This song is about Aleister Crowley, a British practitioner of black magic in the early 1900s. Known as "The Wickedest Man Alive," Jimmy Page based some of the Led Zeppelin album covers on his work.
It was first released on Osbourne's debut solo album Blizzard of Ozz in September 1980 in the United Kingdom, and then a live version of the song was released as a single in November 1980. The song was written by Osbourne, guitarist Randy Rhoads, and bass guitarist/lyricist Bob Daisley.
The song helped Ozzy play up his mock-Satanic image, which he often did for effect. This his something he did in his band Black Sabbath, who likened their music to horror movies.
Ozzy mispronounces Crowley's last name. It is in fact pronounced with the first syllable sounding like "crow" in English.
Lyrics
Mister Crowley
What went down in your head?
Oh, Mister Crowley
Did you talk to the dead?
Your lifestyle to me seems so tragic
With the thrill of it all
You fooled all the faithful with magic
Yeah, you waited on Satan's call
Mister charming
Did you think you were pure?
Mister alarming
In nocturnal rapport
Uncovering things that were sacred
Manifest on this earth
Oh, conceived in the eye of a secret
Yeah, they scattered the afterbirth
Mister Crowley
Won't you ride my white horse?
Mister Crowley
It's symbolic, of course
Approaching a time that is classic
I hear that maiden's call
Approaching a time that is drastic
Standing with their backs to the wall
Was it polemically sent? I wanna know what you meant I wanna know I wanna know what you meant, yeah!
Songwriters: O. Osbourne / R. Rhoads / R. Daisley Mr. Crowley lyrics © Blizzard Music Ltd., Kord Music, Blizzard Music Limited, BLIZZARD MUSIC LTD
