Since Ozzy Osbourne‘s death in July, bands of all stripes have been performing covers of his solo catalogue or his work in Black Sabbath, often in concert. System of a Down is one of the bands covering Sabbath as a tribute to Ozzy, on their summer tour. The difference with the SOAD cover is that they first recorded their version of Sabbath’s “Snowblind” back in 2000 for a tribute album. So they had this one in the bag and added it to their current setlist after Ozzy’s death. Continue reading »
‘The Best Covers Ever’ series counts down our favorite covers of great artists.
When Black Sabbath held their “Back the Beginning” show in Birmingham this summer, no one disputed it represented Ozzy Osbourne’s way of saying goodbye. They just didn’t know how soon that final goodbye would come. Seventeen days after singing with both Sabbath and his own band to a packed stadium of superfans (and sounding not bad, considering), he was gone.
So today, we honor Sabbath in our own way, giving them the Best Covers Ever treatment. There are some heavy covers below, appropriately enough. But there are also a bunch that translate Sabbath songs into surprising genres, from slocore to bluegrass, retro soul to Finnish trad-jazz. No one, however, sings them the same way Ozzy did. Attempting to do so would be a fool’s errand. He was one of one, and will be missed.
It’s easy to forget “War Pigs” is a protest song because it’s just so incredibly rad. Millions of people have head-banged to the Black Sabbath song throughout its 50+ year history, or perhaps even table-drummed so hard they bruised their fingers during a surf rock cover at a small, crowded bar. It’s easy to get lots its iconic opening riff, its iconic drum patter, or in the general Sabbath mystique. Lyricist/bassist Geezer Butler has written plenty of lyrics nobody pays attention to – does anyone really know what “Faeries Wear Boots” is about? – so it’s easy to understand that, for most of us, “War Pigs” is just this head-banging metal classic.
But, you know, it’s actually an anti-war protest song. And it’s as explicit as such songs get. There’s no interpreting their meaning any other way. Big Richard, an all-woman bluegrass group, with a rather unconventional lineup that is partway towards string quartet, were booked to play the Kennedy Center, a venue that has had a lot of controversy around it during Trump’s second term. And there are a few rather prominent wars going on. Then, just days before they were due to perform, Ozzy died. The stars aligned.
Dressed as the founding fathers with outfits made up of various combinations of the American flag, Big Richard played for an hour. For their penultimate song, they chose “War Pigs.” They begin a capella, drawing out the lyrics longer than in the original. Gone are are the drums and the guitar riff until the “Oh lord yeah” and then it breaks out, albeit on mandolin, fiddle, cello and standup bass. At this point the mandolin takes the drums with the other instruments handling the riff. There’s a cello solo instead of the guitar solo and then the fiddle joins in and they have a bit of a duel to echo the overdubbed second guitar in the original. There’s a second fiddle solo later joined again by the cello for the coda.
It’s a little rough, sure. For example, mandolinist Bonnie Sims is so into her rhythm part she doesn’t get back to her mic fast enough to begin the verses. But this performance is in the finest tradition of protest songs, full of energy, passion and bravado. Ozzy was not a political singer, obviously, but Butler was, at times, a political lyricist. And it’s fitting tribute to Sabbath in honour of Ozzy’s death, just as it is a brave moment of musical protest. Big Richard’s cover of “War Pigs” starts around 55 minutes into the video:
The Decemberists were among the long lists of musicians honoring and paying tribute to Ozzy Osbourne on the day of his passing. At their recent show in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania at the Wind Creek Event Center, the band joined forces with opening act MELT to perform the Black Sabbath classic “Paranoid.” Usual lead singer Colin Meloy relinquished the microphone to drummer John Moen who took lead on the tribute. (Meloy took Moen’s place at the drum kit.) Continue reading »
chappell roan performing a cover of ‘barracuda’ by heart at primavera sound barcelona pic.twitter.com/SX3RVmP9m5
— best of chappell roan (@bestofchappell) June 7, 2025
With the passing of Ozzy Osbourne, music fans have been able to see first-hand the effect his music has had on generations of fellow musicians around the world.
Case in point: Coldplay. At the band’s Nashville gig on the day of Osbourne’s passing, they performed Black Sabbath‘s ballad “Changes.” “We’d like to dedicate this whole show to the incredible genius, talent, and character-full gift to the world who was Ozzy Osbourne,” said lead singer Chris Martin. “We send our love to his family.”
Coldplay’s take on Vol. 4‘s classic ballad got only a passing performance, with Martin singing the chorus. That said, even just the chorus can give you goosebumps and truly appreciate the emotion contained with Osbourne’s one of a kind vocal skills. Martin played the song as the wrap up of the “Planets” section of their current “Music of the Spheres” tour. After the song, Martin added, “Ozzy, we love you, wherever you’re going.”
While credited to the whole band, the Black Sabbath song is about the end of drummer Bill Ward’s first marriage. The song is one of the more touching in Osbourne’s catalogue, and clearly special to Osbourne. (He recorded a new version of the song in 2003 with daughter Kelly.)