Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984

PRINCEANDTHEPURPLERAINERASTUDIOSESSIONS

PRINCEANDTHEPURPLERAINERASTUDIOSESSIONS

1983AND1984

DuaneTudahl

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CONTENTS

CONTENTSFOREWORDPREFACEJanuary1983February1983March1983April1983May1983June1983July1983August1983September1983October1983November1983December1983January1984February1984March1984April1984May1984June1984July1984August1984September1984October1984

November1984December1984EPILOGUENOTEONRESEARCHNOTESACKNOWLEDGMENTSABOUTTHEAUTHOR

FOREWORD

TherearemanythingsaboutPrincethatinterestme,someofwhichweremorepowerfulduringhislife,someofwhichweremorepowerfuljustafterhisdeath,andsomeofwhicharemorepowerfulnow,ayearorsoafterhisdeath.Icouldmake a long list: his fashion sense, his sense of humor, his importance as acentralculturalfigure,hisrelationshiptootherstars,hisabilitytoinspireartistsin every genre, and so on. But one thing has remained consistent, no matterwhenI’vethoughtaboutit,andthat’smyinterestinPrince’sstudioprocess.In2016IwroteabookcalledSomethingtoFoodAbout,whereItalkedabout

thecreativelivesofchefs,andthatwasabackdoorwayintosomeoftheissuesofcreativitythatarealwaysonmymind:whenanideastarts,howmuchithastobe refined, howmany collaborators are useful for perfecting it andhowmanyruntheriskofjeopardizingit,whenothercreativeprofessionalsknowthattheyhavehitthesweetspot.Thatbookwasfascinatingformanyreasons,butoneofthemainreasonswasthatitremindedmethatIhaveanoddaversiontoaskingthosesamequestionsofmusicians.Idon’tknowifit’saformofsuperstitionoraform of competitiveness, but it was somehow safer for me to explore thosequestionswhenitcametochefs—andInoticedthatthesamethingwastrueofcomedians, and painters, and authors. I think I agreed in somewayswith thepeople who warned that it can be tricky to know too much about an artist’sprocess, that itcanturnabeautiful thingintoasausagefactory,whereyouseethemeatpastebeforeit’ssqueezedintothecasing.But Prince has a special status. Learning about his process isn’t a sausage

factory.It’sadreamfactory.(That’saninsidejoke—it’stheoriginalnameofthesprawling album that eventually becameSign o’ the Times).As long as I canremember, I’ve been preoccupied with the minutiae of Prince’s recordingsessions.I’vewondered,guessed,andresearched,tryingtofigureouthowmuchhe cooked up himself, howmuch others brought to the table, how long songshibernated before they woke up, and which songs magically took flightimmediately.(IknowImixedabunchofmetaphorsthere.Idon’tcare.ThisisapieceaboutPrince’sart,notarhetoriclesson.)TakePurpleRain.No,don’ttakePurpleRain.Leaveitforme.Idon’tknow

what I’d do without it. Since I first heard “When Doves Cry”—a song that

cementedwhatwas already a serious Prince obsession—as a teenager, I haveobsessedaboutexactlyhow those songscame together.But take thedetailsofPurple Rain. It’s a fascinating record, partly a live album recorded at FirstAvenue,partlyPrince’sattempttocapturetheenergyofthemid-eightiesarenarock that was dominating the charts, and partly a further exploration of hisincreasinglyexperimentalfunk-rock.IteachaclassattheCliveDavisInstituteof RecordedMusic at NYU. I’ve done a curriculum based on seventies funkmusic ingeneral. I’vedoneacurriculumbasedonMichael Jackson’sThriller.I’veevendoneacourseonPrince.ButPurpleRainisthegreatwhitish-purplishwhale,asfarasanalbumlikethatisconcerned.I’dlovetoteachaclassonit,withalltheintricatedetails.Which isn’t to say that I couldhavebeen theone tocollect all thosedetails.

That’swhereDuaneTudahlcomesin.He’stirelesswhereotherpeoplewouldbeexhausted.He’scomprehensivewhereotherpeoplewouldbeuncomprehending.Hehaspersonallybroughttogetherhundredsofhoursofinterviewswithallthepeople involved in themaking of that record. He’s also been given access tomaterial from two journalists and archivists associatedwith the Prince sound,AlanFreedandPerNilsen.Andmaybemoreamazingly,he’sgottenholdofthedailystudioworkordersfromstudiossothathecanpiecetogetherthemassivepuzzleofhowtherecordcametogether.Idon’twanttoruinanysurprises.Youshouldreadthisbook.Butasyouread

it,youshouldmarvelatallthethingsit’snot.That’sastrangethingtosay,butIwanttosayitagain.Thinkofallthethingsthisbookisnot.Therearewonderfulbooks about Prince that are preoccupied with his cultural significance, or themeaningofhismusic,orthewayhechangedsexualityforourgeneration,oranyoftheotherthingsImentionedinthefirstparagraph.Ihavetaughtsomeoftheminmyclass.Ihavewrittenintroductionsforsomeofthem.Iwon’tmentionthemhere.Thatwouldbechurlish.But therearenootherbooksthatdothiskindofdeepdiveintotheprimarysourcematerialforanalbumandrewardthatkindofdivinginincredibleways.Duanehassaidthathehopesthisisthefirstofmanybooks that handle Prince’s catalog in thisway, that go through his recordingsonebyoneand try tomineoutof thestudio logsandmusicianrecollectionsafullerpictureofwhat’s there. Ihope that’s true. Ihope thatwhen I amanoldmanwithalongbeardIcanlookdownmyPrincebookshelfandsee,nexttotheotherbooksI’vetaught,nexttotheotherbooksI’vewrittenintrosfor,Duane’swholeseries,parallelingPrince’sentirebodyofwork.Butdon’ttakemyword

forit.TakeJamesBrown’swordforit:Getupandtakethebookofftheshelf,getintoit,andgetinvolved.

—Ahmir“Questlove”Thompson

PREFACE

The music I make a lot of the time is reflective of the life I amleading.—Prince1

Somemusiciansareforeverlinkedwithaspecificrecordingstudio:TheBeatlesatAbbeyRoad,ElvisatSunRecords,andHendrixatNewYorkCity’sRecordPlant.Oftenthestudiohelpeddefineandshapethemusicians,exposingthemtoavibethatbroughtoutsomethingtimeless.FleetwoodMaccouldhaverecordedRumoursanywhere,but theRecordPlant inSausalito,California,provided thewomblike atmosphere that helped nourish their album of self-reflection.Recording atBigPink inUpstateNewYork literally changed the directionofBobDylan’s career, just as time at Los Angeles’s Sunset Sound changed thecareerofanotherMinnesotason.Tomostpeople,PrinceisforeverbondedwithPaisley Park, but before Paisley Park, the biggest albums of his career wererecordedatSunsetSoundStudios.Infact,hissuccessfromthosesessionsgavehim the financial strength necessary to build Paisley Park just outsideMinneapolis,astudiopatternedafterelementsfromSunsetSound.ThisisanunprecedentedlookintoPrince’stimeintherecordingstudioatthe

peak of his career. These are the stories behind the songs he released and arevealinglookatwhathekepthiddenfromtheworld.Thisishistripfromcultartisttooneofthebiggeststarsintheworld,toldthroughthemusichecreatedalongtheway.Tragically, with Prince’s passing in April 2016 the focus on his career has

shifted from the promise of what was to come to the story of what heaccomplished.Theobjectiveof thisbook isn’t to simply listwhat,where, andwhen his music was recorded during 1983 and 1984. The bigger goal is toexplain why, and hopefully give his music from this era some much-neededperspectivebyplacingitintothecontextofhislife.Anyeventsthattakeplaceoutsideofthestudiohelpweavealargertapestryofthesetwoyears,reflectinglightbacktohissongs,becauseattheendofthedaythemusicwillbewhatisremembered, and, like all great art, it lasts longer than the artist. The musicmakesthemusicianimmortal.

Thisbookisbasedonthememoriesofthosewhoweretherewithhimonthisjourney.I’vepersonally conducted several hundredhours of interviewswith theband

members,singers,andanyoneelseassociatedwiththesesessions,includingthestudioengineerswhospentweeksalonewithhimwatchinghiscreativeprocess.In addition to this, I’ve been given access tomore than seventy-five hours ofinterviewsconductedbyAlanFreedforPerNilsenandUptownmagazine.I’vealso gathered hundreds of published quotes by practically everyone aroundPrince during this period; I’ve allowed their own words to tell the tale andcorroborated their stories with hundreds of documents, including daily studiowork orders from Sunset Sound Studios, information from the Warner Bros.vault,andvariousothersourcesthatverifiedthespecificdatesandtimes,toputthisepicpuzzletogetherpiecebypiece.Anydatemarkedwitha*isconfirmedbytheSunsetSounddocumentation.Thisbookisnotflawless,butitisthemostdetailedrecordavailableofwhattranspiredinthestudios.“[The recording studio] is his space,” explains SusannahMelvoin, whowas

oneofthefewpeoplepermittedbehindthecloseddoor.“He’snevergoingtogointoyourspaceandhe’drarelyinviteyouintohis,buthisspaceistheonlythingthatmatterswhen it comes tohisprowessandhisegoandhisability.” Ihopethattellingthestorythroughthewordsofthosewhowereintheroomwithhimgivesthisamorepanoramicperspective.Ofcourse,sincetheeventschronicledoccurredmore than threedecadesago, therewillbea fairshareofRashomon-like recollections, but I’ve tried to place everyone’s memories in the propercontext, and when there were major discrepancies, I’ve presented both sides,generallyfavoringthose thatoccurredclosest to theactualevents.EvenPrincehimself contradictedmanyof his own stories inhis quest tokeep themysteryalive.His cat-and-mousegameswith reporterswere entertaining, but trying tofigureoutwhatwastruthandwhatwashypeisdifficult.Myjourneyasafunkarchivisthasbeenfrustratinglyfun,andthehumanrewardshavebeenmorethanIimagined.ThepeopleI’veworkedwithonthisbookwereallopen,honest,andhelpful and have unearthed information never before published. I’ve detailedmoreabouteveryoneinvolvedintheacknowledgementsofthisbook.Therearenohiddenagendasinthismanuscript.Mygoalwastotellthestory

ofPrince’sincrediblerisefromcriticaldarlingtosuperstar,butIwantedtodoitinawaythathadn’tbeenattempted,sothestoryistoldbydocumentinghistimeinthestudioasaflyonthewallwheneverpossible.Themorethan220studiodates for this book include music that ended up on Purple Rain, Around the

WorldinaDay,andmultipleB-sides,alongwithvariousalbumshe’dreleaseintheyearsthatfollowed.Thesesessionsfromthetwo-yearperiodof1983–1984would also yieldmusic for Apollonia 6, the Time, the Family, Sheila E., theBangles, Sheena Easton, Jill Jones, and Stevie Nicks, as well as numerousunreleased tracks. Each of these songs has a story, and the people who wereinvolveddeservetoberecognized.“IhaveseenPrincewritesongsrightbeforemyeyes.Greatsongs,”rememberedhisdrummerBobbyZ.“Hejusthasthegift.He’s a true visionary, and long after people forget about all the other stuff,they’llcomebacktothemusicandrealizewhatageniusheis.”2Unlikeotherbehind-the-scenesbooksaboutstudiosessions involvingfamous

musicians,whenitcomestoPrinceitisimportanttoalsoincludeasmanydetailsas possible about hismore than one hundred live performances and countlessrehearsalsandsoundchecksduringthistwo-yearperiod,whichinturninspiredwhatwasbeingrecordedinthestudio.“Princewasalwaysrecording,”explainshisbassplayerMarkBrown(akaBrownMark).“Didn’tmatterwherewewere.Ourperformances, our rehearsals, everythingwas alwaysbeing recorded.Thisguyhasarchivesofstuff.”“An ideamight jump into his head, and if it’s an idea that sticks, hemight

throwitinthemiddleofasongonstage,”detailedsaxplayerEricLeeds.“Therestofthebandmightgo,‘That’ssomethingweneverheardbefore!’Hewantsadocumentofitrightthere,sohecansay,‘Okay,Iknowit’sthere,whenIneedtorefertothat,it’sthereonthatnightandI’llcheckitoutlater,anditwillbethecenter frame towrite a new song.’Verymuch theway JamesBrown used towork.”3Thisbookhasbeenmorethantwentyyearsinthemaking,andalongtheway

manyof thosebeing interviewedhaveaskedme ifPrincewas involved in thebook or if I’d interviewed him. Obviously, any insights he’d have would behelpful,soI’vetriedtoincludeasmanyquotesbyhimaspossible,butIavoidedseekinghis thoughtson thisprojectbecauseIamnotsurehowhewouldhavefelt about some of his secrets being revealed. I can imagine his voice saying,“Ignorethatmanbehindthecurtain,”soInevercontactedPrinceorPaisleyParkaboutaninterviewforthisbook.MysuspicionswereconfirmedinNovemberof2013, when Prince was asked the following on Twitter: “Ever thought aboutshowingyourworkprocessinthestudio?Rehearsalisonething,buthowsongsweremadewouldbeamazing.”Hisresponsewasenlightening:“No.It’s2sacred.”4

Whatiscoveredinthisbookisn’tsacred,butitisaglimpsebehindthescenesat how a genius created his art and how events and the people closest to himshapedhismusic. Idon’twant topull thecurtainbackandcompletelyexposethewizard. Instead, I’d like to think of this as just looking over his shoulder,marvelingathis craft.The storiesbehind these songsoverflowwith struggles,frustrations,fights,loveandlust(theybothhavefourletters,butthey’reentirelydifferentwords),andemotionalbreakups,butalsothejoysandoptimismofthetimes.Intheend,theresultisoneofthemostprolificperiodsforanyartistandahigh-watermarkforPrincewhenitcomestothepublic’sreactiontohismusic.ObviouslythereisnowayIcanre-createtheperiodexactly,butIcangetridofsomeofthemysterybehindthebirthofmanyofhissongs.Ihopethetrade-offforshininglightonsomeofthedarkcornersofthisstoryisthatthisbookbringsthese studio sessions alive for you.Doyourself a favor:Turn down the lightsand play the vocal version of “God” (B-side of “Purple Rain”) and imaginePrince recording the piano and vocal in one take, then closing the lid andwalkingoutofthestudiowithoutsayingaword.Ihopereadingthisbookmakesyou go back and listen to the 12-inch of “America” and visualize the entireRevolutionsmilingateachotherwhilesteppingforwardandaddingtheirpartsto the twenty-minute jam. I hope it makes you seek out The Family album,which Eric Leeds considered “as much a Prince album as anything else he’sdone.”5IhopeitinspiresyoutopurchasethesetracksoratleastblowthedustoffyourPrincecollectionandlistentolostclassicslike“She’sAlwaysinMyHair,”knowingthatherecordeditaloneinthestudioduringasinglesession.FindtheclassicWarnerBros.recordsfromthisperiodandplaythemwhileyou

read.BecauseofPrince’spassing, it ispractically impossible to listen tohismusic

without looking through the prism of his absence. Prince touchedmany of usindividually and his music spoke to us in our core, so his loss is extremelyintimate and, unfortunately, we will rarely have the chance to share theexcitementofhearingitagainwithcrowdsofotherfans.Aspersonalasitis,hismusic should be celebrated, and the joy it creates should be shared. Perhapsunderstandinghispassion,hisurgency,andhisreasonsforrecordinghissongswillhelpyouemotionallyreconnectwith themusicand letyouexperience thegoosebumpsofhearingitallforthefirsttimeonceagain.Iwantthisbooktocreateimagesforeachofthesesongsthatareapartofthe

soundtrack to your life, and hopefully open the eyes of youngmusicianswhowanttounderstandhowitwasdonebysomeonewho’dmasteredthestudio.It

wasachievedbyhishardworkanddedication,andbysurroundinghimselfwithpeoplewho inspired him and supported his dream. Prince has gone on recordmanytimesaboutnotbeinginterestedinreflectingonhispast.In2014hetoldMojomagazine,“Idon’tneedtolookback.Iknowwhathappened.”6Hopefullyafterreadingthis,you’llknowalittlebitmoreaboutwhathappened,

andwhyitwasimportant.Digifyouwill...

JANUARY1983

MynameatbirthwasPrinceRogersNelson.—Prince1

Fast-forwardtwenty-fouryears.Princewasatacrossroads.

SATURDAY,JANUARY1,1983

Princewasonwhatwassupposedtobethebiggesttourofhiscareer,promotinghis1999album,butmoralewascollapsing,hisbandwassplintering,andhewasbarelyspeakingwithsomeofthemusiciansintheothergroupsonthetour.Salesofhisrecentdoublealbumhadalreadypeakedandstalledatnumber23ontheBillboard 200. The title track hadn’t been the major hit that was anticipated,headingbackdownthechartsaftercrestingatnumber44.At thebeginningof1983thetrackfelltonumber65,anditwouldvanishfromthetop100beforetheend of the month. Two other albums he’d written and produced, the Time’sWhatTime Is It? and thedebut album fromVanity6,wereboth sinkingbackdownthechartsaswell,withtheformerdroppingoutofthetop100completely.Sofar the tourwasfinanciallysuccessful,butrecordsaleswereindicatingthat1999wasnotgoingtobePrince’sbreakoutrelease.ButI’mgettingaheadofthestory.The dawn of 1983 found Prince in a difficult spot.Hewas a cult performer

withaverydedicatedaudience,buthewasn’tsellinglikeWarnerBros.wanted.InOctober1982Prince released1999 (his fifthalbumin fiveyears) tocriticalpraise, but by this time critical praise alone wasn’t going to carry himmuchfurther, even with the full backing of the label. Considered by most to be atalentedenigma,Prince’sappealtothemasseswasmoreabouttheundeliveredpromise of something huge, but he hadn’t fully tipped the scale from cultperformer tomainstreamsuccess.WarnerBros. took ahuge riskonPrincebyputting out a double album of new music, and so far the gamble hadn’tcompletely paid off and—even though his current tour was getting incrediblereviews—prospectsdidn’tlookgreat.AlanLeeds,whowouldoverseethefinalweeksof the1999 tour,described itwell: “Hehadhis littlecult,but itwasn’tsubstantial.Itwasn’tsizeable.”2

Althoughitwasneverofficiallycalledthe“TripleThreatTour,”thenicknamewasusedbysomeforthe1982–1983AmericantourfeaturingPrince,theTime,andVanity6.FewinthegeneralpublicknewthatPrincewasthepuppetmasterbehindallthreebands,dictatingtheirstyleand,althoughuncredited,writingthevastmajorityoftheirmusic.Theironyofthisisthathehadessentiallycreatedhisowncompetition,causingincestuousrivalrieswithinthegroups.Hismethodforbuildinghisprotégéprojectscanbeviewedasifhewerecreatingaplaythathewrote,directed,andcastwithfriendsandthoseinhiscircle.Eachpersonhadaroletoplayandaslongaseachremainedincharacterandincostume,theplaycontinued.TheTimewaswhatPrincewouldsoundlikeifhewerearock/funkbandandVanity6waswhatPrincewouldsoundlike ifhewereafemale trio.“All the different bands he has created have been sides of his personality,”explainedkeyboardistLisaColeman.“Vanity6wouldbe thesexygirl,MorrisDaywouldbethecomedyguy,andthenPrincewastherockstar.”3Princewasthekingofhisworld,butatthebeginningofJanuary1983,hewas

stillabigfishinasmallpond.Hisinfluenceonthebandswasdefiniteandhisdecisionswere final,despiteprotestsbymembersofVanity6or theTime.“Itcreatedatensionbetweenus,”confidedTimefrontmanMorrisDay,“andthereusedtobesomeargumentsbeforegoingonstageabout thingsthatIwoulddothat were conflicting with things that Prince would do. I was told not to docertaindances.”4“IthinkthosedaystookatolloneveryoneintheTimebecauseitwasjustalot

ofpressure,”explainedJesseJohnsonafewyearslater.“Ifyoudidadancethathedidn’tlikeoradancethattheaudiencedug,hedidn’tparticular[ly]likethat.He would stop us from doing certain dances, from wearing certain clothes,becausehejustneverwantedtheretobeanyroomtoupstagehim.”5ButtheTimedidupstagehimonmanynights.Princewasresponsibleformost

ofthemusictheTimewasperforming,butbecausetheyhadfoundawaytoaddtheir collective personality to the show, at this point in the tour Prince foundhimself playing catch up to his creation. “There were times Prince would bepissedtheyweresogood,”declareslightingdirectorLeRoy“Roy”Bennett.“Ohyeah,theygavehimarunforhismoney.”Princewas treated as the boss to those around him, but his influence in the

music industry didn’t reflect that. At the time, Prince, his managers, and theexecutivesatWarnerBros.seemedtobetheonlypeoplewhoenvisionedhisfullpromise.“WebelievePrincehasmuchgreaternamevalue than thenumberofrecordshe’ssold,”proclaimedBobCavallo,partofPrince’smanagementteam

of Cavallo, Ruffalo & Fargnoli. “In the beginning, Warner Bros. Picturesdiscounted his name value, but there’s something about Prince that piquespeople’s interest a littlemore than someother artists.Peopledon’tknowa lotabouthim;he’salittlemysteriosoandhehasacontroversialimage.”6The year 1983 would see Prince the cult musician become Prince the

worldwide superstar, but right now the future was still uncertain. Althoughreviewsofhisalbumhadbeenmostlyfavorable,thereweremanywhodidn’tseehis potential. Pamela Littlejohn, themusic critic for theLosAngeles Sentinel,gavethealbumonlytwostars,noting:“PeoplewhoarenotintoPrinceandhisilkcannotunderstandthisone....Alittleofitgoesalongway...butforthoseinthePrincecult—thisisstandardfare.”7IfPrincewasgoingtosucceed,heneededahit.WithalegacyoffourPrince

albums, two Time albums, and one Vanity 6 album behind him, he had theattention of many but not the respect he probably knew he deserved for hisdedication tohiscraftandhisworkethic.“He is thehardestworkingguy thatI’veeverdealtwith,”saidJamesHarrisIII,akeyboardplayerfortheTimewhowasmore commonly known as Jimmy Jam. “He would literally come to ourpracticesforfiveorsixhours,thenhe’dgotohisownbandpracticeandworkwith themfor fiveor sixhours, thenhe’dgo to the studioandworkallnight.He’s right up there to me with the greats of all time. He’s also the type ofmusicianthatwouldbegreatnomatterwhaterahegrewupin.HewouldhavebeengreatinthejazzerawithMilesDavis,andinthesixtieswithSlyandJimiHendrixandsoon.”8“Whatwe tookawayfromhimishisvisionandhisability tobasically think

anythingispossible,”explainedMonteMoir, theotherkeyboardplayerfor theTime. “He would say, ‘Oh, we’re going to do this,’ and we’re like, ‘Huh?What?’Andwewoulddoit.Hewouldsomehowmakeithappen.”9Because Prince was sick, his December 28, 1982, concert at Lake Charles

CivicCenterhadbeenpostponed,andhewasveryrundownastheyearended.Threemore showswereperformedon the remainingdaysof theyear, but thenewyearwasstartingoffwitha limpinsteadofasprint.Hewrappedup1982with a show at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas, and tickets for a proposedsecondnightinDallasonJanuary1wereprinted,butitappearstheyneverwenton sale. Two shows remained, including one at the Summit in HoustonscheduledforthefollowingnightandanotherinLakeCharles,Louisiana.

SUNDAY,JANUARY2,1983

MONDAY,JANUARY3,1983

ThefirstlegofthetourwasoriginallyscheduledtohavewrappedonJanuary2,but a final night was arranged to reschedule a performance that had beencanceledthepreviousweek.AdditionalEuropeandateswereplannedforthelasthalfofJanuary,andalthoughtwoofthedates(inEnglandandtheNetherlands)werebooked,theshowswerepostponeduntilmid-Aprilandultimatelycanceled.With the tour scheduled to resume on February 1, everyone was looking

forward to some downtime—everyone except Prince, who decided that thiswasn’tatimetostepbackbutinsteadachancetoregroupandrefocus.“Whenwefirstwentoutbehind1999,theTime,whowereopeningforus,beatusupeverynight,”reflectedPrince.“Theywouldlaughaboutit;itwasajoketo them.Our showwasn’t together. I had to stop the tour and get thingstightenedup.”10

FRIDAY,JANUARY7,1983*

That song was a real life incident. A girl in a little red corvette.—Prince11

Althoughthetitletrackfrom1999wasaminorhitontheBillboardcharts,itwasdoingwellontheSoulcharts(number4)andtheDisco/Clubcharts(number1),

soWarnerBros.wantedPrincetobuildonthissuccess.Duringthisshortbreakin the 1999 tour, he traveledback toSunsetSoundStudios inLosAngeles tocreate the 12-inch for his next single, “LittleRedCorvette.” Itwas originallyrecorded on May 20, 1982, in Prince’s basement studio in Chanhassen,Minnesota,andwasthefirstsongherecordedonhisnewAmpexMM120024-trackrecorder.Shortlyafterward,Princeeditedtheactual2-inchmastercopyofthe tape to create the album version. He had Don Batts, his Minneapolisengineer,placeall thepiecesinaboxandshipit toSunsetSound.Duringthisperiod, Prince’s primary engineer in Los Angeles was Sunset Sound staffmemberPeggy“PeggyMac”McCreary,andthebulkoftheeditingwasdonebyher boyfriend, fellow staff member David “the blade” Leonard. They hadreconstructed the album version of the song during the original Sunset Soundsessionswhile compiling the 1999 albumonAugust 11 and12, 1982, but thelong versionwas still incomplete. Prince had cut the 2-inch tape into eight orninepieces,anditarrivedineightorninepieces.Usuallyeditinglikethatwasdone on the 2-track version, so thismade the task of putting it back togetherevenmoredifficult,butthey’ddoneit.WithMcCreary unavailable for the session, staff engineer Bill Jackson was

giventhetaskofreconstructingtheadditionalthreeminutesandtwentysecondsfromtheboxofscraps.NocassettecopiesweremadeofthemixedversionforPrincetoreviewoutsidethestudio,probablybecausehedidn’tfeelthesessionwas complete. “We put like one part on but I don’t remember what it was,”recalls Jackson. “He mixed it himself. We were plugging in a lot of delays,compressors andharmonizers.He just askedme todo something if heneededsomething likeanEQ[equalization]orputtingdelayson it. Iwas just runningthetapemachineandIrememberthisbecauseitwasoneoftheonlydaysthatwestayedupsolatemixingsomething.”Thesession lasteduntil6:30 the followingmorning.Nocassettecopieswere

madeofthemixedversion,probablybecausePrincedidn’tfeelthesessionwascomplete.

Status:Theextendedversionof“LittleRedCorvette”(8:22)wasalsoknownasthe “Dance Mix” and “Dance Remix.” It was only released for purchase inGermany, Belgium, and possibly a few other locations.A promo versionwasreleasedintheUnitedStates.

ItshouldbenotedthatBillJacksonandothersarelistedas“assistantengineer”on the official documents, but the reality was that they were actually full

engineers.“Ithinkfinallyon[the1999album]Princesaid,‘WellI’mgivingyouengineering credits,’ remembers McCreary, who’d worked with Prince since1981,‘andI’mlike,‘Wellgreat!’ButIwas,togetherwith[Prince],engineering.Therewasnobodyelseintheroom,andnobodyelsetouchedanytape.HeandIbothdidtheboard,Ididthesetupandtherecordingofallofthemics,althoughhesatattheboard.It’skindofthewayhewaswithhisband;heneverletyousitthereinthesensethatyouweretotallyincharge.”Thetermsengineerandassistantengineerarebothusedinthetext.

SATURDAY,JANUARY8,1983*

IboughtthisvintagepinkMercuryatacarauction.Itwassobitching-lookingthatPrinceusedtoborrowitanddentit,whichI’dmakehimfeel bad about.He slept in it one time and cameupwith“LittleRedCorvette”...eventhoughitwasapinkMercury.—LisaColeman12

Lessthaneighthoursaftertheprevioussessionended,PrincewasbackinStudio2,thistimewithengineerDavidLeonard:“WhenIwouldeditforhim,firstofall,everysongthatweeverrecordedwasafullreeloftape,like12–15minuteslong,andeverythingthatcameoutontherecordwasediteddowntotheshort,radio versions, but all the originals are long. So the dance versions, the longversions, are the actual originals. They’re the full-length versions, and theneverythingontherecordwascutdown.”13PrincehadLeonardcreateacassette(TDKC-60)ofthemix.Afterfiveanda

halfhoursthesessionended,givingPrincethechancetohaveaweekendnightoutinLosAngeles.

