pinkeekeen said:

Please don’t tear me apart! My friend and I are debating and I’m sure this is old news but he is listening to a cover done with Ani Difranco and Maceo Parker and says that Maceo wrote the song. I see Prince being credited as writing it but was Maceo a collaborator or original writer and never credited? Help!

Hi.

Here you go: http://www.princevault.co..._Were_Mine

So...instead of your friend looking it up, they...... nope. I won't channel Bart today.

He/She must be a new Prince fan. Here's the thing: "When You Were Mine" dates to 1980 on Dirty Mind.

Ani Defranco was born in 1970, and it's highly unlikely that she wrote anything at ten years older other than her name on her fifth-grade homework.

Prince didn't meet Maceo Parker, who was 37 when Dirty Mind was released, until decades later.

Tell your friend there is Google. Princevault. Yahoo. DuckDuckGo. Discogs. Oh, and the Dirty Mind credits where the answer could be located.

If you really wanna blow your friend's mind, find Cyndi Lauper's 1983 She's So Unusual album. Tucked near the end of side one is her new wave cover of the song.

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[Edited 4/16/18 21:24pm]

huh? if it was on his third album and he was known for doing most of his work and being a control freak, i don't get why this is being asked. He may have stolen some peoples songs at times (partyup,do me baby, others?) but he probably did most of his own stuff. especially in those days, don't even know how the hell maceo even gets into the conversation, he did a cover? why? how do you cover something like that with a saxaphone?

Sheesh, we even know where and when Prince wrote the song.

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Here's the link to where someone quotes the liner notes from TH/TBS: http://prince.org/msg/5/106239

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And here's the link to my "investigation" as to when the song was written: http://prince.org/msg/7/4...mp;pg=3#89 (bottom of the page)

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(The links are also in the linked post, but they're incorrect there because the Org's editor is broken.)

BartVanHemelen said:

Sheesh, we even know where and when Prince wrote the song.

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Here's the link to where someone quotes the liner notes from TH/TBS: http://prince.org/msg/5/106239

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And here's the link to my "investigation" as to when the song was written: http://prince.org/msg/7/4...mp;pg=3#89 (bottom of the page)

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(The links are also in the linked post, but they're incorrect there because the Org's editor is broken.)

So, the thing of this is: this is either a troll trolling - the original post, I mean - or this is a genuine enquiry that hasn't been backed up with some googling.

*

All it takes is a lttle courtesy in the way they are responded to. If it's a troll, then they've achieved nothing; if it's a genuine enquiry, then they've been answered and reminded that searching exists.

*

If it's a troll, they then go away. If it's genuine, they're a bit bashful but at least still welcome on a site of an artist they like songs of.

come on u know it was cyndi lauper

luvsexy4all said:

come on u know it was cyndi lauper

i thought Latoya Jackson wrote it

SimonCharles said:

BartVanHemelen said:

Sheesh, we even know where and when Prince wrote the song.

.

Here's the link to where someone quotes the liner notes from TH/TBS: http://prince.org/msg/5/106239

.

And here's the link to my "investigation" as to when the song was written: http://prince.org/msg/7/4...mp;pg=3#89 (bottom of the page)

.

(The links are also in the linked post, but they're incorrect there because the Org's editor is broken.)

So, the thing of this is: this is either a troll trolling - the original post, I mean - or this is a genuine enquiry that hasn't been backed up with some googling.

*

All it takes is a lttle courtesy in the way they are responded to. If it's a troll, then they've achieved nothing; if it's a genuine enquiry, then they've been answered and reminded that searching exists.

*

If it's a troll, they then go away. If it's genuine, they're a bit bashful but at least still welcome on a site of an artist they like songs of.

i agree, only problem i can see is that they could do the googling themselves, it only takes a second.

PeteSilas said:

SimonCharles said:

So, the thing of this is: this is either a troll trolling - the original post, I mean - or this is a genuine enquiry that hasn't been backed up with some googling.

*

All it takes is a lttle courtesy in the way they are responded to. If it's a troll, then they've achieved nothing; if it's a genuine enquiry, then they've been answered and reminded that searching exists.

