Ozzy Osbourne’s Eldest Son Talks Rocker’s Bizarre, Scrapped Duet With Madonna: ‘It Was When Dad Was Pumping in the Early 80s’
In a fascinating episode of the “Trying Not to Die” podcast, Louis Osbourne, the eldest son of rock icon Ozzy Osbourne, shared intriguing insights about a rare collaboration involving his father and pop superstar Madonna. During the discussion with his stepbrother Jack Osbourne, Louis recounted the story behind the obscure track “Shake Your Head,” originally recorded by the Detroit duo Was (Not Was) for their 1983 album *Born to Laugh at Tornadoes*. This song, which ultimately featured actress Kim Basinger, was initially intended to showcase Madonna’s vocals alongside Ozzy’s, highlighting a unique intersection of rock and pop during the early 1980s.
Louis revealed that his father had a deep appreciation for female vocalists, a passion that his wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, hoped to channel into a duets album featuring prominent female artists. The anecdote about “Shake Your Head” illustrates the dynamic nature of the music industry, where timing and approval can drastically alter a project. According to Louis, Madonna’s team blocked the release of her version of the song, leading to Basinger stepping in as the featured vocalist. The track, characterized by its upbeat, danceable vibe reminiscent of Madonna’s early work, showcases Ozzy’s distinctive vocal style juxtaposed against a vibrant pop backdrop. Louis described the song as “somewhere out there,” hinting at its elusive nature in the music catalog.
Adding depth to the narrative, Don Was, a member of Was (Not Was), later recounted how the collaboration evolved. He noted that while Madonna’s contribution was impressive, it didn’t align with the band’s unique sound, prompting them to bring in Ozzy to rap over the remixed electro-pop tune. This remix, which inadvertently combined both artists’ vocals, ended up on the *Now Dance ’92* compilation and achieved notable success, peaking at No. 4 on the U.K. dance charts. The story serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of music creation and the unexpected partnerships that can arise, blending genres and artists in surprising ways. For fans of Ozzy and Madonna alike, this revelation offers a glimpse into a forgotten collaboration that could have reshaped the musical landscape of the time.
It was a match made in heaven. Or, if you buy into the whole Prince of Darkness thing, hell.
During an appearance on step brother Jack Osbourne’s
Trying Not to Die
podcast this week, metal legend
Ozzy Osbourne
‘s eldest son, Louis Osbourne, sat down to have a familial chat about their late dad and one of the topics that came up was an obscure song that Osbourne tracked during the height of his early 1980s fame that also featured a just-about-to-be-famous
Madonna
.
The sons were talking about the bands that Ozzy loved and Jack noted that the metal godfather “really loved female vocalists,” adding that in the final years of his life wife/manager Sharon Osbourne really wanted Ozzy to do a duets albums with all-female singers. That prompted Louis to note that he has a rare 12″ vinyl at home that will blow Ozzy fans’ minds.
“Was (Not Was) did a duet with Madonna and my dad,” he said of the truly bizarre song “Shake Your Head” from the Detroit duo’s 1983 album
Born to Laugh at Tornadoes
. When Jack interrupted to remind him that the song actually featured Ozzy and actress Kim Basinger, Louis corrected him and said it “was Madonna originally… It was written for Madonna and Was (Not Was) and it was when dad was poppin’ in the early ’80s and so was she, but then she kind of like really f–kin’ popped and then didn’t give approval on the record.”
Louis said after Madonna, or her team, allegedly blocked approvals, Basinger — then just at the beginning of a decade-long big screen hot streak —
hopped on the song
as her team were trying to “make her a pop star as well.” Louis said the track, a banger with a perfectly perfect early 1980s Madonna dance floor vibe overlaid with Ozzy’s yearning vocals (“You can’t feed the hungry/ Can’t talk Shakespeare to a monkey”) is “
somewhere out there
.”
Last month, Don Was told
Rolling Stone
that Madonna “did a great job” on the song, but it didn’t “sound like Was (Not Was) to me anymore,” so they brought in Ozzy to pseudo rap over the electro pop tune. “We realized about eight years later that we had Ozzy and Madonna on parallel tracks,” Was said. “So we gave it to a remixer… and he turned it into a Ozzy/Madonna duet.” The remix by Steve “Silk” Hurley ended up on the
Now Dance ’92
compilation after Was accidentally on purpose sent him the original Madonna vocal track along with Ozzy’s, with Louis noting that the original, never-released version, went top 10 on the U.K. dance charts, topping out at No. 4 in 1992.
Watch the conversation below.
