Music

Prince once performed a punk version of 'When Doves Cry'

by Richard Howard

For all his prodigious musical talents, one thing Prince wasn’t really widely considered to be was a top-notch prankster (at least until he used a photo from Dave Chappelle’s brilliant Prince sketch as the cover art for his 2013 single ‘Breakfast Can Wait.’

Those close to him, however, have often said Prince had a killer sense of humour that would catch you off-guard. Well, it turns out the Purple One was as comfortable poking fun at his music as he was with a little lampooning of his public persona.

This recording from a 1985 rehearsal with his band The Revolution, a beloved treasure known to hardcore Prince fans for years, has now publicly surfaced. While the entire rehearsal has been passed around in the form of various bootlegs, a particular gem now being focused on is a tongue-in-cheek version of “When Doves Cry”, during which he sings modified lyrics like “when doves scream” and “maybe I’m just like my fucking father” in a decidedly un-Princely nasal snarl.

There’s no doubt the track is from a Prince rehearsal due to the existence of the aforementioned complete rehearsal recording – as for the unrecognizable vocals, hardcore fans maintain it’s just another example of the late artist’s chameleon-like vocal abilities.

[h/t Dangerous Minds]