"When Doves Cry" | ||||
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Single by Prince | ||||
from the album Purple Rain | ||||
B-side | ||||
Released | May 16, 1984 [1] | |||
Recorded | March 1, 1984 (basic tracks) March 2, 1984 (basic tracking and overdubs) March 3, 1984 (mixing) | |||
Studio | Sunset Sound, Los Angeles | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:47 (7" single edit) 5:52 (12"/album version) | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Prince | |||
Producer(s) | Prince | |||
Prince USsingles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
«When Doves Cry» on YouTube |
"When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album Purple Rain . According to the DVD commentary of the film Purple Rain (1984), Prince was asked by director Albert Magnoli to write a song to match the theme of a particular segment of the film that involved Prince's character The Kid's intermingled parental difficulties with his father Francis L. (Clarence Williams III) and mother (Olga Karlatos) and a love affair with Apollonia (Apollonia Kotero). The next morning, Prince had composed two songs, one of which was "When Doves Cry". According to Prince's biographer Per Nilsen, the song was inspired by his relationship with Vanity 6 member Susan Moonsie.
"When Doves Cry" was Prince's first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single, staying there for five weeks, and was also a worldwide hit. According to Billboard , it was the top-selling single of 1984. It is certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [8] It was the last single released by a solo artist to receive a Platinum certification before the certification requirements were lowered in 1989. "When Doves Cry" was ranked number one on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1984. Following Prince's death in 2016, the song re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number eight, its first appearance in the top 10 since the week ending September 1, 1984.
The music video, directed by Prince, premiered on MTV in June 1984. It opens with white doves emerging from double doors to reveal Prince in a bathtub, then shows him performing the song in various scenes. The video sparked controversy among network executives, who thought that its sexual nature was too explicit for television. "When Doves Cry" is ranked number 37 on Rolling Stone 's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. [9]
Prince wrote and composed "When Doves Cry" after all the other tracks were complete on Purple Rain . In addition to providing vocals, he played all instruments on the track. The song's texture is remarkably stark. There is no bass line, which is very unusual for an '80s dance song; Prince said that there originally was a bass line but, after a conversation with singer Jill Jones, he decided that the song was too conventional with it included. [10] The song features a guitar solo intro and a Linn LM-1 drum machine, followed by a looped guttural vocal. After the lyrics, there is another, much longer, guitar and synthesizer solo. The song ends on a classical music-inspired keyboard piece backed by another synthesizer solo. Keyboardist Matt Fink revealed in 2014 that the baroque synthesizer solo was recorded by Prince at half speed and an octave lower against a half-speed backing track, then sped up to create the final version. Fink was then tasked to learn and perform the solo at the album's speed. [11]
On versions edited for radio, either the song fades out as the long guitar and synthesizer solo begins, or the solo is eliminated altogether and the song skips to the ending with Prince's harmonizing and classical finish.
During live performances of the song on the Purple Rain Tour, Prince's bass player Brown Mark added bass lines to the song as well as to other songs without bass lines. [12]
In its contemporary review of the song, Cash Box said that "featuring ethereal lyrics, a pounding backbeat and a sometimes ominous musical atmosphere, this single again proves Prince to be one of the most provocative and sophisticated artists in the business." [14]
"When Doves Cry" was No. 1 in the US for five weeks, from July 7, 1984, to August 4, 1984, keeping Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" from reaching the top spot. Because of tabulation differences, the song was announced as the year's No. 2 single on the American Top 40 year-end countdown (with Paul McCartney featuring Michael Jackson's "Say Say Say" at No. 1). [15] The song was voted as the best single of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics' poll. Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 year-end single of 1984. In 2016, after Prince's death, "When Doves Cry" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 20, peaking at No. 8. It also ranked No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart for eight weeks (from June 30, to August 18, 1984), preventing Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do With It" from reaching the top spot for five of those weeks.
The B-side was the cult fan favorite "17 Days", which was originally intended for Apollonia 6's self-titled album. A 12-inch single issued in the UK included "17 Days" and two tracks from Prince's previous album, 1999: its title track and "D.M.S.R.". The entire title of "17 Days (the rain will come down, then U will have 2 choose, if U believe, look 2 the dawn and U shall never lose)" is now the longest-titled flip side of a Hot 100 No. 1, with 85 letters and/or numbers.
"When Doves Cry" became one of Prince's signature songs. Spin magazine ranked "When Doves Cry" the No. 6 song of all time. [ citation needed ] In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked "When Doves Cry" No. 37 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". [16] In 2006, VH1's "The 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s" ranked the song at No. 5. On October 13, 2008, the song was voted No. 2 on Australian VH1's Top 10 Number One Pop Songs countdown. The "80 of the 80s" podcast ranks it as the No. 59 song of the decade. [17] In 2016, Paste ranked the song number three on their list of the 50 greatest Prince songs, [18] and in 2022, American Songwriter ranked the song number two on their list of the 10 greatest Prince songs. [19]
"When Doves Cry" was sampled for use in MC Hammer's 1990 hit song, "Pray" from his album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em , one of the few samples of his songs legally sanctioned by Prince.
The music video (directed by Prince himself) was released on MTV in June 1984. It opens with white doves emerging from double doors to reveal Prince in a bathtub. It also includes scenes from the Purple Rain film interspersed with shots of The Revolution performing and dancing in a white room. The final portion of the video incorporates a mirrored frame of the left half of the picture, creating a doubling effect. The video was nominated for Best Choreography at the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards. [20] The video sparked controversy among network executives, who thought that its sexual nature was too explicit for television.
Credits from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc and Guitarcloud [21] [22] [23] [24]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
All-time charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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New Zealand (RMNZ) [70] | Gold | 7,500* |
United Kingdom (BPI) [71] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [72] 1984 sales | Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
United States digital sales | — | 1,752,251 [73] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
"When Doves Cry" | ||||
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Single by Ginuwine | ||||
from the album Ginuwine... the Bachelor | ||||
Released | July 25, 1997 | |||
Recorded | 1996 | |||
Genre | R&B | |||
Length | 5:09 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Prince | |||
Producer(s) | Timbaland | |||
Ginuwine singles chronology | ||||
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A cover version by American singer Ginuwine was produced by Timbaland and released on July 25, 1997, for Ginuwine's album The Bachelor ; Ginuwine's cover uses actual dove sound effects as texture for the song. The official music video for this version was directed by Michael Lucero. [75]
Chart (1997) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [76] | 16 |
Germany (GfK) [77] | 15 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [78] | 15 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [79] | 13 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [80] | 7 |
Scotland (OCC) [81] | 33 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [82] | 24 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [83] | 42 |
UK Singles (OCC) [84] | 10 |
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC) [85] | 3 |
US Rhythmic ( Billboard ) [86] | 16 |
Chart (1997) | Position |
---|---|
Germany (Official German Charts) [87] | 80 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [88] | 64 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [89] | 48 |
Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by the American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Prince. It was released on June 25, 1984, by Warner Bros. Records as the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name. Purple Rain was musically denser than Prince's previous albums, emphasizing full band performances, and multiple layers of guitars, keyboards, electronic synthesizer effects, drum machines, and other instruments.
Apollonia 6 was an American female singing trio founded in 1983 by Prince, as a successor to his previous group Vanity 6 following the departure of lead singer Vanity. Singers Brenda Bennett and Susan Moonsie continued from the earlier group, while actress and model Apollonia Kotero joined as frontwoman. The group released one album and dissolved in 1985.
"1999" is a song by American musician Prince, the title track from his 1982 album of the same name. Originally peaking at number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100, a mid-1983 re-release later reached number 12 in the US, while a January 1985 rerelease, a double A-side with "Little Red Corvette", later peaked at number 2 in the UK.
"I Feel for You" is a song written by American musician Prince that originally appeared on his 1979 self-titled album. The most successful and best-known version was recorded by R&B singer Chaka Khan and appeared on her 1984 album of the same name. It became the recipient of two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for Khan.
"I Would Die 4 U" is a song by Prince and the Revolution, the fourth single in the US from their 1984 album, Purple Rain. The up-tempo dance song was a top 10 hit—the final one from the album—in the US, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Purple Rain" is a song by the American musician Prince and his backing band the Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album Purple Rain, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film Purple Rain starring Prince, and was released as the third single from the album. The song is a power ballad that combines rock, R&B, gospel, and orchestral music.
The Revolution is an American band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1979 by Prince, serving as his live band and later as his studio band. The band's sound incorporated rock, pop, R&B, funk, new wave and psychedelic elements. Along with Prince's other projects, the Revolution helped create the Minneapolis sound. By the time of their 1986 breakup, the Revolution had backed Prince on two studio albums, two soundtracks and two videos.
"Let's Go Crazy" is a 1984 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album Purple Rain. It is the opening track on both the album and the film Purple Rain. "Let's Go Crazy" was one of Prince's most popular songs, and was a staple for concert performances, often segueing into other hits. When released as a single, the song became Prince's second number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and also topped the two component charts, the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Dance Club Play charts, as well as becoming a UK Top 10 hit. The B-side was the lyrically controversial "Erotic City". In the UK, the song was released as a double A-side with "Take Me with U".
"Little Red Corvette" is a song by American recording artist Prince. The song combines a Linn LM-1 beat and slow synth buildup with a rock chorus, over which Prince, using several automobile metaphors, recalls a one-night stand with a beautiful promiscuous woman. Backing vocals were performed by Lisa Coleman and Dez Dickerson; Dickerson also performs a guitar solo on the song.
"U Got the Look" is a song by American musician Prince. It opens the second disc of Prince's double album Sign o' the Times (1987), and became the album's runner-up chart single. Musically, the song is a standard 12-bar rock song with emphasis on the contrast between heavy drum beats by a Linn LM-1 drum machine and Sheila E.'s live percussion, and a vastly distorted almost completely saturated guitar sound. Although not credited on the single release, the song also features Scottish recording artist Sheena Easton. Prince sings in his sped-up "Camille" voice, although the song was not intended for the Camille album. The lyrics recite the familiar "boy versus girl in the World Series of love" line.
"Take Me with U" is a song by Prince and the Revolution, and the final US single released from their album, Purple Rain (1984).
"Thieves in the Temple" is a song by American musician Prince from the 1990 soundtrack album Graffiti Bridge. Added at the last minute, it was the final song recorded for the album. "Thieves in the Temple" topped the US R&B chart and became a number six hit in the US, and a number seven hit in the UK. The single also peaked at number nine on the dance chart.
"Nothing Compares 2 U" is a song written by the American musician Prince for his band the Family. It first appeared on their only album, The Family (1985). Its lyrics express the feelings of longing expressed by an abandoned lover.
"Purple Medley" is a medley of songs by American musician Prince from 1995. There is no album accompanying the single. The track is a mix of many hits and well-known songs from Prince's career. Some of the pieces of music are samples, while others are re-recorded for the mix. Some of the additional instrumentation is credited to The New Power Generation. The "Purple Medley" consists of snippets from the songs: "Batdance", "When Doves Cry", "Kiss", "Erotic City", "Darling Nikki", "1999", "Baby I'm a Star", "Diamonds and Pearls", "Purple Rain" and "Let's Go Crazy" and fades for the edit. The full version continues with "Sexy Dancer", "Let's Work", "Irresistible Bitch", "I Wanna Be Your Lover", "Alphabet St.", "Thieves in the Temple", the bassline to The Time's "777-9311", Sheila E.'s "A Love Bizarre", "If I Was Your Girlfriend", "Raspberry Beret", "Little Red Corvette", "Cream" and "Peach".
"I Hate U" is a song by American musician Prince, released on September 12, 1995 by NPG and Warner Bros., as the lead single from his seventeenth studio album, The Gold Experience (1995). It was also Prince's last original single to reach the US Top 40, peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, it peaked at number 20. A music video was produced to promote the single, but never officially released until it was made available after Prince's death, on the official Prince YouTube channel in 2018.
"Gold" is a song by American musician Prince, his stage name at that time being an unpronounceable symbol, and was released as the third single from his seventeenth studio album, The Gold Experience (1995). Obviously proud of the song, Prince touted it as the next "Purple Rain" to reporters before the album's release.
"Pony" is a song by American singer Ginuwine, released as the debut single from his first album, Ginuwine...The Bachelor (1996). Ginuwine sung, co-wrote, and produced the song with Swing Mob associates Static Major, Digital Black, Smoke E. Digglera, and Timbaland; the latter made his breakthrough as a producer with the song. It peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.
"Pray" is a song released in August 1990 by Capitol as the third single from American rapper and dancer MC Hammer's third album, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em (1990). Produced by Hammer, the song heavily samples Prince's 1984 song "When Doves Cry", the first of just a few times that Prince allowed samples of his compositions. The track also interpolates Faith No More's "We Care a Lot". The word "pray" is mentioned 147 times during the song, setting the record for the number of times a song title is repeated in an American Top 40 hit.
Prince released several hundred songs both under his own name and under pseudonyms and/or pen names, as well as writing songs which have been recorded by other artists. Estimates of the actual number of songs written by Prince range anywhere from 500 to well over 1,000. He has released 117 singles, 41 promotional singles, 24 internet singles, and eight internet downloads.
Prince and the Revolution: Live is a live concert video by Prince and the Revolution. Released after the Purple Rain Tour was complete, the video is a recording of the March 30, 1985 concert at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. The concert was also broadcast live throughout Europe as the final act of the 15th "Rock Night", an all-night show of four concerts staged by West German public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk as part of its Rockpalast series that was simulcast by the Eurovision network of European TV stations.
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