A heart-warming but tear-inducing idea for a Prince tribute spread across American radio stations and around the world today, including Australian networks.
KCMP, run by Minnesota Public Radio in Prince's home state, came up with the idea of playing one of the Purple One's most famous songs (albeit made famous by Sinead O'Connor in her prime), Nothing Compares 2 U, at exactly seven hours and 13 days since he passed away.
Why? Because the Prince version opens with the heartbreaking lyrics: "It's been seven hours and 13 days / Since u took your love away / I go out all night and sleep all day / Since u took your love away" and KCMP thought it would be a touching tribute. And possibly because Prince's own words pretty much sum up the lingering sadness fans feel at his death, the cause of which hasn't been determined yet.
KCMP then invited others to do the same and the idea caught on across the United States. So Nothing Compares 2 U was played starting at 3.07pm, 5.07pm and 6.07pm in the States (depending on the time zone).
In Australia, seven hours and 13 days started at 8.07am this morning in NSW and Victoria. WSFM was one of several stations to air the song, during Jonesy and Amanda's breakfast show. A spokesman said: "It got a great reaction. People didn't realise the significance of it. We got comments and views on our Facebook page."
Nothing Compares 2 U #7hours13days #PrinceRIP pic.twitter.com/bc8w3bk49m— Jonesy & Amanda (@JonesyandAmanda) May 4, 2016
Double J also joined in, but that was to be expected. The station grieved Prince's loss so badly it halted all programming and played 63 consecutive hours of his songs after he died.
KCMP program director Jim McGuinn told Billboard: "It's impossible to go to dinner or a party or a water cooler without the conversation somehow sliding over to Prince.
"I think the shocking suddenness to Prince's passing and at such a young age have combined to throw the entire world for a loop,"
"Like no artist in our lifetimes, Prince united people with his music. Black, white, young, old, rich, poor, he cut across all boundaries with music that touched on rock, funk, soul, pop, R&B, new wave and jazz, and the world responded."
