Crazy Train

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"Crazy Train"
File:Crazy Train 45.jpg
Single by Ozzy Osbourne
from the album Blizzard of Ozz
B-side"You Lookin' at Me Lookin' at You"
ReleasedSeptember 1980 (UK)
  • February 1981 (US)[1]
StudioRidge Farm Studio, Rusper, West Sussex
GenreHeavy metal[2][3]
Length4:52
Label
Composers
LyricistBob Daisley
Producers
Ozzy Osbourne singles chronology
"Crazy Train"
(1980) 		"Mr. Crowley"
(1980)
Music video
"Crazy Train" on YouTube
Animated music video
"Crazy Train" on YouTube
"Crazy Train (Live)"
File:OzzyOsbourne CrazyTrainLive Single 1987.jpg
Single by Ozzy Osbourne
from the album Tribute
B-side
  • "Crazy Train"
  • "I Don't Know"
Released22 June 1987[4]
Recorded1981
Genre
Length5:19
LabelEpic
Composers
LyricistBob Daisley
ProducerMax Norman
Ozzy Osbourne singles chronology
"The Ultimate Sin"
(1986) 		"Crazy Train (Live)"
(1987) 		"Miracle Man"
(1988)

"Crazy Train" is the debut solo single by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, released in 1980 from his debut album as a solo artist, Blizzard of Ozz (1980). The song was written by Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, and Bob Daisley. The lyrics deal with the subject of the Cold War and the fear of annihilation that existed during that period.[5][6] On its original release, "Crazy Train" reached the top 50 in the UK. Following Osbourne's death in 2025, the song entered the Hot 100 for the first time at number 46 and later peaked at number 39, becoming Osbourne's second US top 40 hit as a solo artist after "Mama, I'm Coming Home".

Production

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Guitarist Greg Leon, who initially took Randy Rhoads's place in Quiet Riot, has claimed that he helped Rhoads write what would become the "Crazy Train" riff. "We were hanging out, and I showed him the riff to Steve 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."[7] Bassist Bob Daisley has dismissed rumours that the riff not created solely by Rhoads.[6]

Reception

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AllMusic reviewer Steve Huey described the main guitar riff as "a classic, making use of the full minor scale in a way not seen since Ritchie Blackmore's heyday with Deep Purple."[8]

The song is one of Osbourne's best known and recognizable as a solo performer.[9] It was rated as having the 9th-greatest guitar solo ever by readers of Guitar World magazine.[10] The song was also ranked ninth by VH1 on the list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs[11] and in 2009 it was named the 23rd-greatest hard rock song of all time also by VH1,[12] the highest placement by a solo artist on the list. In 2021, it topped Metal 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 800 million on Spotify (as of July 2025).[13] In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked the song number six on their list of the 100 greatest heavy metal songs.[14]

"Crazy Train" has been used as the walk-out song for Premier League football club Aston Villa F.C.. Osbourne was a fan of the team, which is based in his hometown of Birmingham.[15] Similarly, the New England Patriots of the National Football League used "Crazy Train" as their entrance song during the tenure of head coach Bill Belichick.[16]

Chart performance

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The single reached No. 49 on the United Kingdom singles chart in 1980.[17] In the United States, the song reached No. 9 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart and the single peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart in 1981.[18] The master ringtone was certified double platinum and had by September 2010 sold 1,750,000 downloads.[19] The Tribute re-release was accompanied by a music video.

After Osbourne's death in 2025, the song debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 46 with 9.2 million official U.S. streams, 2.4 million radio audience impressions, and 11,000 paid downloads.[20]

Personnel

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1980 studio version

1987 version (originally recorded live in 1981)

2002 re-issue

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[49] Gold 45,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[50] Gold 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[51] 2× Platinum 60,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[52] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[54] 4× Platinum 4,000,000‡
Ringtone/Mastertone
United States (RIAA)[54]
Mastertone 		2× Platinum 2,000,000*
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece)[55] Gold 1,000,000†

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  21. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  22. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  23. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  24. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  25. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  26. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
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  28. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  29. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  30. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  31. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 31. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  32. ^ "Ozzy-Osbourne: Crazy Train" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  33. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
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  40. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  41. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  42. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  43. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
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