MONDAY,JANUARY10,1983*

JesseandMorrisandJeromeandJimmyandTerryhadthemakingsof one of the greatest R&B bands in history. I could be a littlepretentiousinsayingthat,butit’strulythewayIfeel.There’snoonethatcouldwreckahouseliketheycould.—Prince14

AsPrince’scareergrewandthevarietyofhismusicexpanded,PrinceneededanoutletforhisR&Bmusic,soin1981heputtogethertheTime.ThegroupwascreatedwhenPrincewantedtorecord“Partyup,”atrackwrittenbyMorrisDay,whowasachildhoodfriendandthedrummerforhisearlybandGrandCentral.AccordingtoDay,“Hewaslike,‘Icaneithergiveyousomemoney,orI’llhelpyouputabandtogether.’SoIsaid,‘I’lltaketheband.’”15PrincehadattemptedasideprojectcalledtheRebelsin1979,butnothingwas

releasedfromthosesessionsand theprojectquietlydied.For theTime,Princeworkedbehindthescenesastheinvisiblepartnerwhodictatedthedirection,thelook,andthesoundfortheband.DaywasinitiallygoingtobethedrummerandAlexander O’Neal was going to be the singer, but when an agreement overmoneycouldn’tbereached,PrincemovedMorrisfrombehindthedrumstobethefrontmanfortheband,despiteDay’salmostcompletelackofexperienceasaleadsinger.“Interestinglyenough,weusedtocallMorris‘Morris“TooHot”Day,’ becauseMorriswould come out frombehind the drums and sing [‘TooHot’byKoolandtheGang],”rememberedJimmyJam,whowasfamiliarwithDaybefore theyworked together in theTime. “Sowe figured ifMorris couldsingthattune,whichwaskindofatoughtunetosing,hecoulddefinitelycutitasasinger.Andhealwayshadalotofpersonalityandstuffanyway.Eveninhisdrumplayinghehadalotofpersonality.Sothat’skindofhoweverythingcametogether.”16Work on the Time’s debut album was a stripped-down affair, with Prince

recording many of their songs on used tape to keep costs down. The TimeseemedtobedesignedtofillPrince’sneeds,andnotnecessarilyDay’s,because

itgavePrinceachancetoreleasemorethantheallottedonealbumperyearhewasdoingforWarnerBros.“Itwas a business favor,” explained Time drummer Jellybean Johnson, “but

alsoIthinkwebroughtouttheblacksideofhim.Ireallybelieveit.Hehadthebestofbothworlds.Becausewewerehiscredibilityintheblackworld.Ibelievewe were the funky, cool, ghetto, gangster part that he always wanted to be.That’swhatwewere.Wewerehisalteregolikethat.’Causehealwayswantedtobelikethat.Buthecouldn’t.”17“ItwasMorrisplayingdrumsandmeon thebass,” detailedPrince in an

interviewwithEbonymagazine.“That’showwewouldmakethebasictrack.Naked.Justlikethat,andnobodywouldknow.Andthenwhenyouputthekeys on it and the guitar, then that’s what the Time was. And it wasperfect.”18With the recording part of the project complete, Prince and Morris began

looking for bandmembers and found Jesse Johnson (no relation to JellybeanJohnson), a guitarist from Rock Island, Illinois. On March 8, 1981, JesseJohnsongothisfirstintroductiontoPrince:RockIsland’sreallytinyandtherewasnoBlackradiothere,soIdidn’tknowwho[Prince]was.IwenttotheshowatFirstAvenueandsawhimforthefirsttime.Iwaslike,“Oh.Okay,cool.”ThenthenextdaywemetandIsaid,“Yo,youreallydigHendrix.”Hesaid,“Ineverwatchhim.”Isaid,“Aww,youlyingmotherfucker!”Morriswasstandingbehindhim,[signaling]“No,no,no!”Princekindoffellonthefloorandjuststartedlaughing.Hewasjustdying.Hewascrackingup[because]everybodyelseinthe roomknewwhohewasand theywereactingdifferent fromhow theywereactingbeforehegotthere.SoI figuredhemusthavebeenabigshotorsomething.Thenhesaid,“Morrissaidyoucouldreallyplay,”andIsaid,“Well,youwantmetopluginandplay?”Hewaslike,“No.Ilikeyourlook.Youhaveacoollook.”Sothatwasit.19

“ThefirstnameofthebandwastheNerveandthat’swhatwasonthesleevewhenwedid the testalbum,”revealedDay.“So[theTime]didn’tcomeaboutuntilweeksafterthealbumwasfinished.”20“At first we were going to be a black version of Hall & Oates,” Johnson

eventuallyadded.“ButthenPrincehadanotheridea.”21Dayexplained,“Whatweweretryingtodo,andPrincewasmastermindingthe

wholesituation,wascomeupwithanameandsayings thatyou’dhave tosayevery day[,] like[,] ‘What time is it?’ He came up with ‘the Time,’ which Ithoughtwasprettyclever.”22“Prince put a lot of grooming intoMorris and [me] personally,” emphasized

Johnson. “He taught us how to handle that front line. Prince is a stickler fordetail.Youweren’tgoingtogetupthereandbeanembarrassmenttohiminany

way,shapeorformifhecouldhelpit.Hewentoutofhiswaytoteachushowtorepresentproperly.”23TheTimewouldeventuallybecomea collectionof sevenperformers, almost

all of themmusicians frommultiple local bands. “Wewere really rival bandsback inNorthsideMinneapolis,” reflectedDay. “Wewere all fighting for thesame gigs, and the name of my band was Grand Central [with Prince], andJimmyJam,TerryLewis,Jellybean,andMontehadtheirband,FlyteTyme,andwhenIgottherecorddeal . . .Princesaid,‘Whowegoingtogetforaband?’andIwaslike...‘FlyteTyme.’”24Jimmy Jam agreedwith the basic premise of this timeline, butmaintained a

very important distinction: “We were not put together by Prince. We werealreadyabandandhadbeenforquiteawhile.WeactuallyusedtocompetewithPrince’s band, Grand Central, in the early Minneapolis days when we werecalled Flyte Tyme. Thatwas sort of the origin of everything.”25 Bassist TerryLewisput itmorebluntly: “Princedidn’tmakeus;wewerealreadymade.Hejust gave us an incredible opportunity. Everything fell in line . . . and it wasscary.”26AlthoughthelineupoftheTimeconsistedoftwo-thirdsFlyteTymeandone-

third Prince’s input, Princemaintained control of the band. But simply beingaround the band influenced Prince aswell.McCreary recalls that “around theTime, hewas a littlemore ‘street’ but hewas always the same guy, but youcouldalwaystellhewasrunningtheshow.”Jimmy Jam detailed to Prince biographer Dave Hill that the six original

members of the band (Morris Day, Jesse Johnson,MonteMoir, Terry Lewis,JimmyJam,andJellybeanJohnson)wereassembledandtheplanwasexplained:“Princemoreor less said, ‘We’vedone thealbum,andyou’re thegroup.’Wedidourfirstgigafewweekslater.”27The finalmemberof theband, JeromeBenton,wasaddedsoonafterward.“I

wasn’t in thegroupas amusician,”he said. “Iwasaroundandhelping thingsmovealongandmoveforward,andeventuallybecameoneof thepersonnel inthegroup.Myroleatfirstwasaroadie.”28“Jeromewasalwaysaround.Hehadagreatpersonality,”explainedDay.“We

hadjustcutthefirstalbumandwererehearsingtogoontour,andthere’sapartin[thesong]‘Cool’whereIsay[,]‘Somebodybringmeamirror[,]’andwewererehearsinginthisdustylittlerehearsalhallandJeromeranintothebathroomandgrabbedthemirroroffthewallandbroughtitoutandwealljustlookedateach

otherlike,‘That’sgottostay!That’sgottobeintheshow.’FromthatpointonJeromewasintheband.”29Publicly,Daywasseenas the leaderand thepublic faceof theband;hewas

thought of as the mastermind behind their attitude, which reflected fun andswagger. “The image was ‘cool,’” according to Day. “That’s the key word.That’swhatwebuilttheTimearound.Coolisanattitude,aself-respectthing.”30Butprivatelytheirself-respectwastakingabeatingbecausethepublicimage

andtherealitywereverydifferentthings.Overthenexttwoyears,Princecontinuedtooverseepracticallyeverydetailof

theband,nurturing their image,writing thebulkof themusic for their secondalbum,andmaintainingfinalsayinpracticallyallofthecreativedecisions.Such firm control frustratedmembers of the Time,who felt he didn’t allow

themthechancetoshineinthestudio.“WorkingwiththeTime,youhadPrince,oneofthemostcreativepeopleinthehistoryofcreativity,”recalledJam.“Youhad Morris Day, who is infinitely talented. And back then, you had like sixsongsperalbum.Therewasn’talotofroomleftforcreativity.”31Daywasalso feelingstifled:“Hemastermindedallof theearlyconceptsand

stuff,andIdidn’tmindbecausethecatisagenius,youknow,noonecantakethatfromhim.Asthingsprogressed,whentherewereopportunitiesforustodomorewriting, I know that’swhenhe started to reallyputhis thumbdown.Soafter awhilewhenwe allwerewriting and really starting to feel the creativejuices...that’swhenhestartedtoreallycrackdownonusandcontrolus.”32This began to slowly drive awedge between Prince and the Time. Jamwas

philosophicalaboutwhyhefeltPrincedidn’tgivethebandtheirproperrespect:“Prince’s thinking is just on a different level thanmost people’s. And peoplewhoexpecta lotof themselvesexpecta lotofothers.Whenyouthinka lotofyourself, you start to believe other people should be thinking of themselvesalong thesamelines.Andwhen they’renot,youmightsay, ‘Hey,stupid,whyaren’tyoudoinganything?’Youendupalienatingthem.”33Tocompensate, theTimechanneledall theirenergyintotheir liveshowsand

becameincredibleperformers,soPrinceenlistedthemastheopeningactforhisControversy tour, as he would again for the 1999 tour. Drummer JellybeanJohnsonlaterinsistedthatPrince’splanwasbackfiring:“Hemademusicandhetolduswhattoplayandwecameinandplayed,alotoftimesbetterthanwhathehad.Andinconcertitwentoverbetterthanwhatitdidonrecord,andafterawhileheresentedthatshit.Heresentedit!”34

“Theywere really good,” noted Prince’s keyboard player,Matt Fink. “TheyweresotightandwouldputonsuchagreatshowthatPrinceinsomerespectsthought that theywere showingusup . . . I think.Theywere thatgood.Backthen, the audience would go wild for them and we’d go on stage and Princewould feel that we weren’t garnering the same response, so I think that hurthim.”In 1986, during an interview with WHYT’s the Electrifying Mojo, Prince

agreed:“Theywere,tobeperfectlyhonest,theonlybandthatIwasafraidof.And,theywereturningintolike...Godzilla.”35“[TheTime]rehearsedeighttotenhoursaday,”explainedJellybeanJohnson.

“Itwas really less a job, butwe had fun, ’causewe loved being around eachother,welovedwheneverwewouldgooutandhang.TheTimewasreallylikeafamilyback then, thepersonalities thatwehad,everybodywas intoeachotherandeverybodylookedoutforeachother.Itwascool.”36“With theTime,wewerealwaysgoodbuddiesas far as thebandand sowe

were just hanging,” explained Moir. “We were a bunch of young kids justhavingagoodoldtimeandIthinkhedidn’tlikethat.”37TherelationshipsinsidetheTimeweresolid,buttheband’sincreasingsuccess

grew to frustrate Prince in a way he may not have anticipated, according toJellybeanJohnson:“Itwasaverypositivecompetitionasfarasusplayingwell.AfterawhileIthinkitwasforhim,too,becauseheknewifhedidn’tplayhisbest, he’d get his asswhooped.He knew that.Wewere just as hungry as hewas.”The Time was scheduled to continue on the 1999 tour when it resumed

rehearsalsinlateJanuary,butamonthearlier,onDecember16,theunderlyingconflicthadcome toaboil. “I remember inNashville somethingwentdown,”recallslightingdirectorRoyBennett.“Therewasabigfightduringsoundcheck,withPrinceridingthemprettyhard.”AccordingtoMoir,PrincejustifiedhisoverbearingbehaviorwithDaybecause

“hefelt that theonlywaytogetpeopletodowhatyouwantedthemtowastoput yourself up here and screamat ’em.Morris said to him, ‘Why?We’re allfriends. I don’t need to yell at anyone.Allwe’ve gotta do is talk about it.’”38LikemanysituationsinvolvingPrince’scontrol,Moiradded,“Whenpushcametoshove,itwasstilldowntoPrince.”39Princeexpandedontheauthorityhehadoverhismusic:“Mywayusuallyis

thebestway.Istriveforperfection,andsometimesI’malittlebull-headedinmyways.”40 Despite the tension growing between the two bands, Prince’s

goalwastomakethemahugesuccess,andduringtoday’ssessionheworkedontheirnextsingle.“GigolosGetLonelyToo”hadbeenreleasedonWhatTimeIsIt?severalmonthsearlierandwasslatedtobethethirdsingle(after“777-9311”b/w“Grace,”whichwasreleasedonJuly30,1982,andpeakedatnumber88onthe Billboard Pop chart and number 2 on the Black Singles chart, and “TheWalk”b/w“OnedayI’mgonnabesomebody,”whichdidn’tbreaktheTop100ontheBillboardPopchart).Princewasworkinghardtoplaceallthreebandsonthechartsatthesametimewithoneofhissongs,sothisweekhespenthistimeinthe studio getting the tracks ready. Prince’s future tour manager Alan Leedssummed it up fairly simply: “I think to him the gratification of being able tocomehomeattheendofthedayandholdupthechartsandseewhattheTimerecordwasdoing,whatVanity6wasdoing . . . heknew,Warner’sknew,hisbankerknew,theyallknew.”41During this brief session, “GigolosGetLonelyToo”was edited for a 7-inch

single.AC-60cassettewasmadeoftheeditandgiventoPrinceforreview.ItisuncertainwhetherPrinceattendedthissession.Onoccasion,he’dconduct

editsremotely,givingtheengineertheinformationoverthephone.Morriswaslistedas theproducerandhesigned theworkorder; it isunclearwhetherDaysigned because he was supervising or because Prince wanted to keep up theappearancethathewasnotresponsibleforpullingthestringsfortheTime,andthiswas reflected asmuch as possible on both the private documents and thereleasedalbums.“Ithinkthattonotputhisnameontherecordsallowedpeopleto look at the Time and take them seriously as a band,” continued Leeds.“Whereas,had[Prince’s]namebeenonit,IthinkthatpeoplewouldhavebeenlesspronetotaketheTimeseriously,particularlynothavingseentheactwhentherecordfirstcameout.”42Theoriginal recording of “GigolosGetLonelyToo” featuredDay on drums

and Jesse Johnsononguitar,withPrinceplayingeverythingelse. “Ihad somecontrol,”Daywouldlaterreflectabouttheearlyalbums.“ButnotasmuchasIneeded.”43

Status:Theeditof“GigolosGetLonelyToo”(3:45)wasreleasedonMarch9,1983,with“IDon’tWannaLeaveYou”astheB-side.ItdidnotentertheTop100chartandpeakedatnumber77ontheBlackSingleschart.AmonomixwasalsoreleasedastheB-sideandasapromosingle,mostlikelyintendedforAMradiostations.

Although it isgenerallyspelledFlyteTyme,multipledocuments fromthat timeperiodrevealthatthebandwasprobablyreferredtoasFlytTyme,atleastforashortperiod.FlyteTyme is thename (andproper spelling)of JimmyJamandTerryLewis’s company.For the sake of clarity, I’ve listed the group asFlyteTymedespitethelikelihoodthatitwasactuallynamedFlytTyme.

THURSDAY,JANUARY13,1983*

[Prince] didn’t sleepmuch, he just ate, slept, and drankmusic everyday. I’msureheprobablywastedno timewithwatching televisionordoingmuchelseotherthantakinginamovieoccasionallyandreadingalittleor listeningtomusic,whichwasabigpartofwhathedid.Hewouldlistentootherartists for inspirationaswell. Iknowthereweretimeswhenhewasprobablygoingforstretchesofgettingmaybefourorfivehoursofsleepanightandthatwasit.—MattFink44

LikethatoftheTime,thehistoryofVanity6showcasesPrince’sdesiretocreateanoutletforhispopmusic.Princehadbeentryingtoestablishanall-girlgroupas early as 1981 and enlisted his then-girlfriendSusanMoonsie and her sisterLoreen,alongwithJamieShoop,whoworkedforCavallo,Ruffalo&Fargnolias Prince’s manager, to dress in lingerie and sing in a girl group called theHookers. The project gained focus when Prince met and was smitten withactress/modelDeniseMatthewsat the9thAnnualAmericanMusicAwardsonJanuary 25, 1982: “I didn’t go homewith him right away. He calledme, wedated—itwasallveryromantic.Hedidn’tevenknowIwantedtosinguntilheheardmeoneday.Thenhehelpedmeputagrouptogether.”45PrinceoriginallysuggestedshecallherselfVagina,buteventuallytheyagreed

onVanity.“You’llhavetoaskPrincewhyhenamedmeVanity,”shesaid,“butIthinkthemainreasoniswhenhelooksinthemirror,heseesme.”46

InFebruary1982PrinceinvitedMatthewstojoinhimontheControversytour,not as a performer but as his girlfriend. Because the concept for theHookershadn’tbeencompletelyfleshedout,theirlineupwasstillinflux.Afterthesoundcheckforoneofthelastshowsonthetour,BrendaBennett,thewifeoflightingdirector Roy Bennett, was working backstage and began singing along to aStevieNickstrack.“Ididn’tnoticethat[Prince]waspayingattention,”shesays.“He turned [the tape]off, and lookedatmeand said, ‘Youcouldbe theotherHooker!’ I looked at him and said, ‘What are you talking about?’ He thendecidedtogetmeinvolvedinthegroup.IturnedtoPrinceandasked,‘DoesithavetobetheHookers?’”Performing inabandwasn’tastretch forBennett.Born inScotland,shehad

grownup ina familyofmusiciansandhadbeenasingeraswell. In1973shesang backup forKen Lyon and the TombstoneBlues Band and on their onlyalbum,KenLyonandTombstone,onCBSrecords.JamieShoopdecidednottojoin thegroup,whichPrincenamedVanity6,withDenise/Vanity as the frontwoman and Brenda Bennett and Susan Moonsie as the background singers.“Prince was looking to create a 1980s version of the Supremes,” explainsBennett. “All of the girls wearing sexy lingerie and singing the same type ofmusicthathedid.”“Iwasthedenmothertoeveryone,”shecontinues.“Princetoldmetobabysit

thegirlsandmoldthemsotheycouldrelyonmetoshowthemtheropes.Susanwaslikeaspongewhenitcametothesingingandentertaining.Shepickedupeverything so quickly.” Bennett’s husband remembers that the hierarchy inVanity6alsocausedproblemswithinthegroup:“TherewasquiteoftenfrictionbetweenVanityandBrenda.Itwaspersonalities.Itwasbasedonthefactthatalotof timesBrendawas theperson thatwas setup tobabysitVanityas far asmaking sure she could sing, and vocal stuff, and in rehearsalsmakingBrendaresponsibleforthat,whichwasverydifficult,becauseVanitysawherselfastheoneincharge.Soyou’vegotPrincetellingBrenda,‘You’reresponsibleforhersinging,’andVanitysaying,‘Well,it’smyband.’Soitwashard.”Onceagain,thetrueleaderofthebandwasPrince.PrincewasabletogetVanity6signedtoWarnerBros.basedonanalbumhe

quicklyput together.ItwasreleasedonAugust11,1982,andtheyrehearsedabrief five-song set that involved dressing up in very revealing lingerie andsinging in front of a curtain with the Time—hidden from the audience—performing the album’s music. The Time, unhappy about doing double dutyduring the shows,made very little extramoney for their nightly performance,

which created more tension behind the scenes, as explained by JellybeanJohnson:“Vanity,SusanandBrenda,theywerereallynicetome.Theytreatedmenice.Andforthemostpart,theywerenicetomostoftheguysintheTime;itwas just theprinciple,youknow,comeon,man.Thatwas thewhole thing,hedidn’twanttopayforaband.Hewantedtohaveus.Andthat’sanotherwaytokeepusundercontrolandquiet.I’msurethatwasthethinkingbehindthat.Andmanagementwasbackinghim100percent.That’swhatitwasabout.”47ManyofthereviewsforVanity6focusedonwhattheywerewearingandhow

theydanced.TheLouisvilleCourier-Journal reported that“thewomengyratedaroundthestage,muchtothedelightofthemalesinthecrowd,”butsomeofthereviewswerenotalwaysflattering.TheHartfordCourantreportedthat“nooneyelledencorewhentheywerethrough.”ABaltimorepaperreferredtothemasa“pointlessnovelty,”48andthePittsburghPressreported,“Vanitystinks.”49Within the inner circle there weremixed emotions. There were those inside

Prince’sbandwhodismissedthem,butthefeelingwasn’tunanimous,accordingtoAlanLeeds:“Theywerethreegirlswhotookwhattheyweredoingseriouslyenoughtospendanawfullotoftimeandenergytryingtofigureouthowtobestentertaintheiraudience,andtheirmotiveswerepureandtheyworkedrealhard,so I have a little problem dismissing them as strippers, because the reality is,comparedtowhat’sgoingontodayinrap,theywereprettysafe.”Both theVanity6 and theTimealbums list JamieStarr as theproducer, but

JamieStarrwas apseudonym forPrince.At the time,Princedemanded that afictionalbackstoryaboutStarrwastobemaintainedtothepress.“JamieStarrisanengineer,”insistedMorrisDayduringa1983interview,“theco-producerofourrecord.Ofcoursehe’sreal.”50Princealwaysenjoyedconfusingpeoplewhenitcametohowhismusicwascreated.Sellingmisdirectionandintriguewashiswayofmanagingwhatpeoplethoughtabouthim.Hewasasmartself-promoterandworkedveryhard at hispublic relations—andevenharder to look likehewasn’tworking on it at all. “I don’t knowhis reasoning behind it,” explainedJellybean Johnson. “Itworked, obviously.At least for him, and that’s howhewantedit.Hecould’veveryeasilycameoutandsaid,‘YeahIdidtheshit.’Buthedidn’twanttodothat. . . .HehadapictureofJamieStarr,himandMorrisandshit,atthesoundboard.Itwashilarious.”51ManyofthetracksfromtheseprotégéalbumswererecordedatSunsetSound,

which gave Peggy McCreary an unparalleled perspective on the Jamie Starrlegend:“TheTimewasalotof[Prince];sowasVanity6.Princewoulddomostofthestuffandthenbringinsomeoneforonepart.He’dsingmostofthelyrics

and then just havewhoever replace it, but itwashim, itwashisgenius.He’dalwaysputJamieStarr’snameonit,butthatwasallagame.”WorkcontinuedontheprospectivesinglesforPrinceandVanity6.“DriveMe

Wild”wasthefourthreleasefromtheirrecord;ithadpreviouslybeentheB-sideto“NastyGirl,”butPrince feltconfidentenough in it toput itoutasasingle.The albumversion of “DriveMeWild”was only 2:33, so during this sessionPrinceworkedontheadditionalfiveminutesnecessarytoexpandthetrack.Atthe time, there were no computers to help the engineer audition an edit;everything was done to the actual tape. David Leonard once again did thephysicalcutting,buthewasveryopenabouthisrespectforPrince’sear:He’dtellme“Cuttothischorus,”andpointandshowme,thenI’dmarkitonthedownbeatandputittogether,thenhe’dsay,“No,makethatcomeinlater,”soI’dgobackandtakelikeahalf-inchpieceoftapeoffoftheversebefore,thenstickitonthere,andthenhe’dsay“Ohno,that’stoomuch,cutthatinhalf,”sothenI’dgobackandgetahalf-inchpieceoftapeandedititintoaquarter-inchpieceoftape,andthenhe’dsay“Okay,cutthatinhalfagain,”sonowI’mcuttinglikeeighth-inchsliversoftape,andhecouldalwaystellifIdidordidn’tdoit.Histimingwasamazing.52

Theoriginof this trackcanbe traced tobeforeVanity6was formed.Princeoriginally recorded this in 1981, when the name of the band was still theHookers.AccordingtoSusanMoonsie,theinspirationforthelyricssupposedlycamewhenshemetPrince inaMinneapolisclub:“Hewas just standing theredrinkingorangejuiceandwestartedtalking.ItoldhimthatIwrotesongs,thengavehimasampleofmylyrics:‘I’mabrandnewconvertiblechild,I’veneverbeendriven,you’rethefirst.Comeonbaby:drivemewild.’”53“Iamnotonthistrack,”remembersBennett.“Thiswasbasicallythesameway

Susan did it. She did very well for someone without experience. There wassomethingverynaturalabouther.”PrinceandSusanMoonsiebecameacouplesoonaftertheymet,andremained

closeduringtheearlystagesoftheHookers/Vanity6.Theirrelationshipwouldbecomplicatedandeventuallycompromisedby the strongpresenceofVanity.“Ashebegantogetsuccessfultherewerealotofwomen,”explainedlongtimeengineerSusanRogers.“Susan[Moonsie]atayoungagewassmartenoughtoknow, thiswas aman you’re not going to keep for yourself. . . . But she’s agracious woman and she stayed around.”54 A great deal of behind-the-scenesdrama was created based on who was receiving Prince’s affections, much ofwhichwouldinfluencehismusic.Aneditedversionof“LittleRedCorvette(DanceRemix)”wascreatedduring

this session. The main differences between the edited version of the Dance

Remix and the album version can be found at the beginning and end of thetracks.

Status:Once the extended version ofVanity 6’s “DriveMeWild” (7:04)wascompleted, itwasediteddown(2:20)and releasedwithaneditof“3×2=6”(3:46)astheB-side.Itisunclearwhentheeditson“3×2=6”weredone.Theextendedversionof“DriveMeWild”wasreleasedonlyintheUnitedStatesandfailedtochart,whilethe“LittleRedCorvette(DanceRemixedit)”(4:33)onlyfounditswaytoaUSpromo7-inch.


[Prince’s] recording technique was unorthodox. He would recordeverythingwaytooloud.Itmakeseverythingsoundreallyfrantic,soitalwayssoundslouderthanitreallyis.Therewouldalwaysbeanedgeto his recordings. There’s not a recording we do where there’s notsomethingwelearnedfromthewayheworked.—JimmyJam55

Additionaloverdubsweredonetocompletethe12-inchversionsof“DriveMeWild”and“LittleRedCorvette.”Thestyleofsomeoftheguitarworkon“DriveMeWild,” specifically around 4:40 and 5:05, would be revisited later in thesummerwhenPrincerecorded“ComputerBlue.”Aquickmixwascreated,atapewasmadeforreference,andthesessionwas

complete. “Prince didn’t likemymixes,” recallsMcCreary. “Itwas usually attheendofthenightandyouareexhausted,andyoujustwanttogohomeandgotosleepandhe’dsay,‘Mixit.’I’mthinking,‘Excuseme?It’s11:30atnight,orlater,andIwanttogohome,’sosomeofthemcouldhaveprobablybeenbetter.”ItwouldbethelaststudiosessionatSunsetSoundformorethantwomonths.

The remainder of Januarywould be spent adjusting his live show,whichwasscheduled to start in February, as well as taping various music videos forhimself,Vanity6,andtheTime.

EARLY–MIDJANUARY,1983(ESTIMATE)

Prince told me himself that that was written for Vanity.—SusanRogers56

WhenPrincewasn’trecordingatSunsetSound,hewasworkingfromhomeinChanhassen, Minnesota. This was the third home Prince had set up like arecordingstudio.WhenPrincemovedfromarentedhouseonthenortharmofLakeMinnetonkainWayzata,Minnesota,tothishouse,hehadDonBattssetupeverythinginafinishedfamilyroominthebasement.“HehadbigWestlakemonitorsmounteduponthewall,”MattFinkdescribed

to author Jake Brown. “And there was an isolation room, so he’d had someconstructiondoneon that particular home studio tomake itmoreviable as anacoustic-engineeredroom.Hehadadrumsetandeverykeyboardoftheday—theOberheim and the Omni, which [the Omni] was a very integral keyboardusedon1999.Hedidn’tuse itmuchonPurpleRain,butwas reallyusing theOberheimsquiteabitonthePurpleRainalbum.”57Thetworooms—oneforthecontrolroomandoneforoverdubs—weresmall,

butPrincegothugeresultsfromthesetup.InMayofthepreviousyear,duringthefirstnightthestudiowasoperational,Princerecordedthebulkof“LittleRedCorvette.”Inmanyways,musiccanbeseenasPrince’sprimarylanguage,anditisabond

that he shared with those around him. “Musicians, when they reallycommunicate,don’thavetotalk.Theyjustplay.”58ItwasalsofairlycommonforPrince tousemusic toexpresshis feelings to thosearoundhim,especiallythoseclosetohimorthosehewantedtoaddtohisinnercircle.“WonderfulAss”isanexampleofhiswritingsomethingtosomeoneneartohisheart.Prince and Vanity were going through a tough time, fluctuating between

stayingacoupleandseeingothers.Atthetime,VanityandJillJoneswerebothlivinginPrince’shome.“Weallkindoflivedtogetherforalittle,briefmoment,tryingtobeharmonious,”recallssingerJones,whosangbackgroundvocalson

thistrackaswellasuncreditedbackgroundvocalsforVanity6duringthetour,“anditdidn’treallygosowell.”“Onthattour,hewasdatingVanityagainbecausetheyknewtheyweregoing

todothePurpleRainstuff,”shecontinues,“andhetoldme,‘I’vegottodatehertosolidifyallthecontractsorwhatever.’Andthenhewouldwritehersongslike‘WonderfulAss.’”“Vanity has an ass that don’t make no sense, I’m telling you,” recalled

Jellybean Johnson fondly. “It’d make you leave all your homes. Back then,especially,becauseshewasalreadybeautiful.Butthatbuttshehad!OhmyGod.Andshewasturning,wiggling,everynight.Itwasallover.”59JonesandPrinceworkedonthesongtogetherinPrince’sstudio,withbothof

themaddingtothelistofrhymingwordsonthelyricsheet.“It’snotanovelideatorhymeabunchofwords.Weweresittingthereandcomingupwithrhymes.‘My sensibilities you aggravate.’Becauseononehand I’m thinking it’s aboutVanity’sbutt,andshedoesaggravateyou.So,therewasalittlebitofthatandalso, we all lived together, so I think I could have commented about herwonderfulasstoo.(laughs)”Butwasthereonlyoneinspirationfor“WonderfulAss”andthevarioustracks

Princewroteovertheyears?Jonesgivesherthoughtsonthat:I don’t thinkPrincewas that literal inhis songwriting. I think it’s a bit of an insult to any creativepersonorawritertothinkthatinspirationisthatlinear.Ithinkthatwedogetinspiredbyallsortsofstuff.Vanitytookit;sheownedit.Sheplayeditandannouncedthatthissongbelongedtoher,butIalsodon’tthinkthatthat’showyouwritesongs.AndIthinkthattherecould’vebeenmanythingsthatcouldhaveinspiredhim.Wewenttoseesomanymovies,Frances,alltheseotherthings.Flashdance.Thereweresomanythingsthatplayintowhatworksindecisionmaking.

