For every song that hits the radio airwaves and Billboard charts, there are thousands more that we never got to hear because of rejections, last-minute change-ups, or countless other factors that can halt a song pre-, mid-, or post-production. One of those songs we never got the pleasure of hearing was an Ozzy Osbourne rendition of “Hash Pipe”. Instead, the song ultimately landed on Weezer’s third studio album, the eponymous “Green Album.”
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According to Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, the Prince of Darkness briefly considered recording his track. “Once, I think it was in 2000, [Osbourne] asked if I had any songs for him. I just happened to have written ‘Hash Pipe’. I sent it to him, but he didn’t end up using it,” Cuomo told Guitar World. “In another reality, it might be interesting to hear him singing that song.”
In this writer’s humble opinion, it’s not a matter of “might be interesting.” This was a wholly missed opportunity that, frankly, I can’t unhear.
Ozzy Osbourne Could Have Delivered a Scorching Rendition of Weezer’s “Hash Pipe”
Rivers Cuomo didn’t mention any specific reason why Ozzy Osbourne rejected “Hash Pipe”. Looking back on what the Prince of Darkness was doing around the turn of the 21st century, there’s a good chance he was simply too busy. Osbourne was working on his sobriety. He was gearing up for a reality television series. The singer was also keeping up with Ozzfest, collaborating with Tony Iommi in the studio, and dealing with lawsuits filed by his former band members over delinquent royalty payments. Needless to say, Osbourne had plenty on his plate.
Still, I can’t help but feel like Osbourne not recording “Hash Pipe” was a deeply unfortunate missed opportunity. The almost manic, descending opening lines, “I can’t help my feelings, I’ll go out of my mind / These players out to get me ‘cause they like my behind”, feel like the perfect melody and feeling for Osbourne. Something reminiscent of “Flying High Again” or “Paranoid”. Of course, given the nature of the song and the fact that Osbourne was working on his sobriety around that time, maybe “Hash Pipe” was too drug-coded for comfort.
Then again, those first lines of “Hash Pipe” are a direct quotation of The Beatles’ “You Can’t Do That”. And that might have played into Osbourne’s own love and reverence for the Fab Four. In any case, the collaboration never came to pass. The could-be Ozzy Osbourne track ended up as the third song on Weezer’s third album, Weezer (the green album). Weezer’s version of “Hash Pipe” nearly topped the Billboard Alternative Airplay charts, peaking at the No. 2 spot, and breaking into the Top 40 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
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