Mama, I'm Coming Home

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"Mama, I'm Coming Home"
Single by Ozzy Osbourne
from the album No More Tears
B-side"Don't Blame Me"
Released18 November 1991 (UK)[1]
February 1992 (1992-02) (US)
Recorded1991
Genre
Length4:11
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
[3][4]
Producer(s)
Ozzy Osbourne singles chronology
"Road to Nowhere"
(1991) 		"Mama, I'm Coming Home"
(1991) 		"Mr. Tinkertrain"
(1991)
Music video
"Mama, I’m Coming Home" on YouTube
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]

"Mama, I'm Coming Home" is a power ballad by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne from Osbourne's sixth studio album No More Tears, which first released on 17 November 1991. The song features Osbourne on vocals, Zakk Wylde on guitar, Bob Daisley on bass, and Randy Castillo on drums. Lyrics were written by Lemmy. Two music videos were also produced to accompany the song's release.

The single is Osbourne's only solo Top 40 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in his lifetime, peaking at No. 28; his only other top 40 hits being his duet with Lita Ford, "Close My Eyes Forever", and his feature on the 2019 Post Malone song "Take What You Want", both of which peaked at number 8, while "Crazy Train" peaked at number 39, two weeks after his death on July 22, 2025.[5] It also reached number 2 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks.

At the "Back to the Beginning" concert held on July 5, 2025, which marked Osbourne's final stage appearance, this song was the only one on Osbourne's set of 5 songs that did not belong to his debut album Blizzard of Ozz.

Background

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As Zakk Wylde recalled in a 2022 interview, "I remember me and Ozzy originally did that on a piano in my apartment in North Hollywood...I transposed it to guitar when we got in the studio when we were working on the record, and then y'know it sounded great...the song started off with the pedal steel kind of thing. I mean it just sounded great...I mean everybody's performances and everything like that but I mean just the overall sound of it – the guys knocked it out of the park for sure."[6]

According to American Songwriter magazine, the lyrics are inspired by Ozzy's realization that he would be dead if he did not get sober, and the song is dedicated to his wife Sharon for staying with him during his crazier early days.[7]

Music videos

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Two music videos were created for the single. The first was a surreal video that Osbourne disliked because he felt the video's plot did not match the song's concept. A second music video was then created with Samuel Bayer as its director, which subsequently augmented Osbourne's interest. Osbourne compared the effects in the second video to the hazy smoke effect seen in the video for Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", which was also directed by Bayer.

Personnel

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Reception

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Stephen Thomas Erlewine of music website AllMusic stated the song "may not appeal to Ozzy's headbanging hardcore following, but it's a very good hard rock ballad and one of his finest singles."[3]

Charts

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Chart (1992–1993) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 42
Germany (GfK)[9] 27
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] 48
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] 62
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 46
US Billboard Hot 100[13] 28
US Mainstream Rock[14] 2
2025 chart performance for "Mama, I'm Coming Home"
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 36
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[16] 9
Global 200 (Billboard)[17] 45
Greece International (IFPI)[18] 94
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 25
Norway (IFPI Norge)[20] 30
Russia Streaming (TopHit)[21] 95
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[22] 33
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 86
UK Singles Chart (OCC)[24] 45
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[25] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[26] 48
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[27] 6

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[28] Platinum 80,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 610. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. ^ Tucker, Dan. "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre: Heavy Metal's 13 Most Romantic Love Songs". VH1 News. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Mama I'm Coming Home - Ozzy Osbourne | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne - Mama I'm Coming Home". Discogs. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1 July 2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books. p. 473. ISBN 978-0-8230-7499-0. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  6. ^ Olivier (5 October 2022). "Zakk Wylde Recalls Writing the Ozzy Osbourne Song "Mama, I'm Coming Home"". SleazeRoxx.com. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  7. ^ Benitez-Eves, Tina (26 February 2023). "Behind the Meaning of Ozzy Osbourne's Power Ballad "Mama, I'm Coming Home"". American Songwriter. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne – Mama, I'm Coming Home" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  9. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne – Mama, I'm Coming Home" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  10. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne – Mama, I'm Coming Home". Top 40 Singles.
  11. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne – Mama, I'm Coming Home". Swiss Singles Chart.
  12. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  13. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  14. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  16. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 31. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 30/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 30 July 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  19. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  20. ^ "Singel 2025 uke 31". IFPI Norge. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  21. ^ "Top Internet Hits Russia Weekly Chart: Jul 24, 2025". TopHit. 25 July 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  22. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 31. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  23. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 30" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  24. ^ "MAMA I'M COMING HOME". Official Charts. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  25. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  26. ^ "Billboard Hot 100: August 9, 2025". Billboard. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  27. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  28. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – Mama, I'm Coming Home". Music Canada. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
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