\n\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
Today (April 21) marks the 10th<\/sup> anniversary of Prince\u2019s death. Among the tributes saluting his enduring legacy are the Prince Estate\u2019s concurrent release of a previously unissued recording, \u201cWith This Tear.\u201d After penning the song, Prince gave the tender ballad to C\u00e9line Dion to record \u2014 which she did in 1992.<\/em><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tExplore\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tPrince\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Now Prince\u2019s own 1991 recorded version of \u201cTear,\u201d among the gems in his storied Paisley Park vault, has been newly mixed and mastered by his frequent collaborator, engineer-producer Chris James (Art Official Age, Plectrumelectrum) for NPG Records. The track showcases the Purple One\u2019s formidable skill set as a producer, arranger, composer, musician (he again handles all the instrumentation) and singer. His emotive, soaring tenor-to-falsetto vocals achingly relay his longing for a lost love.<\/em><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tViolent Soho Announce 2026 Australian Tour Following Four-Year Hiatus\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tPrince Estate Releases Unheard Version of ‘With This Tear’\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tJustin Bieber Lands Most Albums of His Career on Billboard 200, As Sabrina Carpenter & Karol G Also See Coachella Chart Bump\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Also in recognition of today\u2019s anniversary, this writer is taking another route down memory lane. This trip dates back to January 2013 when Prince granted <\/em>Billboard a face-to-face interview at Paisley Park. The occasion? A cover story (\u201cThe O Word\u201d) about his legacy, upcoming projects and perspectives on the current music industry tied to being named <\/em>Billboard\u2019s 2013 Icon honoree \u2014 along with unveiling Billboard\u2019s new redesign. Of course, Prince harbored his own ideas about how the interview would transpire \u2014 if at all. Revisiting that interview, accompanied by recollections that didn\u2019t make the published piece, here\u2019s a look back at a seeming mission impossible.<\/em><\/p>\n \n\t\u201cDoes he talk?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThat\u2019s the question I asked whenever I ran into someone who had worked with or around Prince. Up until my sit-down with him, I\u2019d only heard him speak \u2014 very briefly and barely above a whisper \u2014 during a couple of press conferences.<\/p>\n \n\tThe last press event I attended took place late in 2005 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hils. Prince was premiering the video for \u201cTe Amo Coraz\u00f3n\u201d from his upcoming album 3121, <\/em>with him also announcing a new deal with Universal Records. While waiting \u2026 and waiting \u2026 for him to appear, I left the press gathering in search of a restroom. At the same time, I spied Prince stepping out of a room down the hall \u2014 only to immediately dart back inside once he saw me. Then I remembered that us media reporters had been told Prince wouldn\u2019t make his grand entrance until everyone was seated in place.<\/p>\n \n\tSo imagine my surprise when I get a phone call from then-Billboard <\/em>editor Bill Werde on a Sunday afternoon saying I\u2019d been tapped to fly out the next morning to interview Prince. That Prince had nixed other suggested writers until my name was mentioned, along with the fact that I\u2019d earlier pitched the idea for a Billboard <\/em>story about Black media ownership \u2014 a subject very close to Prince\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n \n\tNaturally, I was thrilled to cross off a long hoped-for interview from my bucket list. But at the same time, my blood pressure ratcheted upward as I ran around town for the next several hours gathering interview prep items recommended by Prince\u2019s then-manager. Like driving to a nearby Blockbuster (remember those??) to rent and watch the film The Adjustment Bureau<\/em>. Then there was making last-minute arrangements to get my son to school the next day. And last, heeding an inner voice that had me dashing into Macy\u2019s for a pair of low-heeled boots to (1) stay warm in the icy cold I\u2019d encounter in Minneapolis and (2) make sure that given my 5\u2019 6\u201d height, I wouldn\u2019t tower over Prince.<\/p>\n \n\tDespite being sworn to the utmost secrecy by both sides, I still craved some advice on what to expect. So I called a trusted friend who\u2019d worked with Prince for years. The advice: \u201cDon\u2019t let him intimidate you. If you do, the interview\u2019s over.