the day I bought it I had just mentioned to a friend that it was about time Prince released something...I didn't even know it was released that day when I left school, and on my way to my after-school job, I visited my local record store...I couldn't wait to get home to listen to it!! (ahh, those youthful days when it was exciting to visit my local record store!!!)...it blew me away - but I loved the B-side just as much!!!....and I remember hearing a voice when I put the needle on the vinyl saying 'you'll like this'...still don't know who's voice it was LOL....but I was impressed to say the least...the only thing I had to do was try to get some money together for when the album came out....in those days my pay packet could only afford 1 (single) record a week at most - double albums took a while longer for me to save for...so I begged, borrowed and eventually paid back that money soon after the album came out...best $ I ever spent!!

the video premiered a week or so later - in those days we only had 1 'top 20' show - on saturday nights at 6.00 - 6.30pm - and they rarely showed anything unless it was in the charts....the video was cool too - so different, but it suited the song and forced people to actually 'read/hear' the lyrics....which I think made it complete - 'non-fans' saw that he wasn't just an oversexed purple pervert - the music was 'grown up' and so were the lyrics....

'87 was the best time to be a Prince fan in NZ

jimino1 said:

Would have loved to have been a fan when this dropped, took me a while to discover this as I became a fan during D&P and worked my way back through the catalogue in a weird order

i thought it was over-rated. the media hyped it up, but when i heard it, i was like: "wtf?"

but then again, when i saw the live version in the movie, i was blown away like:
"damn, that was funky like rawness"

The first time I heard it, it was on top of the pops ( a british music show that use to come on in England) I was stunned with this track the lyrics were hitting me straight in the face as for the music the production the guitar the groove, the solo snare drums hit and that killer bass had me visualising hendrix for some reason.

Never heard anything like this before and never will. Immitation yeah but Sign Of The Times! No Way!.

I find kanye west love lockdown was inspired by sign of the times.
hear it you will know what I mean.

SOTT is the 90's generation's "The Message".
[Edited 3/16/10 8:04am]

When I first heard SOTT I was sooo disappointed. I was still under the spell of ATWIAD and Parade and this song was so "simple", so "nude" - just those drums... I remember thinking : This can't be true - I've loved his music so much so far and now this. I was just so worried I wouldn't like his music any more. And what would become of me without it ?!
However, it did grow on me (rather quickly) and honestly, the song's great and one of my all-time favourites !

Another thing that was so refreshing about SOTT is that up until that year I honestly didn't think Prince paid attention to, or cared about what was going on in the world around him, besides his own "Prince world". Sure he made "Ronnie talk 2 Russia" and "Party Up",but SOTT was just so on point.I mean who knew that Prince knew anything about the gang The Disciples? Sometimes stars like MJ and Prince (especially at that time period) can seem so far removed from everyday life that when an artist such as Prince makes a song like SOTT, one has to pay attention... Aaron6ix

I remember hearing it on my local pop station in 1987. I thought it was ok, but wasn't floored. It wasn't until after I get the 12in single a few weeks later that I "got it" and fell in love with it.

Man,i remember i was terminating my university...I couldn't stop thinking how genius was the linn drum pro' !!!
...And that soft rap matching with the lyrics content...
Ahead of his time,if u ask me!

I just love this song. Can't explain it just do.

The first time I heard it was watching the video on TOTPs long before I knew who Prince was.

I was mesmerised...

This man has a message - I thought...

And a sense of humour..

After that the love affair began...

I thought it was fucking AMAZING. I still think so to this day. One of his very best, imo.

Just brilliant and that whole album is really gooood!

I was still on a Purple Rain Paisley Park Prince's Parade high

so I ate it up, but because it was so mysterious. There was some silence between the Parade tour and SOTT single release. No video. A new look via the 45 pics, which added 2 the mystery. The music was so spare and stripped, that also added to the mystery of what was up. I think all we had outside of this was Sheila E's Hold Me (which actually did really well on the charts)

I believe this was released in the winter and the dark(as in night time) quiet stripped feel matched the time it was released.

mostbeautifulboy said:

angela35 said:

so true, 16 brilliant songs, wow!