“WonderfulAss”isn’taclassiclovesongbyanystretchoftheimagination.ItismoreofaplayfulsongwithlyricswrittenasacomplimentuniquetoVanity,anditisobviousthatitwasatrackPrinceenjoyedrecording.Thelyricsaren’ttobe taken too seriously,withPrince describing the differences betweenhimselfandhispartner, butbeingdistractedbyher ass, andeven repeating thephrase“You’re sowonderful” before revealing that thewonderful part of her is thatshe’s“gotawonderfulass.”60Someofthelanguageinthesong,althoughtameinretrospect,wasconsidered

slightlyracy,butasheoftendid,Princeperformeditwithawinkandasmile.Consideringhishistoryofvulgarlyrics,itiseasytoconfusethemanandhisart.EngineerslikeSusanRogerswereconstantlyputonthehotseatregardingthis:Peopleaskedme:“Howcanyouworkforthatnastyman?”AndIhaveneverworkedforanybodywithmore respect for women. There was an aspect of Prince’s character, which was a mysterious

mythologicalfigurewhodoesn’tspeakmuchandishalfman/halfwoman.Thenthereisanotheraspect,which isverymuchclose to theMorrisDay/Time-figure,awisecrackingguywhomakes lewd jokesaboutwomen.The“Prince”characterthathecreatedforhimselfismuchmorerudethanIthinkheishimself,becauseInever,ever,everreceivedanythingbutrespectfromhimandIreallymustsaythatfortherecord.61

By the timeRogers joined thePrincecamp in the summerof1983, the songwas sitting on the shelf, and she had doubts about what was planned for thetrack.“Idon’tthinkheeverintendedtoreleasethat.Itwasmorelikeasongthatwasfuntowriteandsing.”62The tune isa soloventure featuringkeyboardsoveraLinndrumpatternand

appears to contain no outside help, at least for the basic recording. Althoughthosearoundhimdidn’timaginehimplacingitonaPrincealbum,itispossiblethat, based on the humor in the track, it might have been considered for theTime. Prince even ended the songwith an impression ofMorrisDay, saying,“YouknowIlikeyo’ass.”63

Status:Thisearlyversionof“WonderfulAss”(6:08)remainsunreleased,butitwas revisited in September 1984 with the help of Wendy Melvoin and LisaColeman.Theupdated“WonderfulAss”(6:24)wasincludedonthePurpleRainDeluxe(ExpandedEdition)CDsetin2017.ThetrackwasconsideredfortheApollonia6albumaswellastheunreleased

1998PrinceandtheRevolutionalbumRoadhouseGarden.It ispossible that thissongwasalreadyrecorded inmid-November1982.Jill

JonesremembersthatafteraconcertinLouisiana,sheandPrincetraveledhometoMinneapolisandworkedonthisinhishomestudio.Thatsessioncouldhaveeither followed a performance in New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 14,1982,orafterhisshowonJanuary3,1983,inLakeCharles,Louisiana.

TheTimeandVanity6continued to restduring thisperiod, soPrince focusedhisenergyonhisownband,becausethestructurewaschanging.Prince’sbandconsisted of Lisa Coleman and Matt “Dr. Fink” Fink on keyboards, Bobby“Bobby Z” Rivkin on drums, Mark “BrownMark” Brown on bass, and DezDickerson on lead guitar. The core of this band had gone unchanged sinceBrownMarkwasaddedin1981(replacingPrince’schildhoodbestfriend,AndréCymone),butduringthistourseedsofdiscontentweregrowinginDickerson.In 1978 Prince and his managers were looking for a guitar player but were

havingno luck.AlthoughDickersonhadalwaysplanned tobeasoloartist,hehadn’tfoundhispathyet.Heplayedguitarinseveralbands,andwhenheheard

thatalocalmusicianwhohadarecordcontractwithamajorlabelwaslookingforaguitarist,heassumeditwasPrince,puthisquestforasolocareeronhold,and jumped at the chance. During the local audition at Del’s Tire Mart,DickersonjammedwithPrince’sbandforfifteenminutes.Helaterrecalled:IjustwentinandjustkindofplayedrhythmandtriedtogetafeelforwhatAndréandPrinceandtheotherguysweredoing.AndwhenPrincewouldgivemethenodandhavemesolo,I’dsolo,saywhatIwantedtosay,playmybeststuff,andthengorightbackintoplayingrhythmandnotoverstateit,anditturnedoutthat’swhatmadethedifference.HehadauditionedoveronehundredguysonboththeEastCoastandtheWestCoastandeverysingleoneofthemtriedtoblowhimaway.Iwastheonlyguythatactuallytriedtofitin.64

A shorthand developed very quickly between Dickerson and Prince:“Originally, Prince wanted to be a black version of The Rolling Stones. HisMick tomyKeith.”65 Prince relied onDickerson towrite lyrics to songs like“Cool”andtoaddhissignatureguitarworktohisbreakthroughhit,“LittleRedCorvette.” It was a solid musical collaboration and a trusting and tightfriendship.“I’venever laughedasmuchinmylifeasIdidwhenIwas in thatband,”recalledDickerson,“untilthelastyear;thenitgotrealserious.”66“By 1999 things had changed on a number of levels, particularly live,”

DickersondetailedtoNo.1magazine:ItwasbecomingPrinceandhisband.Thephilosophieswerechanging,hewasdoingbrasherthings—goingoutonalimblyrically.Hisimagewasbecomingmoreflamboyanttoo.Theraincoatwentfromplaingreytopurple—that’showthepurplethingstarted.ItsmackedofamovementandIdidn’twanttobeinvolvedwithamovement.67Wearguedmanytimesduringthetourbuttheywerenotargumentsinthenegativesense,morelike

debates.Wearguedaboutthesongsweshouldbedoing,howtopresentthem.Fromthebeginning,ofcourse,ithadbeenclearitwasPrince’sproject—healwayshadthelastword—butobviouslyasitgotbigger, itgotmoreoutofcontrol.Noone’severbeenable tosayno toPrince, to tellhimnot todosomething—evennowtheycan’t.Theycouldadvisehimbuthe’dstillhavethefinalsay.68

Duringthisperiod,Dickersonhadaspiritualrevelationandstartedfeelingthatthedirectionand themessagePrincewaspushingweren’t compatiblewithhisfaith:“TherewereacoupleofsongsontheDirtyMindLPthatwenttoofar.Oneofthemwas‘Sister.’Ihadaveryhardtimedoingthatone.SometimesonstageI’djustmouththewordssothatattheendofthedayIcouldsay‘Okay,IplayeditbutIdidn’twriteitandIdidn’tsingit.’Ikeptmyconscienceclear.”69Buthischaradewasn’tworking,andtheheavysexualitywasweighingheavilyonDez:“Iwould lookout in the audience and see somebodywith their eight or nine-year-oldandI’dthinkaboutthethingsweweresingingaboutandthethingswewere doing on stage and I’m thinking, now would I want my nine-year-old

daughteroutseeingsomeoneelsedothis?No,Iwouldn’t.Iwouldn’t.Thatwaskindofthedealbreakerforme.”70WhileDickersonmaintainedhis friendshipwithPrince, he starteddistancing

himself from him professionally. Prince was well known for holding three-tofour-hour soundchecks, andDezgrew tiredof themandwantedout: “I camefromabackgroundwhereIwasalwaystheguycrackingthewhipontherestofthebandtotrytodrageverybodyelsealong:Comeon,wegottagetbetter,wegottaworkharder.ThiswasthefirsttimeIhadbeeninasituationwheretherewasactuallysomebodywhowasmoreofamaniacthanIwasandithadreacheda point where we worked so hard at it that it stopped being fun after a fewyears.”71Dickerson asked Prince if he could simply show up, get a feel for the hall,

make sure his guitar and monitor worked, and then leave. Prince agreed,conductingmostoftheextendedsoundcheckswithouthisleadguitarplayer.Inretrospect,evenDickersonconcededtoauthorDaveHillthathewasresponsiblefor his own problemswithin the band: “I didn’t feel comfortablewithmyselfanymore. Because of that, I became very difficult to be around. I was prettymoody.Later,Irealizedthatwasjustaby-productofnotbeingveryhappywithwhatwas happening, andwherewewere going; and at the same time feelingtherewasn’tawholelotIcoulddotohaveanyimpactonit.Idealtwithitby...beingajerk.IguessifI’dbeenhim,Iwouldprobablyhavefiredme.”72PrincedecidedtocontinuethetourwithDickersonastheleadguitarist,buthis

days in the band were numbered. Luckily for Prince, Dickerson’s eventualreplacement was already part of the band’s extended family: His keyboardplayer, Lisa Coleman, had introduced Prince to her childhood friend WendyMelvoin,andPrincetookaquicklikingtohertalents,usingheronafewstudiosessions during the previous year. He took extra notice of her guitar playingwhenheoverhearditcomingfromColeman’shotelroomduringtheChristmasholidayinNewYork.“Iwasactuallyoutonthe1999 tour,”detailedMelvoin,“butnot formally. Itwaskindof likemy ‘prepwork’ asPrinceput it. I did alittlebitofvocalworkonthe1999record,butitwasn’tuntilrightafterthathefoundoutIplayedtheguitar.”73Colemanremembered:Wendywas inmyhotel roomplaying [an acoustic] guitar, andPrinceheard theguitar coming frombehindmydoorandknockedonthedoorandwaslike,“Who’splayingguitarinthere?”Hethoughtitwas reallygood.And I said, “It’sWendy,”andhecame inandsaid, “Play something,”andshe juststrummedthislargebeautifulchordandhewaslike,“Huh?Howdidyoudothat?”74

PrinceaskedMelvointojointhebandduringarunthroughof“Controversy”andsheknockeditoutofthepark.“The‘FunkyLittleWendy’sideofhercameoutanditwasjustover,”Colemanjoyfullyrecalled.“Princebeganaloveaffairwith her playing.”75 Melvoin was hired for three hundred dollars a week.Although she didn’t play during the concerts, she spent time jamming withPrinceandtheothermembersofhisband,andbondsbegantogrow.“ThatfirsttimeWendyjammedwithusatsoundcheckon‘Controversy’. . .

[i]t’s likewhenyou’dhear theBeatles talkingaboutwhen they foundRingo,”reflectedBobbyZin2016.“Youjustknewthatwasthefuture.”76Dickerson would continue until the end of the tour, but it was obvious to

everyonethatMelvoinwasinthewingswaitingtoplay.

Princeregroupedthebandsneartheendofthemonthtorestructuretheshows.Prince removed “Automatic,” while “Sexuality” and “Let’s Pretend We’reMarried”wereaddedtothesetonoccasion.Duringthefirstlegofthetour,“LittleRedCorvette”wasplayedsporadically,

oftenasthethirdtrackoftheshow,butbyearlyDecemberithadbeenremovedfromthesetlistcompletely.Withitsreleaseasasingle,itwasaddedbackintothe set, butmuch later in the show. In addition to shuffling the songs for theconcert, it was also decided to produce a music video to reflect the growingattentionotherartistsweregettingonMTV.“Wewereontourwhen‘LittleRedCorvette’ started doing well on radio,” explained Lisa Coleman. “So wesqueezedinavideo.”77Music videos were just starting to explode during this period, and

contemporaries such asMichael Jacksonwere creating visually stunning shortfilmsthatweregainingattention.OverthelastthreeyearsPrincehadcreatedsixvideos,buttheyweresimplyvariationsofperformances.Hewouldcontinuethistrend—notbreakinganynewgroundwith thevideos forhis latestalbum—butevenjustplayingwiththebandwasdifferentthanwithotherperformers.EvenTime member Monte Moir recognized this: “He has an aura about him, andwhenhewalksintheroomyoufeelit,andifhewalksonstage—whenheusedtocomeup and jamwithus or something—and it’s like thewhole stage lifts upaboutafootandahalfbecausethere’ssomethinggoingonwithhimthat’snotthenormalhumanbeingwalkingaround.He’soneofthefewpeopleI’dsayistrulyagenius.”78AvideowasalsocreatedfortherecentlyrecordedextendedversionofVanity

6’s“DriveMeWild.”ItshowcasedSusanMoonsiesinginganddancingduring

anonstagepartyscenemadeupofmanypeopleonthetour,includingPrince’slighting director, RoyBennett,whowas not teamedwith hiswife but insteadcast as Moonsie’s partner. The video also featured Prince’s most iconicbodyguard Chick “Big Chick” Huntsberry dressed as a fairy godfather whograntedwisheswithhismagicwand.

FEBRUARY1983

TUESDAY,FEBRUARY1,1983

ThesecondlegofPrince’s1999tourbeganinLakeland,Florida.Thevenuesonthishalfofthetourhadn’tchangedmuch:hewasstillplayingintheatersofthesamesize—and,inmanycases,theexactsamelocationshe’dbeenplayingsince1980.Despiteapushtopromotehisalbum,includingarecentlyairedlip-syncedperformance of “1999” on the syndicated television show Solid Gold, theexpected growth in crowd size hadn’t materialized. The album was movingdown the charts and there was concern that perhaps Prince’s popularity hadpeaked.

WEDNESDAY,FEBRUARY2,1983

While Prince was touring, he worked hard to make his life on the road anextensionofhowitwasathome.Oftenmusicianswearcostumesorclothesjustfortheshow;Princeworesimilarclothesbothonandoffthestage.“I’veneverreallyseenhimwearingaT-shirtandshorts,”rememberstourmanagerMurielleHamilton.Shealsorecallsthatdespitetheproblems,heseemedveryhappywithmostof thepeoplewhosurroundedhimon the tour: “Heknewmanyof thesepeoplefora longtime.Hehadgrownupwithsomeof them,andsoI thinkinthatsense,helikedthatlevelofcomfort.Theymightbeannoying,buttheywereknownquantities.”

THURSDAY,FEBRUARY3,1983


FRIDAY,FEBRUARY4,1983

SATURDAY,FEBRUARY5,1983

At this point in the tour, “1999” was still ending the encore and “Little RedCorvette”wasn’tashowstopperyet.

SUNDAY,FEBRUARY6,1983

Onlyhalfoftheseatsforthisshowweresold.Whileontheroad,theTime,asalive act, was gaining strength. “Prince created the Frankenstein monster,”rememberedMorrisDay.“Itwas littlewhen ithatched. Itwasnothing to fear.Thentheshitgrewandgrewrightbeforehiseyes,andwestartedtocomeintoourown. It got ugly for him somenights.Hehad to comebehindus, andweonlyhad30minutestoperform.Butitwasadangerous30minutes.”1“We couldn’t wait to get to the next show,” Jellybean Johnson proudly

proclaimed.“Let’swhoophisasssomemore.That’ssatisfaction.”2

JesseJohnsonremembered:Weused to laughabout it.He’dcomein thedressingroomsomenights,everynightpractically,andhavethesebigtalkswithMorrisandsay,“Don’tyouguysgooutthereanddothis”andwe’dgo“Oh,okay.Yougotit.Cool!”Andthen,he’dleaveandwe’dgooutanddoitanywayandjustgetintroubleandgetdockedbecauseitgottothepointwherewecouldn’ttakethatstuffanymore,sowejuststartedgettingintroublejustgoinghey,whateverisgoingtohappen,youknow,becauseithadgottoapointthatitwasutterlyridiculous.”3

BrownMarkrememberedtalkingtoPrinceabouttheTime’sstrength:“Iusedto have conversations with [Prince] every night. I’d be like, ‘These cats areburning it up.Theyareburningup the stagedude’; he’s like, ‘Theydon’t gotnothingonus,youwatch.Youwatch.’”4“Therewastobeonlyoneheadliner,”explainedDayin1984.“SoPrincewas

it.”5PrincewasoriginallyscheduledtoflybacktoMinneapolisduringathree-day

breakfromthetour,butinsteadhetraveledtoLosAngeles.


[Prince]spoiledmeforeverybandI’veeverhadbecausenobodycanexactly re-create—not even with two piano players—what Prince didallbyhislittleself.—StevieNicks6

“StandBack”was a direct result of StevieNicks’s January 29wedding. “I’mdriving to my honeymoon night in Santa Barbara from L.A., and ‘Little RedCorvette’comeson,”Nicksremembered.“We’relike,‘OhmyGod,it’sPrince!’So I start singing all these words, and I’m like, ‘Pull over, we have to get acassette player!Andwehave to record this!’ I’mwriting in the car—hereweare,newlyweds,andweget toourhotelandwe’resettingupthetaperecorderandI’vemadeupmywholenewmelodyto[thesong].”7When she returned to Los Angeles, she requested and was given Prince’s

private phone number (“I’m Stevie Nicks, I can get it.”8), called him, andhummedittohim.“Itoldhim:‘I’mrecordingthissongandIwroteitto“LittleRedCorvette”andI’mgivingyou50percentofitandIwanttoknowifyou’d

like to come play on it on one of the next three nights.’ He was there in anhour.”9“WhenIgotthere,herandJimmyIovinecouldn’tfigureouthowtowork

thedrummachine,”addedPrince,“becausepeoplewereusinglivedrumsatthatpoint...soIwentdownthereandprogrammeditforthemandprettymuchplayedmostofthesongthereinabouttwentyorthirtyminutes.”10“Hecamein,listenedtothesong—youknow,verycool,veryquiet,”detailed

Nicks.“AndIsaid,‘Doyouhateit?’andhesaid,‘No,it’sokay,it’scool,’andtheysetupanOB-8forhimandheplayedthe‘doo-doo-doo-doo-doo,’the1/16-notething,andthen,hediditlikeonetime.Andthenhewenttothemiddlepartwhereitgoes‘deedat-deedat-deedat-deedat.’”11NickswouldlateraddthatPrince“walkedovertothesynthesizersthatwereset

up,wasabsolutelybrilliantforabouttwenty-fiveminutes,andthenleft.”12Prince supposedly also added several tracks. Ultimately they didn’t use

everything he played, but his synth part can be heard prominently in the finalmix. Nicks’s 1991 Timespace tour book summed up the way the song cametogether:“Itneverbelonged tome, ithasalwaysbelonged to theworldand toPrince,whoinspiredtheentiresong.”13“Ifyoureallylistencarefully,youcansing‘StandBack’alongto‘LittleRed

Corvette,’ and you can sing ‘LittleRedCorvette’ along to ‘StandBack,’” shesaid.“So,Igavehimhalfofthesongforthatinspiration.”14

Status:“StandBack”(4:47)wasreleasedinMay1983byStevieNicksonTheWildHeart.Thesingle(4:18)landingatnumber5ontheBillboardHot100andnumber2ontheBillboardTopTracks.ThiswasPrince’shighest-chartingsongontheBillboardHot100todate.

There have been reports (including Nicks’s personal recollection on severaloccasions) that Prince’s part of the track was recorded at Sunset Sound.According to theofficialaccounts, itwasmost likelyrecordedatStudio55onMelroseAvenueinLosAngeles,California.


“LittleRedCorvette”wasreleasedasasingle,featuringthealbumtrack“AlltheCriticsLoveUinNewYork”asaB-side.Thesongwouldreachnumber6ontheBillboardHot100chartsintheUnitedStatesonMay21,1983.




A show originally scheduled for February 12 in Norfolk, Virginia, waspostponeduntilMarch8duetoinclementweather.After peaking and declining, Prince’s album was once again shifting. The

releaseof“LittleRedCorvette”and the subsequentairplaywasgiving1999 amuch-neededboost.Thenewattentionwasalsohavinganeffectonthesizeofhisaudience.Princewasnolongerjustgettingcriticalpraise;therewasabuzzonthestreet.Changewas in theair,andthesewere the lastdaysofPrince’s lifeunder the

radar.


MONDAY,FEBRUARY14,1983

Ticket demand for Prince’s February 13DC showwas so great that a secondshowhadbeenadded.Whilethiswasananomalyforthe1983legofthetour,itforeshadowedhisincreasingpopularity.“Thecrowdswerenutsandeveryoneofhisshowsweresoincredible.Itfeltlikehewashuge,”saysMurielleHamilton.“Someotherpeoplemighthavebeencontent to justhaveagreatshow,buthepushed it onevery level. Imean thecostumes, themakeup, the choreography,theeverything.Whenyousawoneof thoseshows, itwasobvious thathewasjustamassivestar.I thinkhealwaysknewhewasamassivestar.”Theshowswere getting stronger and stronger, which pushed the Time to perform at ahigherlevel,fosteringanevendeepersenseofcompetition.“Toapoint itwas realpositive,”explainedMonteMoir.“Onourside itwas

‘Let’skickhisasstonight!’Butafterawhile,itbecameunhealthy.”15Part of the reason itwas becoming unhealthywas that nomatter howmuch

success the Time was getting from their audiences, the fact that they weresecretlycontrolledbyPrincehauntedsomeofthebandmembers.JesseJohnsonremembered: “It’shard toput intowordsbecause in themovie [PurpleRain],both groups are acting as if they are their own entity, but in real life, all thegroupsareunderPrince’scontrol.Ifyoulookatitonabusinessdocument,wewereanotheroneofPrince’sbands.Wewerethefirstandhighlysuccessful,butnevertheless,itwasalmostlikethemoresuccessyouhad,Idon’treallythinkitmatteredbecauseattheendoftheday,itwassomebodyelse’sthing.”16Jellybean Johnson agreed: “It would have been one thing if we were a

collectionofguyswhoweren’ttalented,butwehadsomesupertalentedguysinthat band.So any timeyougot thatmuch talent inoneband, even thoughwelovedeachotherandwelovedplayingtogether,everybody’slookingdowntheroad and looking at each other. And that’s what it was, and we knew, eventhoughitwashardtothinkabout,thattherewasnofuturethereifwecontinuedtostaythereandbeunderhiswinglikethat.Weknewthat.”17“Wewere angry, becausewewere so broke,” explained Jesse Johnson. “We

wereallprettypissed,and thatenergycameout inourshow.Wewereoutforblood.”18


Youhavetorealize,we’resomekidsfromthestreet.TheoriginalTimewas just some ghetto kids from the street. We’re like a gang. AndPrince’sband, theycouldn’tcompare touswith that.Andheknewit.Anddeepdown,Princewantstobeoneofusandhecouldn’t,becausehewasPrince.—JellybeanJohnson19

JimmyJamhasalsoreferredtoPrinceasa“silentpartner”intheTime,sofromthefirstmeetingofthebandhewasakeypartoftheirinnercircle.Duringtheprevious year’s Controversy tour and the early dates of the 1999 tour, PrincewouldjointheTimeontheirbusforstretchesofthetravel.InmanywaysPrinceactivelykept thebandsapartandcouldstraddlebothbecausehewas theboss.Hewasveryproudofhisband,buttheTimewaslikeanexclusiveclubhecoulddropinonatanytime.“We kind of became sort of like an alter ego for him.A chance to be very

funky, to collaborate on very funky tunes, and he enjoyed when we wouldrehearseandstuff,”explainedJam.“Hewouldrathercometoourrehearsalsandjamwith us than hewouldwith his own band.And a lot of his groove ideascamefromjammingwithus.”20The tensionwasbeginning to takea tollonall threegroupson the tour.The

Timewasn’thappywithPrince,Princewasn’thappywiththeTime,andVanity6 was erupting with internal conflicts. According to Brenda Bennett, aperformanceerrorcreatedbackstagedramaforVanity6:Iblankedrightonstageinfrontofallthesepeople,[during“IfAGirlAnswers(Don’tHangUp)”]andforgotmypart, so I ad-libbedand it threwVanityoff somuch thatwe foughtafter theshow.Vanitywantedtostabmeabout this,andshegotacopyof thetapefromthesoundmanandplayedthatpart,stoppedthetape,rewounditandplayedthatpartofthetapeoverandover.Shejustkeptrubbingitin.TheTimewereintheothersideofourdressingroomandtheyweretakingbetsaboutwhowasgoingtowalkoutoftherealive.


AshowscheduledforthefollowingnightinColumbus,Ohio,wasrescheduledtoMarch9forunknownreasons.









Thiswasoriginallyplannedasadayoff,butaconcertwasscheduledtofill inthedate.Thefactthatitwasonlyanhourawayfromthepreviousnight’sshowmadeitaneasyslottofill.

MONDAY,FEBRUARY28,1983

MARCH1983

Wecouldseewewereataturningpoint.—DezDickerson1

RollingStonemagazinehadjustvotedPrincethe“Artistof1982”forhis1999album. The readers’ choice had been Bruce Springsteen, but the tide wasturning,anditwasn’tonlycriticswhowererecognizingPrince’swork.“Priorto[the1999album],MTVneverhadurbanartistson,”detailedDezDickerson.“ItwasatthepointwhenMichaelJackson’s‘BeatIt’wasonandwewereonwiththewhole‘1999’/‘LittleRedCorvette’thingandallthatchanged....Becauseofthis perfect storm, the songs had a sort of a runway to land on in the publicperceptionthatnoPrincerecordbeforethathadhad.”2“When‘LittleRedCorvette’becameabigpopsmash,westartedseeingalot

more white people,” added Jellybean Johnson. “There was always some mixbefore,butitwasbasicallyblack.When‘LittleRedCorvette’hit,therewasalotofwhitepeople,Icantellyourightnow.”3

TUESDAY,MARCH1,1983

I remember that Susan, at one point, played me “Katrina’s PaperDolls,”andIthoughtitwassuchanamazingsongandsohauntingandpoignant.—MurielleHamilton

Oneofthelargelyunreportedstoriesduringthe1999tourwasPrince’shabitofrecording wherever and whenever he could. “He would just go to a studiolocally,andhecouldplayeveryinstrument,sosomebodyrentedoutwhateverhewas going to need in advance and booked an engineer,” recalls MurielleHamilton,whowashistourmanagerduringthispartoftheschedule.“Hewouldjustgoandrecordforfiveorsixhoursandsothere’samilliontapesout therethatnoonehaseverevenheard.Hewasreallyjustanabsoluteworkaholic.”

Work on “Katrina’s Paper Dolls” might have included additional help fromothersduringthissession.“Itwasasongwewrotewithmysister,ColeYnda,”LisaColemanpostedonwendyandlisa.com.“Wediditto‘tryout’somegearorsomething.Idon’tknowwhatPrincewasthinkingatthetime.Hejustgaveussome studio timeat thisplace andaskedus togo record something.”4Severalversions are rumored to exist, including an experimental demo (14:08)consisting of piano and layers of voices from Cole Ynda, a condensed andembellishedversionofthedemo(2:31)withPrincesharingvocalswithColeaswellasarecordingthatfeaturesonlyPrince’svocals(3:30).Itisunclearwhichversionofthetrackwasrecordedonthisdate.“Katrina”wasVanity’smiddle name and it has been rumored that the track

was recordedwith her inmind, although this has not been confirmed and nodocumentation exists ofVanity’s vocals being added to the song. It is unclearwhether thesongwas intended toreflecthis thoughtsaboutheror ifhernamesimplysoundedappealingandinspiredthenumber.

Status:“Katrina’sPaperDolls”(3:30)wasincludedonthePurpleRainDeluxe(ExpandedEdition)CDsetin2017.Thesongwasalsoreworked(4:23)inlate1986.Prince suggested that “Katrina’s Paper Dolls” be considered for a spot onCrystalBallII,andrequestedthat thosewhoattendedhisCelebrationevent in2000voteonthepotentialtracklist.CrystalBallIIwasneverreleased.

Prince did not restrict his writing and recording to the studio. His focus wasfairlyobsessivewhenitcametomusic.“Hewasprettyseriousandcommitted,”explainsHamilton:Hereallywantedittoberight,andhewasofteneitherrehearsingaspecificsongwherehehadn’tbeenhappywith theway itwent the night before andhewanted to clean somethingupduring the soundcheck,orsometimeshewouldjustplayandmaybetrysomethingnew,asong,atthesoundcheck,orevenintheshow,andthatwouldbethefirstandlasttimeyou’dhearit.He’djusttryitoutandhe’dbelike,“Whatever.”Healwayshadsomesortofmelodyinhishead.Itwasneverending.

