Culture
Hear Prince’s Acoustic ‘I Feel For You’ Demo, Fresh From The Vault
By: Stephen Thompson I NPR
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In 1984, Chaka Khan enjoyed a career-revitalizing smash with “I Feel for You,” a spangly, funky, Grammy-winning R&B crossover that featured a harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder and a guest rap from Melle Mel. The track had already been covered on records by The Pointer Sisters and Rebbie Jackson, as well as Prince‘s self-titled second album, but Khan’s version is the one that became a classic. Before any of those versions, though, the song existed only as an unreleased acoustic demo by Prince, who was just 20 at the time.
Friday morning, the late icon’s estate dropped Prince’s demo as a surprise release, available via streaming services and as the A-side of a 7″ single. (Prince’s original studio recording is the B-side.) The spare demo, which captures the singer and his acoustic guitar back in the winter of 1978-79, turned up on a cassette in Prince’s massive recorded archives, which promise to yield treasures such as this one for many years to come.
“I Feel for You” is available on 7″ for a limited time via Prince’s website.
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