Wizard Lyrics

This song was written by Ken Hensley and Mark Clarke, who was Uriah Heep's bassist for a short period, during a 1971 tour and the early stages of the recording of Demons & Wizards. This song was Clarke's only writing contribution, as he got tired of touring and left the band as soon as they had found a replacement, Gary Thain. Clarke would later play with bands like Rainbow, Mountain and Billy Squier. Mark Clarke got to sing a couple of lines in the middle part of the song, as the melody was deemed too high for Heep's main lead vocalist David Byron. It has also been disputed whether Clarke or his replacement Gary Thain is playing bass on the song, but it is indeed Clarke playing. The song was released as the first single from Demons & Wizards, but it did not reach the same level of success as the second single "Easy Livin'," which became a smash hit in many areas. However, "The "Wizard" still lives on as one of Heep's most loved classics. German power metal-band Blind Guardian did a cover of the song, which was first released as a B-side on their single "A Past and Future Secret" in 1995.