Tonight’s #GRAMMYSalutePrince promises to be something special. I’ll be offering some notes and history here during the performances — you can mute this thread now if you’d order not to read all the updates when the show starts!
We start with the inimitable @mayarudolph, a true and deep Prince fan, and half of @werprincess, the extraordinary tribute band. She's the perfect host, for her deep knowledge of every nuance. "To love Prince is to love music."
To kick things off with "Let's Go Crazy" it's @HERMusicx (who's performed Prince's music live in concert many times), and @GaryClarkJr, both on guitars *and* vocals, in true Prince fashion.
Gary's a particular perfect pick — Prince personally pushed Warner Brothers (his longtime label, with whom he'd reconciled in later years) that he wanted them to support Gary's career for multiple records so he'd have time to develop as an artist, just as Prince did.
Next up, another artist deeply inspired by Prince: @Miguel. He's here with "I Would Die 4 U", a standout single from 1984's Purple Rain. The Revolution used to jam on this endlessly: the 12" mix of the song is well over 10 minutes long — and was cut down from a *30 minute* jam.
Here we get @SheilaEdrummer taking over the percussion breakdown on "I Would Die 4 U", just as she did when it was played as part of the finale to the monstrously popular 1984-1985 Purple Rain tour, where she was the opening act.
Then we get @johnlegend, with a stirring tribute performing "Nothing Compares 2 U". Originally performed by The Family, and then later famously by Sinead O'Connor, Prince's rendition remains definitive. Treat yourself to his original demo from 1984:
Of note, he composed & recorded all his parts on Nothing Compares 2 U in one day during a brief break between the release of the Purple Rain soundtrack & the film's debut in the summer of 1984. This was Prince on a *day off* during one of the most intense parts of his career.
Our narrator for this history of Prince's life is @flytetymejam — who befriended Prince while they were both teenagers, and eventually helped push Prince's legendary competitiveness by becoming one of the greatest pop songwriters & producers of all time himself.
A perfectly thumping and rhythmic pick for @st_vincent — it's 1981's "Controversy", the title track from the album of the same name. A live staple for Prince, he'd frequently break the song down in live performance to show off his perfect timing w/ machine-perfect rhythm guitar.
We get a taste of a horn arrangement that Prince loved to use to punch up "Controversy" when performed live in the 2000s, many times including sax by @maceoparker whose work (alone and with James Brown) helped inspire Prince's love of these kinds of horn riffs.
If you're watching live and waiting for a commercial break, take a moment and support some local orgs that are helping feed those in need. Prince cared deeply about food insecurity, and regularly gave to support healthy meals for the hungry & we can honor him by doing the same!
We hear an introduction from @NaomiCampbell, who wasn't just a friend of Prince's, she also makes an appearance as a lyric that Prince chants in a remix of P Control.
It's a brilliant choice for @juanes to front this version of "1999", because in addition to being super funky, Prince's original composition blended a lot of the same styles Juanes incorporates — an unreleased early version included a latin jazz piano breakdown.
Now @HERMusicx is back for the searing "The Beautiful Ones", featuring a gorgeous dance performance by @mistyonpointe, who had joined Prince onstage for many shows over the years. Hear Prince go all-in with Misty here:
The sheer power of "The Beautiful Ones" is even more amazing if you remember Prince played every note on the song. He got started at 1pm on September 20, 1983, laid down the drums, keys, piano, and over the next 10 hours completed his vocals. At 5:15am on the 21st, it was done.
We get a wonderful intro from @aliciakeys. As she notes, her first album included a cover of Prince's beloved b-side "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore", but Prince went beyond that in his support & asked her to play at Paisley Park just as her debut album was being released.
Now, @mistyonpointe returns to point out Prince's lifelong support for women (not just on stage — but as his recording engineers, techs, and collaborators as well) as an introduction to @SusannaHoffs performing "Manic Monday" accompanied by Coldplay's Chris Martin.
