Just wondered if anyone else got pissed off when Prince released cover versions on Emancipation. Why sing someone elses tunes? Once would have been o.k, I love the new Joni cover but "Everyday is a winding Road"...ahhh

Rave unto the joy fantastic - could have been better without that track!

I thought some of the covers on Emancipation were great. I know up until that point I always said to non-Prince freinds that "at least Prince doesn't do covers" but Betch By Golly, One of us and even La La La are excellent tracks, better than most of the filler on Emancipation.
He'd always done live covers anyway

Prince's version of A Case Of You.

Funny that he had this rave posted on his site about respecting people's work and then he does a version of her song, updates the title (switching you to u, chops off TWO verses and then happily turns it into a muzak version!

But oh well, it makes other people happy...I just miss the first verse alot...

aiden said:

You know,I often wonder about the same thing.At first,Prince started "covering" himself by recording his own versions of "Nothing Compares 2 U" in 1993,then "Shhh" in 1994.But by 1996,he was interested in doing other artist's material too.I'm not sure how most fans feel about his remakes.When I saw him in concert in 1997,he performed "One Of Us".At the end of the song,some guy in front of me stands up and yells "DO YOUR OWN MUSIC,PRINCE!".

prince putting covers out on record is pretty much dead air for me. what's the point?

i think that for "emancipation" he was looking to do something different, to create a buzz- "hey, prince is doing *covers* now!" just the sheer perversity of such a prolific songwriter choosing to do covers- must mean they're really good, right? really important to him, right?
(i don't like em myself, however.)

also i think it was a way of re-establishing himself as a musician in the eyes of the press and public. "hey, i'm just like any recording artist or band, i love music, i'm not just this ego-eccentric guy, it's about music and i'm paying off my dues."

to me, those covers always sound like token gestures. i think they're lousy and pointless..

i still say that the stylistics and the delfonics shoulda beat p down 4 what he did 2 "betcha by golly wow" and "la la means i love you"!!!

cover songs are not the brotha's strong suit....


[This message was edited Tue Sep 17 7:10:28 PDT 2002 by PlastikLuvAffair]

I don't mind cover versions, they can be quite interesting,
But personally I would have preferred it if Prince didn't
put any on his albums.

If he really wanted to do some covers he could have put
out a whole cover version album instead.

I was just going to say exactly the same thing, Boris.
I'd LOVE to see maybe a 2 or 3 disc set of covers. It would be interesting to see how he'd interpret others' songs.
But when he has SO masny unreleased, original songs lying in the vault - I know what I'd prefer.

I thought he was covering Robert Palmer songs as far back as 1987.

Seriously, The cover of "A Case Of U" is wonderful. That's the only song that has carried with him through-out the years. The only cover song that truly has always sort of, I don't know, belonged to him. Glad to hear a studio version at last. He chose to dedicate it for hi late father so that certainly proves he hasn't lost all of his taste yet.

PRINCE started 2 doing covers 2 show that he appreciated other artists music & (gasp) He did have some songs that he liked and wanted 2 make over!!
Just like I do 4 his...just like Alicia Skeeze did 2 his song...just like other artists do 2 other songs.
PRINCE probably wanted 2 do it 2 show the asshole critics that he head wasnt up his own ass so far that he couldnt NOT do someone else's music.
DAMN THOSE CRITICS 2 HELL!
BTW, I like "Everyday is a Winding Road" & "Betcha by Golly Wow" & "One of Us"...they werent so bad.

In looking over the liner notes of Prince's post-WB works, I found something intersting.

As we all know, Emancipation was the first work Prince released post-WB. It also is the first album Prince had ever released containg cover versions of songs made famous by others. Many fans were disappointed by this and would have preferred 4 new Prince-written songs. However, if my theory is correct, Prince may have had no choice but to do this. You may wanna grab your CD jackets and read along...

Look under the song listing inside the booklet for Emancipation. Notice anything...that's right. WB-owned companies have a financial interest in/own the publishing rights to 'BBGW', 'La, La, La Means I Love U', and 'One of Us'. The exception, 'Eye Can't Make U Love Me', is published by Almo Music, which, as far as I can tell, has no WB affiliation. (anyone know if I am wrong?)

On his next proper commercial release under his own name ( ), RU2TJF, Prince also included his version of 'Everyday is a Winding Road', a song also published by a WB-owned publisher.

