Stations will play the hit "7 hours and 13 days" after his passing.
The opening line from one of Prince's most beloved songs has sparked a tribute to the late icon, set to air on radio stations worldwide tomorrow (May 4).
KCMP (89.3 The Current) Minneapolis has invited stations to fete the legendary Minneapolis native by joining in a simulcast of Prince's version of "Nothing Compares 2 U," which he wrote in the mid-1980s and which Sinead O'Connor took to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in 1990; Prince's version reached No. 62 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 1994.
KCMP, and others, will air Prince's recording of "Nothing" at exactly 5:07 p.m. CT (6:07 ET/3:07 PT) tomorrow. Why that moment? It marks "7 hours and 13 days" since Prince's April 21 passing, referencing the song's famous opening lyric. "It's been 7 hours and 13 days, since you took your love away," Prince's version begins. "I go out every night and sleep all day, since you took your love away ?"
Notably, O'Connor's version changed the time span to "7 hours and 15 days."
Among stations in the U.S. reportedly confirmed to join KCMP in the simulcast are tastemakers (and fellow public radio outlets) WFUV New York, WXPN Philadelphia and KEXP Seattle. People are encouraged to listen to a local participating station or stream thecurrent.org/listen, as well as tweet, Facebook or Instagram clips of themselves singing along, using the hashtag #NothingCompares2U.
Prince's 'Nothing Compares 2 U' Will Be Simulcast on Radio Stations Nationwide on Wednesday | Billboard