When Doves Cry
"When Doves Cry" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Prince | ||||
from the album Purple Rain | ||||
B-side | ||||
Released | May 16, 1984[1] | |||
Recorded | March 1, 1984 (basic tracks) March 2, 1984 (basic tracking and overdubs) March 3, 1984 (mixing) | |||
Studio | Sunset Sound, Los Angeles | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:47 (7" single edit) 5:52 (12"/album version) | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Prince | |||
Producer(s) | Prince | |||
Prince US singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
«When Doves Cry» on YouTube |
"When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album Purple Rain. According to the DVD commentary of the film Purple Rain (1984), Prince was asked by director Albert Magnoli to write a song to match the theme of a particular segment of the film that involved intermingled parental difficulties and a love affair. The next morning, Prince had composed two songs, one of which was "When Doves Cry". According to Prince's biographer Per Nilsen, the song was inspired by his relationship with Vanity 6 member Susan Moonsie.
"When Doves Cry" was Prince's first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single, staying there for five weeks, and was also a worldwide hit. According to Billboard, it was the top-selling single of 1984. It is certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[8] It was the last single released by a solo artist to receive a Platinum certification before the certification requirements were lowered in 1989. "When Doves Cry" was ranked number one on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1984. Following Prince's death, the song re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number eight, its first appearance in the top 10 since the week ending September 1, 1984.
The music video, directed by Prince, premiered on MTV in June 1984. It opens with white doves emerging from double doors to reveal Prince in a bathtub, then shows him performing the song in various scenes. The video sparked controversy among network executives, who thought that its sexual nature was too explicit for television. "When Doves Cry" is ranked number 37 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.[9]
Background and composition
[edit]Prince wrote and composed "When Doves Cry" after all the other tracks were complete on Purple Rain. In addition to providing vocals, he played all instruments on the track. The song's texture is remarkably stark. There is no bass line, which is very unusual for an '80s dance song; Prince said that there originally was a bass line but, after a conversation with singer Jill Jones, he decided that the song was too conventional with it included.[10] The song features a guitar solo intro and a Linn LM-1 drum machine, followed by a looped guttural vocal. After the lyrics, there is another, much longer, guitar and synthesizer solo. The song ends on a classical music-inspired keyboard piece backed by another synthesizer solo. Keyboardist Matt Fink revealed in 2014 that the baroque synthesizer solo was recorded by Prince at half speed and an octave lower against a half-speed backing track, then sped up to create the final version. Fink was then tasked to learn and perform the solo at the album's speed.[11]
On versions edited for radio, either the song fades out as the long guitar and synthesizer solo begins, or the solo is eliminated altogether and the song skips to the ending with Prince's harmonizing and classical finish.
During live performances of the song on the Purple Rain Tour, Prince's bass player Brown Mark added bass lines to the song as well as to other songs without bass lines.[12]
The song is in the key of A minor.[13]
Reception
[edit]In its contemporary review of the song, Cash Box said that "featuring ethereal lyrics, a pounding backbeat and a sometimes ominous musical atmosphere, this single again proves Prince to be one of the most provocative and sophisticated artists in the business."[14]
"When Doves Cry" was No. 1 in the US for five weeks, from July 7, 1984, to August 4, 1984, keeping Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" from reaching the top spot. Because of tabulation differences, the song was announced as the year's No. 2 single on the American Top 40 year-end countdown (with "Say Say Say" at No. 1).[15] The song was voted as the best single of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics' poll. Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 year-end single of 1984. In 2016, after Prince's death, "When Doves Cry" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 20, peaking at No. 8. It also ranked No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart for eight weeks (from June 30, to August 18, 1984), preventing Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do With It" from reaching the top spot for five of those weeks.
The B-side was the cult fan favorite "17 Days", which was originally intended for Apollonia 6's self-titled album. A 12-inch single issued in the UK included "17 Days" and two tracks from Prince's previous album, 1999: its title track and "D.M.S.R.". The entire title of "17 Days (the rain will come down, then U will have 2 choose, if U believe, look 2 the dawn and U shall never lose)" is now the longest-titled flip side of a Hot 100 No. 1, with 85 letters and/or numbers.
"When Doves Cry" became one of Prince's signature songs. Spin magazine ranked "When Doves" the No. 6 song of all time.[citation needed] In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked "When Doves Cry" No. 37 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[16] In 2006, VH1's "The 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s" ranked the song at No. 5. On October 13, 2008, the song was voted No. 2 on Australian VH1's Top 10 Number One Pop Songs countdown. The "80 of the 80s" podcast ranks it as the No. 59 song of the decade.[17] In 2016, Paste ranked the song number three on their list of the 50 greatest Prince songs,[18] and in 2022, American Songwriter ranked the song number two on their list of the 10 greatest Prince songs.[19]
"When Doves Cry" was sampled for use in MC Hammer's 1990 hit song, "Pray", one of the few samples of his songs legally sanctioned by Prince.
Music video
[edit]The music video (directed by Prince himself) was released on MTV in June 1984. It opens with white doves emerging from double doors to reveal Prince in a bathtub. It also includes scenes from the Purple Rain film interspersed with shots of The Revolution performing and dancing in a white room. The final portion of the video incorporates a mirrored frame of the left half of the picture, creating a doubling effect. The video was nominated for Best Choreography at 1985's MTV Video Music Awards.[20] The video sparked controversy among network executives, who thought that its sexual nature was too explicit for television.
