The Lost Madonna Tapes

Earlier this week, The Daily Beast published a previously unreleased tape of Madonna singing some of the first ever songs she wrote. The tape was made by Ed Gilroy and his brother Dan, Madonna’s ex-boyfriend, who lived with the singer in the basement of a Queens synagogue more than twenty years ago. The tape included pillow talk between Dan and Madonna, as well as several previously unheard songs such as “Tell the Truth,” which she says is the first song she ever wrote. Madonna biographer Andrew Morton described the sound of the music as "sweet and raw. It signifies to me how far she has come, a reminder of the explosion of talent."

The audio has since been removed from The Daily Beast, and is back in the hands of the Gilroy brothers. Below is the story that accompanied the tapes, including a description of their contents.

The lost tape begins with Madonna and Dan in bed. She’s encouraging him to go running.

Madonna Today: Where Things Stand

Seconds out, Round One. As lawyers for Madge and Guy prepare to duke it out— Her Madgesty has retained Fiona Shackleton, natch, the legal eagle who represented Prince Andrew, Prince Charles and lately Sir Paul McCartney while he has plumped for Lady Helen Ward, who fought for Paloma Picasso, Andrew Lloyd Webber and notoriously won a $100 million settlement for an aggrieved upper crust wife—the gloves are already off between the principle contestants.

She got the first jab in, at her last Boston gig she dedicating a song written for her soon to be ex to “the emotionally retarded.” He countered with a classic British defense: the stiff upper lip. The word from the Ritchie corner was that he didn’t want to slice Madonna’s estimated $600 million in two. All he wanted was a lump sum and to split the properties – they have a country mansion, several London town houses, Kaballah retreats, apartments in New York and of course, the now appropriately named public house, The Punch Bowl. She was quick to counter jab, with Camp Madonna claiming the British film maker was just a ‘Material Guy’ because of his outrageous financial demands. “I’ve worked my ass off for 30 years to get what I have and now this gold digger wants to take it from me,” The Sun quoted her as saying to a friend.

Ritchie may be a judo black belt but it will take much more than fancy footwork to throw Madonna. Even though she is only 5ft, 5ins and weighs in around 120 lbs soaking wet, she is a financial heavyweight with street smart ring-craft learned over her early years of struggle.