The Beautiful Ones

Some of his effects are singularly striking - note that eerie, atonal synthesizer touches that creep in at the end of "The Beautiful Ones"

-- KURT LODER

PURPLE RAIN
PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION
Warner Bros.

to the heartrending beauty of the dreamy, soulful The Beautiful Ones ...

this album delves beneath Prince's flashy sex-symbol image and shows us the heart and soul underneath.

-- LINDA R. THORNTON

MIAMI HERALD

PRINCE PACKS A PUNCH

Prince and the Revolution
Music from the Motion Picture "Purple Rain"
(Warner Bros.)

God was released as the b-side of Purple Rain, the third single from Prince's seventh album Purple Rain. The UK 12" release of the single contained God (Love Theme From Purple Rain), a 7:54 instrumental version heard in the movie Purple Rain

Initial tracking for God (Love Theme From Purple Rain) took place on 7 February, 1984 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA (six days before Noon Rendezvous).

12" (UK)

• A. "Purple Rain" (long version) – 7:05
• B1. "God (Love Theme from Purple Rain)" (instrumental) – 7:54

...and we suddenly recognize the MUSIC
as his Father's -- the song he played on the piano the night before.
But it's Prince's now, stamped with his own signature.
He's bent at the waist, his back to the audience, alone with his
father's, and his, pain.

Father's Song is an unreleased song recorded on 29 October, 1983 at Prince's Kiowa Trail Home Studio, Chanhassen, MN, USA. It was included as the ninth track on a 7 November, 1983 configuration of Purple Rain. The song appears in the Purple Rain movie, where Prince's character "The Kid" plays the song on piano after discovering his father's sheet music for the song. The main melody was then included as a section in Computer Blue. The song itself, however, remains unreleased. - PrinceVault

Computer Blue:The song was composed by Prince & the Revolution, with credit to his father, John L. Nelson for the guitar solo based on an untitled piano piece by Nelson. Prince titled the piece "Father's Song" and recorded it on piano for the film, though on screen it was portrayed as being played by Prince's on-screen father, actor Clarence Williams III.

Computer Blue 3:59 min

Wendy?

Yes Lisa

Is the water warm enough?

Yes Lisa

Shall we begin?

Yes Lisa

Where is my love life?
Where can it be?
There must be something wrong with the machinery

Where is my love life?
Tell me, where has it gone?
Somebody please please tell me what the hell is wrong

Till I find the righteous one
Computer blue
Till I find the righteous one
Computer blue

© 1984 Controversy Music - ASCAP

When the whole “Revolution era” started up, it opened up a lot of possibilities for Prince’s sound. 

How did the writing process work with him? For example, how did you got about writing a song like “Computer Blue”? 

FINK: Well “Computer Blue” really grew from a seed, so to speak, that took place during a jam session. 

We’d always warm up before rehearsals doing free-form improv rock/jazz music jams, 

and someone would start a chord progression (or Prince would or one of us would) or in this case on that day, 

I started playing that main bass groove which was the main bass part for “Computer Blue” which was later brought into that. 

So the band started grooving on it, next thing you know we’re all sort of joining in, doing some jam on that. 

Prince started coming up with some stuff we recorded a rough version of it and he took it into the studio and just incorporated it all 

and made it fly that way. Lisa & Wendy came in and they did some of the stuff on it. Prince borrowed the bridge/portal section from his own father 

who had given him some music over the years to play around with. So that particular song was a real mixture of different people and influences. 

So that’s how that one came about. So I kind of germinated the beginning of it—the bassline, the main groove, Bobby Z. was there to play the drums, of course—

and that’s how it evolved. Prince, ya know, he really was the main lyricist and melody maker for the songs and I’m pretty sure very rarely took or did not take any lyrical content from people. 

He was really the main guy on that.

Computer Blue 14:04min

Prince (guitar * lead vocals)

Dr Fink (synth/keyboards * vocals)

Lisa Coleman (synth/piano * vocals)

BrownMark (bass * vocals)

Bobby Z (drums/linn)

Wendy Melvoin (guitar * vocals)

Susan Rogers (engineer)

Wendy?

Yes Lisa

Is the water warm enough?

Yes Lisa

Shall we begin?

Yes Lisa

Where is my love life?
Where can it be?
There must be something wrong with the machinery

Where is my love life?
Tell me, where has it gone?
Somebody please, please tell me what the hell is wrong

CHORUS:
Till I find the righteous one
Computer blue
Till I find the righteous one
Computer blue

Oh

Where is my baby?
Where can she be?
Somebody please, please tell me what is wrong with me

Where is my baby?
Where has she gone?
Somebody please, please tell me what the hell is wrong

CHORUS

Yeah

The computer’s on the verge of breakdown!

