The unreleased track was reportedly recorded at some point during the fall of 1983 at his Kiowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
- Sep 14, 2018
AceShowbiz - Prince's estate has released another unreleased demo ahead of the release of the late singer's posthumous album "Piano and a Microphone 1983". "Why the Butterflies" was unearthed on September 13 and is one of the three songs on the effort that have never been issued in any form.
The six-and-a-half-minute delicate ballad kicks off with Prince showcasing his raw vocals over piano melodies. It's clear that Prince was still figuring out the exact structure of the song as he kept repeating the word "Mama" on the recording. Despite that, his piano play and exploratory vocal passages are still worth listening to.
According to Prince's vault, the track was recorded at some point during the fall of 1983 at the late singer's Kiowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The song was a part of his solo rehearsal session. It remains unclear whether the song was meant to be included in "Purple Rain", which was recorded between August 1983 and March 1984.
The release of "Why the Butterflies" follows "Mary Don't You Weep", which appeared in Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansman", and a demo version of "When Doves Cry" B-side, "17 Days". The other previously unreleased tracks which will be included in the album are "Wednesday" and "Cold Coffee & Cocaine".
"Piano and a Microphone 1983" is scheduled to hit the stores on September 21. A deluxe edition of the album will come with a booklet featuring new liner notes from Prince's then-engineer Don Batts. It will also include never-before-seen images of Prince.
Besides the upcoming posthumous album, Prince's estate has teamed up with Jay-Z's Tidal to release another new album of previously unreleased music by the "Purple Rain" singer. The exact release date has yet to be announced, but it is expected to arrive sometime in 2019.
