Top 10: Ozzy Osbourne Songs – The Jake E. Lee Years

As you could likely surmise from our radio silence yesterday, we were absolutely blindsided by the sudden passing of Ozzy Osbourne. If you’re reading this, we’re sure you felt and are still feeling the same whirlwind of emotions as we are. It was just a little over two weeks ago that yours truly took the voyage to Birmingham for Back to the Beginning: A mega-show already steeped in legend, and a moment I will cherish until the end of time. And now here we are, chronicling the Ozzman’s storied career yet again, only this time in memoriam. As hard as it is to even type coherent thoughts right now, the Prince of Darkness always boasted an old school “show must go on” attitude, and if he could perform 9 songs mere weeks before death, I can cobble together a Top 10 in his honor.

When it comes to Ozzy’s solo output, the two guitarists who seem to garner all the glory are the dearly departed Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde, Ozzy’s longest running cohort. All too often lost in the shuffle is Jake E. Lee: A man who faced the insurmountable task of filling Rhoads’ shoes, and he did so with grace. Although his tenure with Oz was brief, Lee’s era in the Ozzman’s band is as iconic today as the Rhoads era that proceeded and Wylde era that followed. On that note, today we pay tribute to Ozzy, Jake, and the timeless music they created. Here are our Top 10 Ozzy Songs of the Jake E. Lee Years. Rest in power Ozzy. We all love you.

10. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Rebel”

A recurring theme of Ozzy’s solo work was his self-defense against fanatics and zealots who branded him a social pariah, devil worshipper, and so forth. From “You Can’t Kill Rock ‘n’ Roll” to “Miracle Man”, there’s no shortage of these self-empowerment mantras amongst the Ozzy canon, and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Rebel” is no exception. As the side A closer of Bark at the Moon, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Rebel” simultaneously calls out society’s hypocrites, religious, political, or otherwise, while reinforcing Ozzy’s reputation as nothing more than a self-proclaimed “Rock ‘n’ Roll Rebel”. Of course, he was so much more, but it was this down to earth humility that drew millions to his work, and continues to lure new fans in to this day.

9. “Secret Loser”

If Bark at the Moon merely foreshadowed Ozzy’s pivot towards a more accessible, radio-friendly direction, The Ultimate Sin saw him double down with a collection of songs that had more in common with the AOR-infused pop metal leanings of acts like Def Leppard and Bon Jovi than the neoclassical-tinged darkness of the Rhoads era. Nevertheless, even at its most polished, The Ultimate Sin never sacrificed that trademark Ozzy charm. Look no further than “Secret Loser”. How this arena metal anthem wasn’t considered for a single release is beyond me. Despite his then veteran status, the hooks and melodies of “Secret Loser” go toe to toe with any of the hairspray-headed crop dominating the charts at the time.

8. “Killer of Giants”

Commercial-oriented or not, Ozzy’s penchant for grandiose epics is something he held onto ’til the very end. Every album boasted at least one prog-leaning foray, and The Ultimate Sin‘s was “Killer of Giants”. With standards like “War Pigs”, “Children of the Grave”, and “Hand of Doom” to his name, Ozzy was no stranger to songs about war and its consequences. On “Killer of Giants”, he delivers one of his most impassioned vocal performances against a backdrop of bombastic strings, virtuosic riffage, and a subtle balance of darkness and light. Unfortunately for us, nearly 40 years on, and the “Killer of Giants” (war) still “threatens us all”, making this song all the more relevant.

7. “Centre of Eternity”

When looking back on Ozzy’s oeuvre, there aren’t many moments that can be classified as “speed metal”. In a groundbreaking era defined by tempo-smashing staples like Motörhead, Venom, and Accept, Oz kept his brand of metal largely straightforward in terms of pace and delivery. There were, however, exceptions to the rule. “Centre of Eternity”, the opener of Bark at the Moon‘s B side, is a ripping outburst of occult speed, in which Tommy Aldridge bashes his kit with all his might while the Ozzman weaves a tale of dark fantasy surrounding the concept of, you guessed it, eternity. Throw in a face-melting solo from Lee, and you’ve got a bonafide ’80s metal banger!

