Patrick Leonard Teases “Like a Prayer” Demo Cassette

American songwriter, keyboardist, film composer, and music producer Patrick Leonard, best known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna, posted a a picture of a cassette with the original “Like a Prayer” demos on Instagram and fans went wild.

Here is what he said…

My old friend and collaborator Bruce Gaitch just sent me this cassette. It’s the demos for Like a Prayer. Haven’t heard them since we did them. Should be interesting. #likeaprayer #madonna #demos

A few titles are different.

Out of time is till death do us part. Angelo is actually Angles and I’m curious too. I found a chart that’s titled “Angels with dirty faces”. I know soon…maybe listen tonight.

I just listened through it all. Too much there to even begin to tell about. Will tell you that “Angles” (this all came flooding back the second I heard it) is a song called “Angles With Dirty Faces” that M and I wrote for the album and ultimately must have decided wasn’t good enough. Having said that, it’s a finished song with her vocal that no one has ever heard and it’s pretty darn good. Wish I could post it. Obviously I can’t. Was crazy to hear it and vividly remember doing it. Just another song on another day of writing…then. Now it seems unreal that that’s what we’re up to… grateful for you fans. It’s woken something up I’d left behind. Thank you all. PL.

“Little Girl” is “Promise to Try”.

Oh Father isn’t on this tape. It was written before all of this.

Thought I’d better break down the cassette before somebody losses their mind. They’re first day versions. So the day we wrote it. They have a lead vocal and some backgrounds. We worked from these versions and they became the records. The titles you recognize are what they say they are. Not produced. Without live players and strings and choirs etc. “Angels” is a song called Angels with dirty faces. It’s complete. And was never released. Good too. LIttle Girl is Promise to Try. Piano vocal like the record but not that version. Out of Time is Till Death do us Part. Boss’s Nova is a Latin feel idea that never got there. No vocal. Just an idea. 20’s jazz, the same, as is Mid Tempo. Sparks that made no fire. It happens. Side two of the tape is blank so #11, 12 and dance don’t exist. I can NOT release or put up snippets. I’d be drawn and quartered. Maybe I’ll try and organize some kind of private listening. It would have to be in space so let’s hit up Elon Musk. Wish I could release it all because I know how happy it would make you all. But, I can not. Respectfully. PL

“Angels with dirty faces” is not a reworked version of a track that she previously wrote on 1986.