every so often i’ll come across a song which absorbs me into its sphere in a unique way.

a way where the rest of the world could cease to exist and it wouldn’t matter because that one song is so perfect it fades all the deadlines, the overdrafts, the bills, the chores, the coughs and sniffles into the background in a haze of quixosis.

sometimes its about a little bit of a track, sometimes a particular lyric and sometimes just the whole package.

maybe since i’m in the very last few days of my twenties i’m feeling over sentimental - and heaven knows i’m prone to bouts of boundless romanticism at the best of times but add all of those elements to the fact that i love a good cover version; that this one’s by prince; that its of a joni mitchell track, well - it has my heart melting all over the place and sparks those big doe-eyes and sappy smile i’m wearing with increasing frequency.

dropping nearly a full minute (and chopping up lyrics) from the original, which appears on classic record collection staple, blue this is so short and sweet i keep having to go back and listening all over again (though i’m beginning to have my suspicions that this isn’t the full version). there are surprising comparisons to be made between prince and mitchell’s vocal styles and in retrospect it comes as little surprise to learn that prince was a teenaged joni fan. his prodigious, polyglottal musical talent lends itself the relatively pared down, soulful production, replacing the original’s guitar with piano, and sending it off into an old school jazz ballad of indescribable prince-ness (notice how reserved i’m being about spouting off about mr rogers nelson… i’m more than aware i’m on foreign territory here with someone who is fluent in the language and culture) its part of a joni mitchell tribute album out next month.

this ones for you.

prince - a case of you