Chris Stapleton's "Nothing Compares 2 U:" An Impressive Tribute to Prince

Prince is inarguably the most talented pop star that ever lived. He is a singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, actor, filmmaker, and a guitar virtuoso.
Numerous stars, musicians, and individuals including Chris Stapleton across the world paid tribute to Prince after his tragic death on April 21, 2016.

“Nothing Compares 2 U”

Prince wrote, “Nothing Compares 2 U” for the funk band The Family. They released their only Album The Family in 1985. Their version gained little recognition.

The song became a giant hit after Sinead O’Connor covered it in 1990. It topped the charts in Ireland, Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Austria, and the United Kingdom.

In the U.S. it spent weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs. It reached No.2 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart. It became the third best-selling single of 1990 and 82nd best-selling single of the 1990s. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in April 1990.

Prince performed the song live with Rosie Gaines and released it on his 1993 compilations.

In April 2018, Warner Bros. Records, in conjunction with his estate, released Prince’s original 1984 recording of the song.

On June 7, 2019, Warner released a new Prince album Originals exclusively through TIDAL. The album contains Prince’s original versions of 15 songs he offered to other artists in the past. “Nothing Compares 2 U” is also included here.

Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton was one of the first artists to pay tribute to the late star. He sang “Nothing Compares 2 U” to close his show on April 23, 2016, at the Greek Theater in California. He said,

“Hell, I’m gonna try this, not because I can actually do it, but because I’m gonna do it for a great musician that we lost.”

The stage was filled with purple light as they performed the famous song of Prince.

He soulfully delivered the song with the utmost respect for the original. People were stunned by his performance but in an interview with Rolling Stone Country, the singer said he wasn’t sure he ever ventures a song by the icon.

Chris Stapleton is a recipient of 5 Grammy Awards, 7 Academy of Country Music Awards, 10 Country Music Association Awards,5 Billboard Music Awards, 2 iHeartRadio Music Awards among others. For his work as a composer, he received 9 ASCAP Country awards, including the Vanguard Award.