R&B legend Prince, whose hostility towards the internet is quite public, has finally allowed his storied Coachella 2008 rendition of Radiohead’s Creep to hit the web.
Few musicians have been more adamant about controlling music rights online than Prince. It’s nearly impossible to find Prince’s work on YouTube, and much of his back catalog isn’t available on Spotify. He even sued 22 bootleggers (at $1 million apiece) for posting his music online.
At first, Prince didn’t want his performance of the Radiohead hit Creep, originally released in 1992, to be publicly available. After fans posted videos of the performance online, it was quickly taken down by his record label NPG Records, according to Billboard. Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke was himself surprised at Prince’s refusal to post the video.
“Really? He’s blocked it?” Yorke asked when he found out that Prince took down the performance of his song. “Surely we should block it [rather than Prince]. Hang on a moment … Well, tell him to unblock it. It’s our … song.”
Seven years later, the 57 year-old Purple one apparently approves of the cover gracing YouTube.
PRINCE https://t.co/pltk41l7EH … LIVE pic.twitter.com/Fva6UAUqGM
— Prince3EG (@Prince3EG) December 8, 2015
As for the actual video, it’s a soulful, moving eight-minute take on the legendary alternative rock song. From his heartfelt singing of the lyrics to his masterful guitar work, it’s a shame that the Artist has been keeping this one under wraps from the public for so long.
Prince is widely considered one of the greatest artists of all time, and had a huge body of work. This year saw the release of Hit n Run, his 38th studio record, to mediocre reviews. You can listen to that record by streaming it on Tidal, but you won’t easily find songs from it on YouTube.