And maybe the most spoken of videoclip by Prince(?)

It was GREAT.

In 1992. My dad was playing the radio loud with his friends while me and my brother was sleeping in the bedroom.

I said, "wait..that's Prince.."

"Being in a gang called the Deciples high on crack
And tooting a machine gun"...

That LINE right there made me shut my mind off and listen to the song....I heard that song despite my dad partying with his friends loudly...I knew I had to understand Prince more than just the Purple Rain cassette tape I had after that.

I remember hearing it on the radio and thinking it was pretty dry,unusual and loose. It made me think of Sly from the "Riot" LP.

Was also knocked out to hear him groove with a bluesy,clean solo tone all the way thru the song. The Hammond was unexpected too (considering the 80's was the synth decade).

But I loved it. Bought the LP the day it came out. My favorite 2nd P record.


I was blown away when he did the live version on the MTV 87 awards with all that craziness on the guitar. I thought 'why didn't he do this on the record?'

CuddlyBear said:

Fuck! My Dad clowned me when I bought that single because he thought that was Prince in drag! I ain't gonna lie, so did I....

I was 16...getting ready for School in England.

It came on (I had been waiting for days) and I thought....wow, brilliant, but surprisingly retro. The use of synths and drums all the way was against the current trend and it had a more "controvesy" feel than a "Parade" progression.

I was also surprised that ir sounded so "home made". Back to basics.

dannyd5050 said:

I always knew it wasn't P, but my mom did. I told her that his cheeks were higher and he didn't get a boob job. Not to mention Cat had more bodyfat than P had.

OldFriends4Sale said:

My favorite other track of the time was Sheila's B side to Hold me, "The World is High". Absolute corker and holds up well now compared to most of the Paisley Park output.

And because we got LaLaLa HeHeHe, Hot Thing, Housequake, Shockadelica Sheila's Love on a blue train and Boys Club, Jills Mia Bocca and For Love and Jesse's 12" of Baby Lets Kiss...1987 was the funkiest summer on record!

My little 900cc engined Talbot Samba vibrated all season because it couldn't handle the funk!

funkyhead said:

I was working and in the staff room. The telly was on and on came SOTT. I said to someone next to me: "Prince is the best". Amazing bass on La La La, Hee Hee Hee too.

Andy Fiol

SquirrelMeat said:

Agreed. A friend pointed out to me a little later that Controversy (the song) and SOTT (the song) were both commentaries.

I was already a huge Prince fan when it came out. My best friend and me was deeply into all the Prince music we could get a hold on in Copenhagen. We had all the official records and lots of bootlegs (thanks to Søren at GUF)

I wasn't that impressed to begin with. I was excepting something very funky (like the b-side La La La He He He turned out to be). What did impress me was the completly different way to sing, play and produce music Prince did here.

Later the album turned out to be one of my favorits - and still is today..

i remember when i first heard it....i used to listen to an irish radio station....cant remember what it was called....i live in scotland but i used to listen to this station late at night...one of the dj's used to play a lot of prince and wendy and lisa and generally good stuff....anyway he said that he had been driving along listening to the radio when the first play of the new prince single 'sign o the times' came on.....
.....he said he had to pull over and listen to it and said it was a brilliant track then he played it and you know those moments when you get a shiver running down your spine.....well i had that feeling when i heard those eectronic beats and then the 'oh yeah' shout.....it just sounded like nothing else on the radio at that time and i loved it....it wasnt a catchy pop song but it was brilliant and then the album came out shortly after that and its still my favourite album of all time....

You guys mean, like, that the title song from his best album was, like, you know really good?

lmejding said:

Hey I bought some vinyl bootlegs there too, in 1987/88... GUF > a great shop!

I didnt like it when I first heard it. I didn't "hate" it but it wasn't what I was lookin for at the time. I learned to love it though real quick.

A friend /workmate was crackin on the line "'we'll call him Nate..if it's a boy.." lol.

Oh and I was one of the ones who was "wtf" at the 12 inch cover before Cat was formally introduced.


.shavedlegsedit
[Edited 3/19/10 8:28am]