most pop-metal album.

• 33. Lita Ford w/ Ozzy – “Close My Eyes Forever” from ‘Lita’ (1988)

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  By 1988, everyone -- regardless of music taste -- knew who Ozzy Osbourne was. But this ballad was the first time he’d had a legit pop hit. His duet with former Runaways guitarist-turned-pop-metal-hitmaker Lita Ford was a number 8 hit (decades later, he’d reach number 8 again with “Take What You Want,” a collaboration with Post Malone (a song that, you’ll note, did not make this list).

• 32. Kelly Osbourne w/ Ozzy – “Changes” from Changes’ (2003)

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  Ozzy revisited this underrated Black Sabbath piano ballad as a duet with his daughter, Kelly. Altering the lyrics is usually an awful move, but there’s a bit of sweetness here, listening to the famous father and daughter singing to each other.
• 31. “Dreamer” from ‘Down To Earth’ (2001)

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  This was Ozzy’s take on John Lennon’s “Imagine” (“Your higher power may be God or Jesus Christ/It doesn't really matter much to me/Without each other’s help there ain't no hope for us. The song, co-written with Mick Jones of Foreigner and Aerosmith collaborator Marti Frederiksen was definitely aimed at radio, and ended it up with more gravitas than anyone could have imagined, as it was released just a month after 9/11.

• 30. Primus w/ Ozzy – “N.I.B.” from ‘Nativity In Black 2’ (2000)

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  Ozzy has tons of live albums where he revisits his Black Sabbath songs with his current band, but as great as Ozzy’s bands are, it’s tough to match Sabbath. But this version of “N.I.B.” is fun, because you can hear how much fun Les Claypool and Primus are having, jamming with the “Prince of F***ing Darkness.”

• 29. “Mississippi Queen” from ‘Under Cover’ (2005)

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  Black Sabbath released their self-titled debut in England in February of 1970 (it would be released in the U.S. in June of that year). Meanwhile, Mountain released their debut, ‘Climbing,’ including this jam, in March of 1970. Both albums are pillars of hard rock and metal. Ozzy’s take on Mountain’s classic is a blast, and features Mountain main man Leslie West on guitar (along with Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains, who played on the entire ‘Under Cover’ album).
• 28. “Let Me Hear You Scream” from ‘Scream’ (2010)

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  Ozzy had been yelling this at his fan for decades, it only made sense that he turned it into a song. It’s basically an anthem for rock fans, and who better to sing it than Ozzy?

• 27. “Under The Graveyard” from ‘Ordinary Man’ (2020)

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  From the first songs released from ‘Ordinary Man,’ Ozzy seems to be in a reflective mood, which makes sense for a 70-something-year-old metal icon.

• 26. “Little Dolls” from ‘Diary Of A Madman’ (1981)

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  Ozzy’s original backing band -- bassist Bob Daisley, drummer Lee Kerslake and of course, guitarist Randy Rhoads -- were unbeatable for the short time that they were together. And even if they weren’t as scary as Black Sabbath, Ozzy still sounds haunted here, wailing from the perspective of a doll being tortured by a sadistic master using needles and pins. “It's a pity/You'll pray for your death/But he's in no hurry.”
• 25. “Walk On Water” from ‘Beavis And Butthead Do America’ (1996)

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  Ozzy apparently hated the version created for the flick; electronic artist Moby produced the track, but he was being too harsh. It was better than most of his previous album, 1995’s ‘Ozzmosis.’

• 24. “21st Century Schizoid Man” from ‘Under Cover’ (2005)

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  Probably the scariest prog-rock epic ever; it’s from King Crimson’s 1969 debut, ‘In The Court of the Crimson King,’ and both Ozzy and guitarist Jerry Cantrell really get to sink their teeth into this, as does jam-band steel guitarist Robert Randolph, who guests on the track.

• 23. “Ordinary Man (with Elton John)” from ‘Ordinary Man’ (2020)

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  As Ozzy and Elton John are wrapping up their touring careers, they united for this song where they look back on their insane lives. Cynics might say that 70-year olds can’t sing metal (or rock), but this is an honest and powerful song that a younger person could not sing. It’s a miracle that both of these guys lived to hit the big seven-oh, and neither of them are in any danger of dying “an ordinary man.”
• 22. “Steal Away (The Night)” from ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ (1980)

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  It provided the perfect ending to Ozzy’s classic solo debut, charging straight out of “Revelation (Mother Earth),” it leaves you wanting more. Luckily fans just had a few months to go before the followup, ‘Diary of A Madman.’

