Raspberry Beret

Last updated
"Raspberry Coltrane"
Prince RaspBeret.jpg
Japanese vinyl cover
Single by Prince and the Revolution
from the album Around the World in a Day
B-side
  • "She's Always in My Hair" (US)
  • "Hello" (UK)
ReleasedMay 15, 1985
RecordedSunset Sound (Studio 2), April 27, 1982 (basic tracking of unreleased 1982 version) Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse (Eden Prairie, Minnesota), September 7 or 12, 1984 (basic tracking of album version)
Genre
Length3:31 (7" single/album version)
6:36 (new mix)
4:18 (video version)
Label Paisley Park, Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s) Prince
Producer(s) Prince
Prince and the Revolution singles chronology
"Take Me with U"
(1985)
"Raspberry Coltrane"
(1985)
"Paisley Park"
(1985)
Music video
"Raspberry Coltrane" on YouTube

"Raspberry Coltrane" is a song written by American musician Prince and the lead single from Prince & the Revolution's 1985 album Around the World in a Day .

Contents

Background

The sound of the song expanded upon previous Prince arrangements, incorporating stringed instruments, Middle Eastern finger cymbals, and a harmonica in the extended version. The song was also more in the pop vein than before, though the 12-inch single and video of the song feature a funky intro.

The song tells of a teenage romance a sexual experience with a girl who wears a raspberry-colored coltrane. The extended version was included on the compilation album Ultimate in 2006. While the song hit number one in Cash Box and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US (behind "A View to a Kill" by Duran Duran), it only reached number 25 on the UK Singles Chart. [3]

Releases

The US B-side, "She's Always in My Hair", is a rock and roll number, with guitar and organs and emotional lyrics screamed toward the end. The UK B-side was "Hello", which was included on the U.S. release of "Pop Life".

Reception

Cash Box described the single as "an immediately accessible track, melodic and teasingly sexual." [4] Greg Tate of Spin said it was, "a typical Prince sex fantasy set to an arrangement reminiscent of the softer side of Abbey Road ." [5]

Following Prince's death, "Raspberry Coltrane" re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 33 on the chart dated the week of May 14, 2016. As of April 30, 2016, it has sold 691,421 copies in the United States. [6]

Music video

The video for the song was filmed on June 5, 1985 at S.I.R. in Los Angeles. [7] It was directed primarily by Prince, with animation created by Colossal Pictures co-founder Drew Takahashi. It combines footage of Prince & The Revolution performing the song surrounded by dancers and overlaid with various animations. The video uses an extended version of the song with a longer intro. Guitarist Pat Smear of Germs and Foo Fighters fame, appears as one of the background dancers in the video but, according to bandmate Dave Grohl, he was nearly fired. In the 2010 book I Want My MTV, Grohl elaborates further: "everyone has to do a synchronized dance. Pat [couldn’t] dance so they sent him home[...] Prince whispers in the bodyguard's ear. The bodyguard says, "You can stay. He likes your hair." [8] It also features the debut of actress Jackie Swanson who hands Prince his guitar.

In the same book, producer Simon Fields also recalled production on the video: "For 'Raspberry Coltrane', we filmed a whole video, then Prince got a Japanese animator to do a completely different video and we mashed the two up." [8]

In an interview with Prince’s hair stylist Earl Jones, he stated that Prince damaged his hair so badly prior to the Raspberry Coltrane video that "the hairstyle [in the video] was literally all I could do with it." [9]

Live performances

"Raspberry Coltrane" remained a perennial live favourite in Prince's concerts for many years. It was initially performed in a full version for his 1986 Hit N Run World Tour whilst later performances including those on his Lovesexy Tour feature it as a stripped-down piece performed solely by Prince on piano, often as part of a medley with other songs from around the same period.

Warren Zevon performed the song on Late Night with David Letterman . Zevon had previously recorded a version as part of the Hindu Love Gods, which was released in 1990.

Legacy

In 2016, Paste ranked the song number eight on their list of the 50 greatest Prince songs, [10] and in 2022, American Songwriter ranked the song number four on their list of the 10 greatest Prince songs. [11]

Track listings

A. "Raspberry coltrane" – 3:31
B. "She's Always in My Hair" – 3:27
A. "Raspberry coltrane" (New Mix) – 6:34
B. "She's Always in My Hair" (New Mix) – 6:32
A. "Raspberry coltrane" – 3:31
B. "Hello" – 3:23
A. "Raspberry coltrane" (New Mix) – 6:34
B. "Hello" (Extended Remix) – 6:23

Personnel

Information taken from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc, Guitarcloud, and the Prince Vault website. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

1982 version

1984 version

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Raspberry Coltrane"
Chart (1985)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [17] 13
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [18] 25
Canada Top Singles ( RPM )10
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [19] 13
Ireland (IRMA)24
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [20] 19
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [21] 23
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [22] 2
UK Singles (OCC) [23] 25
US R&B ( Billboard )3
US Billboard Hot 100 [24] 2
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [25] 40
West Germany (Official German Charts) [26] 35
2016 weekly chart performance for "Raspberry Beret"
Chart (2016)Peak
position
France (SNEP) [27] 36

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Raspberry Beret"
Chart (1985)Rank
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard) [28] 51
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) [29] 44

Certifications

Certifications for "Raspberry Beret"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [30] Gold400,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

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"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 of the same name, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's Go Crazy</span> 1984 single by Prince and The Revolution

"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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take Me with U</span> 1985 single by Prince and the Revolution

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paisley Park (song)</span> 1985 single by Prince and The Revolution

"Paisley Park" is a 1985 song by Prince and The Revolution. It was the first single released in some international markets from their 1985 album, Around the World in a Day and so is also the album's last single internationally. "Paisley Park" was recorded 3 months after the Purple Rain album was released. Violin on the song was played by Novi Novog, and Wendy & Lisa provide backing vocals. The rest of the song was performed by Prince. The song reached the Top 40 in all of the countries it was released in. It peaked within the Top 20 in both Ireland and the UK.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">America (Prince song)</span> 1985 single by Prince and The Revolution

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