Well speaking form the perspective of THE MOVIE ONLY...I dont think Doves moody motocycle montage does anything to propel the movie. LGC and PR are enough show stoppers along with the raqve up baby, Im A Star to take the movie to its heights of grandeur.

And npo doubt the aural quality of the hypnotic sound of WDC pushed the album interest, but think about the album sans Doves. Right after you go from Nikki, would come the push of IWD4U. Right smack after the eargasm of Niki you think you are going to rest but heres comes the "bewwwww! buda budda budda" of Die 4 U..like it wakes you out of the stupor.

It almost seems like WDC really does not belong..it is so out of place but of course its one of the greatest songs in history so it needed to be on the album. But it does seem garish to be on there. I bet Prince didnt even expect it to be sooooo big.

I believe When Doves Cry is his signature song. That and 1999 are the most known by the general public.

alphastreet said:

I believe When Doves Cry is his signature song. That and 1999 are the most known by the general public.

Purple Rain is his signature song to the mass public.

Nah it's 1999 lol

rdhull said:

I bet Prince didnt even expect it to be sooooo big.

Think the same here. Well, look at the clip, as a example. Is shitty. If anyone knows that WDC would be that, they probably would make a better clip. Scenes of the movie isn`t that i call a good clip. Even the mirror effect, that was horrible!

And i always wanted a extended version of this song, like Thieves in the Temple and Kiss have.

Before this thread emerged, I was actully pondering the same thing: what would the whole PR thing have been like without WDC. What would have been the lead single, would it have been a major hit?

And for me it all boils down to the lyrics of WDC. Lyrically he just pulled you in and made you go, "Hey, what is this film really all about, with the referencs to doves, his parents, and all that shit?" So, no any other lead single form that LP would not have gone to number 1 IMO and that song would not have garnered the same interest in the PR movie. It would have just been, "Oh, that's the new song by that dude with some movie coming out". The movie may still have been successful, but let's not kid ourselves and pretend like the lead single had nothing to do with it.

Oh, and an even better analogy in reference to MJ would be, "What would Thriller have been like if not for Motown 25?" But we've already covered that in a thread, so...

rdhull said:

alphastreet said:

I believe When Doves Cry is his signature song. That and 1999 are the most known by the general public.

Purple Rain is his signature song to the mass public.

I'd say Little Red Corvette. I've known tons of people that know that song and don't even know who Prince is and know about that song.

Doves is the greatest single since any of the Beatles ones circa 62-68 in my opinion.

It still gives me that WTF feeling whenever I hear it. Special indeed.

at the very least, the lyric "maybe I'm just like my mother....etc"...makes it appropriate to be included in the film.

For the film, WDC is the perfect enteracte (sp?), and I shudder to think of the film without it. Dig if you will:

BILLY: I got one problem, though.

KID: What's that?

BILLY: I got three acts. I don't need four. That means one of y'all have got to go. What would you do in my position?

KID'S HOUSE: EXT - DAY

KID arrives on motorcycle to find MOTHER crying on sidewalk.

KID: Ma, what happened? Ma?

Bleagh.

WDC is the perfect recap of Act I, setting us up nicely for Act II. As analogies go, it would be like West Side Story without 'Tonight'!

Interestingly, Prince had 'Thieves in the Temple' do the exact same duty in Graffiti Bridge. But... it didn't help.

BlackAdder7 said:

at the very least, the lyric "maybe I'm just like my mother....etc"...makes it appropriate to be included in the film.

He said "maybe you're just like my mother" lol

Timmy84 said:

BlackAdder7 said:

at the very least, the lyric "maybe I'm just like my mother....etc"...makes it appropriate to be included in the film.

He said "maybe you're just like my mother" lol

That's probably his most misquoted line

Timmy84 said:

Nah it's 1999 lol

I'll concede to that. If at least tied with Rain.

But on a 'mainstream' audience steelo.

Creussonino said:

rdhull said:

I bet Prince didnt even expect it to be sooooo big.

Think the same here. Well, look at the clip, as a example. Is shitty. If anyone knows that WDC would be that, they probably would make a better clip. Scenes of the movie isn`t that i call a good clip. Even the mirror effect, that was horrible!

And i always wanted a extended version of this song, like Thieves in the Temple and Kiss have.

I think the movie clips were boring but the rest of the video is interesting as all get out. I do hate the mirror effect though and even moreso on the Prince And The Revolution Live vid release. WTF!

Adisa said:

Before this thread emerged, I was actully pondering the same thing: what would the whole PR thing have been like without WDC. What would have been the lead single, would it have been a major hit?

And for me it all boils down to the lyrics of WDC. Lyrically he just pulled you in and made you go, "Hey, what is this film really all about, with the referencs to doves, his parents, and all that shit?" So, no any other lead single form that LP would not have gone to number 1 IMO and that song would not have garnered the same interest in the PR movie. It would have just been, "Oh, that's the new song by that dude with some movie coming out". The movie may still have been successful, but let's not kid ourselves and pretend like the lead single had nothing to do with it.

Oh, and an even better analogy in reference to MJ would be, "What would Thriller have been like if not for Motown 25?" But we've already covered that in a thread, so...

But the lead single would have then been Lets Go Crazy. I think that was an awesome single and would have been enough to make the project a hit.

And AGREED on the Motown 25 anology as consider this: Billy jean was out and a hit but it wasn't until folks "saw" MJ do the song on that television special did Thriller become...THRILLER!!!!!! It took seeing him move, speak, talk, and perform for folks to say wow..this is the shit! Seeing Prince in an actual motion picitre doing just that, would have been his Motown 25 even without When Doves Cry, enough to make it a hit .