• 21. Motorhead w/ Ozzy – “I Ain’t No Nice Guy” from ‘March Or Die’ (1992)

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  In 1992, if you had Ozzy, Lemmy and Slash in a room, a ballad probably isn’t the first thing that you’d come up with. But Lemmy had been writing with Ozzy at that point - including Ozzy’s “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” and this was an extension of that partnership. Given that Ozzy was enjoying a huge resurgence in popularity in ‘92 and Slash was (and still is) one of the hottest guitarists on the planet, this should have been a huge hit.

• 20. “I Don’t Wanna Stop” from ‘Black Rain’ (2007)

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  This, of course, is something of a mantra for Ozzy, and also for guitarist Zakk Wylde, who returned to Ozzy’s band for the ‘Black Rain’ album.
• 19. “I Just Want You” from ‘Ozzmosis’ (1995)

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  One of the two ballads that redeemed ‘Ozzmosis,’ Ozzy co-wrote this with Bryan Adams’ collaborator, but the Canadian hitmaker didn’t crank out lyrics like “There are no unbeatable odds/There are no believable gods!” Ozzy’s passionate vocals, along with Zakk’s George Harrison-esque guitar solo makes this one of Ozzy’s most interesting and powerful songs of the ‘90s.

• 18. “No Bone Movies” from ‘Blizzard Of Ozz’ (1980)

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  In which Ozzy addresses a porn addiction: “Can't kick the habit obsession of smut/Voyeur straining in love with his hand/A poison passion a pulsating gland.” Poetry with a purpose!

• 17. “Mama, I’m Coming Home” from ‘No More Tears’ (1991)

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  You might think that ballads are wimpy, but would you have said that to Ozzy, Lemmy and Zakk, who co-wrote the song? This one avoids the sap that ballads by the hair metal bands specialized in.
• 16. “Tonight” from ‘Diary Of A Madman’ (1981)

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  Beneath the thunder of Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, “Tonight” is a classic ballad. Not a power ballad, but a Sinatra ballad, circa ‘In The Wee Small Hours.’ While Ozzy’s original writing team - Ozzy/Randy/Daisley - are rightfully thought of as the scribes of timeless metal classics, their songs really transcend genres. “Tonight” also features one of Randy Rhoads’ greatest solos.

• 15. “Diary Of A Madman” from ‘Diary Of A Madman’ (1981)

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  While Ozzy looked a bit cartoonish on the cover of his second solo album, on the title track he revealed that his struggles with mental illness -- something that discussed openly in 1981 -- were real. The lyrics include the line “Voices in the darkness/Scream away my mental health,” are much scarier in retrospect; we now know that he has struggled with addiction, depression and anxiety. Ozzy was always theatrical, but those painful groans at the end of the song were real.

• 14. “S.A.T.O.” from ‘Diary Of A Madman’ (1981)

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  Legend has it that the song stands for “Sharon Arden, Thelma Osbourne” -- Arden being Sharon’s maiden name and Thelma Osbourne being Ozzy’s first wife. With that in mind, lyrics like “I can't conceal it like I know I did before /I got to tell you now the ship is ready/Waiting on the shore” -- and their sense of moving on -- makes more sense. Whatever the song is about, it’s one of many classics on Ozzy’s flawless second album - which will always live in the shadow of his debut.
• 13. “Believer” from ‘Diary of A Madman’ (1981)

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  Bob Daisley got co-writing credit -- rightfully -- for the songs on ‘Diary Of A Madman,’ but for years, he didn’t get credit for playing bass on the album. The original album credited Randy Rhoads’ ex-Quiet Riot bandmate Rudy Sarzo (who joined for the tour but didn’t play on the album). Today, that’s been sorted, and rightfully so, as “Believer” features a nasty Daisley bassline that he deserves his credit for.

• 12. “You Can’t Kill Rock And Roll” from ‘Diary Of A Madman’ (1981)

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  An anthem for any kid who has a hard time expressing himself/herself, but they find their truth in rock and roll. It’s timeless.

