When Doves Cry
From Free net encyclopedia
| "When Doves Cry" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Image:Prince doves.jpg | ||
| Single by Prince and The Revolution | ||
| From the album Purple Rain | ||
| Single Released | July, 1984 | |
| Single Format | 7" Single 12" Single | |
| Recorded | 1984 | |
| Genre | Rock, Funk, Pop, Experimental, | |
| Song Length | 7" edit: 3:48 12"/album: 5:52 | |
| Record label | Warner Brothers Records | |
| Writer | Prince | |
| Producer | Prince | |
| Lyrics | External link | |
| Chart positions | #1 Canada #1 US #4 UK #1 Australia | |
| Prince US single chronology | ||
| "Let's Pretend We're Married" 1983 | "When Doves Cry" 1984 | "Let's Go Crazy" 1984 |
| Prince UK single chronology | ||
| "Little Red Corvette" 1983 | "When Doves Cry" 1984 | "Purple Rain" 1984 |
"When Doves Cry" is a 1984 song by Prince, and according to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year. It was the sixth track and lead single from his album Purple Rain. The track went to number one in the U.S. and other countries in July, 1984. It was voted as the best single of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll. The song was also notable for being extremely popular in both White and Black communities in the United States. The B-side was the cult fan favourite "17 Days", which was originally intended for the Apollonia 6 album. A 12" Single issued in the UK included the album track, "17 Days", and two tracks from Prince's previous album, 1999, namely the title track and "D.M.S.R.".
Prince wrote and composed "When Doves Cry" after all the other tracks on Purple Rain were complete. In addition to vocals, he also played all instruments on the track. One notable aspect of the song is that it uses no bass guitar. The song features an unusual intro of a guitar solo and drum machine, followed by a looped guttural vocal by Prince. The song is very emotional and includes semi-autobiographical lyrics sometimes in a scream. After the lyrics, there is another, much longer guitar solo and a synthesizer solo The song ends on a classical music-inspired keyboard piece backed by another synthesizer solo.
"When Doves Cry" has gone on to become one of Prince's signature songs. There have been several cover versions of the song, most notably a hit single version by R&B singer Ginuwine. Produced by Timbaland in 1996 for Ginuwine's The Bachelor album, Ginuwine's cover uses actual dove sound effects as texture for its jungle music-inspired instrumental track.
In 1990, MC Hammer sampled "When Doves Cry" as the basis for his song "Pray" from the Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em album. The Prince original was featured in the wedding scene of the 1996 Baz Luhrman film [[William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet|Romeo + Juliet]], performed by then child star Quindon Tarver backed by a church choir. There is also footage of nu metal band Mushroomhead performing the chorus at a concert.