Prince was famously not a fan of covers of his own work. But after Madonnaand Stevie Wonder’s widely pilloried tribute performance at the Billboard Music Awards, it may be time to reassess what it means to “pay tribute” to a dead artist (particularly at televised awards shows) and whether or not it’s always a good idea.
Questlove, who introduced the collaborative performance, had to take to social media to defend the performance -- but even he had to admit it was not really up to Prince’s own standards.
“So I know there is gonna be ALOT of “feel a certain ways” about who you want to see do his music justice -- but you gotta put that aside yall,” he wrote. “Now anger is in the air w who (in our eyes) is allowed to mourn & how they are allowed to mourn.”
“Every Prince rendition will not be a life changing orgasmic xperience. Just to SING his work is brave enough.... But the point is let’s not get ugly w playing the ‘Prince would and wouldn’t approve’ game.”
BET got into the fracas with a deliciously snide promo, ribbing the performance with a video from the network’s own upcoming Prince tribute and a caption reading “Yeah, we saw that. Don’t Worry. We Got You.”
Madonna and Prince had an on-again, off-again feuding-friendship for years, stretching back to the time they dated just before their “Love Song” collaboration. Prince had remarked in a 2013 Billboard interview that “she was getting paid, but at the time, we were selling more records and selling out concerts on multiple nights.”
Many fans wondered about the appropriateness of her paying musical tribute so soon after Prince’s death (Stevie Wonder’s performance was less controversial, but dueting with Madonna made for a bit of a clash).
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Justin Bieber, Kesha, center, and Rihanna were among those who performed at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards held in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena.
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Madonna performs a tribute to Prince during the 2016 Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Arena.
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Stevie Wonder and Madonna perform a tribute to Prince.
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Musician/TV personality Questlove speaks about Prince.
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Rihanna accepts the Billboard Chart Achievement Award.
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Ariana Grande performs with dancers watching.
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Ariana Grande performs.
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Celine Dion performs “The Show Must Go On.”
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Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani perform “Go Ahead and Break My Heart” at the Billboard Music Awards.
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Recording artist Rihanna performs onstage.
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Demi Lovato performs “Cool For The Summer” at the Billboard Music Awards.
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Justin Bieber accepts the award for top male artist.
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Recording artists Zendaya and Wiz Khalifa speak onstage.
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Ben Folds, left, and Kesha perform “It Ain’t Me Babe” at the Billboard Music Awards.
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Serayah
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Joe Jonas of DNCE performs during the 2016 Billboard Music Awards.
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JinJoo Lee, left, Joe Jonas and Cole Whittle of DNCE perform “Cake by the Ocean” at the Billboard Music Awards.
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Actress Kate Beckinsale
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Kesha, left, Steven Tyler and Megan Trainor at the Billboard Music Awards.
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Co-hosts Ciara and Ludacris speak onstage during the 2016 Billboard Music Awards.
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Meghan Trainor performs “No” at the Billboard Music Awards at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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Ally Brooke, left, Dinah-Jane Hansen, Camila Cabello, Lauren Jauregui and Normani Hamilton of Fifth Harmony.
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Justin Bieber and producer Skrillex have been sued over the hook for their single “Sorry.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
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Recording artist Pink.
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Singer Pink, suspended in the air as she often is in her performances, performs onstage during the 2016 Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Arena.
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Recording artist Britney Spears opens the 2016 Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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Britney Spears brings a cadre of dancers onstage at th Billboard Music Awards.
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Wiz Khalifa accepts the award for top 100 song for “See You Again” at the Billboard Music Awards at the T-Mobile Arena.
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Recording artist Shawn Mendes performs onstage.
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Priyaka Chopra, co-hosts Ludacris and Ciara, and Laverne Cox
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Actresses Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn and Mila Kunis attend the 2016 Billboard Music Awards.
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Rihanna, Nick Jonas and Ariana Grande.
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Singer Britney Spears attends the 2016 Billboard Music Awards at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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Seal arrives at the Billboard Music Awards at the T-Mobile Arena.
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Recording artists Abby Travis, left, Gina Schock, Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey of music group the Go-Go’s.
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Singer-songwriter Rachel Platten, left pre-show co-host Laura Marano and TV personality Sibley Scoles.
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Ally Brooke,left, Normani Hamilton, Dinah-Jane Hansen, Lauren Jauregui and Camila Cabello of Fifth Harmony arrive at the Billboard Music Awards.
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Halsey
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Pre-show co-host AJ Gibson.
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Recording artists Jack Lawless, left, JinJoo Lee, Joe Jonas and Cole Whittle of music group DNCE attend the 2016 Billboard Music Awards.
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Actress Liz Hernandez attends the 2016 Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Arena.
(David Becker / Getty Images) Either way, in the rush to use TV awards platforms to honor dead artists, this may finally be the moment that producers have to take a second look to make sure their tributes don’t veer into kitsch. As Questlove also noted, “EVERYBODY wants and deserves a chance to say goodbye in their own way. But remember: there will be AMAs, SoulTrain, NAACP, mtv, GRAMMYS.”
But if anything, Prince’s career was defined by technical brilliance and intentional statements of purpose. He’d be the last guy to endorse a slapdash covers night of his work - and maybe event promoters should be on guard for the same.
Follow @AugustBrown for breaking music news.
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