Come on
Oh baby, don’t make me

Poor lonely computer
It’s time someone programmed U
It’s time U learned love and lust
They both have 4 letters
But they’re entirely different words
Poor lonely computer
Poor, poor lonely computer
Do U really know what love is?

(Na, na, na, na, na)
Wave your hands in the air!
Now everybody sing it! (Na, na, na, na, na)
Everybody work out
Work out, work out (Na, na, na, na, na)
Everybody work out
Work out, work out (Na, na, na, na, na)
Everybody work out

He didn’t like living alone
The house where he lived had many hallways
It was a long walk 2 his bedroom
Because 2 him each hallway represented an emotion
Every one vastly different from the next
One day while she was with him
He decided 2 name each one
She walked by his side, one hand on his thigh
No – she was sort of half a step behind him
Yeah, the grip on his thigh intensified
As they walked slowly through the corridor
He named the hallway “Lust”
And as they passed through the next one
He named it “Fear”
The grip she now loosened
So he walked faster
Her hands now trembling
She let dropped 2 her side as he wrote the word “Insecurity”
He looked into her eyes and smiled a demon smile
And quickly walked onto the next
Corridor after corridor
He named almost all when suddenly… he stopped
He picked up the word “Hate”
She was gone
So he picked up another – “Pain”

On the verge of a breakdown
What is life without love?
It’s hell, Computer Blue!

Father, Father, the sun is gone
(Father, Father) The Dawn, the Dawn
Father, Father, where is the Dawn?
(Where is the Dawn, Father?)
(Na, na, na, na, na)
Na, na, na, na, na

Shall I go 2 church on Sundays?
Shall I stay home and pray?
Shall I try 2 make her happy?
Shall I try 2 make her stay?

Where is my love life?
Tell me, where can it be?

Narrow-minded computer
(Somebody please, please tell me…)
It’s time someone programmed U
(Somebody please, please tell me what’s wrong with me)
It’s time U learned women are not butterflies
They’re computers 2
Just like U Computer Blue
(Where is my baby?)
Chauvinistic computer
It’s time someone programmed U (Na, na, na, na, na)
U fall in love 2 fast and hate 2 soon
And take 4 granted the feeling’s mutual
(The feeling’s mutual!)
We’re computers 2
Just like U, Computer Blue

Electrocution is an unreleased instrumental recorded at some point in 1983 at Prince's Kiowa Trail Home Studio, Chanhassen, MN, USA. It is not known if the track was intended for any particular project at the time. The track was given to Eric Leeds in July 1989, for consideration on the later-abandoned Madhouse album 26 (which later evolved into Times Squared), although he chose not to use it. PrinceVault

Katrina's Paper Dolls is an unreleased track recorded in late October or early November 1983 at Prince's Kiowa Trail Home Studio, Chanhassen, MN, USA (around the time of Wednesday and Father's Song). It is not known if the track was intended for Purple Rain or any other project.

The Katrina name in the title might be in reference to Vanity who's full name was Denise Katrina Matthews.

-PrinceVault

Darling Nikki

Great thread, guys!

Thanks, really enjoying these era threads that are helping to keep his legacy alive.

Traffic Jam (is an unreleased instrumental track recorded on 27 February 1984 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA (on the same day as Love And Sex, three days before When Doves Cry). It is unknown if this song was intended for any project.

The track's ascending synth-string ending is almost identical to that of When Doves Cry, recording only three days later.

-PrinceVault

Love And Sex is an unreleased song recorded on 27 February 1984 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA (on the same day as Traffic Jam, three days before When Doves Cry). Engineer Peggy McCreary noted that Prince wanted a DX-7 Yamaha synth for the song (an already-outdated instrument), which she had to buy for use in the song; he used the DX-7 for many later recordings.

-PrinceVault

The first time Prince ever played "When Doves Cry" for me was without the bassline. I'll never forget he took me and Bobby Z on a ride in this big white Cadillac in LA. He popped in "When Doves Cry" and of course my immediate reaction was, "Hey, there's no bassline in this song. Are you going to add one?" [Laughs] And Prince just says, "No." And I'm like, "Well, why not?" And he goes, "Because that's how it's going to be." I really questioned him because it sounded funny without a bassline on there. I wasn't ready for it and it tricked the hell out of my ears. But the ridiculous thing is when you listen to "When Doves Cry" today it still sounds groundbreaking and so unique. It never gets old.

