With the publication of their debut album in 1963, The Beatles truly started a musical revolution. Over the years, leading up to their dissolution in 1970, the band established themselves as the most influential and prosperous act in history. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison formed the Beatles, which went on to sell an estimated 600 million albums worldwide a feat that no other artist had even approached.
Paul McCartney, the band’s vocalist and bassist, has discussed numerous other musicians over the years, some of whom his fans still find hard to believe he’s ever heard of. Ozzy Osbourne, the lead singer and founding member of Black Sabbath, the band that invented heavy metal music, was one of them. In addition to talking about him, McCartney also brought up one of his solo compositions that he thought was good.
The Ozzy Osbourne solo song that Paul McCartney said was good
A few months later, in January 1970, The Beatles were still producing their last album, “Let It Be,” which would be published, while Black Sabbath was releasing their trailblazing first album of the same name. Many things transpired in their careers throughout the decades, including Paul McCartney’s triumph as a solo performer. Something Ozzy also succeeded in after leaving Sabbath in 1979.
He is one of the few musicians in the world, along with Paul, to have achieved success both as a solo artist and in a band. The Beatles were performing for millions of fans worldwide in 2001, decades after they had already established their careers, when Ozzy asked them to contribute bass to one of his new songs. Within the same studio, they were recording new songs. Thus, Paul was invited to perform bass guitar in the song “Dreamer” from his album “Down To Earth” by the frontman of Sabbath. That was the song that Paul subsequently complimented, calling it excellent. But it was Rob Trujillo who recorded the bass lines, not him.
He mentioned the well-known clip from the early 2000s in which Ozzy unexpectedly shows up to greet him when he is being interviewed. The Beatles joke, “Oh God, you’re not letting him in,” as soon as they realize it’s Ozzy, and they give each other hugs. However, Paul was discussing how he was invited to play the song “Dreamer” just before Ozzy entered. “I was just saying about, ‘Dreamer’ track. Good track but I said I didn’t wanna do the bass line.”
Why Paul McCartney said he couldn’t record the bass on Ozzy’s “Dreamer” track
Paul McCartney rationalized that he was unable to surpass the bassline performed by Rob Trujillo in the song. In a 2023 interview with Billboard, Ozzy Osbourne recalled that:
“I think I would die to have a Beatle in my album. (So) I did asked him one time but he came up with an excuse (saying he) couldn’t beat the bass player that was already on. I went ‘Ahh, ok. Maybe you’re right.”
The song “Down To Earth” was recorded from April 2000 to August 2001 at the Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California. From February to June of 2001, McCartney recorded the album “Driving Rain” in the same area.
One of Ozzy’s album singles was “Dreamer.” Remains one of the most popular tracks off the album. With assistance from Marti Frederiksen and Mick Jones of Foreigner, Ozzy wrote it. At the time, the song peaked at number 18 on the UK singles chart.
The story of the first time Ozzy Osbourne met McCartney
Ozzy has always looked up to Paul McCartney, and when the two first met, he was apprehensive despite the fact that Black Sabbath had been a major rock artist for decades. The singer stated that they first spoke at Elton John’s birthday party in his 2009 autobiography “I Am Ozzy” (transcribed by the Paul McCartney Project).
“Of all the people I got to meet, though, the most special was probably Paul McCartney. I mean, I’d looked up to that man since I was fourteen. But what the fuck are you supposed to talk to him about, eh? It’s like trying to strike up a conversation with God. Where’d you start? ‘Oh, I see you made the Earth in seven days. What was that like?’”
He continued, “We were at Elton John’s birthday party: Paul on one side of me, Sting on the other, and Elton opposite. It was like I’d died and gone to rock star heaven. But I’m useless when it comes to making conversation with people I admire. I’m a big believer in just leaving them alone, generally. In that way, I’m very shy. There were some rumors going around in the press for a while that me and Paul were gonna do a duet. But I can honestly say I never heard a word about it from the man himself. And I’m glad I didn’t, ‘cos I would have shit my pants, big time.”
Following that, they kept in touch by email. Every time Ozzy released a new song, he would send him a note complimenting the Beatles on his fresh songs.