"Witches at black masses", "Evil minds that plot destruction", "Satan laughing, spreads his wings"...to me nothing could be a scarier concept than Witches, Evil plots of destruction and Satan's pleasure. So naturally, to hear a song with these strong words and phrases would automatically give the musician a negative connotation in your mind. This is a demonstration of the power of music and the effect it had on Ozzy Osbourne.
Before I even get to any other point, let me say I'm well aware that Ozzy isn't a ray of sunshine. His topics are dark topics BUT they do NOT encourage dark behavior. They point out the darkness in the world that needs our attention.
The lyrics above are from a famous song he wrote called "War Pigs". In the song "Witches at black masses" is a comparison to "Generals gathered in their masses". The "Evil minds that plot destruction" are people who plan war tactics and "Satan laughing spreads his wings" is about the pleasure he gets from watching the sin that man has fallen in; "On their knee's, the war pigs crawling. Begging mercy for their sins. Satan laughing spreads his wings."
The whole point of the song, now that it has been broken down is clearly to point out the evils of war and the people who plot them. The song is called "War Pigs" for a reason. People who promote the killings of other human beings to "solve the world's problems" is bad news.
Because of songs like this, Ozzy Osbourne has been labeled as the Prince of Darkness. He embraces the nickname because it is part of his theatrical act but society seems to see him as a dark, negative image in rock and roll music.
BLABBERMOUTH.COM published this article about church groups protesting Ozzy's performance in New Zealand:
A crusade is looming as church groups prepare to take on heavy metal heavyweights poised to play in Wellington [New Zealand] over Easter.
Wellington pentecostal church Lifepoint says the lineup of bands — including former bat-biter OZZY OSBOURNE and KISS — are "not appropriate" and will have "negative influences" on the city during the two-day Rock2Wgtn festival on March 22 and 23.
I wonder what religious groups would have to say if they heard lyrics of his like "Hand of God has struck the hour. Day of Judgement, God is calling."
If you don't believe me, take the F***ing Prince of Darkness' advice....
Wow loved this blog! You are so right! I love the way you dissected the lyrics to prove your point. Ozzy isn't a bad guy that promotes bad behavior he is a musician that has the music style of a dark tone yet it is just bringing awareness. Many people get caught up in the persona of Ozzy and they don't take the time to listen to the actual words he is saying. He is trying to bring awareness to things that he thinks isn't right such as war and violence. His message is pure and good and those who think he is some dark horrible guy are just not doing their homework! Thanks for the cool blog!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love Black Sabbath. I was so excited to see that someone decided to write on them for this week’s discussion. Ozzy has always been a little out there, but I think that is part of what makes him so entertaining for everyone to watch. The whole persona of the Prince of Darkness is a character that was thought up back in the early days, and it fits him. I think some people take their judgment a little too far when it comes to his act. They are unable to recognize that it is, in fact, an act, a stage persona, a façade. The critics think that he is actually that dark and crazy in real life, when in fact he is only a little crazy. But overall I think that he is a very talented performer that has stood the test of time. He has lost many group members- Zakk Wylde, Randy Rhoads (RIP), and Tony Iommi, just to name some guitarists, but always seemed to be able to press on and find a new band of people to work with. If people were able to really read into some of the lyrics, they would realize that some lyrics are reflective of what is going on in society, not just what’s in his dark little head.
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