In addition to his concerts, rehearsals, sound checks, and time in randomstudios, there were several occasions when he’d also seek out other ways ofcraftinghisskills.AccordingtoHamilton:Helikedtojamandplaywithothermusicians.Aftertheshow,we’dgotoclubsandoftenthey’djusthavea liveband,andhewouldsit inwith theband,andhe’dsortof takeover for thedrummerandmoveontothebassplayer.Youshouldhaveseenhiminthoseclubslateatnight,hewasjusttotallyrippingitonthedrums.Otherinstruments,too.Idon’treallyknowhowitworkedout,ifthebandwas

http://wendyandlisa.com

told in advancePrincewasgoing to come in andhewants to sit in, but itwasvery fluid,wherehewouldjustsortofeaseinandtakeonestickasthedrummerisgettingupandmoving,andhandshimtheotherstick,withoutmissingabeat,andallofasuddenit’s[Prince]playing,andI’veseenhimplayatleastfiveorsixdifferentinstruments,andthesaxophone,too.Younoticedhejustpluggedintothesocketoftheuniverseanditblewthroughhim,andthatwasit.Hebecameaninstrument.

WEDNESDAY,MARCH2,1983

THURSDAY,MARCH3,1983

SATURDAY,MARCH5,1983

SUNDAY,MARCH6,1983

TUESDAY,MARCH8,1983

Prince’sgrowingpopularityallowedthemtorevisitVirginiaforthefourthtimeonthistour.Threeoftheconcertswerewithinthepreviousseveralweeks.ThisshowwasarescheduleofhiscanceledFebruary12performance.The rivalrybetweenPrince and theTimehadbeenbrewingduring their two

tours,andnowwithPrince’s increasedpopularity,Morrisandhisbandpushedeven harder to win over the growing audience. “As far as the crew wasconcerned,wewerehavingagreattime!”exclaimsRoyBennett.“Theaudiencewasreapingalltherewardsfromthefrustrationbetweenthetwogroups.”



FRIDAY,MARCH11,1983


SUNDAY,MARCH13,1983

With his new popularity, which was largely a reflection of his place on thecharts,Princeplacedsongslike“LittleRedCorvette”towardtheendoftheset,usuallyjustbeforetheencores.Thenewcrowdsandhisgrowingbaseofwhitefans were proof to many that he was expanding his audience, as JellybeanJohnsonexplains:“Hecoulddoboth‘LittleRedCorvette’andallthatpopshit.Hecoulddo itandhave thewhite folksandstuff.And that’swhathewanted.Andthat’sthereasonwhenhemadePurpleRain,heexploded.Becausehehadeverybody.”5

MONDAY,MARCH14,1983(ESTIMATE)

He kept taking that out every once in a while and jamming with it,instead of putting it out, but he finally put it out. How it changed, Idon’tremembermuch.—MattFink

UnlikehisstudiotimeinLosAngeles,inMinneapolisPrincehadtheabilitytorecordwhenever the urge struckwithout leaving his home.Almost every dayPrincewouldbeinhisstudio,soDonBattswouldleavethetapeonthemachine,ready to go when inspiration struck.When Batts arrived in themorning he’dsometimesseeapileoftapeswithnolabels,sohe’dhavetolistentothemand

label them for filing.Hewas also on call 24/7 in case Prince had a technicalquestioninthemiddleofthenight.“StrangeRelationship”was a track he’d revisit over the next few years, but

when itwasoriginallyconceived, itwasanother track inspiredbyVanity.Thesongwasdifferentintonethannumberslike“WonderfulAss”becauseitlackedtheirhumor.Whenhewasfinishedwiththesession,hedubbedittoacassetteforVanity.“I

remember him giving her ‘Wonderful Ass’ and ‘Strange Relationship,’”rememberssingerJillJones:Shehadherlittlebeatboxandhercassettes.Hegaveoutcassettesthen.She’dplayitbeforetheshow,whileme,Susan,andallofusaregettingdressed.Itwasn’tdiscreet.Itwasjustastrangerelationship.Itwas really true that he didn’twant to see her happy andhedidn’twant to see her sad.Because shestarteddatingotherpeople...andhegotpissed.Shewaslike,“I’mmovingawayfromhim.Fuckhim.I’mreallyfamous.Peopleloveme.”Soshewasgettingsomethingandthatwastheonlythinghehadtoyankherbackin.

Status: “Strange Relationship” was revisited and rerecorded more than oncebefore a version (4:04)was released on hisSign o’ the Times album in 1987.Although multiple sources indicate that Prince worked on “StrangeRelationship” on this date, he may have begun the initial tracking during anearlierundocumentedsession.

TUESDAY,MARCH15,1983

WEDNESDAY,MARCH16,1983(AFTER-MIDNIGHTSHOW)

Prince’sstarwasontherisewhenhereturnedhomeforabriefvictorylap.Bythis time“LittleRedCorvette”wasaTop40hit (number37 thisweek,on itsway tonumber6),whichbuoyed thealbum,bouncing itbackup thechartsas

well. While everything was looking well from the outside, deep cracks hadformedintheband,andDickersonwasuncomfortablesingingsomeofthemoreovertly sexual songsbecauseofhis religiousbeliefs. “Itwascertainlyamajorfactor,”heremembered,“in that Ibecameincreasinglyuncomfortablewith theinfluencewewerehavingonyoungpeopleandyouthcultureingeneral.”6Now that they were playing to their hometown—and all the families and

friendswho’dbeattending—Dickersondecided todiscusshisnewdistaste forsomeofthesongstheywereplayingandwantedtorequestthatPrinceeliminatesomeofthemoresexuallyexplicitsongs.Heaskedthebandtosupporthisviewsin the conversation with Prince, which he was planning to have during theshow’ssoundcheck,andthebandreluctantlyagreedtohavehisback.MattFinkrecallsthatitdidn’tgoasplanned:Whenthetimecameforthevotetohappen,DeztoldPrinceaboutthisandthatthebandwassupportinghim,buteveryoneclammedup...everybody.Andthenhecametome,itwasmyturntovoteandIsaid,“ItisPrince’sshow.”...Iwasscared!YouknowwhatDezdid?Hepickedupadrumstoolthatwassittingthereandcameaftermeandchasedmeoffthestagewithit.Hethreatenedtohitmewithitandhecameafterme.HetookallhisfrustrationandcameaftermebecauseIwasthelastguyandIsaid...maybethiswasn’tsuchagoodidea.Itwasliketwodaysbeforewearetalkingagain.

A2:00 a.m. after-partywas held at theRegistryHotel. StevieNicks,who’dbeen watching the earlier show from the side of the stage, mingled with thefamilies and friends. A short jam session was held that includedmembers ofVanity6,theTime,andPrince’sband,withPrincesittinginondrums.Prince spent his time in Minneapolis discussing a potential movie with his

management andmeetingwithWilliamBlinn about writing the script. Princetoldhimhewanted“apicturethatpeoplewouldthinkofas‘weird’butcouldn’tgetaway from.He’sgot somethinghewants tocommunicate. Idon’tknow ifit’ssomethingyoucouldwritedown.It’sanattitudemorethananythingelse.”7


FRIDAY,MARCH18,1983


MONDAY,MARCH21,1983

You’vegottoletpeopledowhattheydotogetsomeofthatgoing,andhe had such a vice grip on everything that it just kind of squashedpeople’sabilitytodotoomuch.—MonteMoir8

RoyBennettrecallshowthetensioncontinuedtospilloverafteroneoftheNewYorkshows:IrememberBrendaandVanitygettinginahugefight,andPrincesaying,“Don’tyouhaveanycontroloveryourwife?”Ipretendedtoholdaremotecontrolandsaid,“Iguessmybatterieshavegonedead!”BrendaapparentlyhadVanityupagainstthewallbythethroat.Brendawasoneofthosewomenwhogrewupbetween twobrothers.Shewasn’t like thatall the time,butshecouldbevery tough. ItwasbasicallyVanitytryingtoblameBrendaforsomething.Therewasconstantfrictionbetweenthem.

Part of the reason for the growing frustration was that many of the bandmembersfelttheyweren’tbeingpaidproperly.“Iwasonlygetting$250aweek,andIhadahitsongout,”Vanitycomplainedina2013radiointerview.“Iwas[performing for] thousands, hundreds of thousands of people a month, but Iwasn’tgettingpaidforanyconcerttours,nothing.SoPrincewastakingallthatmoneyandIthought,‘Youknowwhat?Thisisaddinguptonothing!I’mlivinginahotel.Ididn’tevenhaveanapartment.’”9Tocompensateforthis,PrincewouldoccasionallytreatVanity6tosomething

nice. “He would really do sweet stuff at times,” recalls Hamilton, who had

startedouton thecurrent tourmanagingVanity6before shewaspromoted toPrince’stourmanager.“WhenIwasstillwithVanity6,hewentoutsomewhereandheboughtus all robes.Fourof the samedressinggowns in fourdifferentcolors.Adifferentcolorforeachoneofus.Itwasverysweet.”As usual, the financial situation frustrated members of the Time, but as an

addedinsult,theyweresometimestakenoffthebill,generallyinthemajorcitieslikeNewYorkandLosAngeles.Theystillperformed,butonlyasthebackingbandforVanity6andalwayshiddenbehindthepinkcurtain.“Hemadeusplayfor themandwouldn’t let theTimeplay,”complainedJellybeanJohnson.“Doyouknowwhatit’sliketohaveamajorstar—QuincyJones,Sting—comingtoseeus,andwedon’tplay?”10“Afterawhile,itwaslike,‘Youguyscan’tdoNewYork,youcan’tdoL.A.’

Therewerealotofissuesstartingtobrewbehindthescenes,”recalledDay.11“His real knack is trying to discourage people, and keep them from being

confident,” Jesse Johnson explained in 1988. “He used to tell us that peoplewouldn’tknowus ifwewalkeddown thestreet.He likes to tellyoustuff likethat,becauseofcourseifyougotpeoplebelievingthat,they’realwaysgoingtobethere,acceptingthatsmallpaycheckandfeelinghappy.”12“Wewereall loyal toPrince,”reflectedJellybean.“Hemaynot thinkso,but

wewere.That’sthething,soafterbumpingyourheadsomuchagainstthewall,youjusthavetoprotectyourinterests.”13Withnofinancialincentivefromticketsalesandnopublishingmoneycoming

in from songwriting for the Time, Jimmy Jam recognized what he and TerryLewisneededtodo:Thewritingwasonthewall,forbetterorworse,thatwewerenotgoingtobewritingforaTimealbum,whichwe accepted.Once again, I don’t have a problem.The songs thatweweregettingweregreatsongs,thealbumsweregreatalbums.Butitdidn’tmeanthatwefeltlikeweweren’ttalentedinourownrightaswriters.Wejustwantedtheopportunitytotrytodoit.Ourwholethingwas,let’sseeifwecandoitonourown.WehavethecachetofbeingmembersoftheTimeandthat’sagreatthing.Let’swalkinandseeifwecangetsomegigsgoing,sothatiskindofwhathappened.14

TherewerenoshowsscheduledforthenexttwodaysfollowingtheRadioCityconcert, giving the tour a chance to travel from New York to San Antonio,Texas. To fill the time, Jam and Lewis were booked to produce a recordingsessioninAtlanta,Georgia.Itwasadecisionthatwouldchangethedirectionoftheircareers,butnotinthewaytheyhadplanned.


It’sprobablythesaddestdayofmylife.—JimmyJam15

JamandLewishadflowntoAtlantatoproducefortheS.O.S.BandrecordandhadplannedtoflytoSanAntonioonthedayoftheshow.“Wegettotheairportand it starts snowing,” recalled Jam. “Well, we didn’t think that was any bigthing,beingfromMinnesota,andwewerelike,‘What’salittlesnow?’Itreallysnowed less than an inch. It had to be literally half an inch of snow, but theairportshutdown.Itwaslikeanightmareanditwasjustahelplessfeeling.”16Jam and Lewis were able to call and alert Prince about their dilemma.

Althoughhehadn’tjoinedthetouryet,AlanLeedscouldunderstandwhyPrincewould be upset: “They can blame it on the snowstorm, but the reality is younevertakethelastplaneout.It’sthefirstthingyoulearninthetourbusiness,isnever schedule the last flight, always take the one before it. Sowhen it goessouthyou’vegotashottomakethegig.Youjustdon’tdothat.Andtodothatwasa‘fuckyou’inthefaceofPrinceandhismanagementandtheotherguysintheband.”17Princegatheredeveryoneinthedressingroomandexplainedthesituation,and

itwasdecidedtocontinuewiththebandplayingbackupforVanity6aswellasdoingtheirownset.“Princewasonme,becauseTerryandJimmyaremyboys,”remembered Jellybean Johnson. “And I couldn’t saynothing;Morris, allofusknew theyweregoingandweknew therewasnoway inhell that theywouldmissagig,theywouldbebackintime.ButinAtlanta,ifitgetshalfaninchofsnow,theyclosedown.Nomoreairplanes,nothing.Sowhatcanyoudo?”18Lisa Coleman and Princewere taskedwith playing keyboard and bass from

behind the curtain, while Jill Jones stood in Jimmy’s place and Jerome tookTerry’sspotonthestage.GuitaristJesseJohnsonrememberedthehumorbehindthescenes:“Morrisand

Iweredyingonstage.Wewerelaughingourbuttsoffthewholetime.TherewasapartofthesongwhereMorriswouldgo,‘Terry,’buttherewasnoTerry.”19“Itwasthefunniestshow,”agreesJones.“IknewthesetwochordsbecauseI

had seen them play them. Prince was not happy. There was trouble in RiverCity!”

Despitethebackstagedrama,thereviewswereverypositive.TheSanAntonioExpressNewsenjoyedPrince’s show, but proclaimed that theTime “stole theheartof thisSanAntoniocrowd”and“playedon theemotionsof the fansandwipedthemoutwithanunforgettableencorefeaturing‘TheWalk.’”20PrinceseemedtobeovertheentireeventwhenJimmyandTerryrejoinedthe

tour for the remaining dates, according to Jam: “Prince thoughtwe’d gone toAtlantatoseesomegirls.Sowhenwesawhim,hejustsaid,‘That’swhatyouget.’ He and management fined us for missing the gig, which was kind oflaughable.Ithinktheyfinedus$2,000,butweweremakingonly$170aweek,soIdon’tknowwheretheythoughttheyweregoingtogetthatmoneyfrom!”21

FRIDAY,MARCH25,1983

After this show, the tour headed to Los Angeles for a few days of rest andrecordingatSunsetSoundbeforetheconcertat theUniversalAmphitheatreonMarch28.WendyMelvoin’spositionasthepotentialreplacementforDickersonwasbecomingmoreandmoreobviousasherconnectionwithPrincegrew.“Wehavealotoffuntogether,”shesaidin1986.“WhenIfirstjoinedtheband,LisaandIconvincedhimtocome toLosAngeles tostaywithmysisterSusannah,Lisa,me and our three Persian cats. Susannah andLisa and I all slept on thefold-outcouchandweputhiminmybedroom.We’dgooutinmyoldbeat-upMustang and get ice cream and drive around. It was like having a pajamaparty.”22“We’dgotothegrocerystoretogetherlateatnight,”Wendylaterreflectedon

how relaxed Prince was with them. “One time, he grabbed a massive bag ofgrapesthattheguysweregettingreadytodisplay.Therewassomethingcuteandnaiveaboutit—‘Youdon’tneedthatmany!’—butheboughtthem.”23AtthesametimeashisrelationshipwithWendywasgrowing,hisrelationship

with theTimewasbeingstretchedthinnerandthinner.But therewasa tour tocomplete,andwhilePrincehadthereins,hewasstillgoingtomakethecalls.

SATURDAY,MARCH26,1983*

I played tapes of my songs for him, and Prince would literally startlaughing.He’d callMorris over andbe like,“Listen to this, listen tothis,”andtheybothlaughed.WhenIbroughthimthemusicfor“JungleLove,”hewasn’tlaughinganymore.—JesseJohnson24

“Sometimesitwasdisastrous,”recallsPeggyMcCreary:Irememberonedayhecameinwithabandanatiedaroundhiskneeandnoshirtandrippedredpantsandhehadabandanatiedaroundhisheadandhehadanattitude.Hejustsatdownatthedrumsandtoldmetoputupcleantape,andIthoughtthatwewouldbemixingandI’mmadlyflyingaroundtryingtoputupcleantapetorecord.TherestoftheTimewerethereandtheywereplaying,andtheyhadagroovegoingandthey’dbereadytorecordandPrincewouldsay,“Rollit”andIwasn’tready,andhewould justbe in themoodtomakefunofyou:“Is thatyourL.A.kickdrum?Ooohhh, that’sagoodone.”Justmockingyou,anditjustwentonandon,sometimesalldaylong.Youalwayshadyourguardupbecauseyouneverknewwhenyouweregoingtobezapped.

The song they were tracking on this date was “Jungle Love,” which wasoriginallyrecordedinMinneapolisbyJesseJohnson.Thejourneyfromdemotoasongby theTimewasa longone,slowedbyPrince’scontrolover theband.Princewasalwayslookingfornewmaterialandnewinspiration,butatthesametimediscouragedthosearoundhimfromdirectparticipation.TakingapagefromJamandLewis,Johnsonputasidemoneyhe’dbeenearningfromthistourandpurchased aTascam reel-to-reel 8-track recorder.Oneof the trackshe createdbecamethebasisfor“JungleLove.”ThesessionincludedJimmyJam,MorrisDay,TerryLewis,andJesseJohnson,

whowitnessed Prince’s anger, which on this day was aimed atMcCreary. “Iremembertheguyslookingatmelike,‘I’mjustgladitwasn’tmehewasdoingthisto,”insistsMcCreary:Buttheydidn’tstickupforyoubecausetheywerejustgladthatitwasn’tthemthatday.Hewasonmealldaylong.Hehadhisshirtoff,hispantsunbuttonedafewbuttons,andhehadthisattitudethatwouldkill you. I don’t know why, but he was cocky that day and I don’t work well under that kind ofcriticism.Jessealwayshadthosepuppydogeyes, like,“I’mjustgladit’snotus.”Everyonewasjustwalkingaroundonpinsandneedles.Hewasinoneofthosemoodstoripsomeoneanewbuttholeanditwasmethatday.

“I lovedPeggyMac!” exclaims Jesse Johnson. “Her andPrincewere alwaysabouttokilleachother,butshegotsuchagreatsoundoneverything.Shewasoneof the best engineers I’ve everworkedwith inmy life.Shewas sogreat.She’dsetupthatdrumkitandhavethatshitsokillin’.”McCrearyaddshermemoryofsessionslikethisone:I remember somethingwentwrong one day and I had accidentally erased something and hewasn’ttalkingtome,andIfinallyaskedhimifhewantedsomeoneelseonthis,andhejustlookedatmeandsaid,“You’reherearen’tyou?”andhejustwalkedaway.Therewasneveranyencouragement,neverapatontheback,butthenhe’dwriteyouasongordosomethinglikethat.Hewasn’tverypersonable.IrememberonceImadeamistakeandheturnedaroundtomeandsaid,“It’sagoodthingyou’recute.”ThatwasaboutascloseasIevergottoarealcomplimentaboutmywork.

“I saw him do that to others on other days,” McCreary continues, “andeverybodyjustimmediatelysteppedaside,thinking,‘Oh,don’tmakeonewrongmove,’ and if youmadeonewrongmovehewasonyou like a tonof bricks.Very unforgiving. He didn’t appreciate mistakes. Nobody does, but mistakeshappen.It’sjusthumanerror.”Overdubs took place after the 10:00 p.m. dinner break, with Jesse Johnson

usingPrince’sHohnerTelecastertoplayrhythmguitar.Itwaslikelythatduringthis session Johnsonaddedhis solousingapinkG&Lprototypeandhis1979Marshall JCM 800 amp. After the session, Johnson and Foster Sylvers(producer, songwriter, andmember of theSylvers)went to another studio andrecordedguitaron“DeadGiveaway”forShalamar.“DeadGiveaway”wouldbereleased in July, and Jesse’s rhythm guitar work on the track would gouncredited.Aroughmixof“JungleLove”wascompletedby2:00a.m.andasingleC-60

cassettewasmadeofthesession.

Status: “Jungle Love” (5:26)was eventually placed on the Time’s Ice CreamCastlealbum.Aneditedsingle(3:26)wasreleasedonDecember12,1984,intheUnitedStatesandrosetonumber20ontheBillboardHot100Singleschart,aswell as number 6 on theBillboard Black Singles chart and number 9 on theBillboardDance/DiscoTop80chart.ThesongwouldalsobefeaturedinthePurpleRainmovie,buttheversionused

inthemoviewasfromaliveperformancerecordedonOctober4,1983.

SUNDAYMARCH27,1983*

Thereisatrackcalledbaconskinthatthumps[for]15minutes.SICK.—Prince25

PrincereliedonMorrisDay’sdrumskillsformanystudiotracksfortheTime,andbecauseDaywasalways in thepocket, itwaseasy forPrince to jamwithhimashe looked for thenext song.“Whatpeopledon’tknowaboutMorris isthat he is one of the best drummers that you’ve ever seen,” declared bandmemberTerryLewis.“Andoneofthefunniestcatsofalltime.Justanatural.”26On occasions like today’s sessions, Prince would tap into Morris’s funk andsenseofhumor tohelpunlock theirnext song. “CloreenBaconSkin”was thead-libbedjamthatwasrecordedduringthissession.“Theyhadbeenupforalongtime,”explainedfutureengineerSusanRogers.

“The song starts and then all of a suddenMorris loses the groove and PrinceturnsaroundtoseewhathashappenedandMorris’sheadphoneshavefallenoff,soyoucanhearat thebeginningof the tape talkingand laughingbetween thetwoofthem,andthentheywentaheadandfinishedthesong.”27“EverythingUhear is impromptu,”accordingto thealbum’slinernotes.“No

lyricsormusic,eventhetitlewasmadeupasplitsecondbe4Uhearit.”28Thismayalsobetheonlysongthathementionshishalf-brother,Alfred,byname.ItislikelythatPrincestillhadthepreviousnight’srecordingof“JungleLove”inhishead,becausehesings,“We’regoingtogotothejungleonetime”29duringthe track.Songs like thisweredone inacharactercreatedbyPrinceandDay.The voice was often considered to be the mythical producer Jamie Starr, butwhen Prince took the lead vocal for a song by the Time, he was channelingsomeoneelsealtogether.“It’s funny,” reminiscedRogers,“whenPrincewoulddothatfunnyvoice—thatwashimimitatingmenofhisfather’sgeneration,youknowbarbershopguys.‘CloreenBaconSkin’wasthesamekindofavoiceand

samekindof...‘Whydoyouwanttofuckwithme,I’mtooold!’Hewasdoinghisdad.”30Thesongappearstohaveneverbeenseriouslyconsideredforplacementonan

albumbyPrince (although therewas someevidence that itwas a potentialB-side for theTime), but itwas a great exercise to help flesh out ideas. In fact,elements of this track can be found on many songs, including “Tricky,”“Chocolate,”“DoYourselfaFavor,”“TheBird,”and“IrresistibleBitch.”The other track recorded on this datewas “My Summertime Thang,”which

involvedJamandLewisplayingalongwithPrinceandDay.Thesongincludesariff that sounds like it was inspired by Vanity 6’s “If a Girl Answers (Don’tHangUp).” Itwasnevera favoriteofPrince’s,andonce recorded it sat in thevault for years before its inclusion on the Time’s 1990 reunion album,Pandemonium. Between 1983 and 1989, Prince would forget his originalreactiontothetrack,asRogersdetails:“Hepulledthatoneoutthreetimesandthethirdtimehesaid:‘Canyoudomeafavor?Takeapenandwriteonthisbox“WEAK”andremindmeifIeverasktohearitagaindon’teverpullitoutofthecloset.’SoIwrote‘WEAK’withbiglettersandIcircledit.AnditwasafterI’dleft him that I was amazed to see that he had used it on the Pandemoniumalbum.”31JimmyJamwasmuchmorefondofthetrackandwantedtoresurrectitduring

thePandemoniumsessions:Wealwayslovedthesong,sothatwasoneoftheonesweaskedPrincefor.Wesaid,“HeyPrince,‘MySummertimeThang,’canwehavethat?Thatwasoursongfrombackintheday.”Andhesaid,“Yeah,youcanhaveit.ButIchangedthewords.It’scalled‘TheLatestFashion’now.”Andwe’relike,“No,no,no,no.”Sothatwassortofacompromise.Hewanteditas“TheLatestFashion”becauseitworkedin[GraffitiBridge]forthescene.Butwewanteditas“MySummertimeThang”becausethat’swhatitwasbackwhenwehadit.32

Prince was still in control of the Time, but bandmembers were hungry forotherwaystoexpresstheirtalent.“Thiswasasupercreativetimeinourlives,”explainedDay. “Wewere allwriting, submitting stuff.By the timewe got towritesongswehadturneddownsomanygigsandsomuchmoneyfrompeoplewhowantedustowriteandproduceforthem....Butwewereunableto.”33Whilethebandwasontheroad,Princeworkedtomaintaintheintegrityofthe

group,butas they learnedmoreabout the industryand theprocessofcreatingmusic,hisholdonthemgrewweaker.“Ican’tlieandsayIdidn’tpickupstufffrom him. I learned how to be funky because of Prince,” admitted JellybeanJohnson.“Alotofmyfunkcamefrombeingaroundhim,becausehe’ssucha

funky cat.But at the same time it’s hard, because he’s not an easy guy to beclose to.So it’s likehe’sbegrudgingly lettingyou learn shit fromhim,buthereallydon’twantyou to learn it.Butyoucan’thelpbut learn something fromhimifyou’rearoundhimenough.”34Inretrospect,manyinthebandfelttheyhadgoneaboutasfarastheycouldgo

under Prince’s strict hand, and their rivalries were no longer just below thesurface. “Morris was clairvoyant,” remembered Jimmy Jam. “When we weresellingoutshowsandkickingPrince’sassinconcert,Morrishadameetingandtoldus[thegroup]isn’tgoingtolastforever.Hetoldusthateverybodyneededtofigureoutindividuallywhat[theywere]goingtodonext.That’satoughthingtohearwhenyou’reatthetop.Butthat’swhen[TerryandI]begansongwritingandproducingforothers.”35Despitetheirdifferences,someofthememberslookbackwithgreatrespectfor

Prince. “Hewas awonderfulmentor for us,” Jam reflected in 2011, “and thereasonthatwe’reheretodayisbecauseofhimgivingusthebreakofputtingusonthemapwithhim.”36The realitywas thatPrincehadchanged frommentor into tormentor,andhis

absoluteauthoritywouldsoondestroytheTime.

Status:“CloreenBaconSkin”(15:37)wasreleasedin1998onPrince’sCrystalBall CD set. In 1990 “The Latest Fashion” (4:01) was released on Prince’sGraffitiBridgealbumand“MySummertimeThang”(6:54with19-secondintroand 4:26 extended section) was released on the Time’sPandemonium album.Alternateversionsof“TheLatestFashion”(4:07)and“MySummertimeThang”(7:14,witha4:26extendedsection)werererecordedfortheTime’sunreleasedalbumCorporateWorld.

AccordingtothebookletforCrystalBall,“CloreenBaconSkin”wasrecordedduringthesessionsfor theTime’ssecondalbum,WhatTimeIsIt?but today’ssession(March27,1983)isbasedontheworkorderfromSunsetSoundaswellasarchivalinformationfromthevaultatWarnerBros.,sothealbumnotesareprobablyincorrect.

The new enthusiasm on the charts and the crossover crowds at the concertsboostedPrince’sconfidenceregardingmakingamoviethatlooselyfollowedhisstory.“IreallywantedtochroniclethelifeIwaslivingatthetime,”PrincetoldLarryKingin1999,“whichwasinanareathathadalotofgreattalentandalotofrivalries.SoIwantedtochroniclethatvibeofmylife.”37

“When he came to us with this idea about a movie, we were all excited,”rememberedBrownMark.“WeknewElvisPresleyusedtodoit.WeknewtheBeatles did it.Andwewere all excited to seewhat happens.Andhe had thisgreatidea,thisgreatscript;nextthingIknow,hewenttoHollywoodandcamebackandweweredoingthemovie.Itwasaprettyexcitingtimeperiod.”38MattFinkrecallsthemomenthelearnedPrince’sthoughtsaboutthefilm:“He

cametomeattheendofthe1999tour,hesatmedownatlunchonedayandtoldme about his plans to do a movie and all that. And I was astounded. I said,‘Really? We’re going to do a movie?’ He goes, ‘Yeah.’ At first I couldn’tbelieveit.Ithought,he’sgottobewhacked.(laughs)”Fink had grown up with a background in theater and dance, and had been

raisedbytwoseasonedactors,sotheideaofactinginamoviesatwellwithhim.Thebiggestmissingdetailswerethesongs.“Themusicwasn’tevenintheworksyet,”hewouldlaterrecall.“Maybeoneortwosongs,butthatwasit.”39Withhishighest-chartingsongstillselling,itwouldhavebeeneasytosimply

usethattrackinthemovie,whichwouldhelpsellmorecopiesofthealbum.Itwas an audience-tested success and would be a way to play it safe byguaranteeingpublicinterestinthemusic.Princedecidedagainstthatpath.Princewasaskedtore-signwithCavallo,Ruffalo&Fargnoli,butaccordingto

BobCavallo,Princeaddedonebigstipulationbeforehe’dsign:“Stevecallsmeandhesays:You’renotgoingtobelievethis;hedoesn’twanttosignitunlessyougethimamajormotionpicture,anditcan’tbesomedrugdealer,orjeweler,or some friend of Cavallo. It’s got to be amajor studio. So that his name isabovethetitle.”“Princewantedtomakeamovie,”confirmedFargnoli,“sowegottogetherand

proceededasifeverybodyintheworldthoughtthatwasagoodidea.”40BythistimeWilliamBlinnhadbeenhiredasawriterandPrincegrantedhim

access, so he spent time with the band, learning everyone’s personalities andsomeofPrince’s vulnerabilities. “It’s hard to have thatmuchpower and haveclosefriends,”Blinnsaid.“It’stoughforhim.”41“Itwasasifheweresortingouthisownmystery,”headded.“Anhonestquest

to figure himself out. He saved all the money on shrinks and put it in themovie.”42Although the scriptwouldbe rewritten,Blinn’s draftwas the script thatwas

beingcirculatedtogenerateinterestintheproject.

