Sometimes the biggest hits in music history aren't planned in a boardroom or crafted by a team of twenty Swedish songwriters. Honestly, they usually happen because two people were bored, slightly intoxicated, and had a guitar within arm's reach. That is exactly how the Lita Ford Ozzy Osbourne song, "Close My Eyes Forever," came to be.
It was 1987. Lita Ford was at Record One in Sherman Oaks, California, working on her self-titled album, Lita. At the time, she was being managed by Sharon Osbourne. One night, Sharon and Ozzy swung by the studio to drop off a housewarming gift. This wasn't a toaster or a nice bottle of wine. It was a life-sized, incredibly realistic duplicate of Koko the Gorilla from the San Diego Zoo.
Yes. A giant gorilla.
A Night of Accidental Magic
Sharon eventually got bored and left the studio, but Ozzy stayed behind. The two of them started drinking—heavily. They started jamming. Lita had this melody, and Ozzy started riffing on lyrics. Before they knew it, the sun was coming up. They had written a masterpiece in a "closet-type area" with a tiny amp and a keyboard.
"I looked at him and went, 'Uh-oh, we’re in trouble,'" Lita recalled in later interviews. Sharon had been waiting all night for Ozzy to come home. They were miles from where he needed to be, and both were, by Lita's own admission, "stoned out of our minds." Ozzy ended up taking a cab home, and Lita drove her Jeep with a life-sized gorilla strapped into the front seat.
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It sounds like a scene from a movie, but it's just Tuesday in the 80s rock scene.
Why the Song Actually Worked
The track is a haunting power ballad that stands out because it doesn't follow the typical "boy meets girl" trope of 1980s hair metal. It’s dark. It's about trust, death, and the fear of what happens when you’re gone.
The lyrics are deeply personal, especially for Ozzy. At the time, he was struggling with sobriety and the weight of his own public persona. When he sings, "If I close my eyes forever / Will it all remain the same?" he isn't just being dramatic. He was genuinely asking if the world—and the people he loved—would still be there if he slipped away.
Lita’s contribution brought a different texture. Her voice has this rasp that matches Ozzy’s nasal, eerie delivery perfectly. It wasn't a "polished" duet. It felt raw.
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The Battle for the Charts
When the song was released as a single in early 1989, it exploded. It wasn't just a hit for Lita; it became the highest-charting single of both their solo careers at the time.
- It peaked at number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
- It reached number 25 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks.
- It helped propel the Lita album to platinum status.
It's pretty wild to think that the Prince of Darkness and the Queen of Metal had their biggest mainstream pop success with a song they wrote while they were basically blacked out.
The Mystery of the Live Performance
Despite being a massive hit, there is a weird piece of trivia that bugs fans: Lita and Ozzy almost never performed the song together live.
There are rumors that Sharon Osbourne wasn't exactly thrilled about the two of them being together on stage, leading to a sort of "love-hate" relationship between Lita and Sharon. In 2025, following Ozzy's passing, Lita reflected on this, noting that while they didn't share the stage often, the song changed her life forever. She frequently performs it today as a tribute to him, sometimes bringing in guests like Jeff Tate to fill in for Ozzy’s parts.
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Decoding the Sound
If you're a guitar nerd, you probably know the opening riff by heart. Lita has explained that the "magic" of the song comes from the open strings. She uses an F-major voicing but keeps the first finger off to let the high E and B strings ring out.
On the original recording, it's a 6-string acoustic/electric blend. When she plays it live now, she usually breaks out a 12-string guitar to get that lush, shimmering sound that fills up the room. It’s a simple arrangement—basically three or four chords—but the atmosphere is everything.
How to Appreciate the Legacy Today
If you want to really "get" why this song remains a staple on classic rock radio, don't just listen to the radio edit. Look for the remastered versions released around 2022 and 2025. They clean up the muddy 80s production and let the vocal interplay breathe.
Actionable Insight for Fans:
If you're a musician trying to cover this, focus on the dynamics. The song starts as a whisper and ends as a scream. Don't overplay the solo; Lita’s original work on the track is melodic and serves the vocal, which is why it works.
If you're just a listener, go back and watch the music video. It's a time capsule of 1989—big hair, leather, and that specific brand of moody lighting that only existed in the late 80s. It reminds us that sometimes, the best things in life are the ones we didn't mean to create.
Next time you hear those opening notes, remember the gorilla. It's the only way to truly honor the chaotic energy that gave us one of the greatest duets in rock history.