you could make up for the bum notes by crying by the end of the song !
― AlXTC from Paris, Monday, 25 April 2016 15:48 (eight years ago) link
Nothing Compares to Sinead
― Treeship, Monday, 25 April 2016 15:49 (eight years ago) link
Lol yeah. I'm sure my rendition will affect me powerfully, regardless of what the crowd would make of it
― Treeship, Monday, 25 April 2016 15:50 (eight years ago) link
I was always curious about Sinead came by that song - was she really one of the 200 people that bought that album by the Family
― Οὖτις, Monday, 25 April 2016 15:56 (eight years ago) link
good question ! I found this "It was Sinéad O'Connor's manager, Fachtna O'Kelly, who came up with the idea for the Irish singer to cover the Prince song."
― AlXTC from Paris, Monday, 25 April 2016 16:03 (eight years ago) link
I briefly considered this for karaoke on Saturday night, only because I had been refusing to attempt Prince for months, because how could I even presume, so I was thinking Manic Monday or this, which is still tough but I remember getting compliments for my diva-like performance of it in 1991(!) at my 12th birthday party (yeah, the oldest I got compliments for that sort of behaviour), but I don't have that range anymore so I chickened out. I said I'd do Poplife but it wasn't on there, I got roped into backing vocals on Purple Rain, didn't do myself too proud really.
― Jonathan Hellion Mumble, Monday, 25 April 2016 20:51 (eight years ago) link
there's been very little "here's the shitty stuff Prince did" since his death; wondering when that will start to slip out. the only negative story I could remember (aside from him maybe personally being a dick to people) was that violent story Sinead recalled. Wonder what the story behind that is.
― akm, Monday, 25 April 2016 21:13 (eight years ago) link
it's a weird story
― Treeship, Monday, 25 April 2016 22:06 (eight years ago) link
it's probably true though, idk. i can't imagine those two would ever get along.
― Treeship, Monday, 25 April 2016 22:18 (eight years ago) link
so the version on the hits cd kinda sucks yah but if you saw p perform this in the 2014/2015 tour (he sang it all himself with mellotron backing) then that would be your choice version trust me. fuck it maybe ill put up a version on youtube.
― kurt schwitterz, Monday, 25 April 2016 23:37 (eight years ago) link
he sang this at the piano last month when I saw him and it was great. he's fully capable of doing great versions of the song, it's too bad he never officially recorded one.
― akm, Monday, 25 April 2016 23:47 (eight years ago) link
― akm, Monday, April 25, 2016 5:13 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
once the details of his speed & opiate addiction start to appear i'm sure there will be all sorts of tell-alls. Surprised that this interview with his alleged dealer hasn't been posted in any thread yet: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3555292/Prince-s-former-drug-dealer-reveals-extent-addiction.html
― flappy bird, Monday, 25 April 2016 23:47 (eight years ago) link
sinead o'connor is (like prince himself) a bit of a loon and a fabulist, so i'm not sure we should take her story at face value.
― wizzz! (amateurist), Tuesday, 26 April 2016 02:05 (eight years ago) link
Over the last few days I've been positively haunted by this song. At the time in 1990, I had a hard time engaging with it ... the song and video were absolutely everywhere, the beat was strident and a bit plodding, and it was generally difficult to see past the cult of personality around Sinead. But 26 years (gah) later, this sounds to me like an absolute gem of a gospel tune -- and is just wrenching in the wake of Prince's death and what increasingly sounds like a lonely existence.
That said, before I go and call this one of Prince's best songs, I actually wonder a bit how much of the credit for her version should go to him. The lyrics are amazing and the verses are undeniably beautiful in all the versions of the song. But the chorus on the Family original (and the live version w Rosie Gaines) is an unlistenable train wreck -- the chords are totally different and oddly mismatched with the melody. It makes me wonder what Sinead or Nellee Hooper (the original producer before he and Sinead got into a row) saw in the tune in the first place.
Have they ever said anything about it?
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 12 May 2016 13:24 (seven years ago) link
I assume this is one of the songs which was inspired by his love for Susannah melvoin
― scarcity festival (Jon not Jon), Thursday, 12 May 2016 13:32 (seven years ago) link
Still never heard the family album. It's hard to search for in the downloadosphere
― scarcity festival (Jon not Jon), Thursday, 12 May 2016 13:33 (seven years ago) link
xpost All very good questions! I'm not sure I've ever read, or remember reading, how this obscure Prince song made its way to a (relatively) obscure Irish singer.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 12 May 2016 13:35 (seven years ago) link
I don't understand what people are hearing that would make them say the version with Rosie Gaines is an unlistenable train wreck
― i like to trump and i am crazy (DJP), Thursday, 12 May 2016 13:55 (seven years ago) link
weird hearing the family do this song recently as a tribute while sticking to the original arrangement so faithfully. the reason their version never went anywhere, apart from the aspirationally overwrought vocal, was because it has that stupid 'oh oh ohhh ohhh ohh' part after every few lines (how did that make the final edit?). it has the same problems as the prince/gaines duet, though that was somehow even worse, as it had unnecessary NPG bombast on top of the stupid hammy melodramatics of the family version.