Many people whowere around Prince during this period suggested that he’dbeen working on the ideas for his movie and writing them down in a purplenotebook.“It’snonsense.Therewasnopurplenotebook that I saw,”explainsPurpleRain director andwriterAlbertMagnoli. “Years later, after themoviewasin thetheater,Ikeptonhearingabout thispurplenotebook.AndIsaidtoPrince, ‘What purple notebook?’ and he says, ‘I used to walk around with apurplenotebookandItooknotes;everybodyassumedIwaswritingamovieandInevertoldthemIwasn’t.’”

MONDAY,MARCH28,1983

Prince’snewestpeakinpopularitycreatedabuzzintheindustry,andcelebritiesshowedupfortheperformance.Perhapshopingtoavoidbeingoutshined,Princehad theTimedropped from the showonceagain. “Weworkedour assesoff,”stressedJesseJohnson.“Forfivemonthsbeforeatour,we’drehearseeveryday.InsomecitieswekickedPrince’sasssobadlyheevencameintoourdressingroomandtoldus.Itwaslikeagrudgematcheverynight.”43MonteMoir agreed: “Someof the reviewswere starting to say thatwewere

doingbettershowsandhehatedthat.Soitwaslike,he’dstartedthisthing,andithad got to be bigger and bigger. He liked it, but he hated it. He’d donesomethinggood,butnowhewantedtotearitapart.”44“EverybodyknowsbackinthedayespeciallyNewYorkandL.A.werethetop

markets,”JellybeanJohnsonrevealedin1995.“Wewerehugeinthosemarkets.But the only timewe got to officially play there as the Timewas during theControversytourthefirstyear.Thesecondyear,onlyhimandVanity6played.Wesawweweren’tontheschedule,wewerepissed.Wetookitverypersonal,especially when you’re in the dressing room and you’re backstage and everymajorcelebrityyoucanthinkofisatthisshow.Everymajormoviestar,everymajorathletebecauseit’sL.A.Magic,Quincy,BruceSpringsteen,everybody’sbackinthisarea,thatyouhadgrewupwatching.Andyouarebehindafuckingpinkcurtain.”“Hedidn’tgiveus [anexplanation],” said Johnson. “Hedidn’thave to.He’s

theboss.”45

His show featured the live premiere of “Moonbeam Levels,” an unreleasedtrackrecordedtheprevioussummer.“‘MoonbeamLevels’isoneofthegreatestsongs he has ever written,” reflected engineer Susan Rogers. “He consideredputtingiton justabouteveryalbumthatIknowof, thatI’veworkedwithhimon, includingPurpleRain,Around theWorld inaDay,Signo’ theTimes andParade. I think ‘Moonbeam’ is probably as honest a lyric that he has everwritten.”46“Moonbeam Levels” (4:06) would be released in 2016 on the posthumous4Evercollection.

TUESDAY,MARCH29,1983

The stress of the tour was proving too much for tour manager MurielleHamilton,whodecidedthatshe’dhadenough:Itwasapainintheass.IquitinSanDiego,becauseweweresoclosetoL.A.,whereIlived,andIwassosickandtiredofdealingwithpoliticswithintheband.Isaid[toPrince],“I’mreallysorrybutIhavetogo,”andhesaid,“Okay.”Tourmanagersarereplaceable,andAlanLeedswasaroundandIthought:It’sperfect,hecanreplaceme.Icangohomeandbedonewiththis.Princewasalwaysverynicetome,sohewasnot theproblem.Iwassupposedtokeepthebandissuesoutofhishair.At thetime, thereweremaybesixdatesleftorsomething,thatIjustdidn’thaveitinme.Iwantedtogohome.

Althoughitwasherlastgiginthemusicindustry,HamiltonmaintainedacloserelationshipwiththemembersofVanity6,anddecadeslaterstillconsidersthemclosefriends.“Thetourhadbeenoutforacoupleofmonths,”recalledAlanLeeds.“Andthe

wordhadspreadthatthiswasatoughtourtoworkon.Theartistwasimpossible.Themanagement was demanding. . . . In the tour industry 1999 had becomerenowned for being ‘Oh, that tour . . . the tour from hell.’ So [productionmanager TomMarzullo] says tome, ‘Would you be interested in going overthere?’andI’mlike...‘Yeah,whynot?’That’sjusthowIam.Soundslikeanadventure.”47Leeds, who’d previously worked as tour manager for James Brown, was

wrappinguphisworkontheAmericanlegofKiss’sCreaturesoftheNight/10thAnniversary tour when he joined the 1999 tour: “I met them in San Diego.[StevenFargnoli] introducedmearoundandsternlywarnedmetotreadlightly

untilPrincesignaledhiscomfortwithhavingmearound.‘Hetakesaminutetowarmuptostrangers,’wasSteven’smemorableunderstatement.Imadeapointto befriend the band and bodyguardChickHuntsberry,who seconded Steve’swarningnottobum-rushPrince.”48Leeds instantly noticed part of the cause of the reported tension: “It was

obviouslyatoursplitintocliques.MyresponsibilitieswerePrinceandhisband.The support acts, the Time and Vanity 6, had their own staffs and agendas.JimmyJamandTerryLewishadfamouslyclashedwithPrinceovermissingagig,andtheTime’smoralewasforeverruined.”49Leedsrecalled:Youhadguyswhowereunhappy,andtheyweren’tevenalwaysabletounderstandwhytheyweresounhappy, because after all, they were remarkably successful and deserved the success, becausecertainly, at leastonstage, theyheld theirown—Imean, they did it.Theygotup there and sangandplayed.Sotherewasdisharmonywithintheband,thefrustrationsofnotbeingabletohavemoresay-soinwhatwaswrittenandplayedon thealbums.So I think that inorder to justify to themselves, theystarted to conjureup abadguy.Theyhad tohave somewhere they couldpoint and say “This is thereason.”ThemonththatIwastherewasinfactthemosttumultuousmonth,whenalltheshitwashittingthe

fan,anddespiteallof that, Imean the reality is thiswasaPrince tourandhewas theguywhowasbreaking wide open, “1999” had hit, “Little Red Corvette” was blowing up, and I gotta tell yousomething,thiswashishouse.”50

“[Prince] sensed, correctly, that fostering a competitive environment wouldmotivatebothbandswhenontourtogetherand,attimes,keepthingsinterestingforhimselfaswell,”accordingtoLeeds.51Whilethecompetitionwasgreatfortheaudience,itwascausingmoreriftsinthebands.Themutualadmirationandrespect theTimeandPrinceenjoyedwasbeing tested,andwasfailing.“Therewas an intense rivalry that I’m sure began as amutual admiration,” observedLeeds.“Andatsomepointtherivalrysurpassedtheadmiration.”52


THURSDAY,MARCH31,1983*(DAY)

I’mamusician.AndIammusic.—Prince53

“Isawabitofaninterviewwith[Prince]andIheardhimmakethestatement,talking about himself,where he said, ‘I ammusic.’And I have to agreewiththat,” affirmed Morris Day. “I think he’s just invested himself to the degreewhere that’s justwho he is.He’s incredible. Sometimes I had to look at him,shake him up a little bit, and say, ‘Are you the same cat I grew up with?’Becauseit’sprettyamazingtoseehimdohisthing.”54Princewas back in theLosAngeles area for a show inLongBeach, and as

usual,hecouldn’tstayawayfromthestudio,soSunsetSoundscheduledararesession for him in Studio 1. Prince wanted to do some additional work on“CloreenBaconSkin”forsomereason—perhapstoallowWarnerBros.tolistentoitforconsiderationasapotentialB-sidefortheTime’snextsingle.Prince’susual rooms, Studios 2 and 3, were no longer being held for him, so SunsetSoundofferedhimtheonlyroomthatwasavailable.ThesessionendedearlysoPrincecouldgettothesoundcheckforhisshowthatevening.Onecassettewasmadeofthemix.AlthoughDaywaslistedastheproducer,it

isunclearifheattendedthemix.

THURSDAY,MARCH31,1983(EVENING)

WeworehisassoutinLongBeach.—JellybeanJohnson55

Prince,theTime,andVanity6wereallonthebillforthisshow.Becauseoftheproximity of Long Beach to Los Angeles, it was a chance for the Time toperformforthelocalcrowds.

APRIL1983

FRIDAY,APRIL1,1983

SATURDAY,APRIL2,1983

SUNDAY,APRIL3,1983

BecauseofPrince’snewfoundpopularity, itwasdecidedtoextendthetourforanotherweek,andEasterSundayfoundthebandheadingbacktoOaklandforasecond show, where they were introduced to the woman who would becomePrince’sdrummer:SheilaE.Princehadmetheryearsearlier,butit isdoubtfulthatanyoneintheroomcouldconceivehowtheirrelationshipwouldchangehismusicandhisfocus.

MONDAY,APRIL4,1983

OnceagainPrinceplayedintheLosAngelesarea,butthistimeitwasonlylip-syncing“LittleRedCorvette”attheKTLAStudiosforthetelevisionshowSolidGold.Hehadpreviouslyperformed“1999”on theprogram inDecember.TheepisodewouldeventuallyaironMay14.

TUESDAY,APRIL5,1983

TUESDAY,APRIL5,1983

THURSDAY,APRIL7,1983

FRIDAY,APRIL8,1983

Detroit . . . was always our biggest market because they reallydiscovered us and took to us right away. The fact was we weredifferent.—JimmyJam1

Because Detroit had adopted the Time in many ways, it is odd that PrincedecidedtopromotetheconcertwithoutadvertisingthattheTimewouldalsobeon the bill. Perhaps it was all part of the rivalry between them, and he washoping to show everyone that he could sell out Joe Louis Arena withoutanyone’s help—and he did it. In a lucky twist for the audience, theTime didopen the concert. “The last month of that tour was very uncomfortable,”rememberedAlanLeeds.“Thevibesontheroadwereverybad.Andtherewerea couple of gigs the Time did not play, and a couple of the guys were veryoutspokenabouthowtheywereleftoffofthosegigs,oneofwhichissupposedlytheDetroitshowonApril8.Becausetheywerenotadvertisedforthatshow,itisoften thought that they didn’t appear,when in reality they did play the show,eventhoughtheyweren’tadvertised.”2


Princeadvertised theTimeandVanity6asopeningactsonceagain, andbothperformedasscheduled.

SUNDAY,APRIL10,1983

The1999tourwashuge.Itwasahugelysuccessfultour,butIcan’tgoonwithoutsayingthattheTimekickedhisassinalmosteverycityweplayed in. But that’s just me, and you’d have to get other people’sopinionsonthat.—JimmyJam3

PracticallyeveryoneonthetoursawfirsthandtheintenserivalrybetweenPrinceandtheTime.“Itwasmeanttobestiffcompetitionbecausehekindofcreatedthe Time to be just that,” explained Dez Dickerson. “But I think as far asPrince’sexpectation,IthinktheywentaboveandbeyondittothepointwhereitwaskindofliketheFrankensteinmonsterthing.Whoa!Thiswasassuccessfulasweexpectedittobeandthereweresomeaspectsofitthathedidn’texpect,butwewanted them to go out every night and beat it up so badly so thatwecouldnoteverphoneitin.”4Unlikethepreviousyear’stourtopromotehis1981albumControversy,which

concludedwithanepicfoodfightinvolvingmembersoftheTimesnatchedfromthe stage inmid-performance, the 1999 tour finished on amore anticlimacticnote.Aprivateafter-partyatParkWestendedearlywhenpolicearrivedbecauseapermitwasnever secured.Membersof all threegroups (aswell as the crewandanyoneelsewhowashopingtoenjoytheparty)escapedthroughasidedoorontotheverycrowdedtourbus.Byanymeasure,the1999tourwasacommercialandcriticalsuccess,grossing

$10millionandbecomingoneofthebiggestmoneymakingtoursoftheyear.Ararely discussed financial benefit of the tour was that Prince also made largedonations to various charities.At the time, Prince’s philanthropicwork didn’t

get the press it deserved, but he quietly gave to several charities, and liveconcertswere commonvehicles for his goodwill.Thiswas a trend thatwouldcontinuethroughhisentirecareer.PrinceflewtoMinneapolistocontinuecreatingtheframeworkforhismovie,

whichatthispointwascalledDreams.Afterthetour,DezDickersonstayedinLosAngeles, talking tovarious recordcompanies inanattempt togethis solocareerofftheground.Hewasstillapartoftheplannedmovieproject,butasthestorywasbeingdeveloped,Prince askedhim to flyback toMinneapolis for aface-to-facetalkabouttheirfuture.According toDickerson,“[Prince] said ‘We’reatacrossroadswith this film,

we’remakingabiginvestment.Ineedyoutoeitherbailnowormakeathree-yearcommitmenttostaywiththeprogram.Ifyoudothesolothing,that’scool.I’llhelpyoudoit,mypeoplewillmanageyouandthewholebit.’Ithoughtandprayed about it, and decided I couldn’t commit to another three years. I wasgenuinelyunhappybythattime.”5Themoviescriptwasretooledafterheoptedout,andhissupportingrolewas

reducedtoacameo.While the script for themoviewas in flux, Prince’s bandbegan to gel,with

WendyMelvoinbeingofferedtheopenpositioninthegroup.“ItwasjustveryobviousthatDezwasunhappy,”accordingtoBobbyZ,“andWendywasjustattheabsoluterightplaceattherighttimeandwasLisa’sbestfriend.Shebroughtsomuchtothegroup,andherpersonalitybroughtsomuchtobalancethebandoutandmakeitthebanditbecame.Itcouldn’thavebecometheRevolutionwithDez.Itneededhertobringoutthatextraoomph!”6Althoughtherewasstillalittleunfinishedbusiness,theultimatedecisionhad

beenmade. Dez Dickerson was out.WendyMelvoin was in. The Revolutionwasborn.

TUESDAY,APRIL12,1983(ESTIMATE)

Iwrotea4-trackversiononthe1999tour.Princekindalikedthehook,he threw the rest ofwhat I did in the trash can as he commenced towriteandperformedastraightheater.—JesseJohnson7

AdayafterhearrivedhomefromChicago,Princespentpartoftheafternooninhisbasementrecordinganewsongcalled“TheBird,”writtenbyJesseJohnsonfor the Time. That evening, afterMorris Day added his vocals, Johnson wascalledovertoPrince’shouseandwasblownawayonceheheardwherePrincetookthetrack.In2014JohnsonpostedastoryonhisFacebookpageabouttherecordingonthatnight,andhowPrince’stapemachinebrokedownandJohnsonwasaskedtorewinditbyhand:Morrisislaughinghisassoff,and’courseI’mlike“Manfuckthat,youbettercallDonBatts[histech]to fix that shit!” Prince is now cracking up.We have to finish the song, so I go “WTF” and startrewindingthemachinebyhand.PcouldseewhatIwasdoing,soIhadadrumstickonthereelwheretheholesarerewindingthemachine,bythetimePrinceseeswhatI’mdoing,heyells“whatthef**kareyoudoingJesse?”“Rewindingthisraggedyassmachine,”Isaid,ashejumpsuptocomelookatthetape to see if I damaged it in anywayhe sort of tripsoverMorriswhohas this longassQ-tip typethingsthataremadeforstickinginasolutionandcleaningyourtapeheads,sobeforehecouldreachmehe’s yelling atMorris to stop using his tape head cleaners to clean his ears!Now I’m on the floor,becauseMorriswouldalwaysdothatandPrincehadtoldhimathousandtimesbeforenotto!Needlesstosaywegotthetrackfinishedandtherestishistory.8

Day’svocalswereaddedveryquickly,buthissinginglackedintensity.Princetried to add some of the fun and energy—with spoken comments like, “Hey,Morris, find out if you’ve got any fine girlfriends,” at 4:49 in the song,wolf-whistling, and using a longer keyboard riff of “The Star-Spangled Banner”during the “Fellas, what’s the word?” section at 5:30—but overall, theexperimentwasn’tasuccess.

Status:Thestudioversionof“TheBird”(6:29)wasconsideredforplacementonthe next album by the Time, but was ultimately replaced by a live versionrecorded at First Avenue on October 4, 1983. The studio version remainsunreleased.

Although Jesse has publicly explained that he went to Prince’s house on aWednesdaynight,itispossiblethathegottherelateonaTuesdaynightandthesessiondriftedintothenextday.Thedateofthissessionhasn’tbeenverified,sothe placement here is speculation based on descriptions and recollections ofthoseinvolved.

THURSDAY,APRIL14,1983*

Okay,I’mgoingtoexplainitlikethis.Ifyouareplayingfunkandyouwanttouptheanteofthegroove,youwouldsay...“CHILISAUCE”andthegroovewill takeasubtleyetmassivechange. . . .[H]opefullytheresultisevenfunkier.—WendyMelvoin9

One of the hallmarks of Prince’s careerwas that when a new challenge trulyintriguedhim,everythingelsewouldbecomesecondary.Oncehegotthebugtocreateamovie, theplanneddatesforaEuropeanlegofthetourwerecanceledand the tourwasofficially over.Prince committed to focusingon thependingmovie aswell as anymusic that could be used for that project. The first datebackatSunsetSoundinvolvedworkonanewtrackfortheTime.“InthestudiofortheTimealbum,thebandwastheremostofthetime.They

playedonalotofthestuff,but[Prince]wouldbetheleaderofwhatwasgoingon,”recallsPeggyMcCreary.“Sometimeshewouldjumponthedrumsandthenjump on another instrument and then he’d tellMorris to jump on the drums.Theyweren’talwaysthere,buttheywerearoundalot.ImeanJimmyJam,forexample,couldn’tfigureoutwhatIwasdoingthere.Itwasfunnybecausehe’dbe like, ‘Man, you’re reallygood,’ even though at the time I’mnot sure if heevenknewwhatIwasdoing.”“Thestudioexperienceoverallcouldn’thavebeenabetterlearningopportunity

because hewas very unorthodox, but itwas very spontaneous,” recalled Jam.“Prince was always themost prolific, always the quickest and he was totallyself-contained. He could engineer, write it, play it, he could do pretty mucheverythinganddoitefficiently.Itwasagreatlessontome,andvaluablelesson,onhow to record.His attitude towardsmusicwas ‘You’vegot tomakevisualrecords.’ The record has got to put you in a place where you visualizesomething.”10“MySummertimeThang”islistedontheworkorder,soadditionaloverdubsor

a mix probably took place. Prince purchased a 2-inch tape, so it is likely hestartedrecordinganew,as-yet-untitledtrack—probably“ChiliSauce”—aswell.

Ashedidmuchofthetime,Princestartedwithadrumpattern:“I’vehadthisRogerLinndrummachinesince1981.It’soneof thefirstdrummachinesevercreated.Ittakesmefivesecondstoputtogetherabeatonthisthing.”11Princebeganworkingonthesongat9:30p.m.andhadthebasictrackstotapebymidnight.Thenextfivehourswerespentoverdubbingthenewtrack.Princedecidedtoaddstrings,andaviolaplayer,Ilene“Novi”Novog,wasrecruitedforthe late session. Novog remembers, “He was really good to work with, veryprofessionalandaworkaholic.WhenIfirstgotacall,Iwasexhaustedanditwasabout12:30atnightandIdidn’treallyknowthem,andIthoughthewasgoingtobealittlebrat.Iknew‘1999’andIlovedthesong,andthenIgotcalledinforsomethingfortheTimecalled‘ChiliSauce.’Hesatdownandplayedthepianoandhewasverynice.”Itisunclearwhetheranydialoguewasplacedonthetrackonthisdate,butitis

unlikelybecausethenameofthesongwasn’tlistedonthepaperwork.OneC-60cassettewascreatedofthetrack,andthesessionwasoverat5:00a.m.ItwasverycommonforPrince’ssessionstolastmuchlaterthanthoseofmost

othermusicians.McCreary explains: “People say that you have to do a lot ofdrugs to be able to stay up that late, and I tell them, ‘No. If you did a lot ofdrugs,youwouldn’tbeabletostayuplikethat.’”

Status:“ChiliSauce”(5:47)wasreleasedontheTime’sIceCreamCastlealbumthefollowingyear.

FRIDAY,APRIL15,1983*

We always have fun with taking words and doing something a littledifferentwith them, like“chili sauce.”Morris’sdaughterwalked intorehearsalonedayandsaid,“chilisauce,”andchilisaucewasborn.—JimmyJam12

Princearrivedafewhourslateforthesession,butoncehedid,workresumedon“Chili Sauce,” which at this point was named “Proposition 17.” The titlebecomesmoreobviouswhenyoucounthowmany timesDaypropositions thewomanheistryingtoseduceinthesong.Thedetailandlayersofsoundeffectsadd to the humor of his seduction, setting up the scene in a public restaurant.“Helovedthesoundeffectswehadandwouldsometimesjustpoponthesoundeffects LP and just listen to stuff like ‘body falls’ and ‘restaurant’ sounds,”remembersMcCreary.“Ifyoulistentosomesongsyou’llhear‘restaurantwalla’and‘babycrying’and[Prince’ssong]‘LadyCabDriver’hadtraffic.”“Ialwaysspenda lotof timeandenergy thinkingaboutandseekingout

thoselittletouches,”PrinceexplainedtoGuitarWorldmagazine.“Attentiontodetailmakes the difference between a good song and a great song.And Imeticulouslytrytoputtherightsoundintherightplace,evensoundsthatyouwouldonlynoticeifI leftthemout.SometimesIhearamelodyinmyhead,anditseemslikethefirstcolorinapainting.Andthenyoucanbuildtherestofthesongwithotheraddedsounds.”13Thiswasatransitiondayandatestdayforanewengineer.NormallyPrince’s

sessionswereengineeredbyPeggyMcCreary,butshewasn’tavailablefor thenextfewdays,soanotherengineerwasneeded.PrincehadrecentlynoticedstaffengineerRichardMcKernan,thankstoaneventintheSunsetSoundparkinglot,asMcKernanexplains:OnedayIwasjustsittinginthefrontwindowwaitingforPrince,and[anumberoffans]wereallbythefrontofthecars,andthenincamePrince.Hegotoutofthecarandhewasputtingonhiscoat,andIsaw[thelargegroupoffans]andIjuststoodbetweenhimandthem.Heturnedaroundandhewasjustpaleandheranin.ThenextthingIknew,Peggycameoutandsaid,“Boyhereallyappreciatedthat.”Andsobytheendofthedayhecalledmebackthereandhesaid,“Youwanttoworkwithme?”AndIsaid,“Sure,”andPeggywasreallyhappybecauseshecouldgoonvacation.

SATURDAY,APRIL16,1983*

ItwasMorris’ideatobeassickashewas.Thatwashispersonality.Weboth likeDonKing andgot a lot of stuff off him, becausehe’soutrageousandthinkseverything’ssoexciting—evenwhenitisn’t.—Prince14

Additionalworkwasdonefor these tracks for theTime.Onceagain,Daywaslistedastheproducer,butPrincewasalwaysincontrol.“Morriswasneverinthestudioalonewithme,”accordingtoMcKernan:WhenwewereworkingwithMorris,itwasprettymuchjusttodosomevocals.Idon’trememberhimhavingtoomuchtodowiththeproductionofit.Princewouldputsongstogetherandmyperspectiveofitwas,Princewouldgettoapointandsay,“Well,okay,I’llgivethisonetoMorris.”Ialwaysgotthefeelingthathewasthinking,“Well,Idon’twantthissongonmyalbum,soI’llputitonhisalbum.”Idon’tknowifthat’swhathewasthinking,butitalwaysseemedlikethat.Theirguitarplayer,Jesse,wasthere.JessewastheonlyothermusicianwhoPrincewouldactuallycall

in.Therewerepeoplethatwouldfloatinandout,butJessewastheonlymusicianthataddedanything.IneverdidanydrumswithMorris.Morriswouldcomeinandfoolaroundwiththedrums,butitwasn’tanythingthatgottotape.

JesseJohnsonsupposedlyalsoplayeddrumsonthesong.

McKernancontinues:[Prince]hadoneof thoseoldLinndrummachines,andyou’dhaveeverythingsetupandusuallyondrums,he’dtellyouthedaybeforewhathe’dberecording.We’dgetthedrumsdownthereandmicitupandhavesomebodyplayitandhe’dshowupandthentherewouldbeabasssetupandakeyboardset up. And you’d get the things to that point and he’d stop before doing a vocal and he’d say,“Tomorrowwe’regoingtodovocals,”orsometimesthevocalmicwasalreadysetupintheroomtotheside.Ifhe’dbeeninthereforabunchofdaysinarow,everythingwouldbesetup.

Work on the tracks occurred from 4:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m., when Princeended the session and left. The engineer was on hold for another five hoursbefore they receivedword that Princewas not returning. Fellow engineerBillJacksonrecallshowtheengineerswereoccasionally lefthanging:“Youhadto

waitthereuntilsomeonecalledandsaidthathewasn’tgoingtocomeback...unlesshejustabsolutelysaid,‘Nope,I’mgoinghome,’andthenyouwenthomeandwaitedforthephonetoring.(laughs)”

Status:“IftheKidCan’tMakeYouCome”(9:13)waseventuallyediteddown(7:33)forreleaseontheTime’sIceCreamCastlealbum.

There was often a difference between what was written on the Sunset Soundwork orders andwhatwas actually recorded.McKernan explains his viewonthis:“Theworkorderswerejustenoughtogetbybecausetherecordcompanieswantedcertaininformationtobekeptupon....Somepeoplewantedeverylittlethingonthere.AtSunset,therewassomuchworkgoingthroughthattheykeptitaccuratebyprojects.”

SUNDAY,APRIL17,1983*

Iliketogowithmyintuition.SomethinghitsmeandIneedtogetthetrack down before I can move on. It’s like there’s another personinsideme,talkingtome.—Prince15

During this seventeen-hour session, Prince and Day worked on several songsthat involved Day using his techniques to seduce a woman. The woman inquestionwasSharonHughes,whoprobably addedher parts formost of thesesongsonthisdate.Princealsorecordedsomeofhisvocalsduringthissession.McKernanremembers:

Onvocals[forPrince],you’dsethimupandstay thereforawhile tomakesurehe is fine,and thenyou’djustgivehimthecontrolstothetapemachineforpunchinsandotherstuff.He’djustwantyoutoleavetheroom.Themicwouldbesetupjustovertheboardandhe’dsitthere.Therewereacoupleofsongswedidwhere thegirlscame inandwe’dputapianostoolbehind theconsole,andPrinceandWendyandLisawoulddothesamethingwithbackgroundvocals.Theyusuallydidittoharmonizetheonetrackandthenwe’ddoubleitanddotheothertrack.

Prince played the confused maître d’ (or waiter) on “Chocolate,” “MySummertimeThang,”and“Proposition17.”Songs like these threebroughtoutPrince’splayfulside,andheandDayhadagreattimejustgoofingoffduringthespoken parts. “[Comedians] have had a great deal of effect onmymusic,”explained Prince. “It was always a challenge to be funny inmusic. It wasalways a challenge to have some sort of humor for a song and to makesomebodyfeelgood.That’sthebiggestchallenge.”16“He’sbrilliant.Enigmatic, strong, aestheticallypleasing, sensual, intellectual,

philosophical, more than musical,” described Wendy Melvoin. “If he feelscomfortablewithyou,he’llcrackyouup.”17“Oneofmyfondestmemorieswashissenseofhumor,”reflectedBrownMark.

