Ozzy Osbourne and Lita Ford's 'Close My Eyes Forever' Hit No. 8 in 1989
- Ozzy Osbourne and Lita Ford's duet "Close My Eyes Forever" peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989, becoming the highest-charting single for both artists during their solo careers.
In 1989, two of hard rock's biggest stars collided when Ozzy Osbourne and Lita Fordteamed up for a duet.
The song "Close My Eyes Forever" appeared on Ford's 1988 album Lita. It peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 17, 1989, marking the highest-charting single for both the former Runaways guitarist and the Black Sabbath alum during their respective solo careers.
Osbourne would go on to have one other Top 8 song , 2019's "Take What You Want" with Post Malone and Travis Scott , but "Close My Eyes Forever" was on the Hot 100 for five weeks longer than the latter song.
Ultimate Classic Rock ranked "Close My Eyes Forever" one of the greatest power ballads of all time, noting that the two rockers "stumbled upon their hit" after a "long night of drinking" back when Ford was managed by Osbourne's wife, Sharon.
Known for its haunting guitar and somber lyrics about love and eternity, Ford once described "Close My Eyes Forever" as "kind of a life-after-death song." She credited most of the lyrics to Osbourne, who was going through a difficult time.
Ford also shared the origins of the song she co-wrote and recorded with Osbourne in an interview with Sweetwater .
"At the time, Sharon was my manager when we wrote 'Close My Eyes' – '87, late '87, early '88," Ford recalled. "And Sharon and Ozzy had come to the studio where I was recording, and we hadn't written the song yet. Ozzy and I were just playing pool, and Sharon left. ...Ozzy and I started making music . He came up with the idea for the song, and we went into this little closet-type area where we had an amplifier and a guitar and a keyboard setup. And we stayed in this little area until the sun came up, and we came out with 'Close My Eyes Forever.' It's pretty funny, pretty amazing."
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Ford once told Metal Underground that "Close My Eyes Forever" was a "mistake," albeit a lucky one.
"It was just me and Ozzy and Sharon hanging out in the recording studio," the rocker shared. "Sharon got bored and left, and me and Ozzy had a couple of drinks and we were jamming. We started singing, messing up, and we wrote 'Close My Eyes Forever.' Next thing I knew the sun was coming up. I looked at him and went, 'Uh-oh, we're in trouble.' Sharon had been waiting all night. ….And then we had this hit song."
This story was originally published by Parade on Jun 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
