"But ask him if he's heard the Foo Fighters' version of 'Darling Nikki' and Prince, who a minute earlier said he never listens to the radio ('When I want to hear new music, I go make some'), replies by describing a Hawaii DJ's response to the Foos' cover. The DJ wondered if Prince had heard it -- then said he couldn't care less if he had. 'Just no respect,' says Prince. 'I wonder if that's the kind of thing the FCC would like to clean up, too.'Apparently, Dave Grohl found out about Prince's displeasure with their cover and Grohl went so far as to call KROQ - one of the stations that had the B-side to "Have It All" on heavy rotation - and told them to pull it out of respect for Prince. But, take this for what it is, I found this on a Prince fansite after Top called me and asked if it was odd that Prince was covering a Foo song. Some people at his Super Bowl party referenced the "Darling Nikki" incident, but the omniscient Wikipedia has nothing to offer.
"So...does he like the cover? 'No! I don't like anyone covering my work. Write your own tunes!' He says he got up in R&B singer Ginuwine's face for bungling the lyrics in a 1996 version of 'When Doves Cry.' 'I was just busting on him to bust him, but I was a little serious: Have some respect, man. If anyone tried to cover 'Respect,' by Aretha? I would shoot them myself!'"
-Entertainment Weekly 2004
I personally thought Prince was awesome, but this guy is a legend and, as the New York Times stated, "an American treasure". With subpar performances from indisputable legends (The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney) becoming the Super Bowl norm it was great to see a true talent completely blow the doors off the place without exposing someone's nipple.
On an interesting side note, it was exactly one year to the day since he turned in one of the best performances I have ever seen on Saturday Night Live, ripping through "Fury", and sparking a classic e-mail exchange between JK and I the following Monday: "Dude...did you see Prince on SNL? Christ." While those of us closing in on our 30s know why Prince is a musical genius, it was nice to see him on the national stage again. At the very least Prince gave the younger set a lasting memory other than Charlie Murphy's unforgettable skit/anecdote on The Chappelle Show.
Elsewhere
PopMatters: Prince's 'Purple Rain' Was An Apt Anthem
Seattle P-I: Prince's Halftime Reign Was No Small Challenge
Rolling Stone: Were Those Doves, or Bats Painted White?
New York Times: A Noncontroversial Prince...
Prince - Super Bowl XLI Press Conference
Halftime Part I
Halftime Part II
"Te Amo Corazon" & "Fury" at the 2006 Brits
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