Are
you ready to ROCK, Dialophiles???
Tonight,
the Dial blasts an undisputed classic from one John Michael
Osbourne... The Madman... The Prince of Darkness. Pulled from 1986,
back in his post-Black Sabbath, pre-reality TV days, raise your devil
horns up high for Ozzy's “Shot In The Dark”!
“Out
on the streets, I’m stalking the night… I can hear my heavy
breathing…”
“Shot…”
tells the story of an ex-soldier, who is constantly haunted by both
the voices of his enemies whom he bettered in war, and those of his
military and government superiors. He contemplates revenge against
the officers who trained him (identified as “the people who hate”),
since they forced him to commit acts of war that he didn't believe
in. Chillingly, the soldier dares those officers to underestimate
him. Not exactly a light-hearted topic to be sure, but then again,
you would expect nothing less from The Ozzman.
“Paid
for the kill, but it doesn’t seem right… something there I can’t
believe in.”
From
1986’s “The Ultimate Sin”
LP, “Shot…” is a true snapshot-of-its-time
hard rock classic, with awesome squealing guitar riffs courtesy of
Jake E. Lee, and Mike Moran’s synthesizer work bearing more than a
passing pop and even slight glam rock influence.
A
bit of controversy exists surrounding the songwriting credits, as
they are currently listed to Ozzy and bassist Phil Soussan, but Phil
maintains that he wrote the song entirely himself before joining
Osbourne's crew. Soussan claimed that he was never paid royalties for
the track, which likely influenced Epic Records to delete The
Ultimate Sin in the early 2000s, and not reissue or remaster the LP
as of yet, unlike most of the rest of Ozzy's back catalog.
“But
just like the wounded, and when it’s too late… they’ll
remember, they’ll surrender.”
As
far as Ozzy’s history goes, “Shot” is significant for being his
first appearance on the Hot 100 as a solo performer. Landing at US
#68 in ’86, and earning a #10 position on the US Mainstream Rock
chart, it was to be followed in 1989 by the US #8 Lita Ford duet,
“Close My Eyes Forever”,
his only top 10 single. Later hits include the iconic tracks “No
More Tears” (US #71 in ‘91), and “Mama,
I’m Coming Home” (US #28 in '92). And for
those of you that assume that Ozzy hit big early on with his
proto-heavy-metal band Black Sabbath, it may surprise you to learn
that Sabbath’s highest charting offering stateside was “Iron
Man”, which stalled in that great magnetic
field at US #52 in ’71.
“Never
a care for the people who hate… underestimate me now.”
Ozzy’s
LP covers scared the crap out of me as a kid, especially his earlier
LP Bark
at the Moon,
which I saw at the age of nine in my local record store. At the time,
I had been largely sheltered from horror films and scary imagery, and
as a result, Ozzy’s werewolf/dog creature creeped me out something
fierce. Of course, I look at it now as high camp, but back then… I
admit I lost some sleep thinking of that album cover, but whenever I
was in that record store, I sought the LP out as I was absolutely
fascinated with the visual and I just couldn’t look away.
So,
crank it up and rip the knob off for the Godfather of Metal, and be
sure to check back soon for another great cut from our shared musical
past right here on Kyle's Radio Dial!
“But
a shot in the dark… one step away from you… just a shot in the
dark… always creeping up on you”
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