The Wizard (Uriah Heep song)
"The Wizard" is a song by British rock band Uriah Heep, from their 1972 album Demons & Wizards. It was the first single to be lifted from the album. It was composed by Mark Clarke and Ken Hensley.[1] It is a gentle, semi-acoustic ballad whose lyrics deal with a man wandering until he meets "the Wizard of a thousand kings", a possible reference to the druid Merlin, to Gandalf, to an angel, to a bodhisattva, or even God. 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" | |||
| Released | May 1972 | |||
| 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.[2] "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.[3]
Chart performance
| Country (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Switzerland | 8 |
| Germany | 34 |
Personnel
- Mick Box — Guitar
- Lee Kerslake — Drums
- Mark Clarke — Lead vocals, bass guitar
- Ken Hensley — Keyboards, 12-string acoustic guitar
- David Byron — Lead vocals