PETA Releases Prince's Pro-Vegan Anthem, Dolphin Samples and All

In the long, somber weeks since Prince's death, we've heard tributes from the likes of Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, D'Angelo, and more.

One group we haven't heard from, though I'm certain they would love to perform an elaborate rendition of "Darling Nikki" could they afford studio time, or, you know, comprehend and speak a human language: the entirety of the animal kingdom.

Why might they be mega-fans, you ask? Prince was a devoted vegan, a fact that did not go unnoticed by PETA, the national animal rights organization. That group celebrated its  20th anniversary in 1999 with a pretty damn good gift -- a song about veganism, written, recorded and donated by Prince himself. To mark what would have been the musician's 58th birthday next week, PETA has released a free stream of the track, "Animal Kingdom," on its website.

Here's a YouTube version featuring a lovely montage of animals, in case that's more your thing.

"I don't eat red meat or white fish, don't give me no blue cheese," croons Prince over a distorted guitar riff and a building chorus of animal sounds. "We're all members of the animal kingdom, leave your brothers and sisters in the sea."

Even if the tune doesn't convince you to eschew all animal products for the rest of your life, might we suggest going veg just for July 7th -- Prince's birthday -- in order to rock out to this song properly, i.e., not while eating a roast beef sandwich? It's what the Great Purple one (not to mention those dolphins screeching at the track's end) would have wanted.