Crazy Train - Wikipedia

1980 single by Ozzy Osbourne For The Cleveland Show episode, see The Cleveland Show (season 4).

"Crazy Train"
Single by Ozzy Osbourne
from the album Blizzard of Ozz
B-side	"You Lookin' at Me Lookin' at You"
Released	September 1980 (UK) February 1981 (US)[1]
Studio	Ridge Farm Studio, Rusper, West Sussex
Genre	Heavy metal[2][3]
Length	4:52
Label	Jet Epic
Composers	Bob Daisley Ozzy Osbourne Randy Rhoads
Lyricist	Bob Daisley
Producers	Bob Daisley Lee Kerslake Randy Rhoads
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)"
Single by Ozzy Osbourne
from the album Tribute
B-side	"Crazy Train" "I Don't Know"
Released	22 June 1987[4]
Recorded	1981
Genre	Heavy metal glam metal
Length	5:19
Label	Epic
Composers	Bob Daisley Ozzy Osbourne Randy Rhoads
Lyricist	Bob Daisley
Producer	Max 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

• Ozzy Osbourne – lead vocals, harmony vocals
• Randy Rhoads – guitars
• Bob Daisley – bass guitar
• Lee Kerslake – drums, vibraslap

1987 version (originally recorded live in 1981)

• Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
• Randy Rhoads – guitar
• Rudy Sarzo – bass
• Tommy Aldridge – drums
• Don Airey – keyboards

2002 re-issue

• Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
• Randy Rhoads – guitar
• Robert Trujillo – bass
• Mike Bordin – drums
• Don Airey – keyboards

Charts

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Weekly charts [edit] 1980–1981 weekly chart performance for "Crazy Train" Chart (1980–81) Peak position UK Singles (OCC)[21] 49 US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[22] 6 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[23] 9 Chart performance for "Crazy Train (Live)" Chart (1987) Peak position UK Singles (OCC)[24] 99 2009–2022 weekly chart performance for "Crazy Train" Chart (2009–2022) Peakposition Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[25] 88 UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[26] 18 US Hard Rock Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[27] 1 US Hard Rock Streaming Songs (Billboard)[28] 17 2025 weekly chart performance for "Crazy Train" Chart (2025) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[29] 68 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[30] 27 Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[31] 48 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[32] 45 Global 200 (Billboard)[33] 28 Greece International (IFPI)[34] 69 Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[35] 8 Netherlands (Single Tip)[36] 16 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[37] 27 Norway (IFPI Norge)[38] 46 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[39] 18 UK Singles (OCC)[40] 25 UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[41] 3 US Billboard Hot 100[42] 39 US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[43] 6

Year-end charts [edit] Year-end chart performance for "Crazy Train" Chart (2011) Position US Hard Rock Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[44] 19 Chart (2012) Position US Hard Rock Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[45] 6 Chart (2021) Position US Hard Rock Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[46] 24 Chart (2022) Position US Hard Rock Streaming Songs (Billboard)[47] 21

Certifications

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Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[48]	Gold	45,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[49]	Gold	50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[50]	2× Platinum	60,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[51]	Gold	30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[52]	Platinum	600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[53]	4× Platinum	4,000,000‡
Ringtone/Mastertone
United States (RIAA)[53] Mastertone	2× Platinum	2,000,000*
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece)[54]	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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• List of train songs
• List of songs about the Cold War