My theory: the terms of his release from the WB contract included a stipulation that he release a minimum of 4 versions of WB published songs. This would enable them to collect the performance and mechanical royalties of songs on future Prince albums (something they were not able to do on his past works since he owned all the publishing rights). A bold move by WB (if my theory is correct), especially bold if the albums sold well, and if any of the cover versions had become hits.

Prince also might have been obligated to release one of these covers as the first single from his first post-contract release...hence the choice of 'BBGW' as the first single from Emancipation.

Before you brush this all off as merely coincidence, remember that we're talking about the music industry here. And in the music biz, it's never ONLY about "I'm a put out a CD today"...ya feels me???

What do y'all think??? Anyone???

-SWANGneedsalife

IMHO 9& a Half out of 10, Folks Covering His Stuff is Wack&Him Covering Other People's Stuff is Wack! when Prince Covers Somebody His Band's Arrangements still Sound Like Him&just don't add anything to what He is Covering IMHO.but it cuts both ways.most acts don't cover His Stuff worth a Damn either.

Interesting theory, Swang. Interesting. I wouldn't put it past the music biz. Who knows how they settle their beefs with artists.
Anyway, I thought it was cool that for so long Prince never covered anyone else's songs. Just did his own thang. That helped define him at the time.
But when he finally did a cover, or when I finally heard him doing a cover, I loved it. It also helped define him, his style, his talent for taking a song and making it his own.
I think others here could well be right when they say he started doing covers in part as a way to show jerk critics he does appreciate others' music and his ego isn't so big that he can't pay homage.
...
To me, he usually seems to complete the song compared to the original version. I'm thinking of "I Can't Make You Love Me'', "One Of Us'', etc. They're usually fine songs in their own right for their own time. But Prince adds some funk or soul or fuller elements to enrich the songs.
I never heard the original of "Winding Road'' yet, but that is one remake I'm not crazy about.

I am also not a fan of Prince's cover songs for the most part. I nearly always skip them and nearly always prefer all the other songs on the album.

I guess Prince started doing covers because he wanted to! Actually his covers of Betcha By Golly,One Of Us,A Case Of U, and La,La,La are quite wonderful. Prince is wonderful at performing cover tunes.

SWANG said:

Why no cover songs on New Power Soul? - It was released before Rave & a cover on that cd would have ended his commitment.
On Chaka Khan's NPG cd she had a cover of Larry Graham's Hair. Is this a WB owned song? How does that fit into the conspiricy since this a cd released under Prince's umbrella?

I dont know why he does them. i wish he didnt. no one does his well 4 sure.

Natasha said:

eye totally agree with ya!

The cover of A Case of U is beautifully done: wish it was longer though...

& eye like Everyday is a windig Road, especially the p-funk ending.

The only covers by Prince that truly stand out are the ones he does in a live setting.

WHY would I spend energy getting pissed off b/c he did a friggin' song?

I don't love all of them (I wish he'd never touched Everyday is a Winding Road) but I don't love all of his original stuff either (Play in the Sunshine??? ). I don't know why there's some special brand of anger people reach when it comes to him doing covers...

The reason why I get annoyed is because I don't wanna have 2 skip a track... Emancipation was the only album I found myself having 2 reach 4 the controller.

grandebelle said:

I sure as hell do 'em well...

ZaZa said:

Probably because New Power Soul was technically not a release, but a N.P.G. one, and therefore, he would have escaped actually HAVING to include a cover.

Of course, it's only a theory, and a loose one at that. I mean realistically speaking, WB Music Corp. owns the publishing rights to MANY songs, so it could be just a coincidence. (By the way, Larry Graham has stated that he does not own the publishing to his GCS material, and he WAS signed to WB, though I do not know whether or not a WB publisher owns any of his rights.)

-SWANGshavingsecondthoughts

Well the increase in covers paralled his troubles with WB. I think it made him revise his career. Since 94-95 Prince's work has become revisionist rather than unique or groundbreaking like his 80s work. In fact it probably goes further back then 94-95. With Diamonds and Pearls/Symbol he embraced traditionally a black music genre, hip hop. This then led to his excursions into blues and funk, and now the rather Jazz tinged Rainbow Children. The 90's simply saw prince acknowledge those who inspired him whether it for better or worse is a different matter.