When Ozzy Osbourne and Madonna Teamed Up for a Wild ’90s Duet You Probably Forgot About

In an era when musicians routinely mine their archives for unreleased tracks to pad deluxe editions, truly compelling, unheard material remains a rarity. Don Was, founding member of Was (Not Was), recently revealed a fascinating piece of music history involving two of rock’s biggest icons—Ozzy Osbourne and Madonna.

The Story Behind “Shake Your Head”

Back in 1983, during the sessions for Was (Not Was)’s second album, Born To Laugh At Tornadoes, the band invited both Ozzy Osbourne and a then-unknown Madonna to record vocals on the track “Shake Your Head.” At the time, Ozzy was gearing up to release his third solo album, Bark At The Moon. Madonna was a young session singer just starting.

“She did a great job,” Don Was told Rolling Stone. “But it didn’t sound like Was (Not Was) to me anymore.”

Nearly a decade later, in 1992, the band re-recorded “Shake Your Head” for their compilation album Hello Dad… I’m in Jail. Ozzy re-recorded his vocal parts, but Madonna refused to give permission for her vocals to be used. Instead, actress Kim Basinger—who had previously featured on Prince’s 1989 single “Scandalous!” and recorded an unreleased solo album—was brought in. This version became Was (Not Was)’s biggest international hit, reaching the UK Top Five.

A Forgotten Duet Resurfaces

Don Was revealed that about eight years after the original sessions, the band discovered they had Ozzy and Madonna on separate vocal tracks. They handed the recordings to a remixer, who transformed the song into an Ozzy/Madonna duet.

“We realised about eight years later that we had Ozzy and Madonna on parallel tracks,” Was explained. “So we gave it to a remixer… and he turned it into an Ozzy/Madonna duet.”

This revelation has sparked speculation that a deluxe edition of Born To Laugh At Tornadoes could be on the way, finally giving fans a chance to hear this long-lost collaboration.

First Encounters with Ozzy Osbourne

In the same interview, Don Was recounted his first meeting with Ozzy Osbourne in 1974. At the time, Was was playing bass for Detroit folk musician Ted Lucas, whose band opened for Black Sabbath. A tape recently unearthed by Third Man Records captured the chaotic atmosphere of the show.

“There’s a bunch of 14-year-olds on amphetamines, and a folk group was not what they came to hear,” Was recalled. “You can hear the beer bottles breaking as we were just pelted with debris from song number one. We didn’t make it through the set because the drummer was bleeding so badly that we had to flee the stage. We actually lasted longer in the ring than I thought we did. I thought we didn’t make it through the first song – we did three or four songs.”

This story highlights the early, rough days of Was (Not Was) and paints a vivid picture of the rock scene that Ozzy himself emerged from.