Ozzy Osbourne and Weezer are two acts that don’t seem likely to have much in crossover experiences, but about 20 years ago, Rivers Cuomo pitched a song to the Prince of Darkness that would go on to be a hit for Weezer instead.
Cuomo recalled in a new interview with Guitar World (as transcribed by Ultimate Classic Rock), “I think it was in 2000, he asked if I had any songs for him, and I just happened to have written ‘Hash Pipe.’ I sent it to him, but he didn’t end up using it. In another reality, it might have been interesting to hear him singing that song.”
Of course, fans can now enjoy Weezer taking on an Ozzy song thanks to their new album Van Weezer. On that album is the track titled “Blue Dream,” which borrows the iconic Randy Rhoads riff from “Crazy Train.” Cuomo noted to Guitar World that he wrote a different riff for the song, but, “It wasn’t the greatest guitar riff of all time, which I felt it should be.”
If you can’t write the greatest guitar riff, you might as well borrow one, while giving songwriters proper credit, which Weezer did.
Van Weezer is available in a variety of formats here.
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