By the end of the 1980s, Ozzy Osbourne found himself in jail for the attempted murder of his wife Sharon, a result of his heavy substance abuse. The couple reconciled, and following rehab Osbourne’s career had a rebirth with his sixth album.
No More Tears marked a new era for Osbourne, following his fifth solo release No Rest for the Wicked in 1988. It was the second album featuring then-new guitarist Zakk Wylde, and the first one Osbourne recorded since getting sober, one he called a “resurrection.”
“’No More Tears’ was a resurrection,” said Osbourne in 2022. “I was fitter than I’d ever been and had something to prove.”
With Osbourne in top form, the album resuscitated him as he entered the ’90s and its emerging grunge rock. The album went to No. 7 on the Billboard 200, along with the hit single “Mama I’m Coming Home,” which was co-written with Wylde and late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister and went to No. 2 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
The title track, written by Osbourne, Wylde, producer John Purdell, future Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez, and drummer Randy Castillo, also hit No. 5 on the same chart.
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The Meaning
Pierced by sinister keyboards and Wylde’s crunching riffs, “No More Tears” has a menacing story to tell, about a stalker looking through windows and prowling in the dark, in search for their next victim.
The light in the window is a crack in the sky
A stairway to darkness in the blink of an eye
A levee of tears to learn she’ll never be coming back
The man in the dark will bring another attack
Your momma told you that you’re not supposed to talk to strangers
Look in the mirror, tell me, do you think you life’s in danger, yeah?
Another day passes as the night closes in
The red light goes on to say it’s time to begin
I see the man around the corner waiting, can he see me?
I close my eyes and wait to hear the sound of someone screaming here
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“We were just messing around in rehearsals,” said Wylde of the single in 2014 interview. “Mike [Inez] started jamming that on the bass, then Randy [Castillo] started playing drums, and then John [Purdell] started doing that keyboard bit.”
“No More Tears” is also the longest song Osbourne ever recorded, within his solo catalog, clocking in at seven minutes and 23 seconds. His 2022 single “Patient Number 9,” featuring Jeff Beck, is a close second at 7:21 minutes.
In retrospect, No More Tears was one album that Osbourne is most proud of in his catalog.
“It’s one of my favorites,” said Osbourne in 2017. “Every time I put a new band together, it gets to a certain point where you know each other and you’re sure of each other. After recording and touring together for a few years, Zakk and I were at that point. And everything fell into its right place.”
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/WireImage
