Ozzy Osbourne, Joan Jett to be Featured in Super Bowl Ad
Ozzy Osbourne and Joan Jett will get some major screen time during the Super Bowl this year.
According to AdAge, the two rock icons are going to be featured in a 60-second spot for software company Workday. Also featured in the spot is Gary Clark Jr. Both Ozzy and Clark Jr. can be seen in two 15-second teaser ads that can be viewed below. (Side note: How weird is it to see the Prince of Darkness in a shirt and tie?!)
Ozzy Osbourne – 15-Second Teaser Ad for Workday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myDtffwUjrA
Gary Clark Jr. – 15-Second Teaser Ad for Workday
The full 60-second spot can be seen during the big game taking place on Sunday, February 12. For those curious, AdAge also reports a 30-second spot during this year’s Super Bowl costs around $7 million.
Ozzy Osbourne: His Top 40 Solo Songs Ranked
After you get thrown out of one of the most influential bands of all time, what do you do for an encore? Ozzy Osbourne was a misfit, an unusual vocalist, he didnât play instruments or write songs in the conventional sense⌠so his former Black Sabbath bandmates probably didnât see him as someone who would rival them for popularity. Surprise, surprise: Ozzy Osbourneâs long second act has been one of the most surprising and tumultuous in the history of rock and roll.
Sure, the bottom-feeding celebrity news machine loves him as a headline-generating lunatic, but the reason why we still care after all these years is the amazing discography Ozzy has amassed over the decades. Here are our 40 favorite Ozzy jams from 1980 on. As Ozzy prepares to wrap up an incredible career, we listened to everything, from the classic âBlizzard Of Ozzâ (every song made the list, except for Randy Rhoadsâ solo guitar piece âDeeâ) to the advance tracks released from âOrdinary Man.âÂ
The kick-off song from Ozzyâs last album for a decade, âScream.â Producer Kevin Churko (Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch) gave Ozzyâs 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.
The title track from one of Ozzyâs less-popular albums, this song is a highlight mainly because of Ozzyâs quick return to harmonica playing. Ozzy isnât really an instrumentalist, but he also played harmonica on Black Sabbathâs âThe Wizard,â 37 years earlier.
We can hear the complaints coming already about the inclusion of this one: lighten up and have fun with this, Ozzy clearly did. Itâs one of many goofy Ozzy collabs: heâs also worked with Was (Not Was) and Kim Bassinger (âShake Your Headâ), DMX and Olâ Dirty Bastard (âNowhere To Runâ), the Wu-Tang Clan (âFor Heavenâs Sake 2000â) and even Miss Piggy (âBorn To Be Wildâ). And yeah, Post Malone.
No one has more âworking classâ 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 doesnât need power from big guitars or drums; the pain in Ozzyâs voice tells the story.
By the early â90s, hair metal was dead. Generally speaking, so were power ballads. But âRoad To Nowhereâ saw Ozzy looking back on his life (much like in the newer and better âOrdinary Manâ); the lyrics rang true and felt less cheesy than many of hard rockâs slow jams that dominated radio in the late â80s.
Ozzyâs fourth solo album was a difficult one; heâd 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 didnât really hold up.
The last song and the easy highlight from Ozzyâs most pop-metal album.
By 1988, everyone -- regardless of music taste -- knew who Ozzy Osbourne was. But this ballad was the first time heâd had a legit pop hit. His duet with former Runaways guitarist-turned-pop-metal-hitmaker Lita Ford was a number 8 hit (decades later, heâd reach number 8 again with âTake What You Want,â a collaboration with Post Malone (a song that, youâll note, did not make this list).
Ozzy revisited this underrated Black Sabbath piano ballad as a duet with his daughter, Kelly. Altering the lyrics is usually an awful move, but thereâs a bit of sweetness here, listening to the famous father and daughter singing to each other.
This was Ozzyâs take on John Lennonâs âImagineâ (âYour higher power may be God or Jesus Christ/It doesn't really matter much to me/Without each otherâs 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.
Ozzy has tons of live albums where he revisits his Black Sabbath songs with his current band, but as great as Ozzyâs bands are, itâs tough to match Sabbath. But this version of âN.I.B.â is fun, because you can hear how much fun Les Claypool and Primus are having, jamming with the âPrince of F***ing Darkness.â
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, âClimbing,â including this jam, in March of 1970. Both albums are pillars of hard rock and metal. Ozzyâs take on Mountainâs 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 âUnder Coverâ album).
Ozzy had been yelling this at his fan for decades, it only made sense that he turned it into a song. Itâs basically an anthem for rock fans, and who better to sing it than Ozzy?
From the first songs released from âOrdinary Man,â Ozzy seems to be in a reflective mood, which makes sense for a 70-something-year-old metal icon.
Ozzyâs 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 werenât 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. âIt's a pity/You'll pray for your death/But he's in no hurry.â
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, 1995âs âOzzmosis.â
Probably the scariest prog-rock epic ever; itâs from King Crimsonâs 1969 debut, âIn The Court of the Crimson King,â 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.
