"The Wizard" is a song by British rock band Uriah Heep, from their 1972 album Demons and Wizards. It was the first single to be lifted from the album. It was composed by Mark Clarke and Ken Hensley.[2] It is a gentle, semi-acoustic ballad whose lyrics deal with a wanderer meeting "the Wizard of a thousand kings". This song is the first Uriah Heep single which had a music video.
| "The Wizard" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Uriah Heep | ||||
| from the album Demons and Wizards | ||||
| B-side | "Why" (EU/US) "Gypsy" (UK/JPN) | |||
| Released | 10 March 1972[1] | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock, folk rock | |||
| Length | 2:59 | |||
| Label | Bronze Mercury | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ken Hensley, Mark Clarke | |||
| Uriah Heep singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song was composed by keyboardist-guitarist Ken Hensley and the band's short time bassist Mark Clarke.[3] "The Wizard" also was the only composition that includes Clarke as a member of the band. The song charted at #34 in Germany and at #8 in Switzerland.[4]
Personnel
edit- Mick Box – guitar
- Lee Kerslake – drums
- Mark Clarke – vocals, bass guitar
- Ken Hensley – keyboards, 12-string acoustic guitar
- David Byron – lead vocals
Charts
edit| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[5] | 86 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[6] | 8 |
| West Germany (GfK)[7] | 34 |
References
edit- ^ "Uriah Heep singles".
- ^ Allmusic - The Wizard Uriah Heep
- ^ Amazon.com: The Wizard: Uriah Heep: MP3 Downloads
- ^ The Wizard (song) by Uriah Heep : Best Ever Albums
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7691." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "Uriah Heep – The Wizard". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Uriah Heep – The Wizard" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
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