Prince’s favourite song ever is a ‘masterpiece’ he became ‘obsessed’ with. (Image: Getty)
is remembered as one of the greatest artists of all time, with a glittering career that spans four decades and an enduring influence on the music industry today.
While Prince’s legacy has influenced many great artists, including Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and Bruno Mars, Prince himself drew inspiration from a wide variety of performers, with one, in particular, lasting up until his death in 2016.
His love for began when he was a teenager, having attended one of her concerts in his home state, Minnesota.
The Purple Rain hitmaker would even send the folk legend fan mail and was known to play her music as a warm-up before his concerts.
One song in particular struck a chord with Prince; A Case of You, from Joni’s 1971 album, Blue.
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Prince was a lifelong fan of Joni Mitchell. (Image: Getty)
Prince loved the song so much that he covered it for his 2002 album, One Nite Alone. He performed it during his tours from 1983 until his penultimate show in 2016, just two weeks before his death from an accidental drug overdose.
According to reports at the time, Prince disappeared off stage following his rendition of A Case of You and told the audience when he returned: “Sometimes I forget how emotional these songs can be.”
Prince often spoke of his admiration of Joni, also crediting her 1975 album Hissing of Summer Lawns as “the last album I loved all the way through”.
He said in 2004: “I love all of Joni’s music. [I cover her songs] just to keep her name out there. Joni’s music should be taught in school, if just from a literature standpoint.”
Prince performed Joni’s track until his death in 2016. (Image: Getty)
Joni reciprocated Prince’s adoration and spoke fondly of him until his death. She described him as “the most amazing performer I have ever witnessed” and reminisced about his “distinctive eyes”.
Prince even wrote a song in 1986 with the idea that Joni might sing it. However, the Both Sides Now singer politely declined due to the track’s risqué lyrics.
She told the Auckland Sun in 1988: “He implied that something would happen between our two musics. Something that he had never done before. That whet my curiosity…
“He sent a song with him singing ‘Emotional pump, you’re my emotional pump, You make my body jump.’ I called him back and said that I could not do the song.”
In another interview with Stranger in Australia, she explained that she told Prince: “‘I can’t sing this, I’d have to jump around in a black teddy. You think I should be jumping around in a black teddy?’ He said, ‘Oh Joni, we don’t do that anymore!'”