"If I was Your GirlFriend"

One of my favorite Prince songs ever from my Favorite LP ever.

But this was a bad song to release in 1987 for marketing reasons. The LP would have much bigger had he released "Strange Relationship" or "Hot Thing" in it's place to follow up the title song. 1987 radio could not play such an explicit song back then. Now it would be a shoe in on radio.


Serious responses to this observation/opinion
[This message was edited Wed Oct 15 12:24:31 PDT 2003 by lmas]

I dunno, it got lots of airplay on black radio stations in DC

NuPwrSoul said:

That's what I was gonna say. It got major airplay here in Chicago.

I'm so glad it never comes on the radio and I have to say, "that was so cool in 87, but now I'd almost rather hear Roxette than that damn Girlfriend song again. Almost."

If i was your girlfriend explicit? You American guys are so strange!

It was a smart release, and like others said it got mad play on most black/r&b stations. Should have released it with a hot video and it would have done a lot better.

I tend to agree it wasn't a single #2, especially sans video.

Maybe single 4 or something.

Something upbeat like Housequake would have been fab after SOTT.

I guess sooner or later someone is gonna say "we can shoulda, woulda, coulda till the cows come home", but it's still fun to throw about ideas of "what if's".

I think his career took a nose dive when he ditched his management.

Prince's Career Mistake

you mean he only made one?

maybe if he had released the black album instead of lovesexy...

all the regular people I know back in college loved hearing trax off of the black album in '88, but hated tracks off of lovesexy. They loved the shock of a hardcore sounding prince.

you know that phenomenon of white frats blasting Public Enemy back in '89... could have been "Bob George"

The black album would have rooted his "coolness" with a lot of people that instead dismissed his sound as "gay", and I quote that last description from a little girl...

That the first 2 songs released as singles had no videos & he didn't tour the US to support the album release also contributed to album sales.

After the shock of the Dirty Mind project..the head giving during Computer Blue..the stripping of clothes on Parade vids etc...it seemed like the IIWYG single was a sensible release..stating in full glory Princes masculinaity and vulnerability through all of the lasciviousness as one brilliant bold statement..the public didnt get it for many reasons but thats on them. Folks weren't ready and if they weren't ready by then, then fuck it. If IIWYG fucked up the momentum of SOTT then so be it imho.

He released with his heart on that one

adrogony edit
[This message was edited Wed Oct 15 14:28:01 PDT 2003 by rdhull]

I think the lyrics for If I Was Your Girlfriend might've freaked a lot of people out. Think about it. A line like "If I Was Your Girlfriend" sung by a guy? Yeah, it was P. and people should've expected it, but even though I think it's a damn cool song, I can totally understand people not getting what it's about or being freaked by the lyrics.

Most of my friends who've heard the song think he's asking for a sex change...
[This message was edited Wed Oct 15 17:14:35 PDT 2003 by meow85]