Lita Ford, the renowned guitarist from The Runaways, recently opened up about her contributions to Ozzy Osbourne’s chart-topping hit, “Close My Eyes Forever.” In a chat with Kenny Aronoff, she reminisced about creating a track with one of her idols.
When asked whether the collaboration was a standout moment in her musical journey, Lita fondly remembered, “Absolutely! Ozzy and I were quite the pair, always getting into some mischief. I recall this one time when we were in the studio with George Tedco and Mike Chapman… was it their first record? Hold on…”
After being reminded that the first record was made in Lankershim, North Hollywood, she instantly recognized that she was thinking of the correct session.
She elaborated, “That’s right! That was the time we penned ‘Close My Eyes Forever.’ I remember Sharon dropping Ozzy off at the studio and then taking off. We were like, ‘Don’t just leave him here with us!’”
The conversation shifted to the success of the song, and when asked if this was also her most significant achievement, Ford replied, “Indeed. I grew up being a huge fan of Black Sabbath. Despite their immense talent and fan base, they never managed a top-ten single, mostly because of their darker themes. So, ‘Close My Eyes Forever’ being Ozzy’s first top ten was special.”
Lita further mentioned that the initial intent for the song was for it to be more laid back. However, as they progressed, it morphed into a more upbeat number, adding a punch of energy.
What’s heartwarming is that Osbourne didn’t claim any rights to the song and generously let Lita have it.
