Pop life - Prince and the Revolution

Although Prince was at the top of his game in the mid-Eighties, some singles were simply not released in the Netherlands and so we missed out on a few good songs. One of those songs was 'Pop life', which got its release in the UK after 'Raspberry beret' and before 'Kiss'. 

The single wasn't very successful: it only reached number 60 in the UK and spent two weeks in the chart. Which probably explains why the record company didn't bother releasing it in other territories. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7560
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 19 January 2025
Tracks: 'Pop life' / 'Girl'

Hot summer - Prince

The prolific Prince has recorded so much music during his lifetime that we can probably expect new albums to appear regularly for decades to come. Not everything will be great, but it's usually enjoyable nonetheless.

This single was released in Germany with the August issue of Rolling Stone magazine, and I happened to come across it on the last day of my holiday there, in Cologne. A cover single is usually a good reason to buy a magazine, and the fact that this is a 'worldwide exclusive' made it even more attractive. Fortunately, 'Hot summer' is a nice song, taken from the new album 'Welcome 2 America', which was released a week ago. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6422
Found: Köln Hbf, 28 July 2021
Cost: 9,90 euro (with the magazine 'Rolling Stone')
Tracks: 'Hot summer' / 'The bird (live)'

I feel for you - Prince

Utter the words 'I feel for you', and most people who are into Eighties music will immediately respond with the name Chaka Khan. For it was her who made the song immortal, with the stuttering 'Ch-ch-chaka khan' intro provided by rapper Melle Mel, and its funky sound effects. But the song was written by Prince - and not only that, he recorded the song on his eponymous second album, released in October 1979.

Prince passed away in 2016, and since then, his famous 'vault' has been used to release several albums and singles. This single is the most recent release, pressed on purple vinyl (how appropriate) and presenting for the first time a demo he recorded for the song. It is an interesting release, because you can clearly hear that it was recorded on cassette and it runs for over four minutes, longer than the eventual album version. The fact that the sleeve is pretty beautiful too makes this an interesting package for Prince fans and music lovers everywhere.

My collection: 7" single no. 6257
Found: Prince website, received February 5, 2020
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'I feel for you (acoustic demo)' / 'I feel for you'

Nothing compares 2 u - Prince

Since Prince's death in April 2016, his estate has been rather generous in releasing music from his personal vault. Several compilations of his unreleased work were released during the past three years, and this single, released in 2018, also contains a previously unreleased track.

'Nothing compares 2 u' was made famous by Sinéad O'Connor in 1990. This version, recorded by Prince and featuring saxophone by Eric Leeds and backing vocals by Susannah Melvoin and St. Paul Peterson, is actually the weaker of the two. You can't help wondering if this is why Prince never released this recording - and why it was released now. Still, it is a nice peek into the man's work.

My collection: 7" single no. 6256
Found: Amazon.co.uk, received January 31, 2020
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Nothing compares 2 u (edit)' / 'Nothing compares 2 u (full length version)'

My computer - Prince feat. Kate Bush

In November 1996, Prince released 'Emancipation', a massive three disc set of 36 songs. The single 'Betcha by golly wow', a cover of the Stylistics song, was the album's only big hit, but there were a few more interesting tracks on the album.

One of them was 'My computer', a song that was a collaboration with Kate Bush. Its lyrics examined the burgeoning online dating scene and its implications on how romantic relationships can develop in the internet age. What's interesting is that Kate can hardly be heard on this track. Some reports say that she sings backing vocals from 0'29 onwards, but who can tell? Still, this single, released with the October 2019 issue of the German magazine Musikexpress, belongs in my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 6164
Found: Musikexpress (Germany), received September 18, 2019
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'My computer' / 'Shhh (x-cerpt)'

The future - Prince

Let it never be said that I stick to my own opinions all of the time. While I'm not too impressed by Prince's soundtrack for the Batman movie in 1989, I recently heard this single 'The future' and thought it was a nice track. Much of this is caused by the excellent remix by Mark Moore and William Orbit.

