Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,
It's time for the May 1, 2016, Battle of the Bands.
Mr. Stephen T. McCarthy provides us with this information about the bloghop:
The whole thing is really quite simple: You select two different versions of the same song (versions you feel might give each other some competition in the voting) and you post them on the 1st and the 15th of each month. On the 7th and 21st of each month, you add your own personal vote to the mix, total up all the votes and announce the winner on your blog.
Beyond that, just try to have fun with it and let your readers/voters have fun with it.
Much later, Prince performed the song live with Rosie Gaines, and released it on a compilation album in 1993. He also recorded a solo version and released it in 2002.
It's not easy to find videos of Prince. The best I could do was this version of Nothing Compares 2 U sung by His Royal Purpleness, with Mary J. Blige:
Mary J. Blige & Prince - Nothing Compares 2 U... by FerrellSouza
Nothing Compares 2 U is better remembered as a one-hit wonder by Irish singer, Sinéad O'Connor.
Her version became a huge hit in 1990. Every time my son and I see the video, one of us says, Oh, God, I love this song, while the other agrees.
Your task is to decide if you prefer the composer of the song, Prince, as he sings it with Mary J. Blige, or the killer hit by Sinéad O'Connor. Please vote in your comment. If possible, tell us the reason behind your vote.
I'll announce the winner on May 7. It's been almost one year since someone took her love away from me, and nothing compares to her.
Try not to cry. It's a song to break your heart.
Infinities of love,
Janie Junebug
I hope you'll also visit these participants in the bloghop.
- Far Away Series
- Stephen T. McCarthy’s Battle of the Bands Blog
- Tossing it Out
- Mike’s Ramblings
- Curious as a Cathy
- The Sound of One Hand Typing
- dcrelief ~ Battle of the Bands
- Shady Dell Music & Memories
- Cherdo on the Flipside
- THE DOGLADY’S DEN
- Jingle Jangle Jungle
- Janie Junebug Righting and Editing
- J.A. Scott
- Holli’s Hoots and Hollers
- Quiet Laughter
- Your Daily Dose
- ReInvintaged
- Evil Pop Tart
Coincidence or some kind of vibes you were receiving? Either way it's strange.
ReplyDeleteI was never much of an O'Connor fan and never cared that much for her version of this song.
My vote definitely goes to Blige and his Purpleness. More soul and more depth. Sinead goes on forever with her draggy version.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
I also wrote a post about Pat Conroy and learned the next day that he had died recently. If I write about you, be prepared to meet your maker.
DeletePlease don't write about me if that's the case. Or then again if you write about someone using their pseudonym does the real person die?
DeleteI don't know. Shall we try it out?
DeleteGuess I don't want to take any chances. But then again I don't mind the promotion--and I don't mean a promotion to a life beyond this one, not yet at least.
DeleteI'll keep you alive until you say the word.
DeleteI had never heard Prince sing it. Never heard the song before. Of these two versions Sinéad O'Connor won for me hands down because I could understand the words (after I got used to the reverb--LOL!). Musically, I missed a lot of the 80s rock because I was living with a country musician in Wisconsin where there were no rock stations on the radio except oldies stations. ;)
ReplyDeleteI missed almost everything during the eighties because my son was born in 1980, and my daughter was born in 1986. I spent my pregnancies throwing up, and then breastfed babies and changed diapers.
DeleteHow can I not vote for Prince? That would be like spitting on his fresh grave. Then again, he did give the song away himself initially, so my point is nullified. Well, I still vote for Prince because I don't want to be haunted by his teeny tiny purple ghost.
ReplyDeleteWlly Dunne Wooters thought Prince was 5'6". Only with his high heels.
DeleteI'll need to listen to these a few more times before I decide.
ReplyDeleteJanie, a good battle, and I want to combine the two versions. Sinead is so soulful but I'm drawn to the energy of Mary J. & Prince. Love, love his guitar solo. Though I'll probably be in the minority here, give my vote to Mary J. Blige & Prince. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteNo one can beat Prince on the guitar, but Sinead's version haunts me.
DeleteAlthough I enjoyed Prince & Mary J. Blige doing the song, nothing compares to Sinead O'Connor. She gets my vote!
ReplyDeleteGood battle. I know how hard it is to find Prince videos to embed! I had to get some foreign links to do my Prince post during last year's A-Z.
