No More Tears (Ozzy Osbourne song)

"No More Tears"
Single by Ozzy Osbourne
from the album No More Tears
B-side	"S.I.N." "Don't Blame Me" "Party with the Animals"
Released	16 September 1991 [1]
Genre	Heavy metal glam metal progressive metal
Length	7:23 (album version) 5:54 ( The Ozzman Cometh edit-single version)
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Ozzy Osbourne Zakk Wylde Mike Inez Randy Castillo John Purdell
Producer(s)	John Purdell Duane Baron
Ozzy Osbourne singles chronology
"Close My Eyes Forever" (1989) "No More Tears" (1991) "I Don't Want to Change the World" (1991)
Music video
"No More Tears" on YouTube

"No More Tears" is the fifth song and title track on the 1991 Ozzy Osbourne album No More Tears . It reached number five on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100, ^[2] number 16 on the Dutch Top 40 chart and number 32 on the UK Singles Chart.

Overview

The song originated from a jam session, according to guitarist Zakk Wylde: "We were just messing around in rehearsals. Mike started jamming that on the bass, then Randy started playing drums, and then John started doing that keyboard bit." ^[3] Osbourne considers this song to be "a gift from God", as stated in the Prince of Darkness liner notes. ^[4]

A shorter edited version of this song was released to some radio stations, and can be heard on the 1997 compilation album The Ozzman Cometh . The full-length version appears on The Essential Ozzy Osbourne .

Theme

In the 2002 remaster booklet for the No More Tears album, Osbourne stated that the song was about a serial killer.

In the 27 September 2018 issue of Weekly Alibi , while texting with music critic August March, Osbourne claimed he wrote the song while in Albuquerque, New Mexico. ^[5]

Music video

The video consists of Osbourne singing alone at times and with his backing band at others, intercut with footage of a woman (model and actress Mariah O'Brien) entering a room, sitting in a chair, and crying until she is completely submerged in her own tears. The video was shot to accommodate both the album version and the edited version of the song. Some channels played the full-length video, and others played the shortened version. Osbourne's daughter Kelly is seen at the end of the video in an angel costume lip-syncing the words at the end of the song, "It's just a hand in the bush," which repeats until the video fades out.

Critical reception

Richard Gilliam of AllMusic wrote "the song has precisely the sort of hard, rhythmic drive that marks good heavy metal" and "Osbourne's sharply edged vocals are among the strongest of his solo efforts" but "near the end of the song there’s a pointlessly overproduced art-rock bridge that mars the song’s otherwise fine dynamic flow." ^[6]

Consequence of Sound called it, "a successful song indebted to both glam metal and prog rock released the same year as Nirvana's Nevermind ", and ranked it as the best song on the album, with "Mama I'm Coming Home", as "a close second". ^[7]

Releases

• 7" single, 1991, Epic Associated Records. Additional track is "S.I.N." Catalog #35-73973 for US.
• 7" single, 1991, Epic/Sony. Additional track is "S.I.N." Not available in the US.
• CD single, 1991, Epic/Sony. Special UK package. CD single in an embossed CD wallet with room for each solo studio record. Each sleeve has a different picture. Additional tracks are "S.I.N." and "Party with the Animals".
• CD single, 1991, Epic/Sony. Promo only version, one track.
• 12" picture disc, 1991, Epic/Sony. Additional tracks are "S.I.N." and "Party with the Animals". Not available in the US.
• CD single, 1991, Epic/Sony. "Maxi single" with "No More Tears", "S.I.N.", "Don't Blame Me", and "Party with the Animals".

Personnel

• Ozzy Osbourne – vocals
• Zakk Wylde – guitars, slide guitar
• Bob Daisley – bass guitar
• John Sinclair – keyboards, piano
• Randy Castillo – drums

Charts

Chart (1991–1992)	Peak position
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [8]	73
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade) [9]	16
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [10]	14
UK Singles (OCC) [11]	32
US Billboard Hot 100 [12]	71
US Mainstream Rock [13]	5

2025 chart performance for "No More Tears"

Chart (2025)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [14]	66
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100) [15]	40
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [16]	56
Lithuania (AGATA) [17]	95
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [18]	36
Norway (IFPI Norge) [19]	53
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [20]	51
UK Rock & Metal (OCC) [21]	5
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [22]	9

Certifications

Certifications for "No More Tears"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [23]	Platinum	80,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [24]	Platinum	30,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "New Singles". Music Week . 14 September 1991. p. 29.
2. "Billboard singles chart history-Ozzy Osbourne" . Retrieved 17 February 2009.
3. Prato, Greg (6 January 2014). "Zakk Wylde: Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
4. Prince of Darkness (Media notes). Ozzy Osbourne. Epic Records. 2005.
5. "Music Interview: It's Ozzy Time!". Weekly Alibi . 27 September 2018.
6. Gilliam, Richard. "Song review "No More Tears"". Allmusic . Retrieved 14 December 2009.
7. Schafer, Joseph (28 February 2019). "Ranking Every Ozzy Osbourne Solo Album from Worst to Best". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 10 February 2021. It was a successful song indebted to both glam metal and prog rock
8. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1684." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. 23 November 1991. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
9. "Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears". Dutch Top 40 . Retrieved 28 September 2024.
10. "Ozzy Osbourne – No More Tears" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
12. "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
13. "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard . Retrieved 12 December 2022.
14. "Ozzy Osbourne – No More Tears" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
15. "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.
16. "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
17. "2025 31-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
18. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
19. "Singel 2025 uke 31". IFPI Norge . Retrieved 2 August 2025.
20. "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 31" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 14 August 2025.
21. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
22. "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
23. "Canadian single certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – No More Tears". Music Canada . Retrieved 14 December 2021.
24. "New Zealand single certifications – Ozzy Osbourne – No More Tears". Radioscope. Retrieved 3 August 2025.Type No More Tears in the "Search:" field.