Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life…
It must have crossed Prince’s mind that the day would surely come when fans would mine his eternally memorable opener to 1984’s “Let’s Go Crazy” to eulogize him.
But could he have anticipated the heights to which fellow singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer would take this most understandable of impulses?
Brace yourself for the above, the most mournfully emotional cover of “Purple Rain” you’re ever likely to hear. Yes, it shares an intro with “Let’s Go Crazy,” but this is no ordinary medley.
As with Strung Out In Heaven, her five-track tribute to the recently deceased David Bowie, Palmer teamed with a string quartet and pop polymath producer Jherek Bischoff. The quick turnaround result is both lush and heartfelt.
With no disrespect, hopefully Palmer’s exquisite string elegies will not become a thing.
In other words, we all have rock stars whose passing we dread as an indicator of our own mortality….
The proceeds from the name-your-price purchase of Palmer’s “Purple Rain” will be donated to Elevate Hope Foundation, the non-profit project co-founded by frequent Prince collaborator, Sheila E, to provide music therapy for abused and abandoned children.
As recently as mid-March, Palmer was characteristically mouthy online about her philosophical differences with the Purple One, whom she described as the yang to her yin:
We want connection but disagree about the wires, the channels, the ingredients.
After he passed, she showed more restraint in an interview with Pitchfork, in which she shared some personal recollections about Prince’s role in her (electric word) life.
Related Content:
This Is What It Sounds Like When 1999 People Sing Prince’s “When Doves Cry”
Ayun Halliday is an author, illustrator, and Chief Primatologist of the East Village Inky zine. Follow her @AyunHalliday
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