In The Middle Of A Dream

Prince “Manic Monday”

The new Prince compilation Originals is another bit of wish-granting from the genies combing through the late songwriter’s vaults – a whole album full of his original recordings of songs he gave away to his various protégées and associates. It’s very exciting to hear him sing classics like “The Glamorous Life,” “Nothing Compares 2 U,” “Jungle Love,” and “Manic Monday,” but it’s immediately apparent upon hearing all of them why he decided to give them to other singers. You can hear him not feeling quite comfortable singing them, like he can tell he’s written something that’s not meant for his particular voice.

“Manic Monday” is a particularly good example of this. The song was originally slated to become a duet with Apollonia for an Apollonia 6 record, but he waited until 1986 to pass it along to The Bangles, who made it a hit. Prince selected The Bangles based on his love of their minor hit “Hero Takes A Fall” and offered the song to them, confident that they could do the song justice. Contrasting his original with their version shows that his instincts were correct. Their particular blend of glossy pop and neo-60s psychedelia matched the vibe of the instrumental, and Susanna Hoffs’ voice was just plaintive enough to convey wistfulness and ennui, but not an overbearing sadness. Prince sings this demo a bit too long to give himself much room to be very expressive, and the tempo is a bit plodding compared to the much zippier arrangement by The Bangles. The song itself is impeccable, but you can hear him be a little frustrated by it. I find this interesting just as a document of artistic humility – he probably did want to keep an obvious hit like this for himself, but was aware of his own limitations and wasn’t afraid to let someone else shine on it.

Buy it from Amazon.