Do you think it would have been better or worse with a bass line... it may have been an even bigger hit!

Share your thoughts.

I like it the way it is better, though I would love to hear the bass line back in it for something different.

It would be worse.

The bass line brightenned to song and made it too "cheerful".
Stripping the bass line kept the song kind of eery.


This thread would be much better if it was a NSFW thread.

base/bass edit.
[Edited 11/26/05 12:44pm]

I think a base line would of made the song terrible.

Has anybody here actually heard the song with a bass line?

Enigmoid said:

It's performed live with a bass line from time to time.

Hmmmm. If the original recording had a bass line, I guess we wouldn't be having this discussion, But I like it just the way it is. Even though it's been over 20 years since it's been released, there's no other song like it. It's very unique.

the dynamics would've changed if bass was added to the mix.

I think part of the reason WDC works without a bass line is because of the verse repeating the A note at the beginning... The song is in A minor I believe...

Dig if you will (A A A A)

The emphasis on the root note (which is kind of what the bass is supposed to do)... makes it less important for the bass to be there.

The Linn Drum machine provided what would have been a normal bass part and bass line. My opinion: a bassline would not have worked as it did. If you ever heard the song performed live with a bass, there is a different, more cheerful and conventional feel, which I believe was not the sound Prince was looking for during the original recording of the song. As he said to Matt: I (he) tried the bass and it didn't work.

Disclaimer: The quote is from researched notes and is not meant to be his exact words thus sans the quotes.

Fantastic question and I have a fantastic answer. In the Prince Live video, he has a bass line in parts of it, and not only is it funky as hell, it's one of the best basslines I've ever heard. In fact, i stole it for one of my songs, a song that people usually pick as their favorite! Thanks Prince.

I can imagine it with a bassline similar to erotic city.

The studio version is perfect the way it is without bass, but live it works better with a bass line. See the Nude Tour performance. When the bass kicks in, the whole thing starts to really rock!