― StillAdvance, Thursday, 12 May 2016 14:02 (seven years ago) link
its actually kind of amazing that anyone would hear that song in the late 80s and think 'i know what this song needs' (or rather, i know what this song definitely does NOT need)
― StillAdvance, Thursday, 12 May 2016 14:03 (seven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZlzN0Gtpp8
In the Gaines version (not sure if it's on YouTube), the chorus comes at 1:34 -- it's less that it's jarring and more that the chords are again different (different than the Family version, actually) and chorus doesn't really land.
So I guess the question is: who re-wrote the chorus for Sinead's version?
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 12 May 2016 14:12 (seven years ago) link
I can't stand the Rosie version.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 12 May 2016 14:15 (seven years ago) link
Not big jazz fans you two, I'd guess?
― Three Word Username, Thursday, 12 May 2016 15:27 (seven years ago) link
also, prince and rosie singing this as a DUET doesnt work. its a song thats meant to be solitary. not two lovers singing back to each other, like endless love or something.
― StillAdvance, Thursday, 12 May 2016 15:41 (seven years ago) link
That. Like the Dixie Chicks doing Landslide as a harmonizing trio. Plus, love jazz, just think Rosie version is kind of generic and cheesy, both the production and the performance, but Sinead gets at something deeper, perhaps due to the austerity of the production/arrangement?
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 12 May 2016 15:42 (seven years ago) link
My snark was directed more at NTI, who seemed upset at chord substitution.
― Three Word Username, Thursday, 12 May 2016 16:08 (seven years ago) link
I don't think he was upset. He's just saying that it doesn't sound good and he's really right. I could honestly hear the Family version working with different instrumentation or a different mix or something though.
― how's life, Thursday, 12 May 2016 16:28 (seven years ago) link
Family version would work better with a stronger and more distinctive vocalist. Clare Fischer's string arrangement is still sublime. Altho Sinead's version is still definitive, I think the recorded Family version would likely work with an impassioned vocal. There must be a demo/guide vocal version in the vault.
― vmajestic, Thursday, 12 May 2016 16:50 (seven years ago) link
Impassioned Prince vocal, that is.
― vmajestic, Thursday, 12 May 2016 16:51 (seven years ago) link
impassioned, sure, but its not a song that benefits from a big fire and desire-type soul vocal IMO
― StillAdvance, Thursday, 12 May 2016 16:59 (seven years ago) link
Here's an interesting article about the recording of Sinead's version.
― Vast Halo, Thursday, 12 May 2016 17:41 (seven years ago) link
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 12 May 2016 17:59 (seven years ago) link
Wrong.
― Three Word Username, Thursday, 12 May 2016 20:29 (seven years ago) link
Not really interested in getting into a debate over jazz theory here but suffice it to say that since the tune in the chorus on the Family version is also completely different than Sinead's there must be "melody subs" as well.
― Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 13 May 2016 12:40 (seven years ago) link
Ok, I can't help myself. Those aren't substitutions. They're different chords. The chorus of the Family version resolves on the I chord. The Sinead version resolves on the V.
And yes, it sounds terrible in the former.
― Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 13 May 2016 23:35 (seven years ago) link
Sound on Sound is a treasure.
― sam jax sax jam (Jordan), Saturday, 14 May 2016 00:23 (seven years ago) link
Agreed
― Naive Teen Idol, Saturday, 14 May 2016 00:36 (seven years ago) link
ex-post: I never debate with dude who have broken ears, but you do have my sympathy.
― Three Word Username, Saturday, 14 May 2016 16:22 (seven years ago) link
good to know
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 18 May 2016 13:46 (seven years ago) link
Dixie Chicks cover is pretty faithful to the Sinead version.
― Son of Shaftway (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 26 May 2016 22:13 (seven years ago) link
Tons of other covers of this song floating around out there.
― Son of Shaftway (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 26 May 2016 22:28 (seven years ago) link
The one by Taylor Dane is not bad and also features an amusing if a wee bit hard to follow story about getting invited to and performing at a Prince aftershow.
― Son of Shaftway (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 26 May 2016 23:21 (seven years ago) link
This may leave you cold or you might find it a wee bit moving:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt1YhpQb8go
― Why You Wanna Treeship Borad? (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 29 May 2016 23:32 (seven years ago) link