You can finally hear the *original* Prince version of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’
The first version of one of the most iconic songs ever
There are certain songs where a cover version is so iconic it becomes the only version people get in their heads when they hear the title.
Natalie Imbruglia’s version of Torn, for example, or Jimi Hendrix’s cover of All Along the Watchtower.
Sinead O’Connor’s recording of Nothing Compares 2 U is another which has always fit the bill, having topped the charts in more than 15 different countries upon its 1990 release.
In short, when it comes to iconic covers of Prince songs, nothing compares to Nothing Compares 2 U.
Most of us knew it was written by Prince, and that it featured on an album by The Family before O’Connor’s version, but it has always been associated primarily with the Irish singer-songwriter – until now.
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The original Prince studio version of the song has surfaced for the first time, unveiled just before the second anniversary of his untimely death, and you bet it’s a banger.
Prince’s back-catalogue was hardly lacking in instant classics, but this shows that the singer had even more up his sleeve than we realised.
Oh, and what’s more, we get the added bonus of never-before-seen footage of Prince and the Revolution from back in 1984, when he was at his imperious best.
If you feel like getting emotional this weekend, boy do we have the perfect performance for you.
Read more: Quiz: Are these songs covers or the original version?
And if you fancy following that with O’Connor’s cover, we’ve got you – ahem – covered there too.
(Images: Getty)