6. “Now You See It (Now You Don’t)”

Bark at the Moon: Is it a metal album, AOR album, or all of the above? A song like “Now You See It (Now You Don’t)” can be used as evidence towards the latter. Take away the Ozzman’s vocals, if you will, and the song itself isn’t far removed from the ballsier moments of Loverboy and Night Ranger, the latter, of course, featuring one time Ozzy axe-man, Brad Gillis. Heavy AOR, perhaps? Whatever you call it, “Now You See It (Now You Don’t)” is a brilliantly written pop metal tune, in which both Lee’s six string heroics and Don Airey’s dynamic keys shine brightly, emboldening Ozzy’s signature vocal delivery. Furthermore, I’ll never get enough of the, “OOH-AHH-YEAH-YEAH-YEAH!!!” sound effects at the end.

5. “The Ultimate Sin”

As the opening title track of Ozzy’s fourth opus, “The Ultimate Sin” is everything one could ask for from a major label metal song circa ’86. It’s loud, powerful, anthemic, and defiant: Heavy enough to get young metalheads headbanging and air guitaring, but poppy enough to appeal to those on the other side of the aisle, perhaps afraid of Ozzy’s crazed bat-biting antics leading up this album’s release. As memorable as the song itself is its video, in which Ozzy parodies the iconic ’80s TV series, Dallas. It’s no wonder that come the ’90s, the intros to Ozzfest were chock full of tongue in cheek film and TV spoofs, which happened to play in between bands at Back to the Beginning.

4. “You’re No Different”

You’ve now reached the point of the Top 10 where you are required by law to pull out a lighter and wave it back and forth while reading, at the very least until the end of this entry. Just like the “rock epic” format we discussed with “Killer of Giants”, another format Ozzy was no stranger to was the power ballad. By now, he had already given us “Changes”, “She’s Gone”, “Goodbye to Romance”, and “Tonight”. In other words, he was already a first year elgigable shoe-in for the Ballad Hall of Fame, if there ever was one. The delicate “You’re No Different” was yet another feather in his cap. Yet again, Ozzy tackles those themes of self-empowerment against the hypocritical masses who did everything to bring him down. Indeed, “If you think you’re without sin, be the first to cast the stone.”

3. “Shot in the Dark”

By now, I’m sure you’re all aware of the story of how “Shot in the Dark” is technically NOT an Ozzy original, having originally been demoed by bassist Phil Soussan in his previous band, Wildlife, which would subsequently morph into AOR masters, FM. Could they have made a hit out of this rough demo? Perhaps. However, just as Led Zeppelin took Jake Holmes’ “Dazed and Confused” to new heights, the Ozzman did the same for “Shot in the Dark”. There’s a reason this glossy slab of synth-driven AOR metal still gets played regularly on classic rock radio. While it might not be the best song of the Lee era, it is the epitome of it in terms of atmosphere and delivery.

2. “Bark at the Moon”

As we’ve discussed countless times before, just because an act’s song achieves commercial notoriety doesn’t mean it’s one of their best creatively. In the case of “Bark at the Moon”, however, its success as both a rock radio single and MTV staple was more than justified. Following the tragic passing of Randy Rhoads, many questioned if Ozzy would be able to continue on without such an integral collaborator. Not only did he do so, but he came roaring back with a song that felt like a spiritual successor to the sound he established on Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. As hooky and infectious as “Bark at the Moon” is, it’s also dark, gothic, and eerie, with the Ozzman waxing poetic on a classic tale of man to werewolf metamorphosis. The cherry on top is a career-defining solo from Lee, who was my age (26) when he laid down that absolute heat.

1. “Waiting for Darkness”

Just as there’s a difference between songs that are commercially fruitful and creatively compelling, there’s also a difference between songs that are one’s “greatest” and “favorite”. Yet again, in the case of Ozzy, I’d like to think that my favorite song(s) of his are also his finest. His #1 creative marvel will forever be “Diary of a Madman”. Right behind it, the closing track off Bark at the Moon, “Waiting for Darkness”. Sorry Nightwish, but symphonic metal as a subgenre peaked right here, never to be touched with the same majesty again. This song is one of Ozzy’s most dramatic and intense in terms of arrangement and delivery, and yet again, it’s the character of his voice that makes it the whole package. There will never be another “Waiting for Darkness”, another Jake E. Lee, and most importantly, there will never be another Ozzy Osbourne. Again, rest in eternal power, John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne.