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After his death in 2016, Prince left behind an enviable archive of thousands of unreleased songs, most of which will likely never see the light of day. While the late musician’s estate has released several pieces from this collection over the years, there is one recording that Paul McCartney hopes will finally be released: a cover Prince recorded of the Beatles’ “Let It Be” single – “The Long and Winding Road”.
“I was dating a guy a few years ago, so Prince was dead by then, and he asked me, ‘Have you heard Prince play ‘Long and Winding Road’?'” McCartney told BBC Radio 2’s Tracks of My Years. “I said, ‘Well, that’s one of my songs. I don’t think he’s ever played it.’ He said, ‘Yes, he did. At a rehearsal. He was rehearsing him for something.’ Then he said, ‘I’ll send it to you if you want.’ He sent it to me and it’s really great.”
According to McCartney, the man was Prince’s personal photographer. He described the recording as “kind of rocky” and added: “He plays the guitar really well on it.” McCartney brought up the idea of asking the musician’s estate what would be possible with the hidden recording. “I could turn this into something really great,” he said.
McCartney on Prince’s talent
Although the two didn’t know each other particularly well, McCartney recognized Prince as an undeniably exceptional talent. “He cares a lot [Jimi] Copied from Hendrix, but he was a great player. When you watch him play, he has that style. Bow! There’s just something about it. “You can tell he knows this instrument,” McCartney said, adding, “He’s a special person. It’s so sad – all of a sudden he’s just gone, and it always makes me wish I’d known him better and could just say, ‘Hey, man, come on. What’s going on?’ It’s such a shame because there was so much talent.”
Last month, the Prince estate released the single “With This Tear” from a previously unreleased album project. More music from his archive is scheduled to be released later this year.
