It's Friday and that means MUSIC here during our 32 Days of Black History blogathon! And I wouldn't be properly representing the Twin Cities if I didn't dedicate one of these Fridays to the music of Prince.
Covers and Collaborations
You really can tell that an artist has become knit into the fabric of a culture when you find so many of that artist's work interpreted by others. So for this first playlist, I feature some of my favorite Prince covers by other artists. The most classic of these, IMO, is Chaka Kahn's rendition of "I Feel For You." I do consider myself a huge Prince fan, but I often scandalize myself in the eyes of Prince purists when I say that I actually like this version better than Prince's original. Recent Grammy winner Herbie Hancock interpreted "Thieves in the Temple" from his '95 New Standard album. Also here are the well known covers of Alicia Keys' version of "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore" and TLC's "If I Was Your Girlfriend." But I also found one I hadn't heard before: Etta James doing up "Purple Rain." (Alas, I could not locate a version of Aaliyah's "When Doves Cry.") Not all these versions are great (or even good), but it is interesting to hear how others take on these tunes.
Now, also here are Prince's versions of other folks' music. So you'll hear classic soul ("Betcha By Golly Wow" and "Sing a Simple Song") as well as more recent singer-songwriter tunes by Sheryl Crow ("Everyday is a Winding Road") and Bonnie Raitt ("I Can't Make You Love Me"). And what do you do with "Nothing Compares 2 U"? A Prince remake of a Sinead O'Connor Prince song... Oh well, whatever: that 's in there too.
To round things out, also included in this first player are a few tunes by Prince proteges and collaborators. The Time, Vanity 6, The Family, Sheila E's "A Love Bizarre"...
What'd I miss here? Are there some favorite covers or Prince&co. songs of yours that I did not include?
Post Purple Rain: "Tell Me What's My Name"
A friend and I were talking once when these words came out of her mouth "I really don't like much of Prince's stuff after Purple Rain."
Well, I thought she was my friend.
Seriously, though. I know being a Prince fan post-Purple Rain entailed a high tolerance for a certain amount of drama. The label battle. The knee-high purple gangsta rapper phase. The butt-out pants on national TV. And of course, the name to symbol change and back again. But Prince really did some of his best work after Purple Rain, if you ask me.
I've tried to highlight some of it here (without leaning too heavily on my dozen or so favorites from his mega-release Crystal Ball). "Dolphin" and "Joy in Repetition" are actually two of my favorite Prince songs ever, pre- or post-PR. And Under the Cherry Moon may have been was a horrible movie compared to Purple Rain, but I could have easily included most of the songs from Parade instead of settling for just "New Position," "Mountains," and "Anotherloverholenyohead." Absolutely need a hard rocking party anthem a la "Let's Go Crazy" or "Baby I'm a Star" from Purple Rain? Then try "Acknowledge Me" (Crystal Ball) and of course "My Name is Prince" (O(+>). Listen to my picks and let me know some of yours!
Anyway, happy Black History music Friday from the land of ten thousand (frozen solid) lakes--from me and Prince to you!
| Thanks for tuning into the 32 Days of Black History blogathon with Deesha (Mamalicious!) and me. Today Deesha is spinning First Ladies of Black Music for our Music Friday. Also check out our 32Days partners Tami; Inkognegro; Christina; and Chris. |
Okay, it might be heresy to say this but I really like the snippet of "If I Was Your Girlfriend" that Beyonce sings in "'03 Bonnie and Clyde."
Still listening...
Posted by: deesha at February 22, 2008 07:21 PMI'm old school Prince. It was while I was in college that the young brash man in the heavy eye shadow crashed into the performance arena. I have loved his music ever since. I coming from the South where most of the blues songs were explicit about sex, love, having sex and falling in love with it that Prince blew things up because he was all unashamedly calling the lustiest sex love. Well! It was the sexual revolution and feeling good was what we all sought. The only other song to me that frames what Prince was laying is Natalie Cole's Wild Women Do.
I liked that Prince could name what he saw and respect a girl for it...Little Red Corvette was about a young woman enjoying sex and not feeling the guilt that we were taught to have prior to the wicked '70's.
When Purple Rain came out I was certainly classified as an adult. Yet, it was to me like Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of life... flawless! It touched my soul. My particular favorite song was Darlin' Nikki. A wild woman! I also liked for the fun of it because it is about flat out fun...Let's Go Crazy!
There are many special Prince songs to me. As I write this I realize that there has been a Prince song for every phase of me since my college days. That says a lot about an artist.
Prince, long may he comment musically about the daring people we nuture inside.
Posted by: deb at February 23, 2008 01:59 PMDeb, we really do have to compile all your comments into a post of its own before this 32Days thing ends... Plus, I still want to post your gumbo recipe!
Posted by: Yvette at February 27, 2008 11:32 PM