Moore and Orbit substituted a muted, pulsating beat in place of the original elements of Prince's song. Moore and Orbit also removed Prince's original bassline, synthline, and snippets of sampled dialogue. The single did not chart in the UK and the USA, but managed to peak at number 9 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 5834
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, May 13, 2017
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'The future (remix edit)' / 'Electric chair'

Listen to the song

If I was your girlfriend - Prince

Buying records can be a bit like hunting in the wild. (Not that I ever did the latter, but anyway.) You see a prey, it escapes, you wait for it... and wait for it... and when you see it again, you snap it up. It's a bit like this with this single. My sister bought this limited edition with a poster bag way back in 1987 during a holiday in London. I didn't buy it at the time for lack of money, and then of course this edition never showed up again...

...until now. The good thing is, because of a little damage on the front it wasn't sold for a fortune, and so I could actually get it for very little money. The benefits of waiting 24 years, I guess.

My collection: 7" single no. 5067
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 9, 2011
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'If I was your girlfriend' / 'Shockadelica'

Raspberry beret - Prince

'Raspberry beret' tells the story of a teenager and his first sexual experience with a girl who wears the titular hat. The video for the song was Prince's first since his short-lived 'ban' on music videos. The song quickly became a fan favorite, and a staple in nearly every Prince tour.

The single reached number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. This UK pressing, featuring a different B-side when compared to the American pressing, only reached number 25 on the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3096
Found: Record Exchange, London, May 13, 1999
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Raspberry beret' / 'Hello'

I wish u heaven - Prince

'I wish u heaven' was released as the third single from Prince's 1988 album 'Lovesexy'. It reached number 19 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 24 in the UK singles chart.

The B-side, 'Scarlet pussy' is a sexually charged track, using metaphors of cats and dogs for sexual organs. The track is credited to Camille, a feminine alter ego of Prince.

My collection: 7" single no. 1754
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 19, 1992
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'I wish u heaven' / 'Scarlet pussy (edit)'

Sign o' the times - Prince

'Sign o' the time' was constructed by Prince almost entirely on the Fairlight sampling synthesizer, which provides the primary keyboard riff and sampled electronic bass sounds heard on the track. Unlike some artists, Prince did not program new sounds for this song. He simply used the stock sounds the Fairlight offered, including the famed "orchestra hit" towards the end of the track.

The lyric of the song addressed various socio-political problems including AIDS, gang violence, natural disasters, poverty, drug abuse, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and impending nuclear holocaust. Prince famously refused to make a video for the song, so the record company made a video that showed the lyric of the song instead. The single reached number 10 in the UK singles chart and number 6 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 2326
Found: June 3, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Sign o' the times' / 'La la la, he he hee'

Scandalous - Prince

After all the messy tracks from the soundtrack of 'Batman', 'Scandalous!" was the first single from that soundtrack that was actually a pleasure to listen to. It's a smooth, sexually charged ballad, performed by Prince in falsetto voice.

The single did not chart in the UK and USA, but did reach number 18 in the Dutch Top 40. A 19 minute version entitled the Scandalous Sex Suite was released as a 12" single and cd-single. It featured a seductive conversation between Prince and Kim Basinger with various lyrics from the song interspersed.

My collection: 7" single no. 1144
Found: January 13, 1990
Cost: 7 guilders
Tracks: 'Scandalous' / 'When 2 R in love'

I could never take the place of your man - Prince

'I could never take the place of your man' was the fourth and final single from Prince's 1987 double album, 'Sign 'o' the times'. The track was originally recorded in Prince's home studio in 1982. It was brought out of the vault and updated for Prince's 1987 album.

Released in the autumn of 1987, the single reached number 22 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 29 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 577
Found: Free Record Shop, 1987
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'I could never take the place of your man' / 'Hot thing'

Pink cashmere - Prince

'Pink cashmere' was written by Prince for his then-girlfriend, Anna Fantastic (Anna Garcia), for her 18th birthday. The song references the actual gift he presented to her, a coat made of pink cashmere with a black mink collar and cuff, the name Anna Fantastic embroidered on the sleeve, and '89' on the back. The coat was valued at $15,000, being custom made by his personal staff designer.

The single reached number 50 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, but failed to chart in Europe.

