This is my next in a series of discussions of what if different things happened in different points in Prince's career.

The scenario is this: We all know Prince pushed to have When Doves Cry to be released as the first single to Purple Rain. What if the higher-ups at the WB said no and released Darling Nikki instead? Do you think it would have helped or hurt Prince's career? How do you think it would've changed him, if at all?

I already have a scenario to this that I thought about, but will share it later this evening or tommorrow (it's a bit detailed and scary, lol). Please share and discuss what you think would've happened differently if this one change occured back in the PR era.

would have been great publicity - "there is no bad publicity," remember?

darling nikki didn't need to be released to cause an uproar.

Heiress said:

I would tend to disagree. People didn't know about Darling Nikki till after they bought Purple Rain. I think it would've had a negative effect on his career if it were the first single, but just my opinion. Thanx for your posting before it disappeared from the first page though.

Housequake2K2 said:

you know i got nothin but love for ya.

hang on a sec... wasn't tipper gore's whole music labeling campaign set off by "darling nikki?"

It was definitely a factor, as I believe her daughter bought Purple Rain and thus got to discover the song. Darling Nikki made one of the top 15 most objectiionable songs and became the focal point of a congressional hearing of some sort, where Twisted Sister went in to testify on behalf of one of his songs.
[Edited 4/7/05 13:46pm]