I've always loved this song, written by Prince and given to Kenny Rogers.

It was written in 1982, pulled out for The Family, but it wasn't used for that project. It's a simple, straight-ahead song, but quite catchy. And yes, that's El Debarge on backing vocals. It was the first song Prince wrote under the Joey Coco moniker on an official release of any kind.

It was initially written in the Kiowa Trail home studio.

According to Princevault, it was pulled out in 1986 and strings were added. However, it stands to reason that information might be incorrect. Perhaps it was worked on earlier since The Family project was released August 1985 (and had a lot of Clare's strings on it), and Princevault lists mixing in Sept 1985, and Clare's strings added in 1986.

Kenny Roger's band totally re-recorded the song, so the track is not Prince's take. Other than the songwriting, there is no other musical input by Prince.

It's a favorite of mine, and apparently often forgotten by fans.

I believe he may have inventoried it from the Vault, and embellished it slightly for his own prospective use, as he did with many 1982 tracks during 1985 and 1986 ('Strange Relationship', 'I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man', 'Can't Stop This Feeling I Got', 'Mia Bocca', 'My Baby Knows How to Love Me', 'Boom Boom', 'Baby, You're a Trip', 'Wouldn't U Love 2 Love Me?', etc). By the time it was pulled out of the Vault (Summer 1985), the final configuration of The Family album was most likely well settled (the album had been mixed/edited, and most likely pressed by this point, and was released in August). If he seriously entertained it for anyone other than himself after his personal interest in the track waned, I'd imagine it would have been Jill Jones. He most likely received a request from KR's management about possibly submitting a track for consideration on his next project, or he may have on a lark sent it unsolicitedly as he did with 'Lust U Always' and Robert Palmer. This track was then conveniently available. I find it slightly troubling that even with established third party artists he declined to newly lay down a likely hit to provide them, instead favoring what were, in his own world at least, virtual throw-aways, and that most of the commercially successful gifts to other artists/groups arrived somewhat by accident.

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[Edited 5/5/17 15:57pm]

I'm definitely among those who forget about this one. Thanks for the reminder. Sounds like a ballad from the Prince LP.

Yaaaaas

I'm a fan who remembers it and pulls this song and the one P did for Celine Dion out for folks who only know Purple Rain.

I should add, i was reminded of this track because St. Paul mentioned today that it was intended for The Family at some point in 1985.

And it does remind me of his straight forward 4/4 simple songs. Frankly, I could hear it more sung by The Bangles. "Manic Monday" is the same sort of straight-ahead pop tune. No frills, just simplistic yet sweet overall.

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[Edited 5/5/17 16:06pm]

The arrangement on KR's version comfortably navigates that whole early/early-mid 1980s country-pop cross-over thing (e.g., Deborah Allen's 'Baby I Lied').

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I would love to hear the original 1982 arrangement/production, and also the 85/86 reworked and CF-overdubbed ones. I am picturing in my head something sung in falsetto, and more like 'How Come U Don't Call Me?' or 'Still Waiting' than 'Manic Monday' in its original conception.

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[Edited 5/5/17 16:22pm]

TrivialPursuit said:

I've always loved this song, written by Prince and given to Kenny Rogers.

It was written in 1982, pulled out for The Family, but it wasn't used for that project. It's a simple, straight-ahead song, but quite catchy. And yes, that's El Debarge on backing vocals. It was the first song Prince wrote under the Joey Coco moniker on an official release of any kind.

It was initially written in the Kiowa Trail home studio.

According to Princevault, it was pulled out in 1986 and strings were added. However, it stands to reason that information might be incorrect. Perhaps it was worked on earlier since The Family project was released August 1985 (and had a lot of Clare's strings on it), and Princevault lists mixing in Sept 1985, and Clare's strings added in 1986.

Kenny Roger's band totally re-recorded the song, so the track is not Prince's take. Other than the songwriting, there is no other musical input by Prince.

It's a favorite of mine, and apparently often forgotten by fans.

Thanks for posting...it's also one of my favorites. Of course, since you provided the link, I just had to listen to it before commenting

imprimis said:

The arrangement on KR's version comfortably navigates that whole early/early-mid 1980s country-pop cross-over thing (e.g., Deborah Allen's 'Baby I Lied').

.

I would love to hear the original 1982 arrangement/production, and also the 85/86 reworked and CF-overdubbed ones. I am picturing in my head something sung in falsetto, and more like 'How Come U Don't Call Me?' or 'Still Waiting' than 'Manic Monday' in its original conception.

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[Edited 5/5/17 16:22pm]

This is actually one of the things I've always hoped would leak.

Someone should ask Kenny himself, is he on social media?

I saved this from destruction when I worked at Sunset Sound Factory. Seems to prove that the strings were added in 1986.

https://goo.gl/photos/7tXrwr66P4Hgbz3i9 (Could some kind soul format this properly? I have no idea why it's so hard to figure out how to post urls on this forum)

Fine record

Jestyr said:

I saved this from destruction when I worked at Sunset Sound Factory. Seems to prove that the strings were added in 1986.

https://goo.gl/photos/7tXrwr66P4Hgbz3i9 (Could some kind soul format this properly? I have no idea why it's so hard to figure out how to post urls on this forum)

Very cool that you saved that!

Jestyr said:

I saved this from destruction when I worked at Sunset Sound Factory. Seems to prove that the strings were added in 1986.

https://goo.gl/photos/7tXrwr66P4Hgbz3i9 (Could some kind soul format this properly? I have no idea why it's so hard to figure out how to post urls on this forum)

Okay--so listed as Prince and the Revolution. I really want to hear this version of the song.

Now I'm envisioning something saccharinely sweet, an arrangement like a longer 'Venus de Milo' with lyrics and a simple pop flair, with bursts of theatrical melodrama over a piano/Rhodes backbone.

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[Edited 5/8/17 21:04pm]

i-bought-the-lp-just-to-listen-to-that-one-song.its-ok.now-i-have-a-country-album-mixed-in-with-my

prince-vinyl-cos-im-just-a-junkie-4-prince-songs

the title has a feel of one of those wonderful 70s demos or something from the albums like When We're Dancing Close and Slow