"Crazy Train" is the debut solo single by Englishheavy metal singerOzzy Osbourne, released in 1980 from his debut album as a solo artist,Blizzard of Ozz (1980). The song was written by Osbourne,Randy Rhoads, andBob Daisley. The lyrics deal with the subject of theCold 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".
GuitaristGreg Leon, who initially took Randy Rhoads's place inQuiet 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 toSteve 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] BassistBob Daisley has dismissed rumours that the riff not created solely by Rhoads.[6]
AllMusic reviewer Steve Huey described the main guitar riff as "a classic, making use of the full minor scale in a way not seen sinceRitchie Blackmore's heyday withDeep 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-greatestguitar solo ever by readers ofGuitar World magazine.[10] The song was also ranked ninth byVH1 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 toppedMetal 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]
The single reached No. 49 on the United Kingdom singles chart in 1980.[17] In the United States, the song reached No. 9 on theBillboardTop Tracks chart and the single peaked at No. 6 on theBillboardBubbling Under the Hot 100 chart in 1981.[18] The master ringtone was certifieddouble platinum and had by September 2010 sold 1,750,000 downloads.[19] TheTribute re-release was accompanied by a music video.
After Osbourne's death in 2025, the song debuted on the USBillboard 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]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
^Kajzer, Jackie; Lotring, Roger (2010).Full Metal Jackie Certified: The 50 Most Influential Metal Songs of the '80s. Course Technology. p. 43.ISBN978-1-4354-5441-5.
^"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.
