Mr. Crowley
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| ""Mr. Crowley"" | ||
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| Song by Ozzy Osbourne | ||
| from the album Blizzard Of Ozz | ||
| Released | September 20, 1980 & August 22, 1995 (re-issue) | |
| Recorded | March 22 to April 19, 1980 | |
| Genre | Heavy Metal | |
| Length | 4:55 | |
| Label | Jet/Epic Records | |
| Writer(s) | Randy Rhoads, Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Daisley | |
| Composer(s) | Randy Rhoads, Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Daisley | |
| Producer(s) | Ozzy Osbourne | |
| Blizzard Of Ozz track listing | ||
| "Suicide Solution" (5) |
""Mr. Crowley"" (6) |
"No Bone Movies" (7) |
Mr. Crowley is a 1980 heavy metal song performed by Ozzy Osbourne (with Bob Daisley contributing lyrics, and Randy Rhoads the music), released on the album Blizzard Of Ozz. The song is one of Osbourne's first two singles as a solo artist following his expulsion from Black Sabbath. It reached #46 on the UK charts. The intro, guitar solos and harmony line all were some of the earliest neo-classical metal parts ever written.
Ozzy came up with the song's title, a reference to the infamous Aleister Crowley, and Bob Daisley's subsequent lyrics are 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. It is also commonly thought to refer to Crowley's addiction to heroin which was a prescribed medication for him. 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. Osbourne also says in the reissue of Blizzard of Ozz that, in Black Sabbath, he had a roadie named Frank who'd worked with Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Page had given him a book signed "To Frank, Polemically Yours".
The guitar solo in Mr. Crowley is ranked number 28 on Guitar World Magazine's 100 poll of the "100 greatest guitar solos". According to band mythology, 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!"[citation needed] The solos are also famous for the technical virtuosity displayed in them and for being some of the first neo classical guitar solos. The 'Mr. Crowley' solos along with 'Crazy Train' solo are regarded as Randy Rhoads' best.
Despite Osbourne's rumoured links to the occult, he was apparently unaware of the correct pronunciation of Crowley's name. Osbourne pronounces it to rhyme with "foully"; the name pronounced correctly rhymes with "holy".
Famous covers include Moonspell (Darkness and Hope, 2001) and Cradle of Filth (Nymphetamine, 2004). Tim 'Ripper' Owens (with Yngwie Malmsteen on guitar), while Yngwie Malmsteen also did a cover of the song along with Ronnie James Dio and Judas Priest. Joe Lynn Turner, George Lynch and The Cardigans have also recorded covers of the song.
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