If you think Sinead O’Connor’s rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U” gets too much airtime, Prince’s estate released an original recording of the title he wrote.
Tomorrow, it will be two years since pop icon Prince passed away. In memory of the artist, his estate released the original version of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” a song that Prince never issued himself, but was recorded by one of his groups, The Family, in 1984. The song reached international acclaim when it was hauntingly covered by Sinead O’Connor in 1990.
The “new” version of the Prince classic will be made available to fans as a download and as two 7” singles in picture disk and standard black vinyl formats. According to Michael Howe, the Prince estate’s vault archivist who discovered the hidden track: “No Prince-penned song performed by another artist has enjoyed more chart success (number one in over a dozen countries) and overall cultural impact than Sinead O’Connor’s 1990 recording, so hearing the song in its original context performed in its entirety by the author makes it particularly noteworthy.”
While O’Connor’s rendition of the single is definitely haunting, Prince’s original version has a bit of a different feel to it. While both renditions revoke emotion, Prince’s recently-released original take feels more of its time. Still, listening to either is a good choice if you’re looking to remember that special someone who got away (we’ve all been there).
The video for the new release shows unseen rehearsal footage of Prince & The Revolution in the Eden Prairie warehouse during the summer of 1984. The song is the first release from the estate since the Purple Rain album deluxe edition issued last June. Given the legal complications surrounding the estate, hundreds if not thousands of Prince recordings have not yet seen the light of day.
The estate has announced the launch of PrinceHitNRun.com, a pop-up store, which will sell the artist’s rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” as well as official Prince merchandise and songs his “Dirty Mind” and “Lovesexy Years”. Another site, Prince2Me.com, “explores what Prince means, individually and collectively to his fans,” and is expected to be “the first of many online experiences to come, each will shine a new light on his artistry,” as well as an “immersive annotated discography website highlighting the incomparable breadth and depth of Prince’s recorded catalogue,” featuring song samples, videos and photos. Fans can also visit the discography website Princeestate.com.
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