Ozzy Osbourne’s Songs Performed Over a Million Times by Musicians Worldwide After His Passing
After the announcement of Ozzy Osbourne’s death, fans around the world honored the metal legend by turning to his music. Muse Group, the company behind Ultimate Guitar and MuseScore, analyzed which of his songs were most played and learned in the days following his passing—spanning both his solo material and his classic Black Sabbath catalog. Drawing from tens of millions of views on guitar tabs and sheet music, their data highlights which tracks resonated most deeply with musicians.
Two major moments in the past year sparked huge surges in daily plays of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath songs on Ultimate Guitar. The biggest spike came when the news of Ozzy’s passing broke on July 22: views soared more than tenfold, peaking at 250,000 on July 23 alone. In Europe and the UK, traffic first increased fivefold before jumping to 20 times the normal level, showing how many musicians paid tribute by playing Ozzy’s songs.
Before launching his solo career, Ozzy Osbourne was the founding voice of BLACK SABBATH—a band that helped invent heavy metal itself. Their farewell concert also caused a notable spike, with daily song views tripling from about 12,000 to 40,000 that week. In the wake of Ozzy’s passing, many musicians revisited both his solo work and the music he made with Black Sabbath. Metal—and especially Sabbath—has always had a strong following in the Ultimate Guitar community, which has hosted a lively metal forum since the 2000s. As of July 2025, Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath overtook Metallica to become the #1 most-played artists in Ultimate Guitar’s heavy metal category, ending Metallica’s year-long run at the top.
Ultimate Guitar stats reveal the popularity of songs famous for their powerful ballads, thunderous riffs, and unforgettable solos, including “Crazy Train” and “Paranoid.” Here are the top five most-played Ozzy Osbourne tabs on Ultimate Guitar for the week after July 22:
Top 5 most-played Ozzy Osbourne tabs on Ultimate Guitar:
- Mama I’m Coming Home — 298,051 views
- Crazy Train — 170,533 views
- Dreamer — 52,926 views
- No More Tears — 44,861 views
- Mr. Crowley — 40,339 views
Top 5 most-played Black Sabbath tabs on Ultimate Guitar:
- Paranoid — 102,383 views
- Changes — 90,381 views
- War Pigs — 63,890 views
- Iron Man — 53,413 views
- N.I.B. — 18,004 views
Views of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath scores jumped about eightfold during that week—showing that fans weren’t just returning to his signature guitar riffs, but also exploring piano and full arrangements. MuseScore data shows that the most popular songs were the more melodic, emotional tracks that adapt well to piano, such as “Changes.” The scores with the fastest-growing views were “Mr. Crowley” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home.” Altogether, since July 22, Ozzy’s songs have been viewed over 1 million times across both tabs and sheet music.
Top 5 most-viewed Ozzy Osbourne scores on MuseScore:
- Crazy Train — 11,067 views
- Mama I’m Coming Home — 5,089 views
- Mr. Crowley — 3,915 views
- No More Tears — 521 views
- Ordinary Man (feat. Elton John) — 495 views
Top 5 most-viewed Black Sabbath scores on MuseScore:
- Changes — 5,481 views
- Paranoid — 4,516 views
- Iron Man — 2,775 views
- War Pigs — 2,234 views
- Sabbath Bloody Sabbath — 415 views
(Data collected from Ultimate Guitar and MuseScore between July 22 and July 29, 2025. Rankings are based on total views and “Add to Favorites” activity for all versions of each song’s tabs and scores.)
