The Magical World Of The Power Ballad Quiz

Answer: Mama, I'm Coming Home

"Mama, I'm Coming Home" was released as a single in 1992 and is found on the album, "No More Tears."

This song was Ozzy's first solo hit. It reached #28 on the Billboard charts. The funny thing about this song is that even through all the rumors and accusations Ozzy had to deal with over his long career, the people who didn't listen to metal still found some of Ozzy's music enjoyable. This song was truly a lesson in letting people decide for themselves what they should or should not like.

Answer: I Remember You

"I Remember You" was released in 1989 and is found on the album, "Skid Row."

Sometimes the suits at the record company do know what they are doing. This song is proof of that. Story goes that band members Rachel Bolan and Dave "The Snake" Sabo wrote the song but did not want to put it on the album. They did not want to be classified as just another hair metal band who cranked out a ballad to sell copies of the album. It was the record company who wanted it on the record. It's a good thing it was added because it only went to #6 on the Billboard charts.

Answer: Home Sweet Home

"Home Sweet Home" was first released in 1985 and is on the album, "Theatre Of Pain." It was released again in 1991 when the album "Decade Of Decadence" came out.

When this song was first released, it wasn't much of a hit on the radio. Without MTV (Anybody else remember when they played music?) this song would have never taken off and become the smash it became. "Home Sweet Home" is mostly responsible for all the hair/glam metal bands releasing their obligatory power ballads on MTV. Whether or not that is a good thing, I will let you decide.

Answer: High Enough

"High Enough" was released in 1990 and can be found on their self-titled debut album.

Ted Nugent, Tommy Shaw (Styx), and Jack Blades (Night Ranger) formed Damn Yankees in 1989. Have any of you ever freaked out when the person you were with said they loved you which caused you to bail, only for you to realize later that you made a huge mistake? That is what this song is about.

Answer: Goodbye To Romance

"Goodbye To Romance" was released in 1980 and is on the album, "Blizzard of Ozz."

Ozzy has gone on record in the past that this song was about his split with Black Sabbath. However, my thinking is that as the years went by, the song took on a different meaning following the death of Randy Rhoads. At Ozzfest 96, Randy was shown on all the big screens playing during this song. It was a very somber and surreal moment and I will never forget it as long as I live.

Answer: Wind Of Change

"Wind Of Change" was released in 1991 and is found on the album, "Crazy World."

"When we played in Moscow at the Moscow Peace Festival back in '89 and we went on stage and were singing "Still Loving You" and a hundred-thousand Russians were singing along with a German band every word. I think that was the moment for the inspiration for this song we're gonna play for you now. Even though the wind is blowing us right in the face many times I think, you know, there's always hope. Hope that we'll stop killing each other, and someday we all live in peace together on this planet." - Klaus Meine

"Wind Of Change" was written around the end of the Cold War. The song is about hope, love, and the will of the people to want to change. VH1 had the nerve to put this song on their list of worst heavy metal songs. Must be the whistling in the beginning. Or maybe VH1 thought heavy metal guys aren't allowed to be optimistic about the future. Either way, all I can say is "Come on man, really?"

Answer: Love Bites

"Love Bites" was released in 1988 and can be found on the album, "Hysteria."

An interesting piece of information about this song is at the end of the song, some people claimed they heard "Jesus of Nazareth, Go to Hell." This was just another case of, like many songs before and after, people expecting to find something because it was in their heads already. The reality was "Mutt" Lange, the producer of the album, was saying "Yes it does, Bloody Hell," in response to the title of the song.

Answer: I'll Be There For You

"I'll Be There for You" was released in 1989 and is on the album, "New Jersey."

This song does not have a difficult meaning to understand. Two people fall in love. Person A is rarely around. That leads to person B leaving. Person A, in turn, regrets not being there and wishes for person B to come back. It was never stated if person B went back to person A, but judging by the tone of the song, I'm guessing not. No happy ending in this one.

Answer: Die For You

"Die For You" was released in 1991 and is on the album "Hey Stoopid."

This is a killer of a song and one of my personal favorite ballads. "Die For You" progresses from sadness over a loved one leaving, to anger, to the realization that the person who left made the biggest mistake of their life.

"Baby, I could have been someone
I could have been something
It would have been nothing to die for you"

Answer: Wasted Time

"Wasted Time" was released in 1991 and is found on the album, "Slave To The Grind."

For those of you who don't know, "horse" is a euphemism for the street drug heroin. By all accounts that matter, this song was written about Guns N Roses drummer Steven Adler, who was a good friend of Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach.