Thirty-five years after it was recorded, Prince's original version of "With This Tear" is finally out.
The Prince Estate released the previously unheard recording Monday via NPG Records and Legacy Recordings. Prince wrote, produced and performed the piano-led ballad himself, laying it down at Paisley Park in November 1991. He then gave the song to Celine Dion, whose version appeared on her 1992 self-titled album. His own recording stayed locked in the vault until now.
The newly released track has been remixed by Grammy-nominated producer Chris James, who has worked on several previous Prince-related projects. According to Billboard, the release is part of a broader push by the estate to open Prince's extensive archive of unreleased material.
The timing is deliberate. The release arrives just ahead of the 10th anniversary of Prince's death in 2016. Since then, the estate has maintained a steady stream of archival drops — deluxe editions, vault recordings and unreleased collaborations — keeping his work present in current music conversations. In 2024, a previously unheard demo featuring Prince and Kylie Minogue surfaced online, offering another glimpse into the depth of material still held in the archive.
"With This Tear" also illustrates a less-discussed side of Prince's catalog: his prolific work as a songwriter for other artists. Over his career he wrote and produced material for a wide range of performers, often retaining his own recordings without ever releasing them.
No larger vault project has been formally announced, though reports suggest additional archival releases are forthcoming.
