Alphabet St.
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| "Alphabet St." | ||
|---|---|---|
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| U.S. 7" single | ||
| Single by Prince | ||
| from the album Lovesexy | ||
| B-side(s) | "Alphabet St. (This Is Not Music, This Is a Trip)" | |
| Released | 23 April 1988 | |
| Format | 7" single 12" single CD single |
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| Recorded | Paisley Park Studios; December 1987–January 1988 | |
| Genre | Pop, funk | |
| Length | 7" edit: 2:25 Album/12": 5:39 |
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| Label | Paisley Park Records | |
| Writer(s) | Prince | |
| Producer(s) | Prince | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Prince singles chronology | ||
| "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" (1987) |
"Alphabet St." (1988) |
"Glam Slam" (1988) |
"Alphabet St." was the first single off the 1988 Prince album, Lovesexy, and the album's only top-10 single. The song begins with a high-pitched shout of "No!" from Prince and then immediately an infectious drum machine pattern begins. The verses are standard blues, speeded up, with catchy guitar and a single yet effective chorus "Yeah yeah yeah". The song is boosted by the brass duo of Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss and includes a rap by Cat Glover (the first rap in a Prince song). The song is full of samples and generally repeats themes throughout Lovesexy. The video takes the "alphabet" theme as an opportunity to present several "hidden" messages in a mix of letters, such as "H is 4 punks" and more notably "Don't buy the Black Album, I'm sorry." The single was a top-10 in both the UK and U.S.
The B-side is a remix of "Alphabet St." called "Alphabet St. ("This is not music, this is a trip")". The title and other phrases are repeated at the beginning of the song, but essentially, it's an instrumental with a few minor changes.
"Alphabet St." has the distinction of being the first Prince single to be issued as a CD-single, though not in the U.S.
[edit] Cultural References
Part of the rap section was used in the Ween song "L.M.L.Y.P."
Nine Inch Nails sampled "Alphabet St." for the song "Ringfinger" from the album Pretty Hate Machine
[edit] External link
- "Alphabet St." lyrics
