It's really a masterpiece.

Yeah, this song is hugely impressive. If he had nothing else in the 80s but this song, he'd still be remembered today for it.

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It's just so unique, sounding nothing like anything else at the time (or since, really), and yet at the same time it's instantly memorable and listener-friendly. I remember 1986 quite well, such as the Challenger explosion (although I was barely 10), and the song is also very evocative of that period.

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This track comes from the late 'era' of the period (1981-1987) when Prince had the power of the universe and cosmos in his hands.

The great thing about that song is that when it was on configurations of Crystal Ball and Dream Factory, it was just a track stuck in there, near the end.

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When WB made him whittle down three disks to two, the pulled a lot of songs, and rearranged others. SOTT became the title track, and yet somehow it changed the whole vibe of all those remaining songs that otherwise seemed brighter or different. SOTT gave every song and the whole album a darker mood and edge. It's a weirdly wonderful dark spot between the black and white of Parade, and the lighter spiritual fare of Lovesexy.