Anyone who remembers the Culture Wars of the 1980s — when Prince's infamous music helped inspire the debut of explicit-content labels — may have cause to reflect on how times have changed when they watch the video below.
"When Doves Cry," a hit from the Purple Rain soundtrack, was performed on May 2 in a stirring, solemn rendition by a pop-up chorus convened as part of Toronto's Choir! Choir! Choir! series at Massey Hall.
"We were devastated to hear that Prince had died," write the organizers. "To pay our respects, we invited 1,999 singers to Massey Hall in Toronto and, over the course of a couple hours, they learned our arrangement to 'When Doves Cry.'"
American Public Media's Tesfa Wondemagegnehu led an earlier choral tribute to Prince, as high school students sang "Purple Rain" at Disney Hall in Los Angeles.
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