Damn I keep going back and forth with this..all you posters' responses are making me think much hard lol

[Edited 9/17/11 21:55pm]

aardvark15 said:

rdhull said:

Purple Rain is his signature song to the mass public.

I'd say Little Red Corvette. I've known tons of people that know that song and don't even know who Prince is and know about that song.

But don't more people know about 1999 or Purple Rain?

maplesyrupnjam said:

Doves is the greatest single since any of the Beatles ones circa 62-68 in my opinion.

It still gives me that WTF feeling whenever I hear it. Special indeed.

"the Wright brothers can't fuck with that."-Morris Day/The Bird

eyewishuheaven said:

For the film, WDC is the perfect enteracte (sp?), and I shudder to think of the film without it. Dig if you will:

BILLY: I got one problem, though.

KID: What's that?

BILLY: I got three acts. I don't need four. That means one of y'all have got to go. What would you do in my position?

KID'S HOUSE: EXT - DAY

KID arrives on motorcycle to find MOTHER crying on sidewalk.

KID: Ma, what happened? Ma?

Bleagh.

WDC is the perfect recap of Act I, setting us up nicely for Act II. As analogies go, it would be like West Side Story without 'Tonight'!

Interestingly, Prince had 'Thieves in the Temple' do the exact same duty in Graffiti Bridge. But... it didn't help.

And with no DSoves, it would still have flown fine. The mpontage wouldnt take form the film.'

However..after those oh so cold words from Bill-ay...when that opening backwards riff begins there is that "oh shit here we go!" feeling...so hmmm ...wouldnt the emotional one-two-three punch of PR, Die 4 U, and Baby Im A Star have been enough?

aardvark15 said:

Timmy84 said:

He said "maybe you're just like my mother" lol

That's probably his most misquoted line

its not "dream if you can the picture, of you and Marvin Gaye and the kids"?

rdhull said:

aardvark15 said:

That's probably his most misquoted line

its not "dream if you can the picture, of you and Marvin Gaye and the kids"?

Of course not.

I think that the film could have been just as big in its own time. But without the massive impact of WDC on music the film probably would not be something people still watch today.

rdhull said:

aardvark15 said:

I'd say Little Red Corvette. I've known tons of people that know that song and don't even know who Prince is and know about that song.

But don't more people know about 1999 or Purple Rain?

Well from experience, people from the 80's know about those, but I'm talking about people from the 90's and 2000's. Tons of people don't know who Prince is and have heard (and for most of them, liked) LRC.

Oh hell, how about Erotic City? That would've set it off,

* don't answer I'm just having fun with this one thinking about it.

rdhull said:

Adisa said:

Before this thread emerged, I was actully pondering the same thing: what would the whole PR thing have been like without WDC. What would have been the lead single, would it have been a major hit?

And for me it all boils down to the lyrics of WDC. Lyrically he just pulled you in and made you go, "Hey, what is this film really all about, with the referencs to doves, his parents, and all that shit?" So, no any other lead single form that LP would not have gone to number 1 IMO and that song would not have garnered the same interest in the PR movie. It would have just been, "Oh, that's the new song by that dude with some movie coming out". The movie may still have been successful, but let's not kid ourselves and pretend like the lead single had nothing to do with it.

Oh, and an even better analogy in reference to MJ would be, "What would Thriller have been like if not for Motown 25?" But we've already covered that in a thread, so...

But the lead single would have then been Lets Go Crazy. I think that was an awesome single and would have been enough to make the project a hit.

And AGREED on the Motown 25 anology as consider this: Billy jean was out and a hit but it wasn't until folks "saw" MJ do the song on that television special did Thriller become...THRILLER!!!!!! It took seeing him move, speak, talk, and perform for folks to say wow..this is the shit! Seeing Prince in an actual motion picitre doing just that, would have been his Motown 25 even without When Doves Cry, enough to make it a hit .

Damn I keep going back and forth with this..all you posters' responses are making me think much hard lol

[Edited 9/17/11 21:55pm]

Let's Go Crazy was not on the level of When Doves Cry at that time as an addictive single that sounded like nothing you'd ever heard. And it didn't have a real video so, we don't know what Prince and his director would have cooked up if it had been the lead single. Remember when doves Cry starts and ends with original music video material that really stamped Prince's image in a powerful way that he hadn't done yet.

Without the crossover success of "When Doves Cry" (and it was truly a crossover hit), "Let's Go Crazy" wouldn't have done the same thing. That song NEEDED WDC. It makes sense.

Yall continually shit on Let's Go Crazy...Im thinking yall were right behind The Time in the First Avenue backstage hallway mocking The Revolution.

Lets Go Crazy is a GREAT song, especially the full version.

^ But no one said "Let's Go Crazy" sucked. But honestly you need a strong leading single. I'm sure LGC would've worked but to have WDC alongside it, it's like Billie Jean and Beat It. What would one do without the other?

Timmy84 said:

rdhull said:

its not "dream if you can the picture, of you and Marvin Gaye and the kids"?

Of course not.

In LRC I use to think it was "I guess I should have known by the way u parked your car sideways in the woodland grass"

aardvark15 said:

Timmy84 said:

Of course not.

In LRC I use to think it was "I guess I should have known by the way u parked your car sideways in the woodland grass"

I can see how some people would think that if they didn't hear him right.