Anyone find it distressing that people like Ginuwine, Jordan Knight, LeAnn Rimes and Alicia Keys can't score a hit with Prince covers following up their own super-hot hits?

I find it distressing. Not that I like their versions, though some of them are more tolerable than others, but I'm kind of alarmed that these people can't score a hit with classic Prince tunes.

I guess we'll have to wait for Eve's take on "Irresistible Bitch" to see if this problem can be overcome...

Any thoughts?

It may be that Prince oldies are so classic now that people just arent having it..they dont want to hear anyone else sing WDC or vintage stuff like HCUDCMA. Sure there were hits by others covering Prince back in the day ( Me'Lissa Morgan, Chaka etc) but thats before Prince music was able to age like fine wine etc and come into its own as vintag? It is sort of lile nobody else can remake the Stones Start Me Up, Miss You, or Tumblin Dice. Because the artists (Prince and Stones) music is so set in stone in our hearts and minds that anything else ...is less? Im not sure if Im explaining myself well.BTW, I cant wait to see what Eve does with IB, although I it wont be near as good as the original unless she triesd to sample that production. I see her using the chorus and rapping the verses with new lyrics about her prowess etc. It just seems lik it takes some cajones to remake something as Princely classic formerly underground as IB.

Well i don't know about the other ladies, but seems 2 me that Alicia's version is played all the time on radio and on Mtv...

rdhull said:

hardly anyone, besides the prince-fans, had ever heard (of) prince's HCUDCMA. almost everyone now seems to think it's a genuine alicia keys-song. it's a big hit too. congrats alicia, you've done a nice job..

purpleone said:

That point you made is true though...for HCUDCMA..but what about other well known songs covered by Ginuine suchj as WDC and LeAnns PR etc.being well known songs remade? I reitierate my point in my previous post.

it could be that the songs r out of sync with the time.
i mean songs from the fifties won't come across well now.
this generation wants a certain type of sound that prince doesn't have.eminem could take a prince track and make it sound like garbage(2 us)and still have a big hit with it
by changing it completely around.u don't hear many jb
remakes either(just his sampled music).the only group 2 stand the test of time is parliament.even though there r no real remakes..their sound is the backbone of hitmaking dr. dre.

rdhull said:

Because honestly; WDC and PR are definitive Prince songs. The vast majority of the people (outside of jazz musicians) who cover Prince's songs don't strike me as great song reinterpreters, and that's what you need to be in order to reinvent a song and make it your own. But quite frankly, that's not how songs become big hits in the pop world.

Chaka Khan had a big hit with "I Feel For You" because she's a great singer AND it was arranged and marketed well for the pop market (even she said she wasn't exactly thrilled with the intro rap).

A lot of Prince's songs are too idiosyncratic for other lesser talents to pull off.

Not quite a big name, but I recently covered "strange relationship" in my liitle studio...turned out pretty damn good.
8)

Supernova said:

I think that was what I was trying to say...most of Princes' catalogue is THE definitive version once Prince writes it and puts it on wax (or cd heh)... its all his and only his. Stuff like Manic Monday is cool because it hasnt had the chance to be drivin into our Prince consciousness(sp?) with him at the helm, vocally etc.
[This message was edited Fri Jul 5 22:34:52 PDT 2002 by rdhull]