My collection: 7" single no. 2438
Found: August 19, 1995
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Pink cashmere' / 'The future (Mark Moore remix)'

Let's go crazy - Prince and the Revolution

A request by one of the readers of this blog: 'Let's go crazy' as released in 1985 as a single from Price's hugely successful album 'Purple rain'. I bought this single although I was never too wild about this track 25 years ago. Now I quite like it, I have to admit.

When 'Let's go crazy' was released as a single, it was edited from the album version. It was a number 1 hit in the USA, peaking at number 18 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 7 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4603
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, February 26, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Let's go crazy' / 'Take me with u'

Mountains - Prince

Like many Prince songs, 'Mountains' focuses on Christian motifs. The lyric most obviously references Jesus' speech on the general theological theme of God's omnipotence: 'In answer Jesus said to them: 'Truly I say to you, if only you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what I did to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and cast into the sea,' it will happen.' (Matthew 21:21)

Written by Prince with his band members Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman, it was one of Prince's relatively unsuccessful singles of the Eighties, reaching number 23 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 20 in the Dutch Top 40, but only number 48 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 443
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, August 2, 1986
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Mountains' / 'Alexa de Paris'

1999 / Little red corvette - Prince

'1999' was recorded by Prince on his 1982 album of the same name. Prince shares lead vocals on the track with members of his band The Revolution, namely Dez Dickerson, Lisa Coleman and Jill Jones. Originally conceived to be a three-part harmony, it was later decided to separate out the voices that started each verse. It was released as a single in the same year, launching Prince to superstardom along the way.

On New Year's Eve 1999, Prince (his stage name at that time still being an unpronounceable symbol) held a concert entitled 'Rave un2 the year 2000' at his Paisley Park Studios Soundstage, and he later vowed never to play it again. However, in August 2007, as part of his Earth Tour, he reintroduced the song to his set after an absence of eight years.

My collection: 7" single no. 2908
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 31, 1997
Cost: 50p
Tracks: '1999' / 'Little red corvette'

Girls and boys - Prince and the Revolution

'Girls & boys' was recorded by Prince on his 1986 album 'Parade'. This limited edition double single was released in the UK in the summer of that year. I remember seeing the double single in the shops for ridiculous prices at the time, so I'm glad I waited for almost 25 years to get it this cheap.

The single was not released in America, but in the UK, 'Girls & boys' peaked at number 11. In the Dutch Top 40, the single peaked at number 29.

My collection: 7" single no. 4492
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 30, 2010
Cost: 2,5 euro
Tracks: 'Girls & boys' / 'Under the cherry moon' // 'She's always in my hair' / '17 days (the sun will come down, then U will have 2 choose. If U believe, look 2 the dawn and U shall never lose)'

Paisley Park - Prince

The proceeds of the very successful album and movie 'Purple rain' enabled Prince to build his recording studio Paisley Park Studios. So what came first, the studio or this song? Well, the song was recorded before 'Purple rain' was completed, so you do the math.

'Paisley Park' was included on Prince's 1985 album 'Around the world in a day'. It has a psychedelic feel, similar to some of The Beatles' later work with echoed guitar and finger cymbals. The lyrics describe a Utopian place that one can feel in their heart, despite the chaos of the world around them. The single reached number 18 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 301
Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Paisley Park' / 'She's always in my hair'

Kiss - Prince

'Kiss' started as a short acoustic demo with one verse and the chorus. Prince gave the song to the funk band Mazarati for their debut album. They reworked the song and gave it its stripped down sound. When Prince heard this version, he took back the song for himself, replacing their lead vocal, adding a guitar break in the middle. Mazarati were credited for their backing vocals, which Prince left intact. He added the song at the last minute to the album 'Parade'.

When 'Kiss' was released as a single, it reached number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the Dutch Top 40 it reached number 2, and number 6 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3204
Found: September 30, 2000
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Kiss' / '♥ or $'

I would die 4 U - Prince

Prince released 'I would die 4 U' as the fourth single from his very successful 1984 album 'Purple rain'. Some fans think that the lyric of the song is sung from the viewpoint of Jesus Christ. The B-side of the single, 'Another lonely Christmas', is a sad account of a man mourning his lover's death on Christmas Day.

The single reached number 58 in the UK singles chart, but peaked at number 3 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4289
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'I would die 4 U' / 'Another lonely Christmas'