When Doves Cry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "When Doves Cry" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| U.S. 7" single | ||
| Single by Prince | ||
| from the album Purple Rain | ||
| B-side(s) | "17 Days" "1999" (UK 12") "D.M.S.R." (UK 12") |
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| Released | 16 May 1984 | |
| Format | 7" single 12" single |
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| Recorded | Sunset Sound, 1983 | |
| Genre | Rock, Funk, Pop, Experimental | |
| Length | 7" edit: 3:47 Album/12": 5:52 |
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| Label | Warner Bros. Records | |
| Writer(s) | Prince | |
| Producer(s) | Prince | |
| Certification | Platinum - (21 August, 1984) | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Prince singles chronology | ||
| "Let's Pretend We're Married" (1983) |
"When Doves Cry" (1984) |
"Let's Go Crazy" (1984) |
| Prince (UK) chronology | ||
| "Little Red Corvette" (1983) |
"When Doves Cry" (1984) |
"Purple Rain" (1984) |
"When Doves Cry" is a 1984 song by Prince, and according to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year.
[edit] The song
It was the sixth track and lead single from his album Purple Rain. The track went to number one for five weeks in the U.S. and other countries in July, 1984. It kept the other big hit of that summer, Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark", from reaching the top spot. It was voted as the best single of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll. The song was also notable for being extremely popular in both White American and African American communities in the United States.
The B-side was the cult fan favourite "17 Days", which was originally intended for the Apollonia 6 album. A 12-inch single issued in the UK included the album track, "17 Days", and two tracks from Prince's previous album, 1999, namely the title track and "D.M.S.R.".
Prince wrote and composed "When Doves Cry" after all the other tracks on Purple Rain were complete. In addition to vocals, he also played all instruments on the track. The song's texture is remarkably stark - there is no bass line at all, which is very unusual for a dance song. The song features an intro of a guitar solo and drum machine, followed by a looped guttural vocal by Prince. The song is very emotional and includes semi-autobiographical lyrics sometimes in a scream. After the lyrics, there is another, much longer guitar solo and a synthesizer solo. The song ends on a classical music-inspired keyboard piece backed by another synthesizer solo.
Some fans interpret the song to have a deeper spiritual meaning, wherein Prince is actually addressing Jesus as compared to a lost lover, "How could you just leave me standing alone in a world that's so cold?" which resemble the lyrics from an earlier song of the album (Let's Go Crazy) where Prince says that "in this life, you're on your own."
"When Doves Cry" has gone on to become one of Prince's signature songs. Rolling Stone ranked the song #52 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (which makes it number three among songs of the eighties). In 2006, VH1's "The 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s" ranked the song #5 on the list.
[edit] Notable covers
There have been several cover versions of the song, most notably a hit single version by R&B singer Ginuwine. Produced by Timbaland in 1996 for Ginuwine's The Bachelor album, Ginuwine's cover uses actual dove sound effects as texture for its jungle music-inspired instrumental track.
In 1990, MC Hammer sampled "When Doves Cry" as the basis for his song "Pray" from the Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em album. Later, in 1998, rapper Bizzy Bone would use an interpolation and pay homage to Prince's hit with "Thugz Cry" from his album Heaven'z Movie. The Prince original was featured in the wedding scene of the 1996 Baz Luhrman film Romeo + Juliet, performed by then child star Quindon Tarver and backed by a church choir.
Nu metal band Mushroomhead has performs this song in concerts. Gov't Mule, with Warren Haynes from the Allman Brothers, also performs a version of this song quite often at their shows.
The Be Good Tanyas performed 'When Doves Cry' on their album Hello Love.
Patti Smith covered 'When Doves Cry' on her greatest hits collection, LAND.
Anglo-Swedish band Razorlight covered the song as a B-side to their 2007 single I Can't Stop This Feeling I've Got.
Damien Rice has also recorded a cover version of this song.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by "The Reflex" by Duran Duran |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single July 7, 1984- August 4, 1984 |
Succeeded by "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. |
