The Meaning Behind “Goodbye to Romance” by Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne became famous for many things.

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He’s a heavy metal legend, the Prince of Darkness, with a long, influential, and chaotic music career behind him.

Two of Osbourne’s best-known songs—“Iron Man” and “Crazy Train”—show different sides of the rock star. In 1970, over a plunging guitar, he says, “I am Iron Man.” It’s an ominous declaration before his band, Black Sabbath, drops its iconic doom riff.

“Crazy Train” is something very different. Here, Osbourne lays into his unpredictability, announcing an improbable and historic comeback.

Meanwhile, “Goodbye to Romance” shows the tender side of a vulnerable artist with a Beatles-like instinct for melody. It follows “Crazy Train” on his solo debut Blizzard of Ozz (1980), and ties up some emotional loose ends.

Yesterday

“Goodbye to Romance” is Osbourne’s farewell ode to his former band, Black Sabbath. Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979. Guitarist Tony Iommi said Osbourne had to go or the band wouldn’t survive.

The opening verse finds Osbourne lamenting the loss. But he also describes the loneliness he felt within the group.

Yesterday has been and gone
Tomorrow, will I find the sun
Or will it rain?

Everybody’s having fun
Except me, I’m the lonely one
I live in shame

Addiction had consumed the members of Black Sabbath, which eventually led to Osbourne’s departure. Soon, a new wave of British heavy metal bands like Motörhead, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden grew in popularity as Black Sabbath struggled.

I say goodbye to romance, yeah
Goodbye to friends, I tell you
Goodbye to all the past
I guess that we’ll meet, we’ll meet in the end

All Aboard!

But Osbourne wasn’t finished. Few would have predicted his solo success, yet he emerged with a masterpiece. Blizzard of Ozz resurrected his career and introduced the music world to a young guitar virtuoso, Randy Rhoads.

The album opens with the one-two punch of “I Don’t Know” and “Crazy Train.” But track three shifts dramatically to Osbourne’s farewell ballad. Rhoads used Pachelbel’s Canon as the blueprint for his chord sequence. He also helped Osbourne find the musical key that best suited his voice.

Osbourne had been singing the vocal melody, and Rhoads asked if it was something he’d written. Then they settled on a comfortable key as Rhoads worked out the chords. Bassist Bob Daisley helped complete the song.

Though “Crazy Train” remains the definitive track for both Osbourne and Rhoads, “Goodbye to Romance” was the first tune written for Blizzard of Ozz.

Another Tragedy

There was no guarantee of Osbourne’s success as a solo artist. But his musical connection with Rhoads offered the singer a new kind of hope. “Goodbye to Romance” begins with nostalgia for old times but ends on an optimistic note for the future.

However, the guitarist’s life was sadly short-lived. And Osbourne faced another great loss when Rhoads died in a tragic plane crash in 1982. He was only 25.

And the winter’s looking fine
And I think the sun will shine again
And I feel I’ve cleaned my mind
All the past is left behind again

Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns