SerpApi.Org
It's hard to believe that a year has passed since our world got a little less wild. On July 22nd, 2025, Ozzy Osbourne passed away shortly after the conclusion of the instantly legendary Back to the Beginning concert, which served as a now bittersweet sendoff to one of the greatest musicians of all time, as well as one of the greatest bands of all time with Black Sabbath.
It's hard to think of any musician who had the chance to close their career out in such a fitting way. He was surrounded by the royalty of the genre he helped create and gave an absolutely killer performance to remind everyone who the godfather of metal really was. The following funeral procession was a somber yet beautiful moment that showed just how much he'd be missed. A year later, and the hole he left remains just as wide as it was the day he passed on.
In honor of the anniversary of his death, I want to talk about some underappreciated songs from throughout his career that have stood out as reasons why he is one of my favorite musicians of all time.
Under The Sun / Every Day Comes and Goes
The closer from my favorite Sabbath record sees Ozzy with some scathing lyrics attacking organized religions and the hypocrisy they can showcase. Aside from the commentary, the instrumentation is incredible. It's one of the heavier '70s tracks that Sabbath put out, featuring these sludgy guitars over a 12/8 time signature that gives it this chugging feeling, kind of like a steam train. Guitarist Tony Iommi is also on fire throughout the whole song, with these incredible riffs and fills that give a wonderful gothic tinge to the whole song.
The band sounds absolutely incredible together, creating a dark, angry, and powerful song that remains one of my absolute favorite Black Sabbath tracks.
Symptom of the Universe
"Sabotage" doesn't get nearly enough attention in my eyes as one of Sabbath's greatest albums. It's a lot more raucous and gritty than their previous albums up to this point, and it features some of the heaviest music of the '70s, including "Symptom of the Universe," which I would argue invented thrash metal.
Seriously, this song is crazy ahead of its time. You could slide it into a Metallica or Megadeth record and it would honestly fit perfectly. The fact that this song came out in 1975 absolutely baffles me. Ozzy sounds absolutely great on it too, with this screaming tone that the thrash metal bands of the '80s and '90s surely took huge inspiration from. His delivery is so similar to that of early James Hetfield.
Give it a listen. It's baffling that this came out when it did.
I Don't Know
A song that massively overshadowed by the one immediately following it, (Crazy Train) "I Don't Know" is Ozzy's introduction to being a solo artist. Being the first song on "Blizzard of Ozz," it carries a lot of weight. It's the song that showcases Ozzy's capability as a solo artist and shows the star he was about to become.
You can't forget Randy Rhoads on guitar, one of the greatest to ever do it and a player we all wish was still here with us today. He's absolutely remarkable both on this song as well as throughout the rest of the record. Him and Ozzy made for such a special duo, and the song makes for the perfect introduction to Ozzy as a solo artist.
See You on the Other Side
This is the song I found myself listening to the most following Ozzy's passing. While most people latched onto "Mama, I'm Coming Home" as the song of his that felt most emblematic of his passing, this one carried more weight to me. For starters, the instrumental is incredibly unique. The guitars have an amazing tone to them that captures this melancholia that surrounds the song's themes of grief, acceptance, and loss.
Ozzy gives a great vocal performance throughout, with the introspective tone of the song meshing extremely well with his loud and proud delivery. It's one of my favorite songs of Ozzy's solo career, and it's a song I constantly come back to to remember him by.
We'll all see him on the other side someday.
The world will never forget Ozzy Osbourne. A year ago today was a day for mourning, so let's make July 22nd this year a day for celebration.
