Nothing Compares 2 U

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Nothing Compares 2 U

from the album The Family from the album The Hits 1 Song details Performer: The Family; Prince and the New Power Generation First Released: 19 August, 1985 - The Family (The Family version) 14 September, 1993 - The Hits 1 (Prince and the New Power Generation version) Album(s): The Family The Hits 1 The Hits / The B-Sides One Nite Alone... Live! Writer(s): Prince Producer(s): Prince (credited to David Z. Rivkin and The Family); Prince Live Appearances First and last live appearance: 13 August, 1985, First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA (first performance by The Family) 30 April, 1990, Rupert's, Golden Valley, MN, USA (first performance by Prince) Performed regularly on tour: Nude Tour Diamonds And Pearls Tour Act II (as part of medley) New Power Soul Tour New Power Soul Festival Tour Hit N Run Tour A Celebration One Nite Alone... Tour World Tour 2003 Musicology Live 2004ever Per4ming Live 3121 21 Nights In London : The Earth Tour Prince 20TEN Tour Welcome 2 Canada Tour Welcome 2 Australia Tour Hit And Run Part II Performed occasionally in shows: 1990, 1991, 1992, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Nothing Compares 2 U is the sixth track on The Family's first and only album The Family. Prince wrote seven of the eight songs on the album, but Nothing Compares 2 U is the only track for which Prince takes official credit. After becoming a worldwide number one single when covered by Irish singer Sinead O'Connor, Prince began playing the song live, and in 1993, he released a live version (sharing lead vocals with Rosie Gaines) as the eleventh track (one of two new tracks) on The Hits 1. He has played it live consistently since 1990, and in 2002, released another live version as the twelfth track on the second disc of his first live album, One Nite Alone... Live! (along with Xenophobia, Extraordinary, Avalanche, Family Name, Raspberry Beret, The Everlasting Now, Wanna B Ur Lover, Diamonds & Pearls, The Beautiful Ones and How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore from the same show). Prince's own studio version remains unreleased, however. Initial tracking for Prince's original version took place on 18 July, 1984 at the Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse, Eden Prairie (the same day Let's Go Crazy was released as a single). St. Paul Peterson and Susannah Melvoin overdubbed vocals onto the track in late 1984 - early 1985, and Clare Fischer added orchestral overdubs during the same period. Prince was inspired to write the song about Sandy Scipioni, his personal assistant in 1980, who had to leave suddenly after her father's death (Prince and Scipioni were not in a romantic relationship, however). Recording Information Recording Sessions Date Studio Additional info 18 July, 1984 Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse, Eden Prairie, MN, USA Initial tracking Late 1984 - early 1985 Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse, Eden Prairie, MN, USA Vocal overdubs by St. Paul Peterson Late 1984 - early 1985 Unverified studio, CA, USA Orchestral overdubs Recording Personnel The Family version St. Paul Peterson - vocals Susannah Melvoin - vocals Prince - all instruments, except where noted (uncredited) Eric Leeds - saxophone Clare Fischer - string orchestration Jellybean Johnson - credited, but did not contribute Jerome Benton - credited, but did not contribute Miko Weaver - credited, but did not contribute Prince and the New Power Generation version Prince - all vocals and instruments, except where noted Rosie Gaines - co-lead vocals, keyboards Michael B. - drums Sonny T. - bass guitar Levi Seacer, Jr. - guitar Brian Gallagher - saxophone Kathy Jensen - baritone saxophone Unreleased version Prince - all vocals and instruments, except where noted Eric Leeds - saxophone Versions Released Versions Title Length Released Version Additional info Nothing Compares 2 U 4:31 The Family Studio The Family version Nothing Compares 2 U 4:57 The Hits 1 The Hits / The B-Sides Nothing Compares 2 U promo Live Prince and the New Power Generation version; 27 January, 1992 (am), Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA Nothing Compares 2 U 4:17 Peach single Nothing Compares 2 U promo Live edit Prince and the New Power Generation version; edit of version above Nothing Compares 2 U 3:47 One Nite Alone... Live! Live 30 April, 2002, Portland Center for the Perf. Arts - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR, USA Video Versions Title Length Released Version Additional info Nothing Compares 2 U 5:03 Promotional release only Live promo video 27 January, 1992 (am), Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA intercut with footage from past videos; see Nothing Compares 2 U for details Nothing Compares 2 U T.B.C. Rave Un2 The Year 2000 VHS/DVD Live 18 December, 1999, Paisley Park, Chanhassen, MN, USA Broadcasts/streaming (only) Title Length Released Version Additional info Nothing Compares 2 U T.B.C. Live concert radio broadcast Live 22 July, 1990, Estadio Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain Nothing Compares 2 U T.B.C. Delayed concert TV broadcast Live 29 July, 1990, Estadio Santa María del Mar, La Coruña, Spain Nothing Compares 2 U T.B.C. Delayed performance TV broadcast Live 2 March, 2004, The Ellen Degeneres Show, NBC Studios, Burbank, CA, USA Nothing Compares 2 U T.B.C. iHeartRadio Music Festival video stream Live 22 September, 2012, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV, USA; guesting with Mary J. Blige Nothing Compares 2 U T.B.C. iHeartRadio Music Festival TV broadcast Live 22 September, 2012, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV, USA; guesting with Mary J. Blige; same performance as above with different camera angles and editing Nothing Compares 2 U T.B.C. Live concert online stream Live 10 May, 2015, Baltimore, MN, USA, Royal Farms Arena Unreleased Versions Title Version Additional Info Nothing Compares 2 U Studio Prince's original studio version Nothing Compares 2 U Alternate mix Alternate mix of The Family's version, with stronger synth element

Additional Information See also Trivia The Family album The Family The Hits 1 album Nothing Compares 2 U promo Nothing Compares 2 U video References The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince (2004)

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