In 1986, shortly after Prince saw Bonnie Raitt performing at The Beverly Theater in Los Angeles he called her up and asked her about recording some songs he had written and even signing to his Paisley Park Records since she had recently severed ties with her label Warner. Raitt and Prince met up a few times before eventually heading to his studio at Paisley Park in Minnesota where she recorded two songs.
“It was interesting to see what he would come up with, especially since I’m political and not a shy person and he’s not very political and he is very shy,” Raitt told the Chicago Tribute in 1987. “But the fact that we both do R&B and now that I’ve heard the songs, it makes complete sense to me. It worked out really well.”
The recording sessions were unlike anything Raitt had ever experienced, and she added vocals and guitar to Prince’s prerecorded instrumental tracks for her. “It was nice to be working with another singer and guitarist,” added Raitt. ”There was a lot of mutual respect. There isn`t any danger of his steamrolling me into his own image. I`m strong enough personality-wise so I’m not going to be told how to sing. He was not any more demanding than I was of myself.”
Though nothing ever came of their Paisley sessions in ’87, by the mid-’90s Prince would cover one of Raitt’s songs. In their recordings together that never made the cut and covers, here’s a look at the three times Raitt and Prince’s paths crossed during the late ’80s and mid-1990s.
“I Need a Man, “Bonnie Raitt (Recorded in 1987)
Written by Prince
In 1987, Prince released his ninth album Sign o’ the Times, and presented Raitt with batch of songs to choose from: “Jealous Girl,” which he previously pitched to the Bangles, along with “Promise 2 Be True,” “There’s Something I Like About Being Your Fool,” and “I Need a Man.”
Raitt recorded the latter two tracks, but nothing developed afterward since she entered rehab in ’87 and Prince was preparing for his Sign o’ the Times tour.
“I Need a Man” was an older song in Prince’s vault that was first recorded during the summer of 1981 for the female trio the Hookers, which would later morph into Vanity 6. The song is a straightforward request for a man who has something more to offer than big money or fancy cars.
People say you got big money, tell me, is it true?
They tell me that they’ll wait in line just to get a date with you
Thought that tonight you gave a hundred dollars to a skid-row bum
Well, let me tell you something, baby if you think I’m dumb
If money’s all you got, I don’t want it
If you can’t make me hot, I don’t need you ’round
If you can’t turn me on, I don’t need it
I need a lover that is strong, ain’t got time to fool around
Though Raitt’s recording of “I Need a Man” was never officially released, a recording of it leaked in 2020. Prince’s version of the song was also released on the 2020 remaster of Sign o’ the Times and again on the 2023 release Vault Tracks Part 3.
Bonnie Raitt Starts Over, In Minnesota With Prince
BONNIE RAITT – I Need A Man (Unreleased PRINCE Song)
“There’s Something I Like About Being Your Fool,” Bonnie Raitt (Recorded in 1987)
Written by Prince
The other track Raitt recorded during their sessions in Minnesota was “There’s Something I Like About Being Your Fool,” written about an unreciprocal lover.
I’d like to know why you do me so bad
I gave you all the love that I had
You do me like my enemies do
There’s something I like about being your fool
I can’t explain, my brain’s all hazy blue
I’m feelin’ pain, I’m feelin’ pleasure too
When you tie me up, it’s hard to get me loose
‘Cause there’s something I like about being your fool
Prince originally recorded “There’s Something I Like About Being Your Fool” for his 1981 album Controversy, which never made the final cut. His version of the track was also released on the 2020 remaster of Sign o’ the Times and Vault Tracks Part 3.
Neither one of the two songs Raitt recorded with Prince made it onto her 1989 hit album Nick of Time, which topped the Billboard 200 for three weeks and earned her three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
“I appreciated the enthusiasm, but they were not in my key,” said Raitt of Prince’s songs. “The topics were not things I was comfortable singing.”
“Can’t Make U Love Me,” Prince (1996)
Written by Mike Reid and Allan Shamblin
In 1996, Prince covered Bonnie Raitt’s hit ballad “I Can’t Make You Love Me” from her 1991 album Luck of the Draw. Released on his album Emancipation, Prince’s version was retitled “Can’t Make U Love Me.”
In 1997, George Michael also released his rendition of “I Can’t Make You Love Me” as a double single with the title track of his third album Older. Boyz II Men also released a version in 2009, followed by Adele and Bon Iver in 2011. The song has been covered nearly 300 times since its release by everyone from Nancy Wilson, Patti LaBelle, Priyanka Chopra, Rita Wilson, and more.
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