One of Prince's most soulful and heart-felt songs ever, "Forever In My Life" is revealed in its earliest form, showing its bluesy roots while giving us a glimpse into both his creative process and his personal life at the height of his stardom. open.spotify.com/track/4572OrIx…
And this memory about the song's creation described by @susannahtwin will break your heart.
One of the most striking things about this alternate version of “Forever In My Life” is that, in contrast to the spartan arrangement of the released version, the accompanying acoustic guitar reveals a richer chord progression that evokes the earliest songs Prince wrote as a teen.
At four minutes into this new, unheard version, at about the point the familiar released version began to fade out, we instead hear some backing harmonies that would presage the gospel live rendition that debuted during the Sign O The Times Tour.
That live version was a standout performance on Prince’s greatest 80s tour. Incorporating elements of “It” (also from the Sign O The Times album), there’s no better demonstration of the heights Prince reached when merging the sacred and the sensual.
Prince revisited that same bluesy acoustic guitar 15 years ago in the charity single he released after Hurricane Katrina ravaged his father’s native Louisiana. It sadly feels just as on time as the night Prince recorded it, while the storm came ashore.
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