Prince's generosity with his music even extended to his fans — in 2000 he began hosting weeklong "Celebrations" where he'd welcome fans into Paisley Park. At the 2002 Celebration, he let a fan come up & sing "Manic Monday" with him in a duet. She killed it. :)
(If you appreciate the insights into Prince's creative process, all credit is due to @Duane_Tudahl — his work documenting Prince's studio sessions is definitive, and an incredibly entertaining read.) amzn.to/2XVYsww
We get a sweet vignette from superproducer duo @flytetymejam and @tlsoundoff as a introduction into The Time, the band that *defines* cool. Morris & Prince created the "cool" Morris persona as teens, and made a pimpin' archetype that still kills onstage decades later.
And truth be told, until @iamjeromebenton grabbed that mirror, did we know that every funky band needs a valet? No, we didn't... Grace.
Part of the perverse genius of The Time is that, on their first few records, Prince pretty much wrote and played every note. Then he and Morris filled an entire band with some of the baddest musicians and songwriters you can find. Small wonder they tried to outplay him onstage.
A sweet Dave Grohl intro accurately notes that Prince was a little critical of the @foofighters doing "Darling Nikki" — part of his characteristic love-hate ambivalence about others artists' covers. But tellingly, Prince then invited Dave to jam with him instagram.com/p/B-qyIQhpLqp/
Of course Prince's competitive streak meant that he couldn't resist tweaking the Foos in the best way possible, by covering their "Best Of You" on the biggest stage in the world, and absolutely *owning* it during the Super Bowl halftime in 2007.
That was only a minor part of the greatest Super Bowl halftime performance ever, which legendarily climaxed in Prince performing "Purple Rain" with a full marching band... in the Purple Rain. "Can u make it rain harder?"
A perfect choice for Prince's greatest ballad, "Adore": @EarthWindFire. Prince gave the band a shoutout in 2004's "Musicology", and when he was shopping for a record contract at 18, EWF's Verdine White was floated as producer. (Prince ended up producing his debut himself.)
It's rare that an artist revamps Prince's lyrics in performance & it works, but @common nails it here. "Sign O' The Times" was always supposed to be timely and challenging, and that spirit soars in this context. It's the title track from the 1987 double album — Prince's best.
A beautiful nod from @MayaRudolph to Prince's history of extraordinary wardrobe choices leads us to @Beck covering "Raspberry Beret". Beck was the first artist to get to do a studio set at @PaisleyPark since it reopened as a museum. See it here:
Before Prince handed Beck his Grammy for the Album of the Year in 2014, he paused for a minute to tell some truths.
That brings us to @GaryClarkJr walking us through the spiritual heart of 1987's Sign O' The Times: "The Cross". Like many of Prince's most spiritual songs, this one was written on a Sunday.
We're back with @SheilaEdrummer leading us through @therevolution's jam "America", from 1985's Around the World in a Day, incorporating a bit of "Free" from the 1999 album, and then on to Sheila's signature: "The Glamorous Life". Truly shows the breadth of Prince's songcraft.
You can get a true feel for how Prince could merge his unique identity with the personality of those he was writing songs for by hearing his own demos of songs he wrote for others, like in his original version of "The Glamorous Life", here:
We see a clip of Prince being asked about his notorious name-change to an unpronounceable symbol. But to fans, it was never a mystery: He'd written a letter to fans explaining the choice, on the then brand-new world wide web. medium.com/@anildash/mess…
One of the rare acts worthy of performing with @therevolution, @WeRPrincess know every nuance of how Prince performed. Here, they go all-in on the 1982 hit single "Delirious".
For Purple Rain, we see @wendyandlisa, @BobbyZ1999, @BrownmarkNation & @drfink1980 fronted by @mavisstaples, whom Prince loved so much that he signed her to his Paisley Park label and treated her with the reverence of a mother.
To take us home, It's "Baby I'm A Star", featuring damn near everybody who's been on stage all night. In all, a worthy tribute to Prince. Of course, nothing compares to the man's own work. If you want to check out his catalog, here's a starting point: anildash.com/2017/02/12/its…