“Hewasthekindofperson,ifHollywoodhadtappedintoitmore,couldreallydo that type of thing.He could have done some great comedy filmswith thelikesofEddieMurphyandsuch.Hereallyhadgreatcomictiming,hewasoneofthefunniestguysIevermet.”18“Prince had a great sense of humor and he was a practical joker,”19 agreed

Fink.Prince’suseofpracticaljokescanbefoundinthesong“IftheKidCan’tMakeYouCome,” not only in some very funny dialogue betweenPrince andDay but in the title aswell.Day, his rival in PurpleRain, sings about sexualsatisfactiononlycomingfrom“theKid.”Thephraseisalsorepeatedattheendof “Chili Sauce,” and an early version of the script also included the phrase“Baby,iftheKidcan’tmakeyoucome,nobodycan.”Prince’snicknameamonghismanagerswas“theKid,”andhischaracterinPurpleRainwouldsharethatnameafterthesongwasrecorded.ItwaslikelythatDayeventuallyrecognizedthis,andalthoughthesongisplayedlivebyMorrisDayandtheTime, it isn’tpartoftheirusualconcertsetlist.The song that was created during this session, “Chocolate,” was a funk

workoutbuiltaroundasteadydrumbeatandarepetitivebasslickbuiltupwithguitar and keyboards. “‘Chocolate’ is James Brown,” according to JellybeanJohnson.“That’ssomegreatshit,that’sjusthard-coreJamessound.Ilovedit.”20It is rumored that Day played drums on this track, as well as on “My

SummertimeThang.”Allof today’s songswere interlinkedby similar themes,

phrases,andattitudes,soitwasobviousthatsomewouldprobablynotbeplacedon theTime’snext album,whichwouldn’t be assembleduntil after themoviewas complete. Because of this, all of these tracks would sit on the shelf foralmostayear.“MySummertimeThang”and“Chocolate”wouldberevisitedonafutureTimealbum.Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis continued to hide the fact that they had been

producinganoutsidebandwhentheymissedtheconcertinMarch,butwiththeirnewrecognitioncametheinevitableexposureinthepress.“WeknewtherewasapictureofusinBillboardmagazineworkingwiththeS.O.S.Band,”accordingtoJam.“WeweretryingtohideeveryBillboardmagazinewecouldfind.Everytimethemanagerwouldtrytogiveit tohim,like,“OhPrince,hereisthenewBillboard,”wewouldsnatchit.Wewerethinking,‘Oh,he’llneverseeit,’andofcourse,hefinallydid.”21Despite the humorously light tone of these tracks, according to Jellybean

Johnson,Princewasnothappy:“ThefalloutfromJimmyandTerrywasabouttohappen.Ithadn’thappenedyet,but itwasrealclose,so the tensionwasabig,bigcloudovereverybody.Itwasanuneasytime.”22

Status: The only new track, “Chocolate” (5:50), did notmake it onto the IceCreamCastlealbum,butitwaseventuallyincludedonPandemonium in1990.The singlewas releasedonOctober 1, 1990, andpeaked at number44on theBillboardR&BSingleschart.Anearlyeditofthedemofadedoutafterthephrase“yougottasteponthegas,

wegottagetthehelloutofhere,comeon,”23atapproximately5:15ofthetrack.OnceitwasdecidednottoincludethetrackonIceCreamCastle,thesongwas

almost recorded by another artist, according to Peggy: “‘Chocolate’ wassomething that he may have been working on for the Time, but when Eddie[Murphy] asked him for a song, he offered it to him.Fromwhat I remember,Eddie turnedhimdown.Thatwasprobablyaverysore spotwithhim. Iknewbecauseofpride,he’dtrytogetthatsuckerouttheresomeway.”

According toDezDickerson’s 2003 autobiographyMyTimewith Prince, thenickname“theKid”came fromDickerson.Prince’smanagersalsoreferred tohimbythisnickname,whichAlbertMagnolinoticedashewasworkingonthescriptforPurpleRain:“Cavallo,Ruffalo&FargnolineverreferredtoPrinceas‘Prince.’Theyalways said ‘theKid.’ So I go, ‘Whydon’t you call himbyhisname?’Theygo,‘Wehatethename.WecallhimtheKid.’Theywouldcallhim

‘theKid’ tohis face.Whentheyweretogether theyalwayscalledhimtheKid,andInoticedothermusicianswerecallinghimtheKid,soobviouslyheknew.”ItshouldalsobenotedthatitwaslikelytheApril2,1983,editionofCashboxmagazine and notBillboard magazine that Jam and Lewis were hiding fromPrince, becauseCashbox contained the photo of JamandLewisworkingwiththeS.O.S.BandthatJamdescribed.

MONDAY,APRIL18,1983*

Was there tension? That was Prince’s sessions. There was alwayssomethinggoingon.—PeggyMcCreary

Today’ssessionwasscheduledtobeginat7:00p.m.,butwasdelayedforabandmeetingbetweenPrinceandvariousmembersoftheTime.He’dbeenupsetforawhileaboutJimmyJamandTerryLewismissingtheSanAntoniogigonMarch24, and hewas convinced theywere cashing in on theMinneapolis sound byproducingbandsoutsideofPrince’srangeofinfluence.“HefeltthatwewouldbegivingawaytheTimesound,”recalledJam.“Weneverfeltthatway.Wefeltlikethesongsweweredoingdidn’thaveanythingtodowiththewaytheTimesounded.Weactuallyevengotaccusedofdoinga song thatwedidn’tdo thatLeon [Sylvers] produced that was influenced by the Time, which was aWhispers single called ‘KeepOn LovingMe.’ And Prince sworewe did thatrecord,andIsaid,‘Weweren’tevenaround.Wedidn’thaveathingtodowiththatrecord.’HetrulybelievedthatwhatweweredoingoutsideoftheTimewasaconflictofinterest.”24PrinceknewthattheupcomingPurpleRainprojecthadthepotential tobring

hugesuccesstoeveryoneattachedtoit,andtheideaofdilutinghissoundmayhavebotheredhim, sohedecided to laydown the law.Prince, Jesse Johnson,MorrisDay,TerryLewis,andJimmyJamwerepresentforthemeeting.“Studio2hadalittleroomoffofitthatwasreallysmall.”Johnsonexplainedin2011.“I

mean,youcouldstretchyourarmsoutinitandalmosttouchbothsidesofit.SoPrince,Morris,andmyselfwereintheroom,andthenTerryandJimmycameinandweclosedthedoor,sonooneelsewasinthatroomandthosefivepeopleknowwhathappenedinthatroom.”25ItwasatthisgatheringthatJamandLewiswerefired.“Princedidallthetalking,”reflectedTerryLewis.“That’sallIknow.”26There are twoverydifferent accountsofwhatwentdown. “I’mplaying the

bad guy, but I didn’t fire Jimmy and Terry,” Prince told Rolling Stonemagazine in1990.“MorrisaskedmewhatIwoulddo inhissituation.Yougottoremember,itwashisband.”27“Heabsolutelyfiredthem,”saidDay.“Hedidn’taskmeanything.Iwasvery

upset.[WhatPrincesaidwas]totallymisleading.Inevermadethecallforthemtobefiredfromthegroup.”28Inanotherinterview,Dayexpandedonhisthought:“Therewasn’tmuch to say, because basically,wewere part of his productioncompany.Hewascallingtheshots.SoitwasjustsomethingthatIkindofhadtolivewith,regardlessofhowIfelt.”29JohnsonagreedwithMorris’versionofthestory:We [Morris and Jesse] didn’t tell them shit.We just sat there and listened toPrince.TheTimewasPrince’sthing.AllthosegroupswerePrince’sgroups.[Afterward]Princesaidtome...noonewasintheroomexceptforhimandI,andhesaid,“You’ll

see,you’llneverhearfromthoseguysagain.”Hewasvery,very,verywrongaboutthatandwhentheywontheirGrammyforProduceroftheYear,Iremembercallinghishouseandleavinghimamessagesaying,“Ithoughtyousaidwewouldn’thearfromthemagain.”30

In 1996 Jimmy Jam commented publicly on this during a benefit show:“[Prince]justtookhissix-inchpumpsandkickedusoutthedoor.”31Afterthemeetingtherewasabriefbreak,andtheremainderoftherecording

sessionwasspentonoverdubsfor“ChiliSauce”(whichwasstillreferredtoas“Proposition17”atthispoint),startingat10:00p.m.andwrappingat6:00a.m.thefollowingday.Fewknewit,butthefiringofJimmyJamandTerryLewiswasthebeginning

oftheendfortheTime.“Whenwestartedswitchingmusicians,”reflectedDay,“itwasn’tmyfavorite

band anymore, I wasn’t happy from that day.”32 According to Alan Leeds,“MorriswasnothappywithwhatPrincehaddone:‘It’smyband,butIhavenovoiceinthis.’Ofcourse,thehypocrisywas,itneverreallywashisband.”33The entire situation was summed up best by Jerome Benton, who felt it

extremely hard because he was Terry’s brother: “Terry and Jimmy were

‘releasedof theirduties.’Theywere firedbyPrince . . .outofMorris’sband.HowcouldPrincefireabandmember?Iguessbecausehewasincharge.”34

TheironyaboutthisfiringandtheeventualdisintegrationofthebandwasthatJimmyJamandTerryLewiseachachievedanunexpectedlevelofsuccessonceoutsideofPrince’slongshadow—atleastunexpectedbyPrince.“Allthisshitisjustsochildishwhenyoulookbackonit,”JellybeanJohnsonsharplyexplainedin2013.“EveryguyintheTime,withtheexceptionofJerome—andJeromehadhisownrecorddeal—everyguyintheTimehadaTop10hit.Everyone!Monte,Jesse, JimmyandTerry soldover100million records.AllofushadTopTen,TopFiverecords.Princecouldhavehadallofus.Didn’twanttopayus;didn’twanttodoit.”35Bya strange coincidence, JamandLewis spent the rest of that evening in arecording studiowith theS.O.S.Band finishing the tracks that they created inAtlanta. The songs (“TellMe If You Still Care” and “Just BeGood toMe”)ended up being their firstmajor hits as producers, allowing them to establishtheircareersoutsideofPrince’sshadow.

WEDNESDAYAPRIL20,1983*

WewereneverallowedtosayanythingbecauseitwasliketheMafia.Weweresworntosecrecy.—PeggyMac

For today’s session, Prince switched from Studio 2 to themuchmore privateStudio3.“The recording console was basically a clone in every room back then,”

explains Sunset Sound owner Paul Camarata. “But the recording rooms weretotallydifferent.Everyroomhasitsownflavor.Onewaslowceiling,onewashigh ceiling. One was more of a traditional square, and one was more of arectangle, and they all sounded different. Studio 3’s control room was much

bigger.Also,Studio3hadmuchmorecapabilityintheisolationbooths.Ithadmultipleisolationbooths.Studio2atthetimeonlyhadoneisolationbooth.”Princerecordedtwotracksonthisdate.Themostcompletewouldbe“Velvet

KittyCat,”athrowawaysongthatmanythoughtwasrecordedfortheTime,butwas in fact created for Vanity 6. The title was a not-so-subtle reference to avelvetysmoothvagina,butthesong’slyricsreflectednoneofthatsexuality.Infact, the words—which included phrases like “She’sman’s best friend, furry,cuddlyandfat/Takeaswing,you’reuptobat,myvelvetkittycat”36—aresilly,even for Prince’s side projects. Considering that this is the era during whichPrince wrote some of his most timelessmaterial, it is obvious why this songdidn’t see the lightofdayduringhis lifetime.This alsomaybe theonly timePrincetriedusingtheRolandTR-606DrumatixinsteadoftheLM-1Linndrums.“My Love Belongs to You” is a seven-minute song that is amuch stronger

exampleofwhatPrincecoulddo in thestudio. It isa funkysynthriff thathasvariousguitarpartsplayedontopofthekeyboards.Itisunclearwhetherlyricsfor this track were ever completed, because as of the end of this session, itremained an instrumental and was given its title before any vocals could beadded.TherearenofuturereferencestothissonginPrince’sstudiodocuments,norintheWarnerBros.vault.Additionalworkwasdoneon“IftheKidCan’tMakeYouCome,”althoughit

isunclearwhatwasrecorded.

Status:“VelvetKittyCat”(2:43)wasoriginally intendedforVanity6butwasalso offered to Apollonia 6. It is possible that Susan Moonsie eventuallyrecorded the vocals for the track, but if those sessions took place, they werelikelycompletedinMinneapolis.AversionwithPrince’svocalswasreleasedin2017onthePurpleRainDeluxe(ExpandedEdition)CDpackage.“Velvet Kitty Cat” (2:28) was rerecorded by Prince in April 1985 as a

rockabillysongwithseverallyricaldifferences.Todate,“MyLoveBelongstoYou”(7:08)remainsunreleased.


Itwasfun.[Princewas]veryquietandverymuchtohimself.Butaftera timeworkingwith him, you knewheappreciated you.The commonthingwasthatpeoplehadnoideawherehewascomingfrombecausehenevershowstoomuchemotionorthankfulnessoranythinglikethat.—RichardMcKernan

Additionaloverdubworkwasdoneon“Chocolate,” includingvocals,probablyfromJillJones,WendyMelvoin,andLisaColemanaswellasPrince.Aswithmost of the songs, Prince wrote the music and the bulk of the lyrics, whichfeatured the familiar theme ofMorrisDay once again trying—and failing—toseduceawoman,andcomplainingthathisdatehadturnedhimdownaftershe’dorderedeighteenjumboshrimpfordinner.“Morrismighthavehadsomethingstodowithlyrics,”observesMcKernan,“butmyrecollectionisthatifhehadanyinput, it was very minute. Most of that stuff were all Prince’s ideas. Morrismightwantsomethingtobechanged,but99percentwasallPrince.”Becauseofthe late hours, Prince was going through multiple engineers, often burningthroughthemfairlyquickly.“TherewillbetimeswhenI’vebeenworkinginthestudiofortwentyhoursandI’llbefallingasleepinthechair,butI’llstillbeabletotelltheengineerwhatcutIwanttomake,”recalledPrince.“IuseengineersinshiftsalotofthetimebecausewhenIstartsomething,Iliketogoallthewaythrough.Thereareveryfewmusicianswhowillstayawakethatlong.”37McKernancorroboratesPrince’sstory:Ileftshortlyafter[thesesessions]becauseyouputsomanyhoursinandwithPrince,becausehewasn’tconsistent,we’dleaveat2:00a.m.andhe’dsay,“Let’sstartat10”andyou’dgetthereat10andhe’dcallyouandsay,“Well,I’mnotgoingtobethereuntil12,”andthenyou’dstayuntil12andhe’dbeanotherhour.Andthenhe’dfinallygetthere,thenhowmanyhoursdoingsomestuff,andhe’dsay,“I’llberightback;I’mgoingtothemoviesandI’llbebackat9,”andthen9o’clockwouldcomearound,andthen10,andthenhe’dcallandsay,“I’llbethereinanhour.”Afterputtinginalotofhours,thelastplaceyouwant tobeis there.Itwasfineifyouwereinaproductionstate,but just tositaroundandvegetateinthestudiocanreallywearyoudown,andIjustcouldn’ttakeitanymore.

Despite the late hours,McKernan reflects fondly about Prince’s skills in thestudio:“Myimpressionofhimasamusician?Fabulous.Imeanhe’srealstreet.Arealstreetwisemusician.Hereallyconveysanattitudeontherecords.Askanysongwriterandtheyusuallyhaveacoupleofhits,buttheyarewritingthesamesongover andover, and I never heard thatwithPrince.Andyou can see thatfrom his history, from the early days to now the gamut that he’s run. That iswheremyappreciationcomesin.”It isprobable thatoverdubsweredoneonmultiple tracksduring thissession,

whichendedwithfourcassettesbeingmade(twoC-60andtwoC-90tapes).

FRIDAY,APRIL22,1983*

Sometimes it isacurse,but it’salsoablessing. It’sagift that Iamcompletelygratefulfor.That’swhyIkeep[makingmusic],becauseIdon’twanttobeungratefulforthegift.—Prince38

Earlier in theweek,Princehadrecorded thevocalguide trackfor“Chocolate”usinghis oldman/dadvoice, andduring this sessionDay recordedhis vocals,copying Prince practically verbatim, peppering it with his signature woo-halaugh.In1989,whentheTimereunitedwithalltheoriginalmembers,Princeinsisted

onplacing the songon theirPandemonium album, although someof thebandmemberswereunhappyabout its inclusionbecause they felt the songwas tooold andwasn’t very strong. In the end, Princemiscalculated, and it had onlymoderatesuccessontheR&Bcharts.Matt Fink recalled that this happened a lot, and nomatterwhat, Princewas

alwaysthefinalsay:“AnytimeyouworkedwithPrince, itwasn’taboutbeingable tocontrol thesituation,so ifyouweregoingtocomplain,youjusthad togo,‘Okay,wellthisiswhathe’sgoingtodo,’andgowithit,andletitbe,oryoucouldvoiceyouropinion,whichrarelywastakenintoconsideration.Youcouldsay,‘HeyIdon’tthinkthisisworking,’or‘Thisisn’tright,’or‘Thisdoesn’tfeel

good.Doyou thinkyoucan change it?’Usuallyhewouldmakehisdecisionsandthatwouldstick,whetheryoulikeitornot.”39Princewasheading toMinneapolisandhadhismusicpackedupfor the trip,

whichimpliedhewasgoingtobeawayforanextendedperiod.“Itwouldvary,”explains Sunset Sound’s general manager, Craig Hubler. “If he was going tocomebackinacoupleofweeksandnotdoanyrecording[athome],hewouldleave them here. He often had big flight cases, where all the tapes would bepackedin.”Prince usually headed to Minnesota in mid-to-late spring. “I think it was

somethingabouttheweather,”reflectsPaulCamarata.“Hedidn’twanttobeoutthereinthewinter.Whenhewasn’there,itwasusuallylatesummerorfall,buthewas alwaysout here in thewinter and the springbecauseMinneapolis is averyharshplace.Wedidn’tseehimmuchinthesummer.”Almost like clockwork, Prince did not return to Sunset Sound for several

months.

Hublerrevealsthatnoteverytapeshipmentwentsmoothly:“Onetime,wegotabig flight case fromMinneapoliswith thesebigmasterpadlockson them,andnobodysentthekeys.Wecouldn’tgetintothething.Wehadtogetalocksmithtosawoffthelocks,justtogettothetapes.”PrincesupposedlyattendedaconcertfeaturingGeorgeClinton&theP-FunkAllStarsoneitherApril23or24attheBeverlyTheatreinLosAngeles.


“SexShooter”wasadefinite.Itwasgoingtobeinthemovie.—BrendaBennett

Prince had been ignoring Vanity 6 during this time, so when he returned toMinneapolis,hequicklybeganproducinganotherbatchofsongsforthegroup.“Sex Shooter” was one of the first tracks for the project. Prince had hisMinneapolisengineerDonBattsrecordVanity’svocals.

Overtheprevioustwoyears,BattshadbeeninvolvedinpracticallyeverytrackrecordedatPrince’shome,whichincludedsongsfromVanity6’salbumaswellastheTime’sfirstalbum.Becauseofthis,hewasveryfamiliarwithwhatPrincewantedfromavocalperformance.“I remember phone calls in themiddle of the night to record at his house,”

explainsBrendaBennett.“ButhewouldalsocallmeuptowatchTVwithhim,andsometimeswewouldn’teventalk.Sometimesitwouldbetotalkaboutthemovie.Youdidn’tknowwhathe’dwant:TV,adrive,orhe’doftenjustwanttorecord in the studio.We recorded a lot of theVanity6 secondalbum,but theonly carryover [to the Apollonia 6 album] was “Sex Shooter.” “G-Spot,”“Vibrator,”and“MoralMajority”wereallpartoftheplanned,butneverfinishedalbum.”Prince also recorded a track, supposedly for Vanity 6, called “Promise 2 B

True” (or possibly “Promise toBeTrue”).The lyricswere about a loverwhowasapologizingforhis/herinfidelityandincludedthesingerlamenting,“IknowImessedup,andIpromise tobe true thenext time.”Thesong itselfhasbeendescribedasamelodiccrossbetweennewwave,arenarock,anddancemusic,consistingofadistortedguitarplacedoveraLinndrumloop.ItisunclearifVanityrecordedvocalsforthesong.It is also likely thatPrinceworkedon “VelvetKittyCat”during this period,

perhapsaddingSusanMoonsie’svocalstothetrack,butnodocumentationexiststoverifytheexactdate.

Status: The version of “Sex Shooter” (7:04) containing Vanity’s vocals wasediteddown(5:05),butneitherversionwaseverreleased.ItwasrerecordedwithApollonia’s vocals in October 1983 and included in the movie and on theApollonia6album.“Promise2BTrue”wasrevisitedbyDezDickersoninMay1983andBonnie

Raittalsoworkedonthetrackinearly1987;bothversionsremainunreleased.

MAY1983

IwasonthecoverofRollingStonewithVanity,whenIdidn’tevendo an interview, when I wouldn’t talk to them. Once you’ve donesomethinglikethatit’slike,okay,what’sthenextthing?—Prince1

RollingStonemagazinefeaturedPrinceon thecoverof itsApril28 issue.Thepower of his celebrity was growing, and it wasn’t just the critics who werenoticing.The tourwas amajor success and very soon his 1999 double albumwouldbecertifiedPlatinumwithoveronemillionrecordssold.Hisnextfocuswasthemovie(stillcalledDreams),whichsofarhadneitherashootablescriptnor an album with any finished songs, so Prince began working on potentialtracksfortheupcomingfilmandsideprojects.ThefirsttaskwassolidifyingtheRevolution,andwiththeadditionofWendyMelvoinallthememberswerenowinplace.“Iwasthiskid, justoutofhighschool,”reflectedMelvoin.“Ihadnoreal performing experience.”2 Prince took her under his wing, giving her hisattentionandencouragement.“Once shewas finallyhired intoPrince’sband, itwas like adream forme,”

Lisawouldexpandina2009interviewwithOutmagazine.“IhadfalleninlovewithWendy,mychildhoodfriend,andsuddenlywewerelookingateachotherdifferently, but I had to leave on the road all the time. It was always justtorture.”3HavingherintheRevolutionmeantlesstimeapart,andtranslatedintoafasterformofmusicalcommunicationwithintheband.“Itwasn’t the greatest bunch ofmusicians in theworld. Imean, I’ve played

with some dynamite cats, but being a dynamite musician can never take theplaceofbeingateam,”explainsbassistBrownMark.“Playingwithpeopleyoujamwithand thatyougrewto loveas family,because that’swhatwewere. Ifonepersonhadaproblem,everybodyhadaproblem.Wendywastheyoungest,but Iwasoneof thebabies in thegroupandLisaalways, always lookedafterme.Alwayswatchedmyback.”As thebandgrewcloser, their trust translated tomusic, andPrince reliedon

them in a way that he’d never done in his career. In a future interview withRollingStone,PrincedescribedeachofthemembersoftheRevolution:

Bobby Z was the first one to join. He’s my best friend. Though he’s not such a spectaculardrummer,hewatchesmelikenootherdrummerwould.Sometimes,arealgreatdrummer,likeMorris[Day],willbemoreconcernedwiththelickheisdoingasopposedtohowIamgoingtobreakitdown.MarkBrown’sjustthebestbassplayerIknow,period.Iwouldn’thaveanybodyelse.Ifhedidn’tplaywithme,I’deliminatebassfrommymusic.SamegoesforMatt.He’smoreorlessatechnician.Hecanreadandwritelikeawhiz,andisoneofthefastestintheworld.AndWendymakesme seemall right in theeyesofpeoplewatching.Shekeepsa smileonher face.WhenIsneer,shesmiles.It’snotpremeditated,shejustdoesit.It’sagoodcontrast.Lisaislikemysister.She’llplaywhattheaveragepersonwon’t.She’llpresstwonoteswithonefingersothechordisalotlargerandthingslikethat.She’smoreabstract.She’sintoJoniMitchell,too.4

“Theguysintheearlydays[AndréCymoneandDezDickerson]madeitveryclear to Prince that they had solo careers,” reflected Bobby Z. “Prince wasfrustrated by that, and it wasn’t until Wendy joined—until his dream of aFleetwoodMac–stylebandcametrue—thatitreallybecamethebandhewantedittobe.”5“Thatwhole periodwas like boot camp,” recalledMatt Fink. “He knew this

wasamajordealforhim,andhecertainlyfeltalotofpressuretopullitoff.Hemade it very clear to all of us thatwe had to be disciplined in ourwork anddedicatedtowhatweweredoing.Hejustworkednon-stop:heneverslept.”6

Prince’sstudiosessionsduringthenextfewmonthsof1983aredifficulttodate,butwheneverpossibletheyhavebeenplacedintothepropermonthtogivethemsomecontext.

SUNDAY,MAY1,1983

[In]thehomeonKiowaTrail,thestudiowasjustabedroom.Sotherewasn’tmuchroom.Therewerekeyboardsontheside,perpendiculartotheconsoleandthatwasveryconvenientbecausehecouldstandrightbehindtheconsoleandhecanplayelectricguitardirectfromtheampintheotherroom,buttherewasnoroomforadrumkitinthatroom.Itwas just a control room, because itwas like a suburbanhomeand itwasafairlysmalladditionalbedroom.—SusanRogers

During this time period, a group of conservative citizens known as theMoral

Majoritywereactivelycampaigningagainstanythinginentertainment theyfeltwas immoral. It is unclear whether they ever targeted Vanity 6, but Princedecided to comment about them with a track that name-checked theirorganization.The songwas very up-tempo andhad a chorus that repeated thetitle, which continued a theme of his early political works such as“Controversy.”To get the proper echo on the background vocals, Prince had the mic

positioneddownthehallfromtheroomthatcontainedhisequipment.Vanity6memberBrendaBennettandherhusband,LeRoy(“Roy”),wereaskedtoworkon the track. “[Prince] had a mic set up in his bathroom and he had mescreaming, ‘MoralMajority!’” explainsRoyBennett. “And I remember at onepointwewereallinthere.Ididthatforawhile,andJamie[Shoop]andSusan[Moonsie]andVanitycame in,and I satdownonhis toilet.Wewere in theredoing the vocal part, more of that yelling, ‘MoralMajority,’ and I remembersittingdown, and sittingon thehandle of the toilet, right in themiddle of thesession.Itgaveawaywherewewere.”

Status:“MoralMajority”(6:13)waseventuallyshelvedwhenthesecondVanity6albumwasabandoned.Itremainsunreleased.

MAY1983(DATEUNCERTAIN)

[“Modernaire”]waswrittenduringmy transition into the solo thing.At first, I felt it strayed too far from my more aggressive rocksensibilities,butIgrewtolikeitmoreovertime.—DezDickerson7

DezDickersonhadlefttopursueasolocareer,butPrincehadmadeadealwithhimtokeephiminvolvedinthemovie.ToshowcaseDickersonandhisband,herecordedanew trackcalled“Modernaire,”whichwasawordused todescribe“someonewhoisnotjustaheadofthecurve,butarounditalready,”8accordingto Dickerson. The track is comprised of Linn LM-1 drum effects, keyboard,synthbass,andasimplerepeatedguitarriff.Likeall thesongsrecordedinhisbasement studio, practically everything was done by Prince. Jill Jones was

broughtintoreciteact2,scene2ofShakespeare’sRomeoandJuliet,whichwaslayeredinbackwardfortexture.Surprisingly,thenumberdoesn’tfeatureastrongleadguitarpart.Infact,most

of the sections that couldhave featuredDickerson’sguitarworkwereactuallyplayed on keyboard. The extended version of the track features a solo thatsoundslikeitisplayedontheguitarbutisdrasticallyprocessedtosoundlikeakeyboard.

Status:“Modernaire”(8:15)wasediteddown(4:02)andreleasedin2005onDezDickerson: A Retrospective. The edited version debuted in Purple Rain (at25:08,justafter“TakeMewithU”),whereitisperformedonstagebyDickersonandhisband,theModernaires.Thelongerversionremainsunreleased.

It ispossible that thissongmayhavebeenperformedbyDickersonduringhisshowatFirstAvenueattheendofAugust.PrincewouldrecyclethesectionfromRomeoandJulietduringthe1988/89Lovesexytourintermission.


[Modernaire]wasoriginallysupposedtobeonthesoundtrackalbum.Therewassupposed tobea truesoundtrackalbumwithall themusicfromthefilmonthealbum,butaftertheprincipalfilming,Princekeptwritingstuff.Andtheykeptaddingmoremusic,soitendedupbeingaPrincealbumandnotasoundtrackalbum.—DezDickerson9

Princewouldeventuallycreateasoundtrack-likealbumwithavarietyofactsforthe Purple Rain sequel, Graffiti Bridge, but talk of a multiartist soundtrackalbum for Purple Rain didn’t go much further than the initial conversation.According toBobbyZ,“Therewasdebatewhether itwasgoing tobea [moreconventional]soundtracktothefilm—whichincludedtheTimeandApollonia6songs—buthesaid,‘No,IwantittobePrinceandtheRevolution.’Soit’snot

reallyasoundtrack;it’saPrinceandtheRevolutionrecordthathappenedtobeforamovie.”10WithDickerson in town toperformwithPrinceat the3rdAnnualMinnesota

MusicAwards, it is likely thatherecordedhisvocalson“Modernaire.”PrincealsorequestedthattheengineerpullanunreleasedVanity6track,“Promise2BTrue,”outofthevaultforconsiderationaswell.ItislikelythatDickersonaddedguitarandhisvocalstothesong.

Status: Dickerson’s version of “Promise 2 B True” was shelved and remainsunreleased.

SUNDAY,MAY15,1983(ESTIMATE)

Hetook thebestbitsofBeethovenand theBeatlesandJamesBrown.Hewasable toride thatedgeofuniqueness,and[itwas]sobrilliantthewayeverythingwaspresentedtoyoueveryday.Youwerejustkindofshocked.Everythingwassoeffortlesstohim.—BobbyZRivkin11

“Possessed”isatrackthathadbeenaroundforawhile.Princehaddebutedpartof it on December 10, 1982, in Chicago during the 1999 tour. He eventuallyplayed the entire track onMarch 21, 1983, at RadioCityMusicHall inNewYorkCity, but getting a proper version of it on tapewas difficult, evenwhenPrincesetasidestudiotimeforitandhe’dtakeseveralpassesatitbeforehewashappy.ItislikelythatPrincerecordedalloftheinstrumentsonthissong.Prince’sinfluenceonthistrackwasJamesBrown,andhededicatedthesongto

himonthePrinceandtheRevolution:Live!concerttape,releasedin1985.

Status: Today’s version of “Possessed” (8:46) remains unreleased. Additionalworkwouldbedoneonthetrack,anditwouldberevisitedmultipletimesbeforeit was completely rerecorded the following year. The 1984 version of“Possessed”(7:56)wasreleasedin2017onthePurpleRainDeluxe(ExpandedEdition)CDset.

