Ozzy Osbourne Collaboration Song Was Rejected By Madonna

11-19-2025

Madonna rejected a collaboration track that featured late legendary metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, for a song that went on to be a big hit for actress Kim Basinger in the UK. But a recording exists with Ozzy and Madonna on the song.

The song, "Shake Your Head", hit No. 4 in the UK charts for Was (Not Was) and Bassinger, featuring vocals from Ozzy, but the track was originally written to feature a then up-and-coming U.S. pop singer Madonna, who rejected the final mix.

Ozzy's sons Jack and Louis discussed the song during an appearance on Jack's Trying Not To Die Podcast. Louise, Ozzy's eldest son gave some background about the track, "Was Not Was did a duet with Madonna. It was written for Madonna and Was Not Was and it was when dad was pumping in the early '80s and so was she and she really f***ing popped and then didn't give approval on the record".

After Madonna rejected the song, they had Kim Basinger record the vocals for the version that was eventually released and ultimately became a hit in the UK, but remains mostly unknown in the U.S.

But he said of the version with the pop star and his father, "somewhere out there, there is a duet recording of Madonna and dad that has never ever seen the light of day. And that would be with Was Not Was basically."

Jack added, "No one really knows it. Because commercially it was promoted as Was Not Was and Kim Basinger. They didn't really push that it was my dad as well. They didn't credit dad for being the other vocalist on there. I don't know why. It might have been the record label just being like oh let's market it as Was Not Was with Kim Basinger."

Don Was recalled the history of the song with Rolling Stone last month. Was said of the original 1983 recording with "pre-fame" Madonna, "She did a great job... but it didn't sound like Was (Not Was) to me anymore."

He explained that they brought in Ozzy to record on the electro track. "We realized about eight years later that we had Ozzy and Madonna on parallel tracks," Was adds. "So we gave it to a remixer... and he turned it into a Ozzy/Madonna duet."

However, Madonna rejected the Ozzy remix and Basinger was called on to duet with Ozzy for the track that ultimately became a Top 5 hit in the UK, but was never released in the U.S.