Rockin’ Thursday LXXIII

Today, I want to highlight a rock legend who passed away this week, but I also want to show how love and truly caring for someone can change a life.

Yes, most of you probably realize I’m referring to Ozzy Osbourne, but I’ve always believed that without Sharon Osbourne, he might not have survived, let alone become the icon we remember.

Ozzy started with Black Sabbath in 1968 and actually co-founded the band. He remained with them until 1979, when he was fired due to his addiction issues.1 In an article in Classic Rock magazine, Ozzy recalled:

“I’d got £96,000 for my share of the name, so I’d just locked myself away and spent three months doing coke and booze. My thinking was, ‘This is my last party, because after this I’m going back to Birmingham and the dole.'”2

I always thought it was a miracle he survived those years, and that miracle was Sharon Osbourne. She took control of his life and career in 1979, and the rest is history. They were married in 1982. Sharon saved both his life and career.

The lyrics of the song I’m featuring today are inspired by “the realization that he would have died if he hadn’t gotten sober. The song is dedicated to Sharon, who stood by him through all his darkest days.”3

Here are part of the lyrics:

“You took me in and you drove me out
Yeah, you had me hypnotized, yeah
Lost and found and turned around
By the fire in your eyes“

“Mama, I’m Coming Home” is a power ballad by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, released in 1991. The song reached number 28 on the US Billboard Top 40. He had another Top 40 hit with “Close My Eyes Forever”, a duet with Lita Ford, which climbed to number 8 in 1989.4 Those were his only two Top 40 hits. Black Sabbath never reached the Top 40. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 2024. These successes came after Sharon entered his life. And by the way, “Mama” was Ozzy’s pet name for Sharon.

I know many fans are saddened by the loss of this great rocker, but I want to take a moment to give credit to the woman behind his success.

Never underestimate the power of love and close relationships. They can transform a person and pull them out of darkness.

I hope you enjoy the video, and have a wonderful Rockin’ Thursday, my friends!

OZZY OSBOURNE – “Mama, I’m Coming Home”

You can access the lyrics here.

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozzy_Osbourne#Dismissal ↩︎
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozzy_Osbourne#Signing_to_Jet_records ↩︎
  3. https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-meaning-of-ozzy-osbournes-mama-im-coming-home/ ↩︎
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mama,_I%27m_Coming_Home ↩︎

57 thoughts on “Rockin’ Thursday LXXIII”

  3. Well said, Edward 🎸 Ozzy was one of a kind, and Sharon’s love truly kept him going. He’ll be missed, but his music and legacy will always rock on. 🎶🖤

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  11. I am sad to say, I am probably one of a few that didn’t know! I have been ignoring TV news and radio for a while, you know why! And, a bit busy with summer. He had one heck of a life and contributed to our music world greatly!

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  13. Such a talented man and I agree with you about Sharon. What a great love, life and who could have had a better way to go out after his last show. He couldn’t have executed it any better than that. What a great song! I didn’t appreciate his work then actually. What a great choice with this song Edward. RIP Ozzy! 💓

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  16. Although I was never a fan of heavy metal, I was certainly aware of Ozzy and Black Sabbath. We did tune in to his reality TV show from time to time though. Wonderful that you credited Sharon, as he did, Edward. As an aside, I’ve also just learned that Hulk Hogan passed today at age 71. Pretty young these days, and again, although I’ve never been a WWE wrestling fan, I recognize icons … both Ozzy and Hulk certainly fit that bill.

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    1. Their reality show was super interesting, and I thought he was funny. Yeah, I heard about Hulk Hogan right after I published this post, cardiac arrest, apparently. I wonder if it’s related to all the stuff he took back when he was wrestling.

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      1. We got a kick out of Ozzie’s humour in the reality series too. That bit about Hogan will tough to pinpoint, Edward, however anabolic steroids do increase the risk for heart disease. Maybe autopsy or released past medical records (if that happens) will tell the tale.

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          1. That’s very young. I’m not familiar with her, but will now read about her for sure. Tragic indeed. Suicide is always one of the most difficult deaths for survivors to process. Some of my nursing career was spent working in mental health. What people have a hard time understanding is that when someone resorts to suicide, that becomes their only focus … to a point where they’re incapable of thinking about anything else, inclusive of the impact of their act on those they leave behind.

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            2. Speaking for myself, I was fully convinced that everyone I knew would individually and collectively be better off of I got myself out of their hair. The attempt can be as much an act of love as of despair.

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              1. I hear you, Ana. I once felt that way too, but I decided to leave the toxic environment and find meaning by connecting to my purpose, which wasn’t very clear back then. It takes time to realize that, reframe our mindset, and reconnect with ourselves. Still a work in progress.

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                1. We made the same two decisions.

                  In the meantime, I discovered that when one is in perfect inner balance one is invulnerable to harm ~ as in, one cannot even succeed in harming oneself.

                  I have the scars indeed ~ but not one drop of blood came from those cuts. I actually had to give up.

                  Just to make sure I hadn’t gone psycho/delusional, cleaned it all up and somehow got rid of the towels, I sent management in to inspect before I left the hotel room next morning. Pristine, my friend.

                  A way-out-there insight which I guess could be learned no other way than outrageously, eh?

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  18. Your tribute to Ozzy, and Sharon, the woman behind the man, is insightful and thoughtful, Edward. I don’t remember the song, but I’m not surprised Sharon was Ozzie’s strength and guidance. She never gave up on him.

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