References

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1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 610. ISBN 9780862415419.
2. ^ "The Best Heavy Metal Songs: 16 Undeniable Classics". www.udiscovermusic.com. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
3. ^ Dave Tompkins. "VH1 - 40 Greatest Metal Songs". cs.uwaterloo.ca. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
4. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 11.
5. ^ Kajzer, Jackie; Lotring, Roger (2010). Full Metal Jackie Certified: The 50 Most Influential Metal Songs of the '80s. Course Technology. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-4354-5441-5.
6. ^ a b Mills, Matt (8 February 2024). "Lawsuits, warfare and "bone movies": The stories behind every song on Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard Of Ozz". Metal Hammer. Future plc. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
7. ^ Wall, Mick (1 February 2012). "Randy Rhoads: The Guitarist Who Changed The World". Classic Rock.
8. ^ Huey, Steve. "Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
9. ^ "Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
10. ^ "100 Greatest Guitar Solos - Tablature for the greatest guitar solos of all time". Guitar.about.com. 2 November 2009. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
11. ^ "Original TV Shows, Reality TV Shows". VH1. 30 September 2016. Archived from the original on 13 September 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
12. ^ "Vh1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs". spreadit.org music. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
13. ^ Hobson, Rich (18 December 2021). "The 50 best Ozzy Osbourne songs of all time". Metal Hammer. Future plc. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
14. ^ "The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
15. ^ Tanswell, Jacob (30 July 2024). "How Aston Villa's viral kit video came together: Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, transfer trickery". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
16. ^ "LOOK: Patriots show off new entrance in preseason game vs Panthers". 8 August 2024.
17. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne". www.officialcharts.com. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
18. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Rock Tracks. Menonomee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 103. ISBN 0-89820-153-5.
19. ^ "Chart Watch Extra: Songs From The Last Century". new.music.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
20. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (28 July 2025). "This Ozzy Osbourne Classic Just Hit the Hot 100 for the First Time". Billboard. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
21. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
22. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1998). Bubbling Under Singles & Albums. Menonomee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 152. ISBN 0-89820-128-4.
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. ^ "Canada Digital Top 50: Week of January 11, 2009". Canoe.com. Jam!. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
26. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
27. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Hard Rock Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
28. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Hard Rock Streaming Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
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.
34. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 30/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 30 July 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
35. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of July 30, 2025". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 July 2025.
36. ^ "Dutch Single Tip 02/08/2025" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
37. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
38. ^ "Singel 2025 uke 31". IFPI Norge. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
39. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 31" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
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.
44. ^ "Hard Rock Digital Song Sales – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
45. ^ "Hard Rock Digital Song Sales – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
46. ^ "Hard Rock Digital Song Sales – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
47. ^ "Hard Rock Streaming Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
48. ^ "Danish single certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
49. ^ "Italian single certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
50. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train". Radioscope. Retrieved 22 July 2025. Type Crazy Train in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
51. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
52. ^ "British single certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
53. ^ a b "American single certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
54. ^ "IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Εβδομάδα: 30/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved 30 July 2025.

External links

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• Song review at AllMusic

v t e Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne Band
Studio albums	Blizzard of Ozz Diary of a Madman Bark at the Moon The Ultimate Sin No Rest for the Wicked No More Tears Ozzmosis Down to Earth Under Cover Black Rain Scream Ordinary Man Patient Number 9
Live albums	Speak of the Devil Tribute Live & Loud Live at Budokan Ozzy Live
Extended plays	Mr. Crowley Live EP Just Say Ozzy
Compilations/box sets	Best of Ozz Ten Commandments The Ozzman Cometh The Essential Ozzy Osbourne Prince of Darkness Memoirs of a Madman
Singles	"Crazy Train" "Mr. Crowley" "Flying High Again" "Over the Mountain" "Symptom of the Universe" "Paranoid" "Bark at the Moon" "Shot in the Dark" "No More Tears" "Mama, I'm Coming Home" "Changes" "Pictures of Matchstick Men" "Gets Me Through" "Dreamer" "In My Life" "I Don't Wanna Stop" "Not Going Away" "How?" "Under the Graveyard" "Ordinary Man" "It's a Raid"
Featured singles	"Close My Eyes Forever" "Hey Stoopid" "Shake Your Head" "Shock the Monkey" "N.I.B." "Stillborn" "Take What You Want"
Other songs	"Goodbye to Romance" "Suicide Solution" "I Don't Want to Change the World" "Hellraiser"
Concert tours	Blizzard of Ozz Tour Diary of a Madman Tour Speak of the Devil Tour Bark at the Moon Tour The Ultimate Sin Tour No Rest for the Wicked Tour No More Tours Tour Ozzfest Ozzfest lineups by year Merry Mayhem Tour Ozzy and Friends Tour No More Tours II Back to the Beginning
Band members	Guitarists Randy Rhoads Bernie Tormé Brad Gillis Jake E. Lee Zakk Wylde Joe Holmes Gus G Bassists Bob Daisley Rudy Sarzo Pete Way Phil Soussan Geezer Butler Mike Inez Robert Trujillo Jason Newsted Rob "Blasko" Nicholson Drummers Lee Kerslake Tommy Aldridge Carmine Appice Randy Castillo Deen Castronovo Mike Bordin Tommy Clufetos Keyboardists Adam Wakeman
Books	Ordinary People: Our Story I Am Ozzy Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy
Related articles	Discography Filmography Black Sabbath The Osbournes Savage Skies Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home Family members Sharon Osbourne (2nd wife) Aimee Osbourne (daughter) Kelly Osbourne (daughter) Jack Osbourne (son) Don Arden (father-in-law)
Category

Authority control databases	MusicBrainz work