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Sep 13, 2018 By Christopher Roberts Prince

A never before heard Prince song, “Why the Butterflies,” has been shared. When Prince passed away in 2016 he left behind a huge vault filled with unreleased material and so we can probably expect new albums from him for years to come. The new album Piano & A Microphone 1983, which is due out on Warner Bros. on September 21, is culled from a previously unheard home studio cassette recorded in 1983 at Prince’s Kiowa Trail home studio in Chanhassen, MN and just features Prince singing and playing piano. The six-minute long “Why the Butterflies” is one of the three songs on the album that have never been heard before in any form. Listen to it below, via Noisey (who premiered it).

Previously the album’s version of “Mary Don’t Weep,” a cover of a 19th century spiritual, was shared. Then we heard the piano demo of “17 Days.” The final version of the song became the B-side to 1985’s “When Doves Cry” single.

“Mary Don’t Weep” was also featured in the end credits Spike Lee’s movie BlacKkKlansman, which came out last month. Piano & A Microphone 1983 includes an early version of future hit “Purple Rain” and a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You.” The booklet will include new liner written by Prince’s then engineer Don Batts, plus previously unseen candid photos of Prince. The cover art is a backstage photo of Prince taken by frequent collaborator Allen Beaulieu during the 1999 tour.

Prince Estate entertainment adviser Troy Carter had this to say about the album in a previous press release: “This raw, intimate recording, which took place at the start of Prince’s career right before he achieved international stardom, is similar in format to the Piano & A Microphone Tour that he ended his career with in 2016. The Estate is excited to be able to give fans a glimpse of his evolution and show how his career ultimately came full circle with just him and his piano.”

Piano & A Microphone 1983 Tracklist:

01 17 Days
02 Purple Rain
03 A Case of You
04 Mary Don’t You Weep
05 Strange Relationship
06 International Lover
07 Wednesday
08 Cold Coffee & Cocaine
09 Why the Butterflies

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