Watch D’Angelo cover Prince on the ‘Tonight Show’
Of all the Prince tributes of the last few days, perhaps no one nailed the job better than D’Angelo.
The singer and arranger took to the “Tonight Show” on Tuesday to cover Prince’s “Sometimes It Snows in April,” an immaculate ballad selection brimming with new poignancy around Prince’s death.
Ringed in purple light, D’Angelo performed a piano rendition of the tune, a deeper-catalog cut that he played with unmatched tenderness and emotion. He updated the song’s lyrics to reflect the unexpected loss of its original singer: “I often dream of heaven / I know that Prince is there.”
He was flanked by two fellow Prince acolytes -- Maya Rudolph and Gretchen Lieberum of the band Princess, who are famous for their own Prince covers.
“Tonight” bandleader Questlove was especially moved: “i wanna thank @FallonTonight staff for letting that happen. us fans are hurting because we didn’t have a ‘goodbye’ or a chance to mourn,” he wrote on Twitter.”
As more time follows Prince’s death, expect almost all of American musical life to be full of tributes like this. While Coachella had plenty of covers, Prince’s influence was wide and immeasurable -- and we’re all the better for getting to hear more of them.
Follow @AugustBrown for breaking music news.
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