Deftones’ “My Mind Is a Mountain” hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, breaking Ozzy Osbourne’s record for longest wait between first entry and first leader. (MANDATORY CREDIT Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images) Ozzy Osbourne Band, live, Moscow Music Peace Festival 1989 at Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, USSR, 12th and 13th August, 1989. Ozzy Osbourne (vocals). (Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images)
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Throughout his decades-long career — and even in the several weeks since his death — Ozzy Osbourne made Billboard history multiple times. One of the late rock legend’s most specific spots in the chart annals has been usurped by the band Deftones, as the rockers are in the midst of one of what may be the group’s biggest week ever on the Billboard lists.
Deftones Earn First U.S. Radio No. 1
Deftones hit No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, one of Billboard’s radio rosters focused on rock. “My Mind Is a Mountain,” the lead single from new album Private Music, jumps from No. 3 to No. 1. Last frame, the track was tied as Deftones’ highest-rising hit on any airplay roster, but now it’s the group’s first No. 1 on any U.S.-based airplay tally.
Deftones Reset the Record for Longest Wait
Billboard notes that Deftones waited 27 years, three months, and one week between the group’s first appearance on the Mainstream Rock Airplay and the first leader. That resets the all-time record for the longest wait between a first entry and a debut winner.
Ozzy Osbourne Previously Held the Honor
Before “My Mind Is a Mountain,” that record belonged to Osbourne. He waited 26 years between when “Crazy Train” opened on the tally in 1981 and when he finally conquered the roster in 2007 with “I Don’t Want to Stop.”
Evanescence Also Broke the Record This Summer
Looking specifically at bands, this record was reclaimed earlier this summer by Evanescence. The group first landed on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart with “Bring Me to Life,” but that track didn’t reach No. 1, even though it turned Evanescence into superstars. The hard rock troupe only dominated the list in July with “Afterlife,” after a 22-year-long wait.
Jeff Beck Owns the All-Time Record
Looking at all credited artists — not just those working in a lead role — Jeff Beck actually owns this bit of history. He spent 37 years waiting for a champion, first hitting the Mainstream Rock Airplay tally in 1985 with “People Get Ready.” The celebrated musician didn’t run the show until 2022 with “Patient Number 9,” on which he was credited as a featured act while Osbourne led that tune. Deftones, meanwhile, are the only named stars on “My Mind Is a Mountain.”