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn rereading this story, additional moments seared into my memory bank cropped up. Such as me furiously fan-girling inside when Prince, wearing that sly smile, offered his hand to help me walk to the top of the platform on which he and his female band were rehearsing. I\u2019m then seated less than five feet away from the guitar-strapped Purple One, who asks if there\u2019s a song that I\u2019d like him and the ladies to play. \u201cLet\u2019s Go Crazy,\u201d one of my all-time faves, came to mind. Then I landed on \u201cSexy M.F.,\u201d which I was blessed to watch him perform live at his Glam Slam West nightclub in the mid-\u201890s.<\/p>\n \n\tHowever, I caught myself. Because I just as suddenly recalled that Prince had since become a devout Jehovah\u2019s Witness. In relation to my friend\u2019s advice, I smiled and thought, \u201cMight this be a trick question that could end the interview before it begins?\u201d So I simply said, \u201cJust play anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBefore acceding to the interview, as the story relates, Prince still put me through my paces to \u201csee if we vibe first.\u201d With a piercing gaze, he asked questions about media ownership and the artistic freedom and power that comes with control of your own work (\u201cThose are the issues that a magazine like\u00a0Billboard<\/em>\u00a0needs to be writing about,\u201d he noted. \u201cBillboard<\/em>\u00a0needs to tell the truth, shake things up\u201d). My answers passed muster. But I think what really helped put me over the top was when Prince mentioned \u201870s progressive soul\/funk band Mandrill during another part of our prelim conversation. I told him the group\u2019s \u201cFencewalk\u201d (also covered by D\u2019Angelo) was a classic. \u201cYou know Mandrill?\u201d he queried as his eyes lit up.<\/p>\n \n\tHe deflected questions about being presented with the Billboard Icon award. \u201cIt\u2019s always nice to be recognized for what we\u2019ve done,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019m all about moving forward.\u201d For him that meant keeping in tune with next-gen talent. \u201cI don\u2019t talk to old people \u2026 \u00a0they try to find ways to stay static. Young folks are the ones with the ideas and constantly moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOver the course of three hours, I learned that Prince did talk, and had plenty to say when fired up. That his unparalleled creativity and innovation were matched by his savvy, innate business sense. Given his push for ownership, I\u2019d love to converse with him now about the current indie scene and the future of major labels. About the still-raging debate over fair compensation for songwriters in this streaming era. And what would he say about AI\u2019s encroaching presence? Although I only spent limited time with him, I think I can hazard a guess.<\/p>\n \n\tIf he was still here, would he have finally finished one of his passion projects: a documentary about bassist Larry Graham (Sly and the Family Stone; Graham Central Station)? What might his own plans entail in regard to unveiling the musical treasures in his infamous vault? And I wish Prince had made good on a post-interview offer to catch a jam session with him and the band at a local club that evening. He didn\u2019t call. What a cool memory that would have been.<\/p>\n \n\tBut I did come away with an ultimate memory: the opportunity to chat with a one-of-one generational talent. When the cover story was published, I panicked a bit because I didn\u2019t hear anything from Prince. Maybe I\u2019d made some mistakes while trying to remember everything he\u2019d said and done, since I wasn\u2019t allowed to record the interview or take notes. I even offered a compromise. If I could record the interview, I\u2019d transcribe the tape at Paisley Park and then give the recording to Prince to destroy it a la the TV series Mission: Impossible<\/em>. No.<\/p>\n \n\tThen almost a week later, I received a bouquet of pale purple roses bearing a card that read, \u201cUR pen Is like my guitar.\u201d Enough said.<\/p>\n : [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/rb-hip-hop\/revisiting-princes-cover-story-ur-pen-is-like-my-guitar-1236227236\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/498349288.jpg?w=1024″] Trending on Billboard Today (April 21) marks the 10th anniversary of Prince\u2019s death. Among the tributes saluting his enduring legacy are the Prince Estate\u2019s concurrent release of a previously unissued recording, \u201cWith This Tear.\u201d After penning the song, Prince gave the tender ballad to C\u00e9line Dion to record \u2014 which she did […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-1894394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1894394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1894394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1894394\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1894394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1894394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1894394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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