Twisted Sister vocalist Dee Snider recently injected his own perspective into the decades-old debate regarding who actually penned the lyrics for Ozzy Osbourne‘s solo material. Taking to social media, the singer made definitive statements regarding Bob Daisley‘s creative input during the heavy metal legend’s early solo years.
The online exchange sparked when an X (formerly Twitter) user brought up details from Ozzy Osbourne‘s posthumous autobiography, “Last Rites“. The fan noted their shock over claims that Lemmy earned a larger fortune from his four co-writing credits on the 1991 blockbuster No More Tears than he did from his entire catalog with Motörhead.
The fan wrote on X: “I just read Ozzy‘s ‘Last Rites‘ and was stunned(if true) that Lemmy made more money off the four songs he wrote for No More Tears then from ALL his Motörhead tunes.”
“Reliable source of Ozzy himself. Insane, if true(Although it was a massive album).”
“Speaking Lemmy sounds fun”
Reacting to the financial trivia, Dee Snider hinted at his personal knowledge of the business practices within the Osbourne camp: “I know too much about the truth behind the scenes. Let’s just say that Sharon [Osbourne] doesn’t like to share.”
The thread then shifted focus to Bob Daisley, the bassist who served as a primary songwriter during the foundational years of the singer’s solo run and tracked bass for No More Tears. Another user pointed out the bassist’s historical claims that he drafted multiple lyrics for the 1991 sessions before being told his words were unnecessary and subsequently fired.
“Bob Daisley says he’d written a load of lyrics, then was told they weren’t needed for NMT. Then he got sacked for the final time,” the user wrote.
Pushing back against the idea that the bassist only contributed a handful of ideas, Dee Snider argued that bass players were historically responsible for the frontman’s entire lyrical output.
“’A load’? How about ALL the lyrics? Ozzy always had bass players write his lyrics. Geezer Butler wrote ALL of Black Sabbath lyrics. Daisley wrote lyrics for the first two solo albums (I’m pretty sure he was paid to write on other records but not credited) & Lemmy wrote lyrics.”
Bob Daisley played a massive role in launching the solo project, handling bass duties, co-producing, and sharing writing credits on the seminal debut Blizzard of Ozz. He also co-wrote every track on the 1981 follow-up Diary of a Madman. Despite these contributions, management fired both him and drummer Lee Kerslake prior to the second record hitting store shelves. The album packaging famously credited bassist Rudy Sarzo, who did not play a single note on the studio recordings.
The friction over proper credit famously escalated in 2002. Without consulting the singer, Sharon Osbourne stripped the original bass and drum tracks from reissues of Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. She ordered new instrumental takes recorded by Robert Trujillo and Mike Bordin. It took nearly a decade for Sony Legacy to correct the move, finally restoring the authentic 1980 and 1981 studio takes in 2011.
Years later, Bob Daisley spoke to Rolling Stone about the controversial re-recordings. Asked about his reaction to hearing his erased work, he stated at the time:
“To be honest with you, I thought it was pathetic. Someone sent me a copy of one of them, and I laughed. I thought, ‘Is this a joke?’ I just didn’t think it was done right.
He continued:
“The thing is, you can’t reheat a soufflé. You can’t take the ingredients out of a cake and then try and bake it again. It happened once. We did various takes of each song and we used the parts where each of us shined the best. There might be five takes of ‘Crazy Train’ or four takes of something else, or eight takes of something else, and we picked the one that had the best vibe. And it was four people being recorded in a room together. You can’t change that.
Daisley added: “And the fans hated them for it. It was, like, ‘God, you’ve got no respect for the fans and everyone that spends money on this music.’ They were hated for it. I’m just quoting what fans said, not me.”
In a 2010 interview with The Pulse Of Radio, Ozzy Osbourne maintained that he strongly opposed altering the classic records once he discovered the management decision.
Ozzy said at the time: “Believe me, it wasn’t my doing. I mean, I didn’t know that was being done, ’cause Sharon was fighting all the legal things that were going down at the time. I said, ‘What did you do that for?’ And she said, ‘The only way I could stop everything was if it went to that level.’ And I said, ‘You know what, whatever the circumstances were, I want the original thing back.’ I mean, I wouldn’t have done that.”
Ozzy Osbourne died on July 22, 2025, at 76 years old. Official medical records confirmed a heart attack caused his passing, with Parkinson’s disease and coronary artery disease listed as secondary factors.
I know too much about the truth behind the scenes. Let's just say that Sharon doesn't like to share. https://t.co/i5TPSjahfu
— Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 (@deesnider) August 12, 2026
"A load"? How about ALL the lyrics? Ozzy always had bass players write his lyrics. @geezerbutler wrote ALL of @BlackSabbath lyrics. Daisley wrote lyrics for the first two solo albums (I'm pretty sure he was paid to write on other records but not credited) & Lemmy wrote lyrics. https://t.co/yRTF19ro4w
— Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 (@deesnider) August 12, 2026
