I love this song, however, I didn't know that it was as big a hit as it apparently was. Recently, a friend told me that it actually went high into the Billboard Top 40, maybe even into the Top 10. I didn't believe him, so I checked it out on the net - and it appears that he was right. It apparently even peaked at #3 on the R&B charts in 1995. Back then, it didn't get a lot of airplay in the city that I was living in when it was released, so I assumed that it didn't do as well everywhere else. Was it really that big in other cities?

If I remember right, it was HUGE in Canada, especially Toronto. But I never did hear it much in the States, which was really a shame -- it's one of the most beautiful songs he'd ever written -- and personally, I like the single edit much better than the album version -- it's a lot more cohesive.

Snap said:

dang..
either i was too young 2 remember or i slept thru that...

audience1 said:

They played the HELL out of I Hate U and Shhh on V-103 in Atlanta during that time. That was my freshman year of college and I remember how Melissa Summers would play that song daily on her 10-2 radio show. I went out to find the Gold Experience after hearing those songs on a daily basis and the rest is Prince history...lol. Ironically, present day V-103's playlist would never include anything as creative or guitar driven as the aforementioned tracks.
[Edited 2/1/05 13:18pm]

I recently "rediscovered" The Gold Experience

and I played I Hate U for some friends (all non-Prince fans) and all

but one of them was like "I remember that song! That was my jam!"

So I'm wondering why I don't remember it

There is a video for it to!

but I didnt have cable back then so natureally
dont remember that

thekidsgirl said:

Did anyone ever play the video? Seemed to me that it was never released.

DorothyParkerWasCool said:

Thats back in the days V-103 did have to compete with hot 97(ATL) which of course later became hot 107.9 . I remember them playing Shhh quite a bit on the quiet storm too.
[Edited 2/1/05 13:45pm]

The whole song sounds like "Baby",
from Prince's "For You" album....
Seek it out & compare.....
I think Prince started to recycle himself at this time.....
Still a good song though....

"I never thought that you would be the one..."
"Baby, what're we gonna do..."

Yeah, I can see how you can say that -- similar melody line, but "Eye Hate U" is full of so much more -- the contradictory lyrics, the passion, the scorching guitar solo, the spoken words, the vocal range, the instrumentation, etc.

Another question: Can anyone recall him playing it on the Musicology tour? I can't.

Snap said:

I love how the guitar solo begins--very angry.

funkpill said:

When I was making one of my Prince slow jams cds, I played the two of them back 2 back because of that. I love I Hate U and Baby is definitely one of my favorites.

DorothyParkerWasCool said:

Wow, Melissa Summers. Where is she?? Anyway, I don't remember this at all. Maybe because I was away at college myself.. I remember Tevin Campbell's Shhh played all the time though. Doesn't compare though.

Hmmm..I never remember hearing it on the radio, I live in Minneapolis btw. I think I may have seen the video on BET or something but certainly not MTV maybe VH1. I hate u is definalty one of my favorite Prince songs. It is brilliant but I wouldn't say it is a very radio friendly song so I am surprised it cracked the Billboard charts too!

have you heard the extended?, he stars sayin something about the feather floatin through the air in Forest Gump

adorable2 said:

So I'm not alone on this.....COOL!!!!
The minute I heard "I Hate U", I thought, "Baby".....

I Hate U is about Carmen Electra.

rudeboynpg said:

Really????

rudeboynpg said:

Carmen...

rudeboynpg said:

no its not

A quick breakdown, for the interested, on "I Hate U" on the Billboard charts. It debuted on the Hot 100 at no.56 due to street-date violations for the cd/cassette single. The following week, with a full week of sales, it rocketed to no.13. It entered the sales chart at no.6, fueling that 56-13 leap, but stalled at no.46 on the airplay chart. The next week it inched to no.12, then fell to no.19. Airplay dried up and sales didn't last. In all, it spent only 5 weeks in the top 40 and 10 weeks on the Hot 100. It did receive a lot of R&B airplay, which is why it reached no.3 on that chart and spent 20 weeks on the survey. "I Hate U" broke Prince's streak of having at least one top ten pop single every year, from 1983-1994. It came sooo close...

Similar situation with "TGRES." It reached no.19 on the sales chart, which was good enough for no.63 on the main Hot 100, but zero airplay kept it from making the top 40.

For those who don't know, the Billboard Hot 100 is a combination of sales and airplay. Labels more or less stopped releasing commercial cd singles by the end of the 90s, so it's essentially an airplay chart these days. But the forthcoming inclusion of digital single sales will balance it back out again. So if Prince released an exclusive new song like "Glass Cutter" to i-Tunes, and all of us purple junkies bought it, he could very well be back in the top 40 someday soon.

Krystal666 said:

I'm in St Paul and I do remember it being on the radio a lot here in the Twin Cities! I remember when they premiered it they were really pumping it up and then they played it and people loved it!

BlueEyedAngel said:

On KDWB? I never remembered it on the radio. Maybe on KMOJ but I never listend to that station.

This song was played in heavy rotation on urban radio in Detroit in 1995. I remember it well.

Krystal666 said:

I remember driving nto downtown Mpls. one night and KDWB was indeed playing "I Hate U". I almost wet myself.

audience1 said:

"I Hate U is one of the top & greatest best love like songs he has even made right along with "Adore"
[Edited 2/2/05 19:08pm]

dreamfactory313 said:

I am in Detroit and I totally missed that. I don't even recall it even being played on the radio. I didn't hear about that song until I started visiting the org last year. I must admit that I had stop listening to P around '88-'89. But it is a mystery why I don't remember I Hate U. I was talking to my 22 year old sister about P one day and she mentioned that she used to love I Hate You and she was only in junior high at the time.

Yeah I was around 12 or 13 when it came out and I remember it getting a lot of play I can't remeber if it was the video or the radio....well now that I think about it I can vaguely remeber the video he included that court room scence I think...and it was getting its fair share of airplay here in Houston... 1 of my favorite P solos I luv how it just comes out of no where

Also I can remeber a comedian on Comic View joking about the song..can't remeber the exact joke, but he went in2 detail with it doing impressions and everything

PurpleCharm said:

It just depended on what stations you were listening to. FM 98 played it for a while, so did 107.5 at that time I think it was still WGPR, I know because that was me calling in and requesting it. Of course Mojo wasn't on the air anymore then because had he been, I wouldn't have had to request it. Mojo would have had it bumping every night!!

*****

Damn, this post got me to reminiscing about Mojo, now I'm about to cry!! Where my Detroiters at? Remember the "Midnight Funk Association"? Who was listening the night Prince called him up and did the live interview, June 6, 1986, right? What about The Mothership? Did it ever land on Belle Isle?

Sorry, about the thread jackin', it's late, I'm bored, I'm supposed to be working. Back in the day it was Mojo and Prince that use to get me through nights like this.
[Edited 2/2/05 23:04pm]