Neon Indian, with the help of some friends such as Holy Ghost!, Kristin Kontrol, Ejecta, Xenia Rubbings, Adeline from Escort, Hannah Cohen, and Midnight Magic, has paid tribute to Prince by covering the purple one’s 1985 single “Pop Life”. The video (below) is a collaboration of the artists, led by Neon Indian’s Alan Palomo, who provided vocals to the tribute.
The video was produced and co-directed by Palomo and Jim Larson. The cover doesn’t stray too far from the spirit of the original, with Palomo channeling Prince’s timbre and keeping his version’s melody in tact. The clip will be immediately recognizable to anyone who is familiar with “Pop Life”.
The video is obviously not the first Prince dedication since the legend’s death. Many of our favorite artists have paid tribute to Prince through song, artwork, and eulogy. This weekend at the Billboard Music Awards, Madonna took on “Nothing Compares 2U” and later brought Stevie Wonder on stage to perform “Purple Rain” together. The performance faced criticism from a number of irked social media dwellers. Check out the performance below and judge for yourself.
Questlove, who introduced the performance, took to social media to defend Madonna and Wonder.
Every Prince rendition will not be a life changing orgasmic xperience. Just to SING his work is brave enough. Again feeling are on high
— Questlove Gomez (@questlove) May 23, 2016
And EVERYBODY wants and deserves a chance to say goodbye in their own way. But remember: there will be AMAs, SoulTrain, NAACP, mtv, GRAMMYS
— Questlove Gomez (@questlove) May 23, 2016
And a gazillion other tributes. But the point is let’s not get ugly w playing the “Prince would and wouldn’t approve” game.
— Questlove Gomez (@questlove) May 23, 2016
Disappointed fans can look ahead to the prospect of more satisfying performances – the AMA’s, Soul Train Music Awards, and Grammy’s have yet had the opportunity to pay tribute to the singer so often recognized by the institutions for his music and socially disruptive personality.