• 11. “Flying High Again” from ‘Diary Of A Madman’ (1981)

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  Ozzy was counted out by many after he was ousted from Black Sabbath; this song became an anthem celebrating his incredible and improbably success in the wake of his debut solo effort, 1980’s ‘Blizzard Of Ozz.’
• 10. “Suicide Solution” from ‘Blizzard Of Ozz’ (1980)

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  Is it about the late AC/DC frontman Bon Scott, as Ozzy has suggested? Or, is it about Ozzy himself, as bassist Bob Daisley (who wrote the lyrics) suggests? Either way, it isn’t advocating drinking or suicide, although Ozzy was sued by the parents of a young man who took his own life, allegedly after listening to the song. If anything, the song is a warning about the dangers of alcohol dependency.

• 9. “Goodbye To Romance” from ‘Blizzard Of Ozz’ (1980)

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  For a very unconventional singer, Ozzy Osbourne has pulled off a lot of great ballads in his solo career. “Goodbye To Romance” is one of his best, and it wouldn’t sound out of place in a cocktail lounge, minus the solos by guitarist Randy Rhoads and keyboardist Don Airey.

• 8. “Gets Me Through” from ‘Down To Earth’ (2001)

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  Another mantra from Ozzy, thanking the fans and the music for getting him into his 50s. Written by Ozzy with producer Tim Palmer, it features one of Zakk Wylde’s most monstrous riffs.
• 7. “Bark At The Moon” from ‘Bark At The Moon’ (1983)

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  The highlight of Ozzy’s brief era with guitarist Jake E. Lee. While following in the footsteps of Ozzy’s late guitarist Randy Rhoads would be impossible, Lee at least co-wrote and played on one song that held up to the Rhoads era.

• 6. “Over The Mountain” from ‘Diary Of A Madman’ (1981)

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  The opening track off of Ozzy’s second solo album, it immediately let the world know that “Blizzard Of Ozz’ wasn’t a fluke. Like much of the first album, it featured a commanding Randy Rhoads riff along with a soaring solo.

• 5. “No More Tears” from ‘No More Tears’ (1991)

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  Zakk Wylde’s finest moment. By the end of the ‘80s, Ozzy was in danger of becoming obsolete; 1986’s ‘The Ultimate Sin’ and 1988’s ‘No Rest For The Wicked’ made him seem out of step with a music scene that was getting heavier and that was, frankly, embarrassed by and disdainful of the hair metal that dominated the ‘80s. The song and video saw Ozzy staking his claim as the godfather of heavy music, and also showed that he could compete with his musical offspring.
• 4. “I Don’t Know” from ‘Blizzard Of Ozz’ (1980)

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  The first song from the first Ozzy solo album announced that he actually might be able to have a great second act, post-Black Sabbath. It also announced the arrival of a new guitar hero in Randy Rhoads, who not only didn’t try to mimic Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, he seemed to be a rare metal guitarist who wasn’t even influenced by him. Black Sabbath could never be topped, but Randy Rhoads (and bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake) helped Ozzy to get out of their shadow.

• 3. “Mr. Crowley” from ‘Blizzard Of Ozz’ (1980)

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  This ode to Aleister Crowley would be great no matter what, but it’s Randy Rhoads’ solo -- his greatest ever -- that really puts this song over the top, and earns it its status as one of Ozzy’s greatest.

• 2. “Revelation (Mother Earth)” from ‘Blizzard Of Ozz’ (1980)

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  Ozzy and his band put everything and the kitchen sink into this one -- which was impressive given that they produced the album themselves. Randy flexes his classically inspired acoustic chops here, but also plays some fearsome riffs. Don Airey uses then-modern synthesizers, but also grand piano. Lee Kerslake throws percussive instruments like chimes in, but also pounds the drums furiously.
• 1. “Crazy Train” from ‘Blizzard Of Ozz’ (1980)

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  Ozzy’s solo career might not have been more influential than what he did with Black Sabbath, but with “Crazy Train,” he soon began eclipsing his former band in popularity. It has one of the greatest riffs in metal, one of Randy Rhoads’ greatest guitar solos; Bob Daisley’s bass is minimal but scary and it’s one of Lee Kerslake’s best performances. But Ozzy’s melodic wailing is what makes the song a classic, and the best of his post-Sabbath career.

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Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

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Ozzy Osbourne