What is the origin of Prince's Owah! noise, where did this come from? Did he always say this from the day he came out?

i think he first started doing it in purple rain..? i could be wrong but i remember him doing it in baby im a star.

"Sexuality" - is the earliest released track featuring this I think?

I think the first time it appeared was near the end of "Head"

Here is a funny story about a band that liked the "owahhh"

[Edited 6/1/11 6:52am]

it's one of my pet peeves , can't stand it , frankly

Listen to the end of Betty Davis' "Dedicated To The Press"

Very, VERY similar...

It's just him stylizing the word "Ow" into something slightly different. He's still saying, "Ow" (as in "Hurt me!") but it's funky.

Owwwwww-uh.

united1878 said:

Listen to the end of Betty Davis' "Dedicated To The Press"

Very, VERY similar...

You beat me to it -- first time I heard that track I laughed out loud! BTW, I always thought it sounded more "IOWA"

alphachannel said:

united1878 said:

Listen to the end of Betty Davis' "Dedicated To The Press"

Very, VERY similar...

You beat me to it -- first time I heard that track I laughed out loud! BTW, I always thought it sounded more "IOWA"

I absolutely hate when folks in line, or the audience waiting for him to come out start to do it. Please please please..this is only for Prince to do.

united1878 said:

alphachannel said:

You beat me to it -- first time I heard that track I laughed out loud! BTW, I always thought it sounded more "IOWA"

...and ironically it's from her 1975 album "Nasty Gal" featuring Larry Graham on bass. One more loose Prince connection, Betty Davis was married to Miles Davis

Well, the way I heard it...

One day Prince was walking around barefoot with one of his honies and he stumped his pinky toe on the bed post, when they decided to try "a new position" and let out a very loud OWWWAH! The honey said it turned her on and after they finished getting busy, Prince said he'd have to use that sound more often and the rest is history.

[Edited 6/1/11 9:42am]

When i go out and get seperated from the people i'm with thats how we find one another! Especially at the casino. It's very useful. Owahhhhh!!!

Shockedelicus said:

It's just an old rock n' roll/funk trope. Lots of people had their own variations first. James Brown, Little Richard, and your mom all had their own squeals.

I know what you're talking about your daddy let out that squeal one time as well. ah, now I understand.

Little Richard and Betty Davis are probably the origins of Prince's yelp. But of course he added his stamp on it so it became identified with him more than the other two.

Probably from the moment of his first orgasm in the basment.

mzsadii said:

Probably from the moment of his first orgasm in the basment.

A friend told me he stole it from Betty Davis but I've never checked.

mzsadii said:

Probably from the moment of his first orgasm in the basment.

HAHA I wonder

I do remeber hearing it from him in the early 80's, but Nursey's pushing 40 and for the life of me I can't remember which song

Maybe it was from 1999

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^ No he started doing that in the Dirty Mind era.

Timmy84 said:

^ No he started doing that in the Dirty Mind era.

Oh Okay I was just a youngin then Maybe 9 or so

It's a disco chant he's using, that some refer to as a "disco call", but it goes back to background vocalists with doo wop, Screamin Jay Hawkins type blues growls, and then later the usual suspects that always get named in regard to Prince's influences.

treehouse said:

It's a disco chant he's using, that some refer to as a "disco call", but it goes back to background vocalists with doo wop, Screamin Jay Hawkins type blues growls, and then later the usual suspects that always get named in regard to Prince's influences.

I wanted to name that Screamin' Jay was one of the originals who did that too...