Michele at Angels Bark
I had to use Prince with Mary J. Blige because the video I found of him with Rosie Gaines had the audio removed.
DeleteOh no...give me baldy, I mean, Sinead O' Connor over Prince and Mary J Blige any day. I know he wrote it but I am not one for Blige at all and it was hard to even pick out the melody. To me it sounded like a mess where Sinead just sang it like a weepy angel...with issues.
ReplyDeleteI think O'Connor is one of the few women who can get away with the lack of hair.
DeleteI didn't realize until after falling in love with Sinead that this was Prince's song. There certainly is something special about his singing it as well, although I am not brought to tears with that one usually. Hmmm...tough call
ReplyDeleteMy son told me that it was Prince's song. I had no idea.
DeletePrince. Always Prince.
ReplyDeleteOkay. Always okay.
DeleteNever been a big fan of Sinead O'Connor, and needless to say, her version is way too morose for my taste. Give me Prince and Mary J. up there having fun and belting their hearts out.
ReplyDeletePrince would thank you if he were here. I don't think Mary cares how you vote.
DeleteKnowing this was a Prince song should make me lean that way but Sinead O'Connor's version is tops with me. I love everything about it: the haunting video, her emotion, the way the video draws you...love it. I wish all videos were that good.
ReplyDeleteFranklin and Penelope could do a dog version of this song and I'd sing along. WDW could to the "ah ah ah ah" stuff in the background and then you could do a breakaway solo spot. Deal?
Love ya!
Deal. Maybe Franklin and Penelope could change the words to nothing compares to a chew.
DeleteWhere did my comment go? Did I end up in spam?
ReplyDeleteOH well, I voted for the version by Prince and Blige if my comment got lost.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
Never mind--I see my comment popped up while I was bitchin' and moanin'.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy bitching and moaning. Feel free to bitch and moan all you want.
DeleteI like the Prince version better. It has amore organic, truer emotional feel to it. I do think Sinead's version is haunting and beautiful, but it feels contrived
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's contrived because it's a video, while Prince and Mary performed live.
DeleteIt's an interesting co-incidence, isn't it? Also, were you aware Mike was doing the same song? Or is that a coincidence too?
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I will give my vote to Sinead O'conner. She performs it well. The one with Prince, I feel was too much hoopla and the song took a back seat to the duet and their performance. Which was good!!! And there is nothing wrong with that. So I'm basing my vote solely on the song.
I promise you that Mike and I did not collude when we prepared our posts. I haven't visited his blog yet.
DeleteWhile I do love a good Prince song, I have always been in love with Sinead O'Connor's version of this song. Please give my vote to her.
ReplyDeleteMary
Battle of the Bands: Plant vs Plant
Miss O'Connor thanks you and promises not to tear up photos of you on Saturday Night Live.
DeleteHowdy Janie,
ReplyDeleteI wasn't a Prince fan, so I don't know this song. I'm going to give my vote to Sinead O'Connor. I'm not sure what it is I liked about her version, other than Cherdo pointed out that it has a haunting quality to it and that may be why it pulls me. Interesting battle. So, glad to have you back!
Thank you. I'm glad to be back--I think. I find O'Connor's video haunting, too.
DeleteWe used the same song! Oh well we did use different versions. O'Conner gets my vote.
ReplyDeleteGreat minds . . .
DeleteI know Prince wrote this song, and my vote may be one of familiarity, but IMO Sinead Owns this one. Owns it I say.
ReplyDeleteAgreed I say.
DeleteI don't know if I can weigh in on this one. I love both so much. I grew up listening to the Sinéad O'Connor version. She has a lot of sadness in her voice that seems to match the lyrics. Mary J. Blige has a lot of soul in her voice. They are both great!
ReplyDeleteI heart Prince so much! I hope some of those things in his vault get released.
It's sad when people leave us so young. Fifty-seven seems very young to me because that's how old I am.
DeleteI really don't like either of these that much. I seem to be saying that a lot lately... anyway, I vote for Sinead.
ReplyDeleteShe thanks you.
DeleteI never heard this song before, and the first video would not play for me. I found it, however, at another site and listened to it there.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'll vote for Mary and Superfly, one of the greatest artists TO EVER WALK THIS EARTH!!! (Sheesh! Superhype for Superfly.)
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'
Mary and Superfly appreciate your love.
Delete