This Is What It Sounds Like.


Note: If the painting animated in the video moves you, David has opted to make it available for purchase, with a portion of the proceeds going to several of Prince’s personal charities. You can buy it below.

I’ve carried this song around with me since I was small.

Some songs are like that. They become companions in their own right, marking you— until certain memories become almost defined by the swell of music.

The song you whispered to someone in a quiet moment, the song you sang to yourself to be brave.

bird

I recorded this arrangement of When Doves Cry while ensconced at a friend’s place in Scotland a few years ago.

On the day I heard the news, the song woke up quietly in the back of my mind, and began to play, gently, on repeat behind my thoughts.

On the day I heard the news, I was working with incredible artist David Mack on another video for the amazing Amanda Palmer, he and I taking his paintings and photographs and animating them to her song.

When I saw David’s dream-like painting of Prince, it immediately sprang to life in my head: his serene face, coming into focus, and falling away again, doves growing from the mane of his hair.

I asked David if he minded— could I animate it? He agreed, and the song softly playing in the back of my head became more insistent.

Suddenly, the painting and the song converged, and I added flourishes to this quiet arrangement, a love letter to a song (and by extension, a towering musician) that has kept me company on many lonely evenings.

This is for you, old friend.

 
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“I did this painting as a Prince tribute upon hearing the news. I shared it on my page. So many people asked for a print of it, that the gallery is offering a print at the link with a portion to go to a couple of Prince’s personal charities.” -DAVID MACK
“Dearly Beloved”
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