The Prince Estate shares rare Paisley Park footage set to “Manic Monday” demo

Last year, the Prince estate shared Piano & a Microphone 1983, a release that blurred ethical lines for many. When Prince died in 2016, a hefty collection of unreleased music was left behind — a collection that the legendary artist clearly intended to keep hidden. This year, his estate has shared a compilation of polished demos for songs he gifted to other artists, many of which went on to become those artists’ signature songs. 

Raising further questions about whether or not Prince would be devastated to know that these recordings reached the public’s ears, Originals features tracks like “Sex Shooter” (originally for Apollonia 6), “Jungle Love” (originally for Morris Day and The Time), and “Nothing Compares 2 U” (made famous by Sinéad O’Connor).

Track three on Originals is “Manic Monday”, made famous by the Bangles in 1985. Now, the most recent relic revealed by the superstar’s estate is a montage of never-before-seen footage of Prince set to the song. It features videos of him in his Paisley Park Studio and is a window into the creative process that had such a significant influence on the music world.

Even though listening to Prince’s unreleased work has me feeling a little weird, Originals peels back yet another layer of who he was as an artist. He adapted pseudonyms throughout his career as he wrote music in various realms, simply to explore himself and the extent of his creativity; not to mention that his art facilitated the shaping of so many other musical careers. But should we be witnessing his process in a way as intimate as this without his permission?

Ultimately, that’s a choice that each listener needs to make on their own, even if Prince’s estate has seemingly given it their blessing. So if you choose, watch the “Manic Monday” montage below and listen to the compilation Originals, out everywhere now.