‘Nothing Compares 2 U’: Radio Stations Pay Tribute To Prince Through Simulcast


Another tribute to Prince will be happening on Wednesday, May 4, at exactly 5:07 p.m. CT (6:07 ET/3:07 PT).

According to Billboard, several radio stations will simultaneously play Prince’s song “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Prince passed away on April 21 at the age of 57, and May 4 marks the 13th day of his passing. The song “Nothing Compares 2 U” starts with the line, “It’s been seven hours and 13 days,” and the time of the simulcast tribute references the line.

“Nothing Compares 2 U” was composed and written by Prince for a band he formed called The Family. The song appeared in the band’s self-titled album, which was released in 1985. The song was not released as a single and received very little recognition. Prince, however, released a recording of a live duet of the song he did with Rosie Gaines. The track was included in Prince’s The Hits/The B-Sides and in The Hits 1. Another Prince version was included in One Nite Alone… Live! and Rave Un2 the Year 2000.

In 1990, the song was made popular by singer Sinead O’Connor, and it was included in her second studio album entitled I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. In O’Connor’s version, the first line was changed to “It’s been seven hours and 15 days.”

According to Sinead O’Connor, she didn’t really have a relationship with the late singer. In an interview in 2014, she stated that she only got to meet Prince a couple of times and they “didn’t get along at all.”

“He summoned me to his house after ‘Nothing Compares 2 U.’ I made it without him. I’d never met him. He summoned me to his house–and it’s foolish to do this to an Irish woman–he said he didn’t like me saying bad words in interviews. So I told him to f**k off.”

The Prince tribute, as reported by Star Tribune, is arranged by Minnesota radio station KCMP 89.3 The Current, who called for other radio stations in the country to play “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Radio stations from Texas, New York, Philadelphia, and Seattle have already agreed to the tribute. Here is the list of radio stations participating in the Prince tribute.

  • WXPN (Philadelphia)
  • KEXP (Seattle)
  • WFUV (New York)
  • KLLC (San Francisco)
  • KCMP (Minneapolis)

KCMP’s program director, Jim McGuinn, said that playing Prince’s song simultaneously across the country will be “a wonderful way to honor his legacy.”

“I think the shocking suddenness to Prince’s passing and at such a young age have combined to throw the entire world for a loop. Like [David] Bowie, Prince’s music made us all more alive, more accepting, more open to being able to express who we are.

“But, like no artist in our lifetimes, Prince united people with his music. Black, white, young, old, rich, poor, he cut across all boundaries with music that touched on rock, funk, soul, pop, R&B, new wave and jazz, and the world responded.”

In addition to tuning into the radio stations and listening to “Nothing Compares 2 U,” KCMP is encouraging Prince’s fans to take clips of themselves singing to the tune and upload them to their social media accounts with the hashtag #NothingCompares2U, as Entertainment Weekly reports.

McGuinn added the following.

“We just wanted to honor the man we called our friend, and the music we all love, and thought that maybe we might be able to get radio stations all over the world to share this moment with fans who are missing this great artist.”

Over the years, other artists have covered “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Listen to some of their versions of the song below.

Chris Cornell

Rod Stewart and Mary J. Blige

Stereophonics

[Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images]

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