Have You Heard The Little Known Ozzy & Madonna Collaboration?

You know Madonna. You definitely know Ozzy Osbourne. But do you remember Was (Not Was)? They were an American pop/rock group that had some tracks in the 80s. One of those was a vocal collaboration between Ozzy and the Material Girl that many have never heard.

The track is called “Shake Your Head (Let’s Go to Bed).” It was originally recorded in 1983 for Was (Not Was)’s album Born to Laugh at Tornadoes. The band, known for its left-field creativity and willingness to rope in unexpected collaborators, somehow convinced a then-up-and-coming Madonna to lay down a vocal. And she did — before she became Madonna with a capital M.

But here’s where the story gets wild: Madonna refused to sign off on the release of her vocals. Whether it was image control, artistic distance, or just bad timing, she blocked the band from using her performance on the album. So, Was (Not Was) pivoted, replacing her with a completely different kind of star: Kim Basinger. Yes, the Oscar-winning actress who was also in "9 1/2 Weeks". And yes, she re-recorded Madonna's part.

Shake Your Head ft. Kim basinger

For years, Madonna’s version remained locked away, an unheard musical curiosity… until it wasn’t. In the early 1990s, when the song was remixed for a new release, her original vocals briefly surfaced on select pressings and international compilations before being she stepped in and got it pulled again.

Since then, the track has popped up in the wild — including on YouTube, where fans continue to debate which version is better. Check out Ozzy and Madonna together in a remix below!

shake your head ft. madonna

Which version do you think is better? And let this be a lesson: pop stars have bigger egos than rock stars. Ozzy was cool with his part of the song from the beginning.