10 Greatest Covers Of Beatles Songs
3. Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood & Prince - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
A highlight from the oft-underrated George Harrison, While My Guitar Gently Weeps serves primarily as a showcase for the six string skills of his friend and love rival Eric Clapton. As a mournful chord sequence unfolds, giving way occasionally to a sun-drenched bridge, Clapton takes centre stage, laying down a melodic, memorable lead line.
That’s all well and good, but what if, instead of the unsavoury Clapton, it was Prince playing the guitar? That’s what we were treated to at the 2004 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The late Harrison was an inductee, and a murderer’s row of his peers paid tribute. Two of his Travelling Wilbury pals - Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne - were in the mix, but the spotlight is very much on the Purple One.
Prince motors along until the coda, when he lets loose with gusto. It’s a showier, more indulgent affair than Clapton’s reserved efforts, but many times more captivating. It captures Harrison’s intentions so perfectly, a song in which one’s deepest feelings can be explained only through melody.
The performance is such that the professional musicians with whom Prince shares the stage can’t help but stop and marvel - it’s a truly powerful moment, and as fitting a tribute as a much-missed icon can have.