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Crazy Train

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ForThe Cleveland Showepisode, seeThe Cleveland Show (season 4).

"Crazy Train"
SinglebyOzzy Osbourne
from the albumBlizzard of Ozz
B-side"You Lookin' at Me Lookin' at You"
Released29 August 1980 (UK)
  • February 1981 (US)[1]
Recorded22 March 1980
StudioRidge Farm Studio,Rusper,West Sussex
Genre
Length4:52
Label
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Bob Daisley
Producer(s)
Ozzy Osbournesingles chronology
"Crazy Train"
(1980) 		"Mr Crowley"
(1980)
Music video
"Crazy Train"onYouTube
Animated music video
"Crazy Train"onYouTube
"Crazy Train (Live)"
SinglebyOzzy Osbourne
from the albumTribute
B-side
  • "Crazy Train"
  • "I Don't Know"
Released1987
Recorded1981
Genre
Length5:19
LabelEpic
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Bob Daisley
Producer(s)Max Norman
Ozzy Osbournesingles chronology
"The Ultimate Sin"
(1986) 		"Crazy Train (Live)"
(1987) 		"Miracle Man"
(1988)

"Crazy Train"is the debut solo single by Englishheavy metalsingerOzzy Osbourne,released in 1980 from his debut album as a solo artist,Blizzard of Ozz(1980). The song was written by Osbourne,Randy Rhoads,andBob Daisley.The lyrics deal with the subject of theCold Warand the fear of annihilation that existed during that period.[4]

Production and reception

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GuitaristGreg Leon,who initially took Randy Rhoads's place inQuiet Riot,has claimed that he helped Rhoads write what would become the iconic "Crazy Train" riff. "We were hanging out, and I showed him the riff toSteve Miller's 'Swingtown'. I said: 'Look what happens when you speed this riff up.' We messed around, and the next thing I know he took it to a whole other level and end up writing the 'Crazy Train' riff. "[5]Guitarist William Weaver has also claimed to have written the signature riff and then presented the music to Rhoads in a studio session.[citation needed]

AllMusicreviewer Steve Huey described the main guitar riff as "a classic, making use of the full minor scale in a way not seen sinceRitchie Blackmore's heyday withDeep Purple."[6]

The song is one of Osbourne's best known and recognizable as a solo performer.[7]It was rated 9th-greatestguitar soloever by readers ofGuitar Worldmagazine.[8]The song was also ranked ninth byVH1on the list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs[9]and in 2009 it was named the 23rd-greatest hard rock song of all time also by VH1,[10]the highest placement by a solo artist on the list. In 2021, it toppedMetal Hammer's readers' poll of the Top 50 Ozzy Osbourne songs, with the magazine informing that it is Osbourne's most played song, with over 1150 live performances, over 18 million plays on YouTube, and more than 500 million on Spotify (as of March 2023).[11]In 2023,Rolling Stoneranked the song number six on their list of the 100 greatest heavy metal songs.[12]

The single reached No. 49 on the United Kingdom singles chart in 1980.[13]In the United States, the song reached No. 9 on theBillboardTop Trackschart and the single peaked at No. 6 on theBillboardBubbling Under the Hot 100chart in 1981.[14]The master ringtone was certifieddouble platinumand had by September 2010 sold 1,750,000 downloads.[15]TheTributere-release was accompanied by a music video.

Personnel

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1980 studio version

1987 version (originally recorded live in 1981)

2002 re-issue

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[16] Gold 50,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[18] 4× Platinum 4,000,000‡
United States (RIAA)[18]
Mastertone 		2× Platinum 2,000,000*

*Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^Strong, Martin Charles (1995).The Great Rock Discography.p. 610.ISBN9780862415419.
  2. ^"The Best Heavy Metal Songs: 16 Undeniable Classics".udiscovermusic.10 February 2022.Retrieved2 March2022.
  3. ^Dave Tompkins."VH1 - 40 Greatest Metal Songs".cs.uwaterloo.ca.Retrieved2 March2022.
  4. ^Kajzer, Jackie; Lotring, Roger (2010).Full Metal Jackie Certified: The 50 Most Influential Metal Songs of the '80s.Course Technology. p. 43.ISBN978-1-4354-5441-5.
  5. ^Wall, Mick (1 February 2012)."Randy Rhoads: The Guitarist Who Changed The World".Classic Rock.
  6. ^Huey, Steve."Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne".AllMusic.Retrieved16 April2010.
  7. ^"Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne Songfacts".Songfacts. Archived fromthe originalon 15 June 2012.Retrieved16 April2010.
  8. ^"100 Greatest Guitar Solos - Tablature for the greatest guitar solos of all time".Guitar.about. 2 November 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 5 March 2016.Retrieved16 April2010.
  9. ^"Original TV Shows, Reality TV Shows".VH1. 30 September 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 13 September 2006.Retrieved16 October2016.
  10. ^"Vh1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs".spreadit.org music. Archived fromthe originalon 12 February 2009.Retrieved7 February2009.
  11. ^Hobson, Rich (18 December 2021)."The 50 best Ozzy Osbourne songs of all time".Metal Hammer.Future plc.Retrieved26 December2021.
  12. ^"The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time".Rolling Stone.13 March 2023.Retrieved10 July2023.
  13. ^"Ozzy Osbourne".officialcharts.The Official UK Charts Company.Retrieved8 September2017.
  14. ^Whitburn, Joel (2002).Rock Tracks.Menonomee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 103.ISBN0-89820-153-5.
  15. ^"Chart Watch Extra: Songs From The Last Century".new.music.yahoo.Archived fromthe originalon 5 October 2010.Retrieved5 July2016.
  16. ^"Italian single certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train"(in Italian).Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana.Retrieved13 March2024.
  17. ^"British single certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train".British Phonographic Industry.Retrieved19 August2022.
  18. ^ab"American single certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train".Recording Industry Association of America.Retrieved2 September2020.
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