MONDAY,MAY16,1983

OnMay16th,IwouldappearonstagewithPrinceinourhometownforthelasttime.ItwastheMinnesotaMusicAwardsandIjoinedthebandforonesong.—DezDickerson12

Prince was honored with six awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year,Producer of the Year, Musician of the Year, Band of the Year, and BestProducer.His 1999 albumwonAlbumof theYear, and “LittleRedCorvette”wonEP/45oftheYear.TheTimealsowonforBestR&B/Soul/Ethnic.Princeandhisbandwere joinedbyMorrisDay,JesseJohnson,andVanity6

foraperformanceof“D.M.S.R.,”whichat the timewasapromosingle in theUnitedKingdomandwaslikelybeingconsideredforreleaseinNorthAmerica.Onamorehistoricnote,thiswasthefinaltimePrincesharedthestagewithtwopeople whowere very close to him: former lead guitarist DezDickerson andVanity,whowouldleavelaterinthesummer.

MONDAY,MAY16,1983

Princecelebratedhisawardsbyplayingabriefsetthatincluded“CloreenBaconSkin,”with JahWobble, theoriginal bass player forPublic ImageLtd.Princesupposedly grabbed Wobble’s bass, licked the E string, and said, “Nice andgreasy;justthewayIlikeit.”

TUESDAY,MAY24,1983(ESTIMATE)

Princecouldwalkintoastudioandplayfull,difficultpartsinonetakethat were just streaming from his soul. It was an incredible thing towatch. He got to that level. I just don’t know too many people thatobtainthatreally.—MattFink13

Additional overdubs were reportedly done on this date. The track wouldeventuallycontainbackgroundvocalsbyJillJones,butit isunclearifthatwasdoneonthisdateoratanothertime.


“G-Spot”weusedtojamonallthetime.—BobbyZ14

Princehadalotofmusictocreatefortheupcomingmovie,andeverytrackthatwasrecordedhadthepotentialtobeeitherinthefilmorononeoftheupcomingalbumshewasoverseeing.Hewouldbecraftingthesoundtrackalbum,buttherewouldalsobereleasesbytheTime,Vanity6,andmaybeevensomeoftheotherperformers he was grooming. “This was a very confusing period,” explainsengineerPeggyMcCreary,“becausethereweretimesthatwewerelayingdowntracks for the Time, Prince, and theVanity 6 album all very close together. Ireallyrememberjustbeingsodamntired,soalotofitjustseemslikeIwasinafog.”Princeworked on this in his home studio, and during the recording he tried

somethingdifferent. “Whenhewas laying the track for ‘G-Spot,’hewentandgotasaxophone,”remembersJillJones.Hegotthesaxoutandhealreadyknewthepartsthathewanted.IcanrememberbecauseIwaslike,“Whatthehell?”Didn’tmatter.I’mliketheperfectcheerleaderforthatdude.It’sgreat,youwanttodo

brainsurgerylater?Youcandoit!Youcandoit!Comeon,it’sacoupleoflittleknives,youcandoit.(laughs)But therehewas,andhedidn’tstopuntilhegot it thewayhewantedit.ThebasicriffwasPrinceonasaxophoneanditwasalmostasbigashewas.

Prince’sattemptonthesaxwasquicklyreplacedwithkeyboards,whichwouldeventuallybereplacedbyamoreelaboratehornsectionfeaturingsaxophonebyBobMinzer,ChrisHunter,andRogerRosenberg;JonFaddisandRandyBreckerontrumpet;andJimPughontrombone.“G-Spot”wasagroovePrincehadthebandworkonmanytimes.AsBobbyZ

recalled,“‘G-Spot’wasalmostaTimeriff,whereitwaslikeasongfortheTimeorsomething.Ithadthatsynththingandthatlick.Itwasjusttheonetunethathelovedjammin’on.”15Thebandcircledaroundthemainriff,withPrinceaddingsome spontaneous lyrics as if he were James Brown tellingMaceo Parker to“blowyourhorn”andthrowingashoutouttoJB’s“MotherPopcorn.”Althoughthe band may have rehearsed the track, it is unclear whether any of theRevolutionactuallyplayedon it in the studio.Princeoften recordedovernightafterthebandhadleft,andbecausehecoulddoitallhimself,hedidmanyofhissongsonhisown:“Whenitwasthreeo’clockinthemorning,andI’dtrytogetBobbyZtocomeouttothestudio,sometimeshe’dcome,sometimeshewouldn’t.”16The rest of the lyrics were based on a chat between Prince and Jill Jones

regarding the female erogenous area called the G-spot (or Gräfenberg spot),whichhadbeengettingalotofpressatthetime.Jonesrecalls,“Iwasreadingamagazine aboutG-spots andhad a conversationwithhimabout it.Hewalkedawaywiththatinfoandhecamebackwiththesong.”OriginallyPrince sanghis own lyrics, but aswithmanyof his songs, itwas

offered to other performers. Vanity added her voice to the song, and it wasscheduledtobeincludedonVanity6’ssecondalbum.Itwaseventuallyplacedafter “Vibrator,” an unreleased Vanity 6 track that featured a segue into “G-Spot.”Onceitwasdecidedthatthesongwasn’tgoingtobereleasedbyVanity6,Joneswasbroughtintoaddherleadvocalstothesong.Shesays,“Hehadaguidevocalon that. Itwasn’t like, ‘Yousing thisoryou sing that’;hewasn’tlikethatwithme.Occasionallyitwas,‘Yougohigher,’buthewasveryeasytoworkwith.Laughingatcertain things thathe’ddoor thatsomeoneelsewoulddo,andhe’dsay,‘I’mkeepingthat,’sorecording‘G-spot’wasalotoffun.”TheideaofreleasinganalbumbyJoneswasdiscussed,sosherelocatedfrom

LosAngeles toMinneapolis.“Ididn’tknowif Iwasgoing togetanalbumtoworkon,”sheremembers.“Iguessthatwasthepremise.”

Status:“G-Spot” (4:30)was released in1987onJill Jones’sonlyPaisleyParkrecord.Asingleeditversion(4:02)andaremix(6:23)werealsoreleased.Thesongwas rehearsedwith theRevolution during the summer of 1983, andwasincludedinAlbertMagnoli’searlydraftsofthePurpleRainscriptbutremovedbeforeshootingbeganinNovember.Itwasalsooneofthetracksslatedforthebenefit show that Princewould perform inAugust.Ultimately, itwouldn’t beincludedinthefilmandwasn’teverperformedlive.

“G-Spot”wasrecordedbeforePrince’slongtimeengineerSusanRogersworkedwithhim,butsherecalledafunnyremnantthatwaspossiblyfromthesession:“Downstairsinhishomewasalittleutilityroomandtherewasalittlecartoonbook sitting on top of hiswashingmachine calledLooking for theG-Spot orWhere Is the G-Spot? I got the impression that this was something thatsomebodyhadgivenhimandwhichhadtheninspiredhimtowritethesong.”17

JUNE1983

Wewereallinacting,danceandspeechclasses,wardrobefittings,andrehearsals for our acting scenes. It was a flurry of activity frommorning’tilnightwithverylittletimeoff.Ontopoftheworkweweredoing for the film, everyone—the Time, Vanity 6 and Prince—was inthe studio recording our next albums, all to be released at the sametimethePurpleRainfilmwouldbecomingout.—BrendaBennett1

Prince’s twenty-fifthbirthdayon June7, the startof the summer, and thenewfocus on his next project helped create an optimistic mood for most of theperformers,withonelargeexception.ThefiringofJimmyJamandTerryLewisfromtheTimedevastatedtheentireband,andMorrisDay’sfrustrationabouthislack of control was festering. “Morris was pretty upset,” explained JellybeanJohnson.“Hedideverythinginhispowertogettheguysbackintheband,butPrincewasn’thavingit;Princehaddecidedthattheyweren’tgoingtobeinit.”2Morrisshowed little interest in theworknecessary tomake themovie, inboththe rehearsal for his band and the prep being done by the actors during thesummer:“Istartedgoingtoactingclassanddancingclassandallsortsofsillystuff. Igotkickedoutofactingclass,because Ikeptclowningaroundand theguyssaidIwasdisruptingitforeverybody.”3AccordingtoJesseJohnson,“Morris tookitharder thananyofus.Itwashis

band and somebody else was doing the dismissing.”4 Despite having helpedcreatetheband,Daywaspowerlessashewatcheditfallapart.Withtwogone,theremainingmembersbeganstrappingontheirparachutes.“Aboutamonthorso later Idecided that Ididn’twant tobearoundbecause

there was too much stuff I didn’t want to be around,” explained TimekeyboardistMonteMoir,wholeftafterattendingonerehearsalforthemovie.“Iwasnothappyaboutbeingthereatthetime.”5DrummerJellybeanJohnsonagreed:IleftforawhilebecauseIwaspissedandIwasjustdisillusioned.Iwasjustreallymadandupsetathim.Howcouldhedothat,afterwespenttwoyearsandmadehimatonofmoney?Ungratefulshit.Iknewfromthegroundworkwehadputoutinthosetwoyearsthathestoodachancetomakeatonofmoney.Andhere itwas,wewereabout tobe leftoutof it.So it justgot tome,andafterawhile, Ithoughtaboutit,andIhadn’tworkedajobinabout[threeorfour]years.Ihadquitcollegetobeinthis

shit.Iwashavingmyfirstchild.Jessesaid,“C’monlet’sdothisthing.”Ineededthemoney,soIwentback.It’soneofthehardestthingsIeverdid,wastogobackandhavetoputyourtailbetweenyourlegsandreconsider.6

With threeof thesevenmembersgone, thepositionsneeded tobefilled,andwordwent out to a variety ofmusicians in theMinneapolis area. TwinCitieskeyboard player Paul Peterson, a member of the very well-known Petersonmusic family, explained how hewas told: “I had just graduated in June fromHolyAngels [Academyof theHolyAngels, a private coedCatholic school inRichfield,Minnesota],andIwashangingoutwithmybestfriendBrettWardupinBreezyPoint,andIgotaphonecall frommybrother-in-lawthatsays, ‘Getdown here, you have an audition with the Time.’ I’m like, ‘Huh? Leave myvacation?’(laughs)SoIdidexactlythat.”7Atapewassenttohelphimrehearse,butitdidn’tarriveuntilthenightbeforetheaudition.Herecalls:Iwasnervous.IwentanddidthebestIcould,basedonallthetrainingIgotfrommyfamilyandallthegigsIhaddonepriortothat.Iguessitturnedoutokay.IwishIcouldremembertheexactnumber[ofsongsIplayed],but,itfeltlikeamillionsongs.ThefirsttimeImetPrincewasatthefirstcallback—mysecondaudition[withtheTime].Hewasn’t

atthefirstone.Iwasnervous.Hewasthisbigrockstar.HewalkedintotheroomandIthinkwewerepickingoutswatchesforthematerialweweregoinguseforthesuitsinthemovie.Ihadpickedoutabeautifulblackpinstripedsuitandhesaid“No,you’vegottostandout.”Thenhepickedoutanorangeoneforme.Isaid“I’mnotwearingthat.”Hesaid“Yes,youare.”8

PrincealsoplayedatrickonPetersonthatwouldeventuallyshowupinUndertheCherryMoon:“Idon’tknowwhetherIwasthefirstpersonorwhatever,butI’llneverforgetit.Hewrotedownthewords,‘Wreck.A.Stow.’Andheaskedmetosaythatoutloud.IwasscaredtodeathandIsaid,‘WreckUhStow.’Hesaid,‘Whatisit?’‘Idon’tknow.’‘Sayitagain.’‘WreckUhStow.’‘Whatisit?’‘Idon’tknow.’‘Wheredoyoubuyyourrecords?’‘Recordstore.’Oh,ha,haha.So that was his breaking the ice with me. That was my first encounter withhim.”9Prince also tried to exert his influence when he asked new member Mark

Cardenas to wear blackface. Cardenas was shocked; he looked at Prince andreplied,“‘I’mnotgoingtodoblackface.Nope.’Ijustsaid,‘I’mnotgoingtodothat.’”Luckilyforeveryone,Princeagreed.Once the new members (Peterson, Cardenas, and Rocky Harris) began

rehearsingwith theTime,JesseJohnsonwouldoverseemanyof therehearsalsbecauseDayoftendidnotparticipate,andwhenhedidhedisplayedverylittleinterestinthereplacements.AccordingtoJohnson,“[Morris]usedtojustcome

in and say, ‘Jesse, have ’em play something,’ and somebody would playsomethingandhe’dsay...,‘Jesse,comehere.Gotellthemtoneverplaythatnoteagain.’AndI’dgobackthereandsay,‘Morrissaiddon’teverplaythatnoteagaininfrontofMorris.’Andthat’sthetruth.”10“Morris was very standoffish to the new guys in the band,” remembers

Cardenas. “Heoccasionally came to rehearsal,mostofmydealingswerewithJesseJohnsonandJellybeanandJerome.”Petersonrecalled:“FromtheminuteIgotthegigitwaslike,Okay,well,hereit

isandhowyouact,howyouwalk,howyou talk,what theshtick is—becausetherewasashtick.Wedidn’tcallitshtick,butitwasshtick.I’mtellingyou,itwas like you had to have this attitude,man. You could not be the little, tinywhitekidfromRichfield.Youneededtobecool.”11“Paul,Ilikedfromdayone,”rememberedJellybeanJohnson,“becausehewas

onlyeighteenyearsold.Hewasjustakid,hewassweet,thewayhedidn’tknowshitaboutgrabbinghisdick.Weknewweweregoingtohavetoteachhimallofthatstuff,buthelookedlikehewasreadytolearn,andhewasaPetersonsohehadenormoustalent.”12DespitehisacceptancebyJellybeanJohnson,Petersoncouldfeel the tension,

and he understood why the newmembers weren’t all embraced immediately:“Theyjustlosttheirbrothers.TheyjustlostJimmyJam,TerryLewis,andMonteMoir, and theyweren’t happy, sowewere trying to fill those shoes. Lookingbackon itnowIcanseewhere theirdiscontentwas. Icould’vebeen themosttalentedkeyboardplayeronplanetearthand theystillwould’vebeenbummedthattheirbrosweregone,butitwasschool,andtheyreally,inashortamountoftime, gavegreat direction.Longhours in the studio and/or just cussingusoutwasreallywhatitwas.Theycussedusoutalot.(laughs)”13“Hemust have been Prince’s choice,” reflected Jellybean Johnson, “because

JessereallyrodePaul.”14DuringaconversationwithDonnieSimpson,Dayrevealedhowhefeltduring

thisperiod:“That’swhenitstartedgettingstrangeforme,anditdidn’thavethesame vibe. I knew that was the beginning of the end because I was used tolookingbackandseeingfamiliarfaceswithpeoplelikemybrothers,andIknewwhat to expect. When we started to get the new members, it was just toodifferent.”15TheTimewasfallingapart.Princewasstillincharge,butashetightenedhis

griptheplayersfeltmorepowerless,despitethehugeboostthatthemoviecould

potentiallygivetheband.ThisdisconnectwasareasontheTimewasprivatelybeingreferredtoas“PartTime,”“HalfTime,”or“TimeOut.”Theoutlookdidn’t lookgood, according toCardenas: “Igot a sense that the

Timewasover.”

TUESDAY,JUNE21,1983

We would average six or seven 90-minute cassettes every rehearsalday.Imaginethestuffthat’sinthevault.—Robert“Cubby”Colby16

Princewaslookingforsongstoconsiderfortheupcomingfilmandsoundtrack,sohehadthebandrehearse“IWouldDie4U”onthisdate.Thesonghadbeenwrittenmore thanayearearlierandwaspreviouslyworkedonduringasoundcheckonFebruary15,1982,inSanFrancisco,California,butthiswaslikelythefirst time itwasplayedwith the fullRevolutionnowthatWendyMelvoinhadreplacedDezDickerson.PrincedecidedtoaddsomecomplexitytothetrackandaskedforhelpfromMattFink:“Atfirsthewantedmetoplaythebasslineon‘IWouldDie4U’manually.Sowe tried it during rehearsal first,which I couldpullitoff,butitwasnoteasy.AndsometimesIwouldgetoffrhythmalittlebitbecause youhad to be so spot on, andyouhad to play itwith twohands!SoPrince says, ‘Well, Matt, why can’t you play it with one hand and play thechordswiththeotherhand?’AndIsaid,‘Youtryit.’Butneitheroneofuscoulddoit.”17It was decided to sequence some of the keyboards, so Don Batts created a

cutting-edge system that could be triggered by Bobby Z during the liveperformance. “He had a really good backline tech back then, Don Batts,”remembered Robert “Cubby” Colby, who was also an audio tech/mixer forPrince foryears.“WhenPrincehad theRevolution, itwasheandDon.PrincehadlearnedallthisengineeringtechniqueandlearnedalotfromDonand[other]recordingengineers.”18“DonBattswasagenius,”agreedBobbyZ.19AccordingtoPurpleRaindirectorAlbertMagnoli,theoriginalinspirationfor

thetrackmayhavecomefromsomethingthathappenedtoPrincewhenhewas

younger:“Princetoldmethathisfatherhadsaidonetime,‘Iwoulddieforyou.’I think thathementioned that tome; itwas in thesong,andsomehowIknewthat thiswas something they had visited a long time ago.”The linewould berepeatedbytheKid’sfatherinthefilm.

Status:Thisrehearsalhasnotbeenreleased.“IWouldDie4U”waslinkedwith“BabyI’maStar,”andtheybothdebutedduringPrince’sAugust3,1983,showat First Avenue. The basic tracks recorded on that evening required overdubsand editing before the completed track (2:49) was placed on thePurple Rainalbum.

TUESDAY,JUNE28,1983*

I think artists absorb stuff and it just becomespart of their computerbase, to coin a phrase. How it comes out is maybe even randomlywriting a new song that may have an influence that’s quite obviousfromaLittleRichardorJamesBrownor inPrince’scaseSantanaorSly Stone, but you don’t necessarily think that as you’re writing. Inotherwords,asthemusiciscomingoutandyou’replayingorwritingasong,you’renotconsciouslysaying,“ThiswillbemySlyStonesong”or“Thiswill bemyBeatles song”or“Thiswill bemyJamesBrownsong.” It’s just the song you feel at that moment, and the input thatyou’redrawingfromisallofthoseinfluencesthatyou’veabsorbedallyourlifeoflistening.—AlanLeeds20

Thiswas theonlyofficialworkonPrince’smusicdone atSunsetSounduntilmid-August. It was a 24-track transfer session of the song “Chocolate.” Atransfer like thissimplymeans thatacopyof the tapewasmade.SincePrincewas inMinneapolispreparing for the film, this tapewassent tohim,probablyforconsiderationinthemovie.

WEDNESDAY,JUNE29,1983

Onceagain,Princewashonoredinhishometown,thistimeasMusicianoftheYear.He gathered his band to perform “D.M.S.R.” and “1999.” Thiswas thefirst time they performed without Dickerson, but curiously, Wendy Melvoinwasn’tincluded.

JULY1983

During the summer, Prince was scheduled to meet with Albert Magnoli todiscuss the possibility of directing themovie.Magnoli had recently graduatedfrom film school at the University of Southern California, and while he wasyoung and energetic and had experience as an editor, he’d never directed afeature-length film, so the riskwashigh. In addition,Magnoli’s knowledgeofPrincewaslimited,sobeforehetraveledtoMinneapolisforameeting,heaskedCavallo, Ruffalo & Fargnoli for every video they had on Prince, includingconcert footage and music videos, and Magnoli immersed himself. Whilewatchingthetapes,henoticedatrend:“Ibegantorealize:Oh,Princeisjumpingfrom one era to another within a year, which is rare. Okay, the next jump isgoing tobeeven larger,because that’swhat the filmwilldo.That’swhat I’mthinking.IgotontheplanetoMinneapolisthenextday.”The director’s insight into Prince expanded during an unexpected first

encounterwhileMagnoliwassitting in thehotel lobby inMinneapoliswaitingfortheirinitialmeeting:TherewasabigmomentformetoseePrincewhenhedidn’tknowIwasintheroom.Sohecomesoutoftheelevator,anditspreciselytwelvemidnight,andhewalksacross,rightinfrontofme,righttoleft,becausehe’slookingtowardthedoorandthat’swherehismanageris.Hedoesn’tknowIamsittingofftotheside.SoIwasabletoobservehimforthewholelengthofthatwalkandIwasabletoabsorbfromthatanenormousamountofvulnerability,andanenormousamountofpain.Andthat’swhenIcameupwiththewholeideaofthisconflictbetweenfatherandsonandthatthefatherhadstoppedwritingandwasburyinghismusicandwasevensayingthathedoesn’tevenwriteanymore.

WhenMagnoliwasaskedabouthisthoughtsonthemovie,hetoldPrincethathefelttheoriginalscript“sucked”andproceededtopitchhisownversionofthemovie.Princeagreedandgranted theyoung filmmakeraccess tohisband,hispersonallife,andhisarchiveofmusictohelpshapetheproject.Magnolirecalls:Hehad this little studio in the basement of his suburban home at the time, and he essentially had ahundredsongs,orwhateverthenumberwas,thathehadwrittenandproduced,createdanddoneeitherbyhimselforwithotherpeopleinthegrouporwhatever.VerylittleofitwastheRevolution;mostofitwas music he had prior to that, and we started listening to songs, and I liked what I heard, and Iimmediately said to him, “We’re not going to be able to sit here and listen to a hundred songs,obviously.”

Prince gave him a copy of the songs aswell as the lyric sheets to help himdeterminewhichoneswouldbeneededforthemovieandthealbum:“Wehadagreed that it can’t be a double album, that it was going to be a twelve-songalbumfromhim,maybefour,five,orsixsongs,whateverthenumberwasfromMorrisDayandtheTime,andtheremightbeamiscellaneousbandortwoafterthat.We’re essentially talking about one twelve-song album, kind of aPurpleRain soundtrackmusical,whatever, but it wasn’t going to be a double albumthing.”In essence, themovie didn’t have any specificmusic attached, so the album

existedonly as a concept.The actual tracks thatwouldwindupon the albumwouldbedecided almost entirelybasedonwhatwas in the film, and the filmcouldn’tbefullyfleshedoutwithoutthemusic.Itwastheclassic“chickenortheegg” situation because the music would shape the narrative and support thestory,butthemusichadtobecompellingenoughforthealbumtostandonitsown.Magnolisays,“Iwasable togoback toL.A.at the timeand listen toall the

music, read all the lyrics, and then based on that, when I began writing thescreenplay, I was able to visualize and write the music and select the songnecessaryfortheemotionalunderpinningatthatmomentinthescript.”The plan was for Magnoli to finish his current project, then come back to

MinneapolisinAugusttointervieweverybodyaroundPrinceandfinishwritingthescriptbasedonwhatheabsorbed.

TUESDAY,JULY12,1983

Ifeelthatmusicisablessing.Idon’tfeellikeI’mworking.SowhenI’mnot“working,”I’m thinkingabout it, somusic takesupagoodportionofthetime.—Prince1

The version of “Baby I’m a Star” that was eventually released was radicallydifferentwhenitwasdemoedbyPrinceduringthesummerof1981.Itcontainsalmostallthesamelyrics,butitincludesamuchsparserlayeringofkeyboards,

piano,andvocaloverdubs.DonBattsrecalledhowtheelementsexisted,butinaverydifferentform:“Thatwasabsolutelymagic.Itwasreallyfromtheheart.Hewasplayingathispeak,almostsortoflikeStevieWonder.Itwasanincrediblerocking tuneand I still consider it far superior. I think theyoverdid it lateronPurpleRain.”2Anupdatedversionofthesongwasworkedontoday.Itisunclearifitwasa

rehearsaloranewrecording.

Status:The1981demoof“BabyI’maStar”(3:56)andtheupdatedversionbothremainunreleased.

“BabyI’maStar”waslistedonaSunsetSoundworkorderfromDecember7,1981,but it is unclear if theyactuallyworkedon it during that sessionas thetitlewasscratchedout.

JULY1983(DATEUNCERTAIN)

[“Electric Intercourse”] is the kind of song when little girls lovePrince.It’slike“DoMe,Baby”orsomethinglikethatbutalittlemorerisqué. It was successful when we played it live, but in the studio itwasn’tquiteasdynamic.—LisaColeman3

Princewas focusedon creatingmusic that told a story for the upcoming film,andhespentadayinhishomestudioworkingonwhatwasscheduledtobetheemotional ballad for the scenes with Vanity. The song was given to theRevolutiontorehearseforanupcomingbenefitshowatFirstAvenue,andinthelivecontextthesongcamealive.Overthenextfewmonths,themoviethatwasbeingplannedwouldmorphinto

a filmwith a very different tone. InAugust,Magnoli’s script forPurpleRainincluded “G-Spot” and “Electric Intercourse” in the section after Morris andVanitywereenjoyingadrinktogetheratFirstAvenue.EventuallyVanity’spartwasrecastandrenamedandgiventoApolloniaKotero,“G-Spot”wasremovedfromthefilmandsoundtrack,and“ElectricIntercourse”wasreplacedby“The

BeautifulOnes.”“Itwasagoodsong,”reflecteddrummerBobbyZ,“butIthink‘TheBeautifulOnes’waswrittenlateanditwasabetterone,withoutadoubt.”4Status:“Electric Intercourse” (4:57)was includedon thePurpleRainDeluxe

(ExpandedEdition)CDsetin2017.ThetrackwasconsideredforaspotontheunreleasedCrystalBallIIsetin2000.

SUMMER1983(DATEUNCERTAIN)

Irememberbeingat thehouseandIrememberwhenDenise[Vanity]hadthismassagerthatsheused,anditwasforherback,becauseshehadabadback,anditsoundedlikealawnmower.—JillJones

OneofthehallmarksoftheVanity6albumwasthehumorousskitduring“IfaGirlAnswers(Don’tHangUp),”andPrincedecidedtocontinueinthatdirectionwithasongcalled“Vibrator,”whichwasaboutavibratingpersonalmassager.The lyrics repeatedly explained that her lover’s services were no longernecessarybecausehervibrator“makesmefeelsogood.”5“OhmyGod.(laughs)Itwasdefinitely for the secondVanity6album,” recallsBrendaBennettuponhearing the track again. “You can hear in her performance that she had reallyimproved,butasfarasIcouldtell,therewasnowayhewouldreleaseit...andhehasn’t!ThatisJillandVanityattheendofthesong.”“They went in the studio and I think Susan [Moonsie] was there, and I

rememberjustlaughing,”recallsJillJones.“Howcrazyisthat?Ihadforgottenaboutthat.Thatwaswhenwewereallgettingalong!ThatwasatPrince’shouseinMinneapolis.ItwasrightbeforethePurpleRainstuffstartedgoing,because[Vanity]hadn’t leftyet.Wewereall in thestudio together,and itwaseasy toworkbecauseyoucoulddoyourpartandthengoupstairsandmaketea.”Princeonceagainplayedasimilarcharacterashehadon“IfaGirlAnswers”

duringthefour-minutecomedicsection,whichconcludeswithVanityachievinganorgasmat the endof the song. Jones recalls her reactionwhen that sectionwas taped: “After I recordedmy part I ended up leaving the studio andwentupstairs,andshewentdownthereandthenthatthingjust(makesloudgrinding

noise).AsIremembereditwaslikealawnmower(laughs)andshealluded[tome] that theydid thisexperimentation thing.Anything forart! IwaswatchingTVanditwasreallyloudanditdidn’ttakeagenius!Therewerealotofthingsthatwentonlikethatinthestudioforsure.Forsure!”

Status: “Vibrator” (7:10) remains unreleased, although Vanity’s moaning waseventuallyusedon the song“Orgasm” forPrince’sCome albumaswell ason“7” from theMadhouse album 8 and on “21” from the unreleasedMadhousealbum24.PrincewouldlaterspendtimeatSunsetSoundreviewing“Vibrator,”butitisunclearwhetherthesessioncontainedanyadditionaloverdubs.

OthertracksthataredifficulttoconfirmbeingrecordedinMinneapolisduringthe summer of 1983 include “Electrocution,” and “Money.” No additionalinformationisavailableabouteitherofthesesongs.

SATURDAY,JULY16,1983

Q:Soyoucango intoasessionandnotevenhave the fullpicture inmind,laydownthebassline,andthenbuildaroundthat?A:Icould.I’vedoneitbefore,yes.—Prince6

Five months earlier, Prince had worked with Stevie Nicks on “Stand Back,”whichwascurrentlyaBillboardTop15hitandstillclimbingthecharts.Whenher tour brought her to the Twin Cities, Prince invited Nicks to spend theeveningwithhimathishome,hopingtocreateanothertrackwithher:Princecameandgotmerightaftertheshow.I’mstillinmychiffonstageoutfitandhe’sinhispurplestageoutfit.WegetinhispurpleCamaroandbomboutontothefreewayat100mph.I’mterrified,butkindofexcited,too:“Shit,we’regoingtogetpulledover!”Sowegettohispurplehouseandhehasastudiodownstairsandwetrytowriteasongtogether.ButI’vejustdoneashowandI’mtired,soIgoupstairsandsleeponthefloorofhispurplekitchen.InthemorninghewakesmeupandIhavesomecoffeeandIsingalittlepartonthesong.ButI’vegottobeattheairportby2p.m.totake-offandyoudonotmiss thatplane.Weget into thepurpleCamaroagain,Princebombs itdownthe freewayandright out onto the tarmac alongside our private jet. He comes around to openmy door andwe hug

goodbye,butwebothlooklikecrazypeople.Igetontheplaneandtherestofthebandarelike(drumsfingers,rollseyes).I’mlike,“What?Nothinghappened.”7

Status:Thetitleofthesongisunknownanditappearstoremainunreleased.

Nicks’sinterviewindicatesthatitwasaFleetwoodMactour,butifthisdateisaccurate,shewasonasolotourforheralbumTheWildHeartandplayedattheMetCenterinBloomington,Minnesota,onJuly15,1983.

Alargeportionofthesummerwasspentre-creatingtheTimeasthepowerhousegroup from the last tour, but a lot of work was going into blending the newmembers with the old. On the other hand, Prince had been rehearsing theRevolution (withWendyMelvoin replacingDezDickerson), and itwas goingverywell.“TheideaofintegrationisimportanttoPrince,tomeandtherestofthebandtoo,”revealedLisaColeman.“It’sjustgoodfatethatit’sworkedoutaswell as it has the perfect couple of black people, the perfect couple of whitepeople,coupleofgirls,coupleofJews.Whatever.He’schosenthepeopleinhisband because of their musical abilities, but it does help to have two femalemusicianswhoarecompetent.”8“The Revolution I feel, chemistry wise, was one of the best groups [that

played]with Prince,” reflectedMatt Fink, who’d played keyboards in severalbandswithPrince. “I also felt [itworked] lookswise; the fact that thereweretwowomen,itwasliketheconfigurationofFleetwoodMac.”9PrincewasspendingalotoftimewiththeRevolutioninthestudio,findingout

their limits and, like he doeswith almost everyone around him, pushing theirlimits,asPeggyMcCrearyremembers,duringrehearsalsandstudiotime:“WhenIknewWendy,shewassofreakedouttosolo.Princeusedtojokewithher‘Areyougoingtosolo?Areyougoingtosolo?’Youjustfeltforherbecauseitwassohard,butthenonceshegotthatunderherbelt,shejustflew!”

SUMMER1983(DATEUNKNOWN)

Q:Was(“PurpleRain”)writtenin1979?A:Thisisyetanotherfictionbasedmelodrama.—Prince10

Princewasaiminginadifferentdirectionthanheeverhadbefore:epic,guitar-basedrockmusic.“Giventhecrossoverthatbeganwith[thesuccessof]‘LittleRed Corvette,’ and a couple of others off the previous album, it had finallybeguntodeliverhima largewhiteaudience,or ifnot large,at leastagrowingwhiteaudience,”detailedAlanLeeds. “And itwasonly logical tonotwant toignore that new audiencewhen youmake your next record.And certainly theeconomicsofthefilmindustrydonotallowforanR&Bmovie.Theexpenseoffilmandtheneedtorecoupdictatesthatyouhaveaswideanappealaspossible,anditjustmakessensethathewentintoitsaying,‘I’vegottomakesomepopmusic,becauseit’sgoingtobeinamovie.’”11RumorsoftheoriginofthetitletracktoPurpleRainhavecirculatedforalong

time,butthereisn’tanyoneinvolvedwiththecreationofthetrackwhotracesitback before 1982–1983. According to those around Prince, the history of theactual trackhasseveral influences.DezDickersonfeels thathisownrock-and-rollhistoryhadsomeswayincreatingthesong:“Princeisagreatguitaristinhisownright,soIdon’tknowifhewouldn’thavewrittenthatkindofstuffwithoutmearound,butI’mgladIhadthechancetoinfluencehissoundsomewhat.”12Fink explains how he believes the influence should be shared, based on a

conversationthathehadwithPrincewhileonthe1999tourin1982–1983:“Wewere out on tour andBobSegerwas shadowinguswhereverwewent andhesaid,‘Idon’tunderstandtheappealofthatstuff.’Isaidthatitwaslikecountryrock.Itwaswhitemusic.‘Youjustneedtowriteawhitetune.YoushouldwriteaballadlikeBobSegerwrites,you’llcrossrightover.’Andhedid!Hetookmyadvice.Ireallythinkthathelistenedtomeattimeslikethat.”InthemoviePurpleRain,themusicforthetitletrackwaswrittenbyMelvoin

andColeman,withPrinceaddinghisownlyrics.Therealityisalittledifferent.Melvoinshedsomelightregardingthesong’sorigin:“Inanswertoeveryone’squestion:DidWendyandLisawrite‘PurpleRain’?Theanswer isno.But . . .didwehelp?Yes,wedid.”13Princehimselffeltlikeaninspirationforthesongcamefromoutsidetheband,

specifically from “Faithfully,” a Top 20 single from Journey’s 1983 albumFrontiers,sohereachedouttothewriterofthesong,JonathanCain,todiscussitwithhim.“Iwanttoplaysomethingforyou,andIwantyoutocheckitout.Thechordchangesarecloseto‘Faithfully,’andIdon’twantyoutosueme,”Prince

supposedlytoldCainduringthephonecall.“Ithoughtitwasanamazingtune,and I told him, ‘Man, I’m just super-flattered that you even called. It showsyou’rethatclassyofaguy.Goodluckwiththesong.Iknowit’sgoingtobeahit.’”14“Princefelt,Iguess,itwasobviousenoughthathewasworriedweweregoing

tosuehim,”rememberedJourneyguitaristNealSchon.“Weall talkedaboutitandeverybodysaid,‘Nah,it’sthehighestformofflattery.Letitgo.’”15Although the chord progressionwas reportedly first played during the sound

check before the show in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 12, 1982, it wasn’tworkedon ingreatdetailuntil thesummerof1983,when itwasbroughtbackouttothebandatthewarehouse.“Princecametouswiththechordsforthesongduringrehearsal,”recalledFink.“Hehadthesong,but thearrangementwasn’tquitefinalizedyetandIdon’tthinkthelyricswerefinished.Sowhenhebroughtittous,hejustsaid,‘Playwhatyoufeel.’”16“Wewereseriouslycampedoutinawarehouseworkingoutthesesongs,and

wewould reallywrite themas a band andwewere so tight by that time, andWendyfitinsowellandaddedsuchabeautifulcolorinherguitarplayingandher funk abilities,” Coleman explained in 2009. “She had the perfectcombination of groove andnice beautiful chords,which is really indicative ofthat record,PurpleRain.The song itself, theopeningchords, areWendywithherbeautifulbigchords,likeachoruseffectonit.”17“I started playing this chord,” describedMelvoin as she played the opening

note. “And thenwe tried to change the chord, andPrince’s chords at the timeweremuchmoresimplethen.Wekeptall thosesuspendedchordsinthereandthenIputthe9inthere.”18“It was the perfect song for that band,” declared Coleman. “It just kind of

calledeverybodyintoalmostliketheirperfectrole.Itsummedupkindofwhatthebandwasatthattime.”19In 2011 Prince released a statement opening up about how much the

Revolution was in sync during that period, specifically his drummer andlongtime friendBobbyZ: “Nobodyplays drums on the song ‘PurpleRain’like Bobby. Never flashy or loud, he plays like a slow burn love song.Bobby’swayofplayingmadeeachliverenditionofthesongbetterthanthelast.”20But it wasn’t just Bobby Z who was hitting on all cylinders. Prince was

continuallyopentosuggestionsfromtheband,andwhenFinkcameupwitha

signature part of the song, Prince quickly incorporated it into the emotionalclimax:Thelineattheendwhere[Prince]singsthefalsettowayuphighthathasnolyric,thatwasakeyboardlineIwasplayingwhenwewerelearningthesong,andheincorporatedthatintotheendofthesong.Thatwassomethinghe tookfromsomethingIcameupwith.Notabigdeal. I’mnotmadabout thatbecausehegaveusartistroyaltiesforthatrecordforthecontributionswemade,eventhoughhedidn’tsay that Icontributed to thatwitha littlewritingorsomething,buthekneweverybodywas involvedandhadtheirownpartsthattheycameupwith.

According toMelvoin, theemotionalconnectionwith thesongsharedby thebandmemberswas contagious and resonatedwith awomanwho happened towitnessitsbirth:“Bytheendoftheday,itwasprettymuchsolid.Irememberedthiswomanwalkedinwithherbicycle.Shewaslikeabaglady.Shesatdownonachair in frontofuswhilewewereplaying.Reallyquiet,verydemure, reallysweet. And she just started crying while we played ‘Purple Rain.’ She wasbawling.”21“Youlistentotheinfluencesofthatsong.Thatsongcouldhavebeendonebya

countryartist,”saysFink.“It’slikeverymainstream,midwesternUnitedStatesrockandroll.There’snofunkinthatthingatall.(laughs)There’snotR&Binthatsong,it’sjuststraightaheadanthemicrockandroll.”22Melvoin nailed it when she explained that “Purple Rain” is “one of those

undeniableBIClightersongs.”23ThereisanalternatehistoryofthetrackthatinvolvesStevieNicks.Nicksand

Princehadrecordedtogetherearlierintheyear,andaccordingtoNicks,Princegave her a tape and asked her to write the lyrics. “I’ve still got it [the democassette]—with thewhole instrumental track and a little bit of Prince singing,‘Can’tgetoverthatfeeling,’orsomething,”shesaid.“Itoldhim,‘Prince,I’velistenedtothisahundredtimesbutIwouldn’tknowwheretostart.It’samovie,it’sepic.”24It is possible that Prince gave her the cassette containing this early version

eitherduringtheirrecentJuly16,1983,sessionorasearlyasFebruary8,1983,duringtheirtimerecording“StandBack.”Butwhat is thesongabout?“Once[mysongs]areonthatrecordtheyare

yours tomakewhatyouwantof them,”explainedPrince. “Idon’twant tospoiltheprocessbyexplainingwhatIthinktheyareabout.”25“Prince never talked aboutwhatany songwas about,” revealedMelvoin. “It

nevercameoutofhismouth:‘Ladiesandgentlemen,thisnextsongisaboutmymother’orwhatever.Heneversuggestedit,nevertalkedthatwaytoafriend.Itwasallweirdparables,andyoujusttookitforwhatitwas.”26

Despite the song’s origin ormeaning, the reality is that on “PurpleRain”—arguablyPrince’smosticonicsong—hebroughtthebasicideatohisband,butitwouldn’tbethesametrackwithoutthehelpoftheRevolution.Inthecreditsforthe song, everymember of theRevolution is recognized as performingon thetrack.Attheendoftheday,asonglike“PurpleRain”notonlyprofilesPrince’sskillsbutshouldremindthelistenerthattheRevolutionwasagreatband.“Purple Rain” would define Prince to many people and would become his

“StairwaytoHeaven.”Itwouldgrowintooneofthemostrecognizablesongsofthe 1980s, if not in all of rock history, andwould be performed byPrince onpracticallyevery tour (at almost every regular show) for the restofhiscareer.Decades later, the songdoesnot seemdated.Prince explained this toCNN in2004:“Oneofthereasonsforthat is thatIneverwantedtofit inwithmymusic.Whateverthetrendwas,Iusuallywenttheoppositedirection.”27

Status:Theten-minutedemo/rehearsalof“PurpleRain”remainsunreleased,asdoestheversionfromtheDecember12,1982,soundcheckinCincinnati,Ohio.The rendition of “Purple Rain” that was on the soundtrack album (8:41) wasbasedonaliveperformancefromAugust3,1983,andincludedagreatdealofoverdubsaddedintheweeksfollowingtheconcert.On September 26, 1984, the track was released as the third single from the

soundtrackalbumintheUnitedStates(itwasreleasedonSeptember10,1984,in theUK),and itpeakedatnumber2on theUSBillboardHot100chartandnumber4ontheBillboardBlackSingleschart.Variousofficialeditsof“PurpleRain”werereleased,includingtwo7-inchedits(4:02and4:30),a7-inchpromolong radio edit (5:37), a 12-inch “Long Version” (7:05), and a 7-inch promoradioedit(4:19).

Theonlypost-1983Princetourthatdidn’tfeature“PurpleRain”wasthe1995UltimateLiveExperienceTour,butthatwasbecausethattourfeaturednoneofhishits. In fact,“PurpleRain”wasnotplayedevenonceduringhis shows in1994and1995.“PurpleHaze”hasbeen listedasan inspiration for the title,and thephrase“purplerain”canalsobe found insongs fromAmerica(“VenturaHighway”)and StevieWonder (“Purple RainDrops,” the B-side of “Uptight”). Prince’sfather supposedly composed a track called “Purple Shades” several yearsearlier,andPrincehimselfhadcomposedatrackcalled“PurpleMusic.”“PurpleRain”wouldbe theclosing trackPrinceplayedduringhis final fullconcertinAtlanta,Georgia,onApril14,2016,theweekbeforehisdeath.

LATEJULY1983

When I was making sexy tunes, that wasn’t all I was doing. Backthen,thesexiest thingonTVwasDynasty,andifyouwatchitnow,it’slikeTheBradyBunch.Mysong“DarlingNikki”wasconsideredpornbecauseIsaidtheword“masturbate.”TipperGoregotsomad.It’ssofunnynow.—Prince28

MusicwasbeingcreatedatthewarehouseinSt.LouisPark,butPrincewasstilldoing the actual recording at home in his basement. In fact, the album’s linernotesteasedthat“DarlingNikki”was“recordedataplaceveryclose2whereulive.”Duringthissession,Princebeganworkonasongthatwouldbringhimagreat deal of attention not only from fans but also from the censors. “Everygenerationlikestoshock,”reflectedAlanLeeds,“andPrincehasmadeacareeroutofateenager’squesttoshockpeople.Butit’swhoheis.”29“He takes irreconcilableopposites likepleasures andpoliticsor sexand love

andmergestheminamusicstylethatisinitselfawonderofblending,”revealedBrownMark.“Hismomhadthiswildcollectionofpornonovelsandwhenhisdad split, he left Prince a piano. For him, sex and music are very naturalmixtures.”30WhenPrincerecordedathome,therewereveryfewtaskstheengineerhadto

do to facilitate the session, so he’d often assumed the position of his ownengineer. Everything was already in place because of Don Batts. Theinstruments were patched in and ready, and Batts would leave tape on themachine,whichmeantthatPrinceonlyhadtopresstherecordandplaybuttons.SeeminglyinspiredbyarifffromVanity6’s“3×2=6”thatprogresseddown

themusical scale, “DarlingNikki”was a very sparse tune, relying largely onPrince’slivedrumsandkeyboards,withafewguitaraccentsaddedtothemix.Theguitaravoidedoverpoweringthesonguntiltheend,whenthesoundsstartederuptingandall the instrumentscame together inanangryorgasmic fury.The

drums were embellished by the Linn, and the rapid beats were created whenBattsshowedPrincehowtoplaythepatternwithhisfingers.Oncealltheelementswereadded,thevocalswererecorded.Aswiththesong

itself, thevocalsgo fromcalm,almostpassive, topassionate screaming,andaplea for Nikki to come back to him, based around the sensual pattern of thepeaks and valleys of lovemaking. As the song rises and falls, increasing thesexual tension, it iseasy to imaginehispain in theplea forher to return,as ifsomeoneclosetohisheartwasthreateningtoleavehim.“Sometimeswhenhe’salone,especially,hecanreachtheseplacesthatarejustunbelievable,”recalledColeman.“He’sanimpressivescreamer.”31“Onlyafewpeoplethatcanscreamlikethat,”addedMelvoin.32Thescreamingandpleadingvocalswereaveryeffectivecountertothesparse

sectionsofthesongandwereprobablythereasonPrincereferredtothetrackas“the coldest song ever written.”33 Because he worked alone onmany of hishomesessions,Princewouldhave topress“record”and thenwalkover to thedrumkit,andthen,whenhewasfinished,walkbacktostoprecording.“That’showitwasbackthen,”accordingtoColeman:I’mnotkidding.He’dstartwiththedrums,buthe’dalreadyhavethesonginhishead....Andhe’dgoandpress“record”on themachineand then runover to thedrumsandyou’dhearhim jumpin’overthingsandtrippin’overwires,he’dsitdownonthedrums,andthencounthimselfoff,tick,tick,tick.Andthenhe’dplayandsometimeshe’dhavelyricswrittendownonapieceofnotebookpaperandsohe’dtrytosingitinhisheadandsometimesyou’dhearhimkindofgruntingandsingingalittlebitofthesongonthedrumtrack.Andthenhe’dimagineinhisheadlike...hetoldmethis,likeyouhavetokickthebassplayer’sass.Likewhenyou’replayingthedrums,kicktheotherguy’sass.Putthingsintherethat’sgoingtomaketheotherguy...whichwasallhim,youknow...dosomethingunexpectedortrytokeepup.Soitwassocoolbecausethenthedrumtrackwouldbedownandthenhe’dgoandgetthebassandplaythebassandthenthatweirddrumlickwouldcomeupandthenhe’dgo,“Oh,”andthentrytokicktheguitarplayer’sass,etcetera,etcetera.34

“WhenIfirstmovedoutthere,”Colemancontinued,“Istayedinhishouseforawhileandwe’djustbeinthestudioallthetime,andsometimesI’dbetheonepunchinghiminorwhatever.Thatwasalotofgoodstuff.”35After he was done recording “Darling Nikki,” Prince’s altered voice was

capturedbythemicsonthedrumkit.Hewasinaplayfulmoodandherevisiteda familiar character he’s used in many songs (“Cloreen Bacon Skin” and“Chocolate,” among others) and this person was so unhappy with Prince’sperformancethathewasfiringhim.Thecharacterheisplayingishisimaginarymanager,JamieStarr.Thereasonitwasrecordedwasbecauseofthewalkbacktothedecktostopthetape.

“[Prince]getsoverwitheveryonebecausehefillseveryone’sillusions,”MilesDavisexplainedinhis1990autobiography.“He’sgotthatraunchything,almostlikeapimpandabitchallwrappedupinoneimage,thattransvestitething.Butwhenhe’s singing that funkyX-rated shit that he does about sex andwomen,he’sdoingitinahigh-pitchedvoice,inalmostagirl’svoice.IfIsaid‘Fuckyou’tosomebody,theywouldbereadytocallthepolice.ButifPrincesaysitinthatgirl-likevoiceheuses,theneveryonesaysit’scute.”36Not everyone thought it was cute. Tipper Gore, wife of Democratic senator

(andfuturevicepresident)AlGore,heardthelyricsandwasinspiredtocreateawatchdoggroupcalledtheParentsMusicResourceCenter(PMRC).ThePMRCnotedthatthelyricswerepornographicandlistedthesong(aswellasthePrince-penned“SugarWalls”)aspartofthe“Filthy15.”PurpleRainwouldbeoneofthefirstalbumstohaveanofficialwarninglabelthatread:“ParentalAdvisory:ExplicitLyrics.”It seemed thatPrincewanted todisturb theMoralMajority and thosehe felt

might censor him, so he pushed the envelope ofwhatwas acceptable, but thedefinition of what was shocking changed over time, and what was once thevanguardofrudebehaviorbecamemuchmoremainstream.In2004Princeputtheentire controversy incontext: “Ifyou take thewords to ‘DarlingNikki,’whichIgotintoalittlebitofhotwateraboutbackin’84,ifyoutakethoselyricsandreadthemnow,it’salittledifferentthansaythepresidentoftheRIAA [Recording Industry Association of America] reading the lyrics tooneofthesecurrenthip-hopsongsatacongressionalhearing.”37“It is so funny because he doesn’t talk like that,” reveals PeggyMcCreary.

“You’d think that someone that explicitwould be rude, but he neverwas likethat.Hewasneversexuallyrude.Atleastnottomehewasn’t.”Atthispointinthefilm’sdevelopment,Vanitywasstillthefemalelead,sothe

song fit well into the film, according to director Albert Magnoli: “Vanity isdangerous. She has a dangerous sexuality. I hear ‘Darling Nikki,’ and Iimmediatelyknewthatultimately,Ijustsensedthatthisisgoingtobecomeverycontroversial. And I knew it was extremely dark compared to all the otherthings.AndIknewnarrativelyIwasgoingtobeinaverydarkplacewiththesecharactersanyway,becausenowthey’regoingtostarttobetrayeachother.”

Status: By the end of the session, “Darling Nikki” (4:00) didn’t include theextended blend of sound effects and backward vocals that followed on the

version released on the Purple Rain album (4:15). At this point the trackcontainedanadditionalmiddlebreakdownthatwouldultimatelyberemoved.

LATEJULY1983(ONEDAYAFTERRECORDING“DARLINGNIKKI”)

“Darling Nikki” was done by Prince at home by himself. It was acombinationofrealdrumsandtheLinn.Iwenttherethenextdayandheardit,andheshowedmehowhedidit.—BobbyZ38

“DarlingNikki”wasthelasttrackrecordedbyPrince’slongtimehomeengineerDonBatts,wholeftbecauseofadisputewithPrince:“ThereweresomebrokenpromisestomefromPrince’smanagement:bonusesandthingsIwassupposedtogetthatnevermaterialized.Andmysalarywasbeingcut.Iwasprettymuchputtingmyheartandsoul into the job.Ihadn’thadadayoff inyears. IaskedPrince for help but hewasn’t taking care ofme any longer.He reallywasn’tlisteninganymore.”39Battsrecalledthatthereweremorethaneightysongsontheshelfwaitingtobe

placedonaproject.DuringthetransitionperiodPrincebroughtinSusanRogers,whowould remain his engineer for the next five years.Although trained as amaintenance technician,RogerswasalreadyveryfamiliarwithPrince’smusic:“Hewasmyfavoriteartistintheworld.Ifsomeonehadaskedmeinearly1983,‘Whatwouldbeyourdream,ifyouweretowritedownonapieceofpaperyourfondestwishandhope?’ Iwouldhavewrittendown‘toworkforPrince.’Andthatactuallyhappened . . . thedream literallycame true. Iwasso luckyand Icherishedeverymoment.”40WhenBattsplayedthehalf-inchrecordingof“DarlingNikki”toshowRogers

what Prince had beenworking on the previous night, shewas floored: “I justcouldn’tbelieveit.IthoughtIwashearingthegreatestthingIhadeverheardinmy life. I was just astonished. The song was amazing and I thought: ‘Wow,that’swhatheiscapableofdoing.ThisSoundcraft,thisold3Bconsoleandthis

MM1100, these few little pieces of gear—this guy can do anything!’ So,needlesstosay,Iwasreally,reallyexcitedtogetgoing.”41Her first task was to update his studio to more closely reflect the setup at

Sunset Sound,which consisted of a system designed by FrankDeMedio.DeMediowould eventually build the system in StudioB at PaisleyPark, but fornow, Prince decided to purchase anAPI console,whichwas similar—but notidentical—to the one at Sunset Sound. To make room for his new board, heneededhisSoundcraft board removed, andduring this process he alsowantedhis tapemachine repairedandaquickoverhaulofhis entire system.ThiswasnormallysomethingBattswouldoversee,butwithhimonhiswayout, thejobwenttoRogers:Hedidn’thaveanyoneonhisstaffwhowasqualifiedandwhohadthebackgroundtogetthestudioupandrunning,soIwasgiventhedirectivetopreparethestudioanddoitquickly,becausehewasupstairsraringtogoandhadallthismusic,andheneededhistapemachinefixedandhehadanewconsole...andsotheoldconsolecameoutofhisoldstudioandIinstalledthenewone.Typically,thiswouldbeathree-orfour-personjob,butIwasinMinneapolisallbymyself.That’sokay.Igotitalldone,gotthenew console installed, tackled the tapemachine next.He had anAmpex 1100, I think itwas, got itrepaired,gotitpullingtape,gotthewholestudioupandrunning.FixedsomethingsandIwasreadytoroll.42

DuringtheseveraldaysRogerspiecedtogetherthenewelementsforPrince’sbasement studio, he was upstairs working with Susan Moonsie and BrendaBennett(two-thirdsofVanity6andeventuallyApollonia6)onmusicforPurpleRain.

There is some confusion about whether Prince owned an MM1100 or anMM1200.The1200isanupdateofthe1100,buttheyareverysimilar.

LATEJULY1983(SEVERALDAYSAFTERRECORDING“DARLINGNIKKI”)

Thateveningataboutseveno’clockIgotaphonecall,andavoice,Ithink it was Prince’s, says: “Is it ready?” He didn’t even introduce

himself.AndIsaid:“Yes,itis.”Andhesaid:“Canyoucomehererightaway?”AndIsaid:“I’llberightthere.”—SusanRogers43

SusanRogersdrovetoPrince’shouse,enteredthroughthebackdoor,andwaitedforhiminhisstudio.Upstairs,sheheardPrince’svoice,aswellasvariousotherfemalestalking,laughing,anddancing:Iwaited,andIwaited,andIwaited....FourhourswentbyandIthought:“Comeon,hemustknowthatIamhere.”SuddenlyIheardlittlefeetonthestairsandhecamerunningdownthestairsandhestuckhisheadaroundthecornerandsaid,“We’renotgoingtoworktonight,that’sall.Bye.”AndIwassoastonished, I thought:“Damn it, I justmoved two thousandmilesand Iat leastwant tomeet thisguy.”SoIwentafterhimandhewasrunningupthestairsandIstuckmyheadaroundthecornerandIsaid, “Prince.”He stopped and turned around and I stuckmy right hand out and I said, “I’mSusanRogers.”Thenhekindofsmiledandsaid,“Oh,nicetomeetyou.”Andweshookhandsandhetookoffand ran up the stairs. I thought: “All right, at least we are properly introduced.” That was all thatnight.44

LATEJULY1983

Thenextdayhe,orsomeone,calledmeandtoldmetogothestudio.SoIdid,andthistimehedidn’tkeepmewaiting,hecamerightdown.—SusanRogers45

WhenPrincearrived in the studio, itwas immediatelyapparent thathewasn’thappy with the design of the new console, specifically the placement of theequalizersasRogersrecalled:Theequalizerswerewayupnearthemeterbridge,andhepreferredtheoneatSunsetSoundwheretheywererightabovethefaders.SoheinstructedmetopullthatconsoleoutofhishomestudioandputtheSoundcraftbackin.IfeltunhappyforhimbecauseIcouldseethathewasanxioustorecordandhewasverydisappointed

thatthiswasn’twhathewanted.AndItriedtoconvincehimthat[theequalizers]weren’tthatfaraway.Allhehadtodowastoleananinchforwardinhischairandhecouldreachit.Buthejustsaid,“Ican’tworkonthis.Getitoutofhereandgettheotheronebackin.Hurry.”46

Rogers called Prince’smanager, Steve Fargnoli, and explained the situation:“TheyflippedoutandsaidIhadtodoeverythingIcould topersuadehim.Hehadtokeepit,because theyhadjustpaid twenty-five thousanddollarsfor that

board.Isaid,‘Ijustwenttoworkwiththatguy,I’mnotgoingtopersuadehimtodoanything.’”47Princewon.ThatdaytheAPIcameout,andtheSoundcraftwasreinstalledinto

hishomestudio.Norecordingtookplaceonthisdate.

LATEJULY1983(SEVERALDAYSAFTERRECORDING“DARLINGNIKKI”)

There were a couple of songs on the [Purple Rain] album he did byhimself.I think“DarlingNikki”wasbyhimself.Itwasallhim,whichyoucankindoftellbecauseit’sgotthatfierce,like,ridiculouslycrazyquality.—LisaColeman48

SusanRogerswouldturnouttobeoneofPrince’smostnotableengineers.Shehadalotofthetechnicalqualificationshewantedinanengineer,butthemainhurdlewas thatRogerswasn’t an engineer.Shewas amaintenance technicianwhoseskillsinvolvedputtingtogetherastudio,notrunningthesession.Inotherwords,sheknewhowtobuildtheplane,buthadneverflownit.Tonight,she’dgettotakeitforatest-flight.Assoonastheprevioussystemwasreinstalled,Princearrived,readytorecord.“Heaskedmetosetupthevocalmic,”recalledRogers.“Igotitallreadytogo

andIsaid,‘Okay,it’sready.Whoisgoingtoengineerit?’AndhelookedatmelikeIwasnutsandsaid,‘You.’Ithought:‘OhmyGod,heaskedforatechnicianandhedoesn’trealizethatI’mnotanengineer.’Butthat’swhatIwantedtobeanyway,andIwasn’tgoingtotellhimthedifference.”49ThemainvocalshadbeenrecordedduringtheearliersessionwithDonBatts,

butPrincewantedRogerstohelphimtorecordafewadditionalvocalparts,asshe explains: “I set up the vocal mic and then I left. So he could have donevocals on that one, he could have finished up some other things, or he couldhave justwanted todovocalson somethingelse. I’m justnot sure.”The final

versionof“DarlingNikki”containsnoharmonyorbackgroundvocals,soifherecordedany,theyweredeemedunnecessary.“I was stunned at ‘Darling Nikki,’” remembered Rogers. “He asserts his

dominancesimplybyallowing thewoman tobedominant.Allowingher tobetheantagonistand forhimself tobe theprotagonist,he’sable toshowa lotofstrength there. What I find interesting about it is that it is not the power ofconquest; it’s the joyofbeingconquered. Ifyou recall the lyricson that song,sheistheseductress,nothim.”50Others in thebandwereequally impressed.“I loved itwhen I firstheard it,”

remembersMattFink.Ilikedthatonealot.Youknow...controversial.Ithought,thisistheusual,let’sgooverboardonthesexstuff,butmysensibilityallalongwasthisisscary,youaretreadingsomedangerouswaterwithallthissexualitybutthatwashisvision.Ipersonallyalwaysfeltthatthesonginsidewasgreat.Ithoughtthisