I always rated this among the very best tracks he gave away to affiliates and proteges myself.

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Allegedly, this song underwent a key change between the demo and the final product, due to Easton's singing it incorrectly, and again, Prince liked the result enough to keep it.

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[Edited 9/7/16 9:45am]

This is one that I would pay to hear the demo of. Love this track and the instrumental version of it (was the b-side). I didn't like the 12" remixes quite as much. It's a simple but smoldering video too. Remember hearing the title of the track as a Prince penned thing, waiting for the video to show up as listed on Friday Night Videos ( I think), and then setting the VCR to tape it. Then seeing and hearing it for the first itme and thinking it was far better than I expected.

101 ~Joey Coco (featuring Sheena Easton) 1989

For every night that you've been gone
I've lit a candle
There must be 99 around my bed
Around my bed
Lying awake all night long tears in vain
Sometimes I think that I'd be better off dead
Being without you is murder, baby

Get in a taxi, subway train
Don't make me cry these tears in vain, baby
A hundred nights without you is murder baby
A 101 just won't do, no

Why do I cry for you?
You probably found someone new
And no one deserves ya, I say
No one deserves ya like I do
Baby, you know it's true
Ooh, what we had you said was meant to be

If that was true, tell me, why'd you leave?
Baby, I wanna know
I'm sick of, I'm sick of, I'm sick of
Crying these tears in vain, baby

Why don't cha get in a taxi, subway train?
I'm going mad, baby
I'm going insane, baby, don't cha know?
101 just won't do, no, no, listen

Nothing on TV, my girlfriends bore me
They try to please me but I need you, baby
You and me, need to be together
Together physically
Why can't you come see about me?
Why can't you come see about me?

You've got to get in a taxi, subway train
Don't make me cry these tears in vain, baby
A hundred nights without you is murder, baby
A 101 just won't do, no, no just won't do

I'm in the funk, I'm in deep
You got to come, baby, see about me
That 101 just won't do

101 is the eighth track on Sheena Easton's ninth album The Lover In Me, and, eight months after the album's release, 101 was released as the album's third single. 101 was written and produced by Prince (credited as Joey Coco).

Initial tracking took place on 10 January, 1987 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA (four days before Jaguar).

In a 2012 interview, Sheena Easton discussed the song's recording:
"When you work with Prince, he's one of those kind of guys that likes to keep you off guard. You'd get the phone call saying 'Hey, come down to the studio. There's something I'd want you to hear.' Then you'd get down there, like with 101 and he'd play it and I'd be like, 'I don't know' and he'd say, 'Well, just go and sit and listen to it a little bit.' I'd go and he'd come right in and say, 'Let's go.' 'But I don't know it completely,' [I'd say]. 'Well just sing what you know, then,' [he'd say]. There's this part in there where I kinda go off-melody and I just start taking higher and higher and he says, 'Well, that's not the right melody but we're keeping that and we're gonna work with that.' And so it's one of those things that's really organic - just a great moment in the studio. Plus I like the production. I love the subway doors opening and closing. He wanted it to be very haunting, and to just be about the desperation in the voice - [and] about the concept of you being away from this person for forever, it seems, and you just can't bear it for one more night."

In the same interview, she declared that: "of all my songs I've ever done, that's my favorite."

-PrinceVault

OldFriends4Sale said:

Latin said:

Prince gave away many great cuts. 101 by Sheena Easton is one of the very best. Please express your love for this great track. Has anyone heard the original version sung by Prince? What do you think of the extended version produced by Prince?

I mentioned this in the other thread. THEY WROTE IT TOGETHER! He didn't fucking GIVE IT AWAY.

Honestly can you not read or are you the rencarnation of KMUSIQKOOL?

[Edited 9/7/16 12:51pm]

bluegangsta said:

Latin said:

Prince gave away many great cuts. 101 by Sheena Easton is one of the very best. Please express your love for this great track. Has anyone heard the original version sung by Prince? What do you think of the extended version produced by Prince?

I mentioned this in the other thread. THEY WROTE IT TOGETHER! He didn't fucking GIVE IT AWAY.

Honestly can you not read or are you the rencarnation of KMUSIQKOOL?

[Edited 9/7/16 12:51pm]

Sheena doesn't legitimately arrange, compose, or produce. Although she may have contributed broad artistic ideas and lyrics to the design of the track, the demo and production are squarely P's. Her vocal talents are noted, and, in this case, employed in the 'production' side under P's direction.

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[Edited 9/7/16 13:10pm]

bluegangsta said:

Latin said:

Prince gave away many great cuts. 101 by Sheena Easton is one of the very best. Please express your love for this great track. Has anyone heard the original version sung by Prince? What do you think of the extended version produced by Prince?

I mentioned this in the other thread. THEY WROTE IT TOGETHER! He didn't fucking GIVE IT AWAY.

Source?

I read this the other day. Sheena Easton says the complete opposite.

http://www.drfunkenberry.com/2012/08/14/80s-singer-sheena-easton-talks-about-working-with-music-icon-prince/

"You'd get the phone call saying 'Hey, come down to the studio. There's something I'd want you to hear.' Then you'd get down there, like with '101,' and he'd play it and I'd be like, 'I don't know' and he'd say, 'Well, just go and sit and listen to it a little bit.' I'd go and he'd come right in and say, 'Let's go.' 'But I don't know it completely,' [I'd say]. 'Well just sing what you know, then,' [he'd say].""

Check the CD-single of this song.

It has the Uptown version.

That Uptown version is the best version of this song.

Latin said:

Prince gave away many great cuts. 101 by Sheena Easton is one of the very best. Please express your love for this great track. Has anyone heard the original version sung by Prince? What do you think of the extended version produced by Prince?

Always one of my favourites, I love the way it builds & builds....

Bought the album back in the day just for this one track. Loved it then and love it now. Nice bonus of having Cool Love on the album too.

I love this song. As far as I know, the demo and the released version are very similar with no major changes being done between the two.

Other tracks were changed for Sheena, but on this one, I don't think much if anything was altered.

And hey, am I the only one who looked at the tracking date and assume it's another (maybe the last) Susannah song? I normally don't care who he wrote songs "for." but, hey, "Adore" and "101." Easily his two most passionate songs on different sides of the light and dark spectrum.

I eagerly anticipate a frothy condescending response affirmatively declaring the complete opposite, though. Just musing, I admit I know nothing.

WhisperingDandelions said:

udo said:

udo said:

Check the CD-single of this song.

It has the Uptown version.

That Uptown version is the best version of this song.

Uptown version watered it down and made it more generic (maybe more lightweight pop) to my ears. Prince was all over the album version which is more dark and dense. This and "Cool Love" are totally Prince even in the album versions. (The bootleg Prince version of "Cool Love" is just like the Sheena version minus the switch in lead vocals.)

ufoclub said: