Mr. Crowley

"Mr. Crowley" is a song by English heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, about English occultist Aleister Crowley. Written by Osbourne, guitarist Randy Rhoads and bass guitarist/lyricist Bob Daisley, it was released on Osbourne's debut solo album Blizzard of Ozz in September 1980 in the United Kingdom.[1] A live version was released as a UK single in November 1980. In North America, the studio version was released as a single in 1981.

For people with the surname Crowley, see Crowley (surname).

"Mr. Crowley"
1980 live single artwork
Single by Ozzy Osbourne
from the album Blizzard of Ozz
B-side"No Bone Movies"
Released1981 (US)
Recorded22 March – 19 April 1980
GenreHeavy metal[1]
Length4:55
LabelJet
Songwriter(s)Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley[1]
Producer(s)Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley, Lee Kerslake
Ozzy Osbourne singles chronology
"Crazy Train"
(1980)		 "Mr. Crowley"
(1981)		 "Flying High Again"
(1981)

The song begins with a keyboard solo by Don Airey. "I just cleared [the band] out of the studio and said, 'Come back in half an hour,'" he recalled. "Ozzy came back, heard it, and said, 'You just plugged into my head, man.'"[2]

The first guitar solo by Randy Rhoads became one of the best known in heavy metal. It was ranked on 28th place in the list of the best guitar solos by the readers of Guitar World.[3]

The song was ranked the 23rd greatest heavy metal song of all time, according to a readers' preferences poll held by Gibson.[4]

Overview

"Mr. Crowley" was the second of two singles from Blizzard of Ozz, after "Crazy Train". It was inspired by a book about Aleister Crowley that Osbourne had read, and a deck of tarot cards found in the studio as recording of the album was commencing. Crowley was an English occultist and ceremonial magician who had founded the Thelemite religion in the early 20th century. Osbourne mispronounces Crowley's name as /ˈkraʊli/, rather than the correct /ˈkroʊli/.

The official guide to the video game Fallout 3 uses the lyrics to the song in its walkthrough of You Gotta Shoot 'em in the Head.[5] The game also features a ghoul character named "Mister Crowley".

This song was also featured in the game Brütal Legend.

The song was included in Guitar Hero World Tour, along with "Crazy Train" and an in-game avatar of Ozzy himself, who becomes unlocked as a playable character upon completing both songs in the vocalist career, and was made available to download on 31 May 2011 for play in the Rock Band 3 music gaming platform in both Basic rhythm, and PRO mode.[6]

On Ozzy Osbourne's 'Hellraiser (30th Anniversary Edition - Official Animated Video)' video, the legend "Mr. Crowley" appears on the sides of the van.

Personnel

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[7] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

The Cardigans released an a capella version on the B side of their 1995 single 'Carnival'.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Ozzy Osbourne - Mr Crowley". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  2. Everley, Dave (June 2018). "Purple reign – All the right notes (and in the right order)". Classic Rock. No. 249. p. 50.
  3. 100 Greatest Guitar Solos. guitar.about.com
  4. "Full Top 50 Metal Songs List". Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  5. "Crowley". The Vault, the Fallout Wiki. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  6. Gaddo, Kyle (27 May 2011). "Ozzy 8-Pack Final Tracklist Confirmed". The Gaming Vault. Archived from the original on 16 October 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  7. "American single certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Mr. Crowley". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  8. "The Cardigans – Carnival". Discogs. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
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