Track listing
[edit]- 7-inch single: Paisley Park / 0-20170 (US)
- "When Doves Cry" – 3:47
- "17 Days (The rain will come down, then U will have 2 choose. If U believe, look 2 the dawn and U shall never lose.)" – 3:54
- 12-inch single: Warner Bros. / W9286T (UK)
- "When Doves Cry" – 5:52
- "17 Days (The rain will come down, then U will have 2 choose. If U believe, look 2 the dawn and U shall never lose.)" – 3:54
- "1999" – 6:22
- "D.M.S.R." – 8:05
- 2×12" pack
- CD single 1989
- "When Doves Cry"
- "Purple Rain" (album version)
Personnel
[edit]Credits from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc and Guitarcloud[21][22][23][24]
- Prince – lead and backing vocals, electric guitar, Yamaha DX7, Oberheim OB-Xa, Linn LM-1
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
All-time charts[edit]
|
Certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
New Zealand (RMNZ)[70] | Gold | 7,500* |
United Kingdom (BPI)[71] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[72] 1984 sales |
Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
United States digital sales |
— | 1,752,251[73] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Awards and nominations
[edit]- American Music Awards – 1985 – Favorite Black Single (won)[74]
- Pazz & Jop critics' poll: best single of the year, 1984 (won)
Ginuwine version
[edit]"When Doves Cry" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Ginuwine | ||||
from the album Ginuwine... the Bachelor | ||||
Released | July 25, 1997 | |||
Recorded | 1996 | |||
Genre | R&B | |||
Length | 5:09 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Prince | |||
Producer(s) | Timbaland | |||
Ginuwine singles chronology | ||||
|
A cover version by American singer Ginuwine was produced by Timbaland and released on July 25, 1997, for Ginuwine's album The Bachelor; Ginuwine's cover uses actual dove sound effects as texture for the song. The official music video for this version was directed by Michael Lucero.[75]
Charts
[edit]Weekly charts
[edit]Chart (1997) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[76] | 16 |
Germany (GfK)[77] | 15 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[78] | 15 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[79] | 13 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[80] | 7 |
Scotland (OCC)[81] | 33 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[82] | 24 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[83] | 42 |
UK Singles (OCC)[84] | 10 |
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[85] | 3 |
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[86] | 16 |
Year-end charts
[edit]Chart (1997) | Position |
---|---|
Germany (Official German Charts)[87] | 80 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[88] | 64 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[89] | 48 |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Some non-US 7" and 12" single releases using this artwork contain Prince's name and the song title.
References
[edit]- ^ Uptown, 2004, p.48
- ^ "25 Essential Prince Songs". Rolling Stone. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Purple Rain - Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
- ^ Shuker, Roy (1994). Understanding Popular Music. Abingdom: Routledge. p. 95. ISBN 041523509X.
- ^ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ^ a b Breihan, Tom (November 15, 2022). "Prince - "When Doves Cry". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. p. 166.
- ^ "100 Greatest Funk Songs". Digital Dream Door. August 7, 2008. Archived from the original on September 25, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- ^ "American single certifications – Prince – When Doves Cry". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ "The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on 2010-03-17. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
- ^ "Prince In Print". Princetext.tripod.com. Retrieved 2012-01-08.
- ^ Murphy, Keith (2014-06-25). "'Purple Rain' Turns 30: The Revolution's Dr. Fink Breaks Down Prince's Classic Track-by-Track". vibe.com. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
- ^ Coryat, Karl. "His Highness Gets Down!". Archived from the original on 2004-05-30. Retrieved 2004-05-30.
- ^ Prince; Prince (2018-03-05). "When Doves Cry". Musicnotes. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
- ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 26, 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
- ^ "CASEY KASEM'S YEAR-END COUNTDOWN - 1984". 2018-04-14. Archived from the original on 2018-04-14. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
- ^ "The 500 Best Songs Of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 15, 2021. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
- ^ CK1; AK-47 (22 April 2016). "#59: Prince - When Doves Cry". 80ofthe80s.libsyn.com. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Ham, Robert (April 27, 2016). "The 50 Best Prince Songs". Paste. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ Walthall, Catherine (February 8, 2022). "The Top 10 Prince Songs". American Songwriter. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ "Prince & the Revolution - "When doves cry"". mvdbase.com. Retrieved 2012-01-08.
- ^ Tudahl, Duane (2018). Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984 (Expanded ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538116432.
- ^ Clerc, Benoît (October 2022). Prince: All the Songs. Octopus. ISBN 9781784728816.
- ^ "Purple Rain". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
- ^ "What is the When Doves Cry synth sound?". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 239. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b "Prince – When Doves Cry" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ "Prince – When Doves Cry" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ "Radio2 top 30: 22 september 1984" (in Dutch). Top 30. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- ^ "CHART NUMBER 1439 – Saturday, July 28, 1984". Archived from the original on 2006-11-07. Retrieved 2014-06-12.. CHUM. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
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- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Prince". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 204. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
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- ^ "Prince Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
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- ^ BigKev. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
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- ^ Video on YouTube[dead link ]
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Sources
- Uptown: The Vault – The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince: Nilsen Publishing 2004, ISBN 91-631-5482-X
- 1984 singles
- 1984 songs
- 1997 singles
- Prince (musician) songs
- Songs written by Prince (musician)
- Music videos directed by Prince (musician)
- Ginuwine songs
- Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
- Cashbox number-one singles
- Music videos directed by Michael Lucero
- Number-one singles in Australia
- RPM Top Singles number-one singles
- Song recordings produced by Timbaland
- Guy Sebastian songs
- Warner Records singles
- Epic Records singles
- Song recordings produced by Prince (musician)
- Songs written for films
- Songs about fathers
- Music video controversies
- Experimental pop songs
- Neo-psychedelia songs
- Avant-pop songs