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While skimming through youtube I stumbled upon an interview with Mayte on Funkatopia from 6 months ago, talking about their children's album Happy Tears (among other things).

I haven’t seen any mention of it on prince.org so I thought I’d post the link and maybe start a conversation. 5.20min into the interview -

https://m.youtube.com/wat...bWF5dGU%3D

The host of Funkatopia mentioned Happy Tears was to include :

- 8 songs
- 3 stories
- Audio cassette of the book narrated by Prince
- Songs in English, German and Spanish by Mayte

Mayte says it was completed with artwork (and everything!) and she’d love to see it released. I was always under the belief that Happy Tears wasn't completed.

Thoughts or further insight appreciated.

One interview I saw (that Casey Rain did) the guy said it was just a book and not as far as he remembered an album.

If it still exists suspect it will be released someday.

OnlyNDaUsa said:

Do you remember who “the guy” was?

9to5People said:

When I get him I will find the interview. But it was on the "Violet Reality" YouTube channel by Casey Rain...he did maybe 10 interviews so I should be able to find it.



49:19 in ...H.M. Buff... recording engineer 96-2000

https://youtu.be/99_swSFL...CwTWb8h2H1


OK maybe the book and album was just after he left...he said he knew of the book but not an album. But he also knew that Prince was not one to tell him what he was going to do with a given song.
[Edited 5/15/24 18:47pm]

Oops double post
[Edited 5/15/24 10:37am]

Virtually all of this info has been up at PV since mid-2022, and most of it has been known for years, even decades.

.

There was a press release about this project in mid-1996.

.

https://princevault.com/i...appy_Tears

.

bizzie said:

No doubt princevault is a great source, and I probably should have re-read it before posting. However the point of my post was to possibly get some info not listed on princevault, and just start a discussion.

Princevault doesn’t show complete artwork for example (as it often does), or mention it was even completed.

Mayte notes Saviour and She Gave Her Angels as the style of the album, princevault doesn't mention Saviour connected to the album (Mayte doesn't exactly confirm this either, saying along the lines of, songs in the vein of…). Was Saviour actually part of Happy Tears with Mayte as lead vocals?

Also She Gave Her Angels as we know it has Prince as lead vocalist, not Mayte.

I think its worth a post at least.

9to5People said:

bizzie said:

Virtually all of this info has been up at PV since mid-2022, and most of it has been known for years, even decades.

.

There was a press release about this project in mid-1996.

.

https://princevault.com/i...appy_Tears

.

No doubt princevault is a great source, and I probably should have re-read it before posting. However the point of my post was to possibly get some info not listed on princevault, and just start a discussion. Princevault doesn’t show complete artwork for example (as it often does), or mention it was even completed. Mayte notes Saviour and She Gave Her Angels as the style of the album, princevault doesn't mention Saviour connected to the album (Mayte doesn't exactly confirm this either, saying along the lines of, songs in the vein of…). Was Saviour actually part of Happy Tears with Mayte as lead vocals? Also She Gave Her Angels as we know it has Prince as lead vocalist, not Mayte. I think its worth a post at least.

The album was going to have some songs with Prince singing, and others with Mayte. Happy Tears, with Mayte on vocals, as well as She Gave Her Angels & Starfish & Coffee '95, with Prince on lead vocals, were all on at least one configuration of the album. I don't think Saviour was on any configuration, and I think Mayte is probably just describing how some of the tunes sounded.

Thanks to those who responded… I doubt there will ever be an Emancipation super deluxe, so I guess we’ll never get to hear most of the songs, well, maybe in 50 years. I think it would be an interesting layer for the Prince catalogue.