When Doves Cry
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When Doves Cry is a song released in 1984 by the American musician Prince , which he wrote , composed , arranged and produced . The piece was released on May 16, 1984 as the pre-release of his album Purple Rain . Prince recorded When Doves Cry with his then backing band The Revolution . The song can also be heard in the Prince film Purple Rain .
The song was Prince's first number one hit in the US . It was the top-selling single of 1984 according to Billboard Magazine . When Doves Cry went platinum for 2,000,000 copies in the US and gold for 400,000 singles in the UK.
history
After the recording of the film Purple Rain , Prince was asked by the director to write a soundtrack for the film. It should include a song about parental difficulties. The next morning, Prince implemented two ideas, When Doves Cry and Purple Rain .
In the US, the song was number 1 for five weeks and was later replaced by the Bruce Springsteen classic Dancing in the Dark . According to polls by The Village Voice , the song was single of the year, but only reached number 2 in the American Top 40 .
As a B-side of When Doves Cry , the piece is 17 Days , Prince originally for the girl group Apollonia 6 had provided. In the UK appeared 17 Days with the song in 1999 as a 12-inch single. In September 2018, an acoustic version of 17 Days was released on the album Piano & A Microphone 1983 , which Prince recorded in October 1983 and only plays on the piano . This version differs significantly from the version published as the B-side.
After working on Purple Rain , Prince composed When Doves Cry . In addition to the singing, he played the instruments and the texture of the song seems very strong. The song does not contain an electric bass , which is very unusual for a dance song. Prince said that he originally wanted to add bass, but decided against it. On the other hand, basses were played on the Purple Rain tour. The song begins with a guitar solo, followed by the beat of a drum computer and a loop with a guttural sound, and shortly before the end, a synthesizer solo follows.
In 1985, When Doves Cry won the American Music Awards for Favorite Soul / R & B Single. In Spin magazine , it was ranked 6th. In the list of Rolling Stone magazine's 500 best songs of all time , the song was placed at number 52. In 2006, the hit reached number 5 on the VH1 list of the greatest songs of the 1980s.
When Doves Cry is also on the Prince compilations His Majesty's Pop Life / The Purple Mix Club (1985), The Hits / The B-Sides (1993), The Very Best of Prince (2001), Ultimate (2006) and 4Ever ( 2016). The song is also featured on the album Purple Rain Deluxe (2017).
Music video
The music video , directed by Prince himself, premiered on MTV in June 1984 . At the beginning of the video, double doors open, then white doves fly and then Prince gets bare-chested out of a bathtub . You can also see scenes from the movie Purple Rain . The video sparked controversy: the media criticized the open sexuality in the video.
Cover versions
- 1990: MC Hammer ( cover version is called Pray )
- 1994: Flying Pickets
- 1995: Starmarket
- 1997: Ani DiFranco
- 1997: Ginuwine
- 1997: Quindon Tarver
- 1998: Kris McKay
- 1998: McKinley
- 1999: Mindless Faith
- 2000: 4 real
- 2001: TOK (Eagles Cry)
- 2001: Jim Doyle feat. John Nau & Nee Sackey
- 2002: Patti Smith
- 2003: Bob Belden feat. Cassandra Wilson
- 2003: Panama Girl
- 2004: Ali Kusuhara
- 2004: Eaton Canyon Royal Ensemble
- 2005: New Skin
- 2005: One Less Reason
- 2006: The Be Good Tanyas
- 2007: Bligg feat. Lesley
- 2008: Boy Division
- 2008: Sexy Trash
- 2011: Alex Clare
- 2014: Viza
- 2016: The Game feat. Lorine Chia (cover version means Rest in Purple )
- 2017: Sarah Jarosz
- 2018: Joey Badass (cover version is When Thugs Cry )