Mr. Crowley is a 1980 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. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... It has been suggested that metal music be merged into this article or section. ... Ozzy Osbourne John 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 heroin). ... The Grim Reaper. ... The Bible (tanak/h in hebrew language) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βιβλια, (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 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). 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 heavy metal band formed in 1991. ... Nymphetamine album cover. ...

External links

• Full lyrics