*

If it's a troll, they then go away. If it's genuine, they're a bit bashful but at least still welcome on a site of an artist they like songs of.

i agree, only problem i can see is that they could do the googling themselves, it only takes a second.

Indeed - the idea being that the polite reminder that google is there may prompt that action for future questions.

*

If, tomorrow, the op comes back and asks, "So, ok Prince wrote When You Were Mine but, who wrote Wehn Doves Cry - my friend heard a sample of it on an MC Hammer song and I've seen that choir singing it in that Shakespeare play, so did Shakespeare write it or did MC Hammer and when did Prince's version come out?"...well, then someone can write "sheeesh" in their response.

[Edited 4/17/18 14:10pm]

purplethunder3121 said:

What a song....always been a favourite.

SimonCharles said:

purplethunder3121 said:

What a song....always been a favourite.

And, to be fair, Prince was quite young when he wrote this.

rogifan said:

Wait, someone thinks Maceo Parker wrote When You Were Mine?

rogifan said:

Wait, someone thinks Maceo Parker wrote When You Were Mine?

the only thing I can come up with is that version included embellishments which Maceo composed and thus some mention of his input. But even that is a stretch.

OnlyNDaUsa said:

rogifan said:

Wait, someone thinks Maceo Parker wrote When You Were Mine?

the only thing I can come up with is that version included embellishments which Maceo composed and thus some mention of his input. But even that is a stretch.

hell no, they don't give "interpretive" solos or versions as writing the song, it's a done deal once prince had it in ascap or whatever it is that logs songs. jazz musicians and rock ones to often change things but i've never seen or heard of anyone getting writers credit that way, never. If that was the case Elvis would have gotten writers credit on half his early work because most of it was radically different and better.

PeteSilas said:

sophist29 said:

PeteSilas said:

hell no, they don't give "interpretive" solos or versions as writing the song, it's a done deal once prince had it in ascap or whatever it is that logs songs. jazz musicians and rock ones to often change things but i've never seen or heard of anyone getting writers credit that way, never. If that was the case Elvis would have gotten writers credit on half his early work because most of it was radically different and better.

Andre Cymone wrote "when you were mine"

no, never heard that, i think you're thinking of do me baby.

sophist29 said:

Andre Cymone wrote "when you were mine"

That's "Do Me Baby".

This thread...

PeteSilas said:

OnlyNDaUsa said:

the only thing I can come up with is that version included embellishments which Maceo composed and thus some mention of his input. But even that is a stretch.

hell no, they don't give "interpretive" solos or versions as writing the song, it's a done deal once prince had it in ascap or whatever it is that logs songs. jazz musicians and rock ones to often change things but i've never seen or heard of anyone getting writers credit that way, never. If that was the case Elvis would have gotten writers credit on half his early work because most of it was radically different and better.

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FYI Elvis got partial credits on some tracks despite not having done anything on them, as part of deals his manager struck.

I am currently in a T. Rex phase and when I heard the song Raw Ramp for the first time it reminded me A LOT of When you were mine. The whole mood of the song and some of the guitar parts are pretty similar and could have been his inspiration. It is no secret that Prince borrowed a lot from Marc Bolan.

TrivialPursuit said:

sophist29 said:

Andre Cymone wrote "when you were mine"

That's "Do Me Baby".

Morris did "Partyup"

OnlyNDaUsa said:

TrivialPursuit said:

That's "Do Me Baby".

Morris did "Partyup"

No.

theplejades said:

I am currently in a T. Rex phase and when I heard the song Raw Ramp for the first time it reminded me A LOT of When you were mine. The whole mood of the song and some of the guitar parts are pretty similar and could have been his inspiration. It is no secret that Prince borrowed a lot from Marc Bolan.

i was looking at some of gary glitters shit, i thought prince mighta watched that sick fucks shit too.

TrivialPursuit said:

OnlyNDaUsa said:

Morris did "Partyup"

No.

Morris did No? that's cool.

EddieC said:

TrivialPursuit said:

No.

Morris did No? that's cool.

U R on "The Ball"