Heavy metal's original madman, Ozzy Osbourne is proof that sometimes in life there are second chances. And third. And fourth. Bouncing back from his firing from Black Sabbath in April 1979, Ozzy went on to even greater commercial success as a solo artist, his records going multi-platinum while he played increasingly massive gigs throughout the 80s.
Even as hair metal took a dirt nap at the start of the 90s, Ozzy continued to thrive. 1991's No More Tears offered a creative rebirth that carried him to ever-greater heights, while even "retirement" a few years later couldn't keep him away as he launched his own festival and paved the way for the next generation of rising metal star.
Although he was forced to retire from touring in February 2023, Ozzy still isn't counting himself out just yet, revealing plans to record a new album in 2024 and a determination to play shows in future, even if only as one-offs.
But then, it's that indefatiguable spirit that has made Ozzy one of metal's most enduring icons, so to celebrate his 75th birthday, we've updated our massive list of the greatest Ozzy Osbourne songs of all time to include songs from his latest record - 2022's Patient Number 9 - and some choice collaborations from over the years. There's no Sabbath to be found here - that's for another time - but with no further ado these are the 60 greatest Ozzy Osbourne songs of all-time.
60. Changes (feat. Kelly Osbourne) (2003)
One of Black Sabbath's most enduring ballads, Changes has been covered countless times in the five decades since its original release, picked up by everyone from thrashers Overkill to noise rockers Fudge Tunnel. Ozzy himself had a crack at reimagining the track in 2003 with daughter Kelly, reframing the song around the father-daughter relationship and giving it choir backing that lends it the aesthetic of turn-of-the-millennium R&B. Released at the height of The Osbournes TV show's popularity, the song managed to top the UK charts - proof that Ozzy really is the master of the unexpected comeback, even though he's never particularly been away.
59. Bloodbath In Paradise (No Rest For The Wicked, 1988)
Ozzy was heading into slow decline by the end of the 80s, particularly where his health was concerned. In spite of this, moments of rock'n'roll glory still shine through on 1988's No Rest For The Wicked, the album that introduced Ozzy's guitar god in waiting, Zakk Wylde. Wylde tackles Bloodbath In Paradise like his life depends on it, strutting and firing pinch harmonics off like there was a half-off sale. It lends a bit of arena rock bombast to an otherwise dark track, Ozzy tackling the Manson murders with a song that surely had parents getting lawyers up on speed-dial.
58. Scary Little Green Men (Ordinary Man, 2020)
On the whole, 2020's Ordinary Man is an uncharacteristically sombre offering from Ozzy, the singer grappling with his mortality in ways that you can't help but compare to David Bowie's Blackstar or Johnny Cash's The American Recordings. The inclusion of songs like Eat Me and Scary Little Green Men help to off-set the sheer existential dread tackled elsewhere on the record in a typically zany way, Ozzy showing that he still had a glint of mischief in his eye even on his most serious work.
57. Old LA Tonight (Ozzmosis, 1995)
The 80s were over but Ozzy hadn't fully let go. The power ballad Mama, I'm Coming Home had provided Ozzy with something of a surprise commercial hit on 1991's No More Tears, but four years later the landscape was looking very different. For one, Ozzy had retreated into semi-retirement after the conclusion of the No More Tours run and while the singer didn't stay gone long the magic was so much harder to capture a second time round. Old LA Tonight makes an admirable effort nonetheless, guitarist Zakk Wylde chucking some neoclassical spins into his solo that harkened back to the time when power ballads ruled the world.
56. Parasite (Patient Number 9, 2022)
Reuniting Ozzy and guitarist Zakk Wylde in the studio for the first time since 2007's Black Rain, Parasite taps into some of the goofy, fun energy Ozzy exhibited on tracks like Scary Little Green Men with the added bonus of Wylde leaving his distinctive fingerprints all over the song's guitar work. Granted, it's somewhat throwaway, but the sheer stomp and force is a welcome showing that Ozzy isn't mellowing with age so far as his music tastes go.
55. Tomorrow (Ozzmosis, 1995)
Harkening back to his days in Black Sabbath, there is something decidedly Planet Caravan about the intro to Tomorrow (not hurt by the fact Ozzy's Sabbath band-mate Geezer Butler was playing in his solo band at the time). But when the song kicks in its pure Ozzy solo record bliss, the singer delivering one of his most forceful vocal performances. Part-written by production duo Duane Baron and John Purdell who had helmed Ozzy's previous record No More Tears, the song evokes the revivalist energy that had reinvented Ozzy for the 90s - saving his career in the process.
54. Steal Away (The Night) (Blizzard Of Ozz, 1980)
It's not so much that Steal Away (The Night) is a lesser song in Ozzy's canon, just that the material on his solo debut Blizzard Of Ozz remains among the most beloved by fans. Steal Away (The Night) boasts all the hallmarks of Ozzy's early work - massive choruses, a sense of triumph and some true guitar wizardry by Randy Rhoads, but doesn't have the sheer colossal breakthrough energy of Crazy Train, I Don't Know or Mr. Crowley.
53. So Tired (Bark At The Moon, 1983)
When So Tired was chosen as the second single from Bark At The Moon in 1983, the decision proved unpopular, particularly considering the album's title track caught the singer at his most demonic (albeit in a hammy, b-movie kind of way). Even so, So Tired's symphonic swells help it elevate its status among Ozzy's other power ballad fare, lending a sense of grandeur that whilst perhaps not on the level of fellow Brummies ELO still showed a sense for the theatrical that served the singer so well in those early years.
52. Centre Of Eternity (Bark At The Moon, 1983)
Still reeling from the death of Randy Rhoads the previous year, Ozzy nonetheless persevered in the creation of 1983's Bark At The Moon. New guitarist Jake E. Lee does his best to train rolling and Centre Of Eternity isn't completely removed from the tone and pace Ozzy had picked up on his first two solo efforts. Even so, much like with Steal Away (The Night), there is a sense that Centre Of Eternity feels more ignorable when put against the more well-known hits from that early 80s period.
51. Patient Number 9 (Patient Number 9, 2022)
From Tony Iommi and Randy Rhoads to Zakk Wylde, Ozzy has a knack for working with some of rock and metal's most illustrious guitarists. Patient Number 9 took that to a whole new level by drafting in a bevy of all-star guitarists to provide some grandstanding moments of shred brilliance, Ozzy bringing in Jeff Beck for the record's title-track, a mid-paced number that bridges the emotional weight of Ordinary Man to the more grandstanding, classic rock vibe of its follow-up.
