Ozzy Osbourne Once Revealed the Beatles Song He Wanted Played at His Funeral
via Ozzy Osbourne / YouTube
Ozzy’s Deep Love for The Beatles
Ozzy Osbourne, known for his role in shaping heavy metal music, once shared how much he loved The Beatles. That love ran so deep that he wanted one of their songs played at his funeral. The music of The Beatles wasn’t just a passing interest for him—it was something that changed his life.
Osbourne, who passed away on July 22 at the age of 76, often spoke about how much their music meant to him. He said the world felt like it went from black and white to color when The Beatles showed up. When he was 14, he heard their song “She Loves You” for the first time on a blue transistor radio, and he was instantly hooked.
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How The Beatles Changed His Life
Growing up in Birmingham, England, in the 1950s and 60s, Ozzy didn’t have many options. He thought he would end up working in a factory or going to jail. But hearing The Beatles gave him something else—hope. Their music inspired him to chase a dream he hadn’t believed was possible before.
He once shared with Rolling Stone his top 10 Beatles songs, placing “She Loves You” at number one. “This is the one that sucked me in. I was a 14-year-old kid with this blue transistor radio. I heard ‘She Loves You,’ and it floored me. It was as if you knew all the colors in the world. Then someone shows you a brand new color, and you go, ‘F—— hell, man.’”
Not Everyone Agreed at First
Even though Osbourne was amazed by The Beatles, not everyone around him shared his feelings. In a 2019 GQ interview, he remembered playing their music for his father. “I remember playing The Beatles to my dad, and he goes, ‘What are you playing that s— for?’ And I go, ‘It’s The Beatles!’ and he goes, ‘Oh, they’ll never become anything!’”
“Can you believe he said that about the f—— Beatles?” Osbourne added. “It was such an amazing time for music in the ’60s. When popular music hit me, it was like magic was in the air.”
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Ozzy’s Beatles Favorites and Musical Beginnings
Besides “She Loves You,” Osbourne named other Beatles songs that meant a lot to him. These included “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “I Am the Walrus,” “A Day in the Life,” “Hey Jude,” “Help!,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Something,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and “The Long and Winding Road.”
He always gave credit to The Beatles for changing his life. Before hearing their songs, he didn’t believe he had a future. Afterward, he wanted to make music too. He even began performing in blues bands in bars around Birmingham, which wasn’t far from Liverpool, where The Beatles came from.
In an interview on The Whoopi Goldberg Show, he explained that The Beatles were the “key” to his “way out.”
The Beatles and Osbourne’s Funeral Plans
In 2016, Osbourne told NME he wanted The Beatles’ song “In My Life” played at his funeral. He said, “I really need a few more years to think this over, but probably something from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band or Revolver.” Although “In My Life” is actually from Rubber Soul, he clearly connected deeply with that song.
He also made it clear what he didn’t want played—his own music. “I definitely don’t want my f—— greatest hits album — I never ever play that thing, I’m f—— embarrassed about it,” he said. “And I definitely don’t want a f——- happy song — I’m dead.”
A Funeral Without Sadness
Osbourne told The Times in 2011 that he didn’t want his funeral to be sad. He said he didn’t want a “mope-fest” and preferred something more like a celebration of life. “There’ll be no harping on the bad times,” he said. He wanted people to remember how lucky they were, especially those who lived in better times or found success like he did.
“It’s worth remembering that a lot of people see nothing but misery their whole lives, so by any measure, most of us in this country – especially rock stars like me – are very lucky,” he explained. “That’s why I don’t want my funeral to be sad, I want it to be a time to say ‘thanks.'”
He also joked that he didn’t really care what was played at his service. “I honestly don’t care what they play at my funeral; they can put on a medley of Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle, and We Are the Diddymen if it makes ’em happy.”
