So having got one of the two big Prince songs where the cover version is better known than the original, we should probably do the other one next.
I think this is the only one that I would concede to liking more than the Prince version. That’s okay, we can say that, even with the horrible circumstances under which I’ve come to post it. He wrote it, after all, it’s still a Prince song. And anyway, it’s got Melle Mel and Stevie Wonder on it so it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that it’s ace.
That came out in 1984, which was the year that Prince went absolutely massive, with this and his “Purple Rain” movie being released, along with the amazing soundtrack and great singles from it too.
But not only that, another version of “I Feel For You” was released in the same year:
Rebbie Jackson – I Feel For You
But, strangely enough, neither version was the first cover of the song.
In 1982, The Pointer Sisters did a version on their “So Excited!” album:
The Pointer Sisters – I Feel For You
However, they missed a trick by failing to release it as a single, plumping instead for the title track, which itself didn’t become a hit until it was re-released on the back of the trio’s “Neutron Dance” inclusion on the soundtrack to “Beverley Hills Cop” in, you guessed it, 1984.
Judging by the sleeve, they spent the two years in between playing “Pull My Finger”.
But the cover versions of “I Feel For You” don’t stop there. This, from 2006:
Xantone Blacq – I Feel For You
and even more recently, from 2015, this:
Gavin Turek Feat. Caught A Ghost – I Feel For You
Gavin Turek is a singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Yes, I would have put money on it being the bloke in the background with the guitar, but there you have it.
By the way, as far as I can make out, that’s never had a formal release so there you go, don’t say I never give you anything.
But to conclude, here’s the original, from his second album:
That’s yer lot. Count yourself lucky I couldn’t source a version of The Flying Pickets’ cover.
Oh, in case you were wondering, unless there’s any more shock celebrity deaths next week – a possibility we can’t really rule out, the way 2016 has gone so far. Has anyone checked to see how Bob Dylan is recently? – Friday Night Music Club will return from it’s hiatus next week.
More soon.
A History of Dubious Taste 