I think the Linn drum hit and the wild guitar intro with the weird vocals made people stop and say, "What the hell is this?" It was very weird, creepy, and brilliant. The lyrics are really intense. This is a pop song talking about someone dealing with having a difficult childhood and how it can mess you up. And then you got these slightly de-tuned strings sounds coming out of the Oberheim keyboard. And then there's that thing at the end where Prince does that crazy keyboard solo. I asked him, "How am I going to play that every night?" You almost have to be a virtuoso classical pianist, but I nailed it. The funny part is Prince revealed to me that he took the 24 track two-inch tape machine and slowed it down to the half speed setting. He played the solo half time and sped the tape back up, which made the solo much easier to play. But Prince always handed the football to me when we did "When Doves Cry" live. It was if he was saying, "Here, you play it, dude [laughs]."

From Nov. 99 Bass Player article...

The Artist’s all-time biggest hit, "When Doves Cry" [Purple Rain], is most distinctive because of its lack of a bass line. The song had one but it was pulled at the last minute. "They were almost done editing the movie," he explains, referring to his big-screen debut in Purple Rain. "‘When Doves Cry’ was the last song to be mixed, and it just wasn’t sounding right." Prince was sitting with his head on the console listening to a rough mix when one of his singers, Jill Jones, walked in and asked what was wrong. "It was just sounding too conventional, like every other song with drums and bass and keyboards. So I said, ‘If I could have it my way it would sound like this,’ and I pulled the bass out of the mix. She said, ‘Why don’t you have it your way?’" From the beginning Prince had an inkling the tune would be better bass-free, even though he hated to see the part go. "Sometimes your brain kind of splits in two -- your ego tells you one thing, and the rest of you says something else. You have to go with what you know is right."

.

In DanceMisicSexRomance, Per Nilsen reports that Jill Jones and others attended many of the recording sessions at Sunset Sound during this period, and engineer Peggy McCreary gives this account of recording ,When Doves Cry':

'"He started the song the way he always did, with a drum machine... Then he added bass and synths, then this and that". The rough track completed, McCreary and Prince convened in the control room to mix the song. "Something was bothering him about it, but he couldn't put his finger on it at first. Finally, he reached over and punched out the bass track. That's when we knew we had something special. He said somethng like, "Nobody would have the balls to do this, You just wait, they'll be freaking." He knew exactly what he was doing... and just knew he had a hit. It was just the two of us in the studio".'

There is no bass line, which is very unusual for a dance song; Prince has said that there originally was a bass line, but decided, after a conversation with singer Jill Jones, that the song was too conventional with it intact

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Dig if u will the picture
Of u and I engaged in a kiss
The sweat of your body covers me
Can u my darling
Can u picture this?

Dream if u can a courtyard
An ocean of violets in bloom
Animals strike curious poses
They feel the heat
The heat between me and u

How can u just leave me standing?
Alone in a world that's so cold? (so cold)
Maybe Im just 2 demanding
Maybe Im just like my father 2 bold
Maybe you're just like my mother
Shes never satisfied (shes never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry

Touch if u will my stomach
Feel how it trembles inside
Youve got the butterflies all tied up
Don't make me chase u
Even doves have pride

How can u just leave me standing?
Alone in a world so cold? (world so cold)
Maybe Im just 2 demanding
Maybe Im just like my father 2 bold
Maybe you're just like my mother
Shes never satisfied (shes never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry

How can u just leave me standing?
Alone in a world that's so cold? (a world that's so cold)
Maybe Im just 2 demanding (maybe, maybe Im like my father)
Maybe Im just like my father 2 bold (ya know he's 2 bold)
Maybe you're just like my mother (maybe you're just like my mother)
Shes never satisfied (shes never, never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other (why do we scream, why)
This is what it sounds like

When doves cry
When doves cry (doves cry, doves cry)
When doves cry (doves cry, doves cry)

Don't cry (don't cry)

When doves cry
When doves cry
When doves cry

When doves cry (doves cry, doves cry, doves cry
Don't cry
Darling don't cry
Don't cry
Don't cry
Don't don't cry

The music video (directed by Prince himself) was released on MTV in June 1984. It opens with white doves emerging from double doors to reveal Prince in a bathtub. It also includes scenes from the Purple Rain film interspersed with shots of The Revolution performing and dancing in a white room. The final portion of the video incorporates a mirrored frame of the left half of the picture, creating a doubling effect. The video was nominated for Best Choreography at 1985's MTV Video Music Awards.

PURPLE RAIN
PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION
Warner Bros.

.

The spirit of Jimi Hendrix must surely smile down on Prince Rogers Nelson. Like Hendrix, Prince seems to have tapped into some extraterrestrial musical dimension where black and white styles are merely different aspects of the same funky thing. Prince's rock & roll is as authentic and compelling as his soul and his extremism is endearing in a era of play-it-safe record production and formulaic hit mongering.

.

The Hendrix connection is made overt here... with the manic burst that opens When Doves Cry

.

Anyone partial to great creators should own this record. Like Jimi and Sly, Prince is an original; but apart from that, he's like no one else.

-- KURT LODER

PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS

Tuesday, July 31, 1984
Section: FEATURES
Page: 43

THE FLAMBOYANT PRINCE OF POP

By JONATHAN TAKIFF, Daily News Pop Music Writer

.

And now, with his debut in "Purple Rain," Prince proves his commanding presence and artistic vision can cut it in feature-length films, as well.

.

Inspired by the MTV music video revolution, the music and dramatic plot are treated as equal partners in this cinematic saga - a semi-autobiographical show-biz yarn. Powerful performance footage both opens and closes the film. Prince's original score - second-best-selling album in the nation this week, which contains the number one single, "When Doves Cry" - effectively comments on every dramatic turn of events.

.

The shot-from-the-hip camera angles, smoky atmospheric lighting and rapid- fire, cut-to-the-beat editing employed by directing newcomer Albert Magnoli are likewise drawn from music video motifs.

NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS
August 04, 1984

4-Star Dirt

The problem with major league soul is nog a lack of 'good' music. What has been lost is the ability, possibly the desire, to make records that relate to the aspirations and needs of community. In the past Mayfiels, Wonder and JB fulfilled a purpose by communicating on a social as wel as an emotional level. Nowadays Michael Jackson and Prince set themselves in a select firmament and nurture the cult of celebrity for its own sake, lighting our lives with a blessed gift to entertain.

That's not to say their entertainment is not often brilliant and enthralling, to these ears 'When Doves Cry' is One Of The Greatest Records Ever Made...

That said I can't help but be washed away by the bulk of the goods on display on this the fifth LP by the boy. The beauteous mix of guitar snarls, synth stabs and melodic elegy that make up "When Doves Cry" could have come from no-one but him and this uncanny knack for mix matching dynamic raunch and epic balladry is brone out elsewhere on the record. Compared to the inferior tracks from "1999", too many small ideas stretched into brittle dirges, these songs are full bodied and deep enough to show off the Prince's treasures to best advantage.

-- Gavin Martin

DISC ONE

1 WHEN DOVES CRY (3:37)
Produced, Arranged, Composed and Performed by Prince
Recorded at Sunset Sound by Peggy Mac and David Leonard
Published by Controversy Music, administered by WB Music Corp. ASCAP
From PURPLE RAIN

In one of the monumental crap shoots in show business history, Prince and his managers spent nearly four million dollars on the production of PURPLE RAIN while they maniacally chased their “negative pick-up” deal. The agreement, which called for Warner Films to pay the producers six million dollars upon delivery of the negative, wasn’t sealed until the very evening the cast and crew were attending a wrap party. Were it not for the eleventh hour high finance, post-production might have been canceled and Prince might not have found himself in Los Angeles recording still another song for the soundtrack, WHEN DOVES CRY.

Dr. Fink remembers, “Bobby Z and I were in L.A. and Prince took us for a ride to hear this new song. We had thought the album was finished. My first reaction? I really didn’t care for it. I remember saying to him, ‘There’s no bass.’ He said, ‘That’s right.’ So of course I had to ask how come? All he said was, ‘I tried it, it just didn’t work. I just didn’t like it.’ Needless to say, the song grew on me.”

It grew on a lot of people. The first hint of the purple onslaught to come, WHEN DOVES CRY was released in May 1984, and quickly became the biggest selling single of the year and Prince’s first No. 1 record.

Dig if u will the picture - of u and I engaged in a kiss. The sweat of your body covers me.

Can u picture this, my darling?

An ocean of violets engulf our persons.

A bird screams.

At 1st, I think it's u and u thought it was me.

Oh, if only violets could talk.

Insecurities.

Do u know who u are?

Then it doesn't matter who screamed 1st.

Did it matter who ate of the apple 1st?

The end result was negative.

Can u pass me the pepper?

Why, because u told me salt was bad 4 me.

I thought u liked eggs.

I thought u liked me.

Well, eggs are the only thing I can make besides a baby.

Why do u look at me like that?

What are u thinking?

I know u better than u think I do.

There's this purple suspicion that lurks in the anals of my mind that u and I are alike in more ways than 6.

Can u relate?

oh yeah?

Then what's the difference between a beautiful man and an ugly man with money?

Nothing - as far as you're concerned.

Do u still want 2 spend the night? Good.

Come on. U said u would wash my hair.

Shall we go swimming 1st? U can't swim. Wonderful.

"I'll teach u 2 swim, I'll teach u 2 try, I'll teach u 2 laugh, but not 2 cry.

I'll teach u 2 trust me when u think I lie, I'll teach u 2 love me until we die."

It's from a song I wrote.

Do u believe that?

U do?

Well, I lied.

I just made it up.

Pretty good, huh.

It's not nice 2 lie.

I think we're on the right track.

Shall I wash u 1st or shall u wash me?

When Doves Cry ~ Prince 1984

Some History

According to the Purple Rain DVD, Prince was asked by the director to write a song to match the theme of a particular segment of the film – one which involved intermingled parental difficulties and a love affair. The next morning, Prince had reportedly composed two songs, one of which was "When Doves Cry". According to Per Nilsen, Prince's biographer, the song was inspired by his relationship with Vanity 6 member, Susan Moonsie.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Dr (Matt)Fink:

The first time Prince ever played "When Doves Cry" for me was without the bassline. I'll never forget he took me and Bobby Z on a ride in this big white Cadillac in LA. He popped in "When Doves Cry" and of course my immediate reaction was, "Hey, there's no bassline in this song. Are you going to add one?" [Laughs] And Prince just says, "No." And I'm like, "Well, why not?" And he goes, "Because that's how it's going to be." I really questioned him because it sounded funny without a bassline on there. I wasn't ready for it and it tricked the hell out of my ears. But the ridiculous thing is when you listen to "When Doves Cry" today it still sounds groundbreaking and so unique. It never gets old.

I think the Linn drum hit and the wild guitar intro with the weird vocals made people stop and say, "What the hell is this?" It was very weird, creepy, and brilliant. The lyrics are really intense. This is a pop song talking about someone dealing with having a difficult childhood and how it can mess you up. And then you got these slightly de-tuned strings sounds coming out of the Oberheim keyboard. And then there's that thing at the end where Prince does that crazy keyboard solo. I asked him, "How am I going to play that every night?" You almost have to be a virtuoso classical pianist, but I nailed it. The funny part is Prince revealed to me that he took the 24 track two-inch tape machine and slowed it down to the half speed setting. He played the solo half time and sped the tape back up, which made the solo much easier to play. But Prince always handed the football to me when we did "When Doves Cry" live. It was if he was saying, "Here, you play it, dude [laughs]."

17 Days

the rain will come down, then U will have 2 choose. If U believe, look 2 the dawn and U shall never lose

17 Days", written by Prince, Wendy, Lisa, Dr. Fink song slated for the Vanity 6 album. background vocals include Brenda Bennett

When Doves Cry B side

released 5.16.1984

Called u yesterday
U didnt answer your phone
The main drag is knowing that
U probably werent alone

So here I sit in my lonely room
Lookin 4 my sunshine
But all Ive got is two cigarettes
And this broken heart of mine

So let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down, down
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down, down

Youve been gone 17 days
17 long nights
The main drag is knowing that
Youre holding someone else tight

I wanna to call u everyday
And beg u 2 be near me
But I know your head is underwater
I doubt that u could hear me

So let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down, down
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down, down

Ha, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
17 days
Ha, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
17 days

Called u yesterday
U didnt answer your phone
If youre the one whos always lonely
Then Im the one whos always alone

So here I sit in my lonely room
Lookin 4 my sunshine
All Ive got is 2 cigarettes
And this broken heart of mine

Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down, down
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down, down

Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down, down

Why dont you answer your phone? 

Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down, down
17 days

Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down, down
17 days

15 17 DAYS (3:54)
Produced, Arranged, Composed and Performed by Prince and The Revolution
Published by Controversy Music, administered by WB Music Corp. ASCAP
B-side of “WHEN DOVES CRY”

The plethora of PURPLE RAIN singles had its own reward – four new B-sides. 17 DAYS was recorded in the summer of 1983 and introduced at the Minnesota Music Awards a month before it was released. It enjoyed the esteemed honor of being coupled with WHEN DOVES CRY so, while it’s arguably one of the best, it’s also one of the most common B-sides. With its elastic bottom end and irresistible keyboard hook, 17 DAYS always struck me as a closet hit in search of an album.

-Alan Leeds