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 canât sing metal (or rock), but this is an honest and powerful song that a younger person could not sing. Itâs a miracle that both of these guys lived to hit the big seven-oh, and neither of them are in any danger of dying âan ordinary man.â
It provided the perfect ending to Ozzyâs classic solo debut, charging straight out of âRevelation (Mother Earth),â it leaves you wanting more. Luckily fans just had a few months to go before the followup, âDiary of A Madman.â
In 1992, if you had Ozzy, Lemmy and Slash in a room, a ballad probably isnât the first thing that youâd come up with. But Lemmy had been writing with Ozzy at that point - including Ozzyâs âMama, Iâm Coming Home,â and this was an extension of that partnership. Given that Ozzy was enjoying a huge resurgence in popularity in â92 and Slash was (and still is) one of the hottest guitarists on the planet, this should have been a huge hit.
This, of course, is something of a mantra for Ozzy, and also for guitarist Zakk Wylde, who returned to Ozzyâs band for the âBlack Rainâ album.
One of the two ballads that redeemed âOzzmosis,â Ozzy co-wrote this with Bryan Adamsâ collaborator, but the Canadian hitmaker didnât crank out lyrics like âThere are no unbeatable odds/There are no believable gods!â Ozzyâs passionate vocals, along with Zakkâs George Harrison-esque guitar solo makes this one of Ozzyâs most interesting and powerful songs of the â90s.
In which Ozzy addresses a porn addiction: âCan't kick the habit obsession of smut/Voyeur straining in love with his hand/A poison passion a pulsating gland.â Poetry with a purpose!
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.
Beneath the thunder of Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, âTonightâ is a classic ballad. Not a power ballad, but a Sinatra ballad, circa âIn The Wee Small Hours.â While Ozzyâs original writing team - Ozzy/Randy/Daisley - are rightfully thought of as the scribes of timeless metal classics, their songs really transcend genres. âTonightâ also features one of Randy Rhoadsâ greatest solos.
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 âVoices in the darkness/Scream away my mental health,â 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.
Legend has it that the song stands for âSharon Arden, Thelma Osbourneâ -- Arden being Sharonâs maiden name and Thelma Osbourne being Ozzyâs first wife. With that in mind, lyrics like âI can't conceal it like I know I did before /I got to tell you now the ship is ready/Waiting on the shoreâ -- and their sense of moving on -- makes more sense. Whatever the song is about, itâs one of many classics on Ozzyâs flawless second album - which will always live in the shadow of his debut.
Bob Daisley got co-writing credit -- rightfully -- for the songs on âDiary Of A Madman,â but for years, he didnât get credit for playing bass on the album. The original album credited Randy Rhoadsâ ex-Quiet Riot bandmate Rudy Sarzo (who joined for the tour but didnât play on the album). Today, thatâs been sorted, and rightfully so, as âBelieverâ features a nasty Daisley bassline that he deserves his credit for.
An anthem for any kid who has a hard time expressing himself/herself, but they find their truth in rock and roll. Itâs timeless.
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, 1980âs âBlizzard Of Ozz.â
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 isnât 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.
For a very unconventional singer, Ozzy Osbourne has pulled off a lot of great ballads in his solo career. âGoodbye To Romanceâ is one of his best, and it wouldnât sound out of place in a cocktail lounge, minus the solos by guitarist Randy Rhoads and keyboardist Don Airey.
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 Wyldeâs most monstrous riffs.
The highlight of Ozzyâs brief era with guitarist Jake E. Lee. While following in the footsteps of Ozzyâs late guitarist Randy Rhoads would be impossible, Lee at least co-wrote and played on one song that held up to the Rhoads era.
The opening track off of Ozzyâs second solo album, it immediately let the world know that âBlizzard Of Ozzâ wasnât a fluke. Like much of the first album, it featured a commanding Randy Rhoads riff along with a soaring solo.
Zakk Wyldeâs finest moment. By the end of the â80s, Ozzy was in danger of becoming obsolete; 1986âs âThe Ultimate Sinâ and 1988âs âNo Rest For The Wickedâ 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 â80s. 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.
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 didnât try to mimic Black Sabbathâs Tony Iommi, he seemed to be a rare metal guitarist who wasnât 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.
This ode to Aleister Crowley would be great no matter what, but itâs Randy Rhoadsâ solo -- his greatest ever -- that really puts this song over the top, and earns it its status as one of Ozzyâs greatest.
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.
Ozzyâs solo career might not have been more influential than what he did with Black Sabbath, but with âCrazy Train,â he soon began eclipsing his former band in popularity. It has one of the greatest riffs in metal, one of Randy Rhoadsâ greatest guitar solos; Bob Daisleyâs bass is minimal but scary and itâs one of Lee Kerslakeâs best performances. But Ozzyâs melodic wailing is what makes the song a classic, and the best of his post-Sabbath career.