He may be retiring from live performance in a couple of weeks’ time, but Ozzy Osbourne still has one musical ambition left – a duet with Paul McCartney.
This unlikely wish was revealed on Ozzy’s SiriusXM show Ozzy Speaks, which he co-hosts with Billy Morrison.
It came about when conversation turned to collaborations and Morrison asked Ozzy if there were any people he’d like to do a duet with.
“Paul McCartney,” Ozzy immediately shot back with, to which Morrison responded: “I think it’s good that we have this show so we can both say, ‘Paul, if you’re listening, it’s about time,’ with a sheepish Ozzy adding, “No, I would be honoured but I couldn’t…”
Morrison then asked why Ozzy of all people would be hesitant to do the duet, insisting, “Why not? … Put it out into the universe. You never know.”
Exactly. Although down the years Macca has been picky about who he collaborates with, when he has done one it’s usually been with a big name in a particular genre. We all remember those 1980s link ups with Stevie Wonder (Ebony And Ivory) and Michael Jackson (Say Say Say and – urgh! - The Girl Is Mine) but the ex-Beatle has also worked with artists as varied as Tony Bennett, Johnny Cash, Elvis Costello and George Michael. Within the rock/metal world, Ozzy is easily as big a name as those figures..
Later on in the podcast, Ozzy mentioned that he has met McCartney before - “He’s a really nice man,” he said. He also rated his duet with Lita Ford on Close My Eyes Forever as the best he’s ever done.
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