RHCP drummer Chad Smith says Ozzy Osbourne and Elton John's duet on 'Ordinary Man' is 'f***ing epic'
Music icons Ozzy Osburne and Elton John have joined forces to release a new song, and musicians who have heard it are raving about it.
Recently, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith dished out some details of the song while speaking with Yahoo Entertainment, "It's f--king epic, these two iconic, legendary, English f--king rockers that have been through it all are singing about the end of their lives: ‘I don't want to die an ordinary man.’ And it's f***ing great! I was like [pretends to sob]. We were pinching ourselves [in the studio]" said Smith.
The song, titled 'Ordinary Man', will be part of Osburne's new LP of the same name, a much-anticipated one since the star has not released a solo studio album since 'Scream' in 2010.
Smith told Yahoo Entertainment that Osburne's LP has been written and recorded by himself, Duff McKagan—bassist for Guns N’ Roses—and producer Andrew Watt. He added that the LP "could really give [Osbourne] this second wind.”
Referring to Osburne's recent health concerns, Smith said, “For six months, Osbourne was doing rehab and he was not going well… not bouncing back, so to speak. And his spirits were low and nothing good was happening." The health scares included a staph infection, pneumonia and a fall in the singer's home. He spent two months in a hospital needing three operations following his fall. This led him to postpone his European tour because he developed pneumonia right after.
Needless to say, the singer is back up and running with his much-anticipated collaboration with legendary pianist and singer Elton John. When it came to the title track, Smith said, "We wanted it to be the right people. We didn't want to just throw in names for names.”
"‘OK, who’s a really good piano player? Let's get the Rocket Man!’ And Elton was so great, so gracious. He said, ‘I'll do anything for Ozzy. I love Ozzy.’ So Andrew and I went down to Atlanta, where Elton John lives when he's on the East Coast. And we recorded him, and he played the piano on this song, and he plays it beautifully, of course," Smith explained how Elton John came to be a part of this journey.