Mr. Crowley is a 1981 heavy metal song performed by Ozzy Osbourne (with Randy Rhoads collaborating on the lyrics), released on the album "Blizzard Of Ozz". The song is one of Osbourne's first two singles as a solo artist following the breakup of Black Sabbath. It reached #46 on the U.K. charts. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Heavy metal, sometimes referred to as simply metal, is a form of music characterised by aggressive, driving rhythms and highly amplified distorted guitars. ... Ozzy Osbourne John Michael Osbourne (born December 3, 1948), known as Ozzy Osbourne, is the lead singer of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath and a popular solo artist and reality television star. ... Blizzard of Ozz is a heavy metal album by Ozzy Osbourne, released on January 15, 1981 (see 1981 in music) and recorded in 1980 (see 1980 in music). ... This article is about the British heavy metal band. ...

The song's title is a reference to the infamous Aleister Crowley, and the song as a whole is addressed to him. Mr. Crowley seems to cast the life of the occultist in a critical light; Osbourne asks Crowley, "Mr. Charming, did you think you were pure?" and invites Crowley to "ride my white horse", a possible reference to Death, who rides a pale horse according to the Bible. It is also commonly thought to refer to Crowley's addiction to heroin which was a prescribed medication for him. The line is open to interpretation, as Osbourne indicates in the following line, "It's symbolic, of course." Osbourne ends the song with a plea to the long-dead Crowley, "Was it polemically sent?/I wanna know what you meant", perhaps referring to Crowley's often-controversial doctrines. Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (12 October 1875 - 1 December 1947) was an occultist, mystic, sexual revolutionary, and drug user (especially morphine). ... The Grim Reaper with a scythe. ... The Bible (Hebrew תנ״ך tanakh, Greek η Βίβλος [hē biblos] ) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word Scripture), from Greek (τα) βίβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity (The...

The guitar solo in Mr. Crowley is ranked number 28 on Guitar World Magazine's 100 greatest solos. According to legend, Osbourne was dissatisfied with the first guitar solo that Randy Rhoads recorded for the song. Rhoads, in angry protest, went into the studio right away and banged out the famous solo. Afterwards, he stormed out and asked how THAT solo was. Osbourne smiled and said: "This is it!"

Despite Osbourne's links to the occult, he was apparently unaware of the correct pronunciation of Crowley's name. Osbourne pronounces it to rhyme with "foully"; the name pronounced correctly rhymes with "holy".

Famous covers include Moonspell (Darkness and Hope, 2001) and Cradle of Filth (Nymphetamine, 2004). Tim 'Ripper' Owens and Joe Lynn Turner have also recorded covers of the song. Moonspell is a band from Portugal, initially formed in 1989 as Morbid God by Fernando Ribeiro (vocals), Ares (bass) and two of the bands former members as a black metal band. ... Cradle of Filth is an English band formed in 1991. ... Nymphetamine is the sixth studio album by Cradle of Filth, released on September 28, 2004. ... Tim Ripper Owens, born as Timothy S. Owens on September 13, 1967 in Akron, Ohio. ... Joseph Linquito (born August 2, 1951 in Hackensack, New Jersey), better known as Joe Lynn Turner was the singer for Fundago and two British hard rock groups Rainbow (1980-1984; break-up) and Deep Purple (1989-1992). ...

External links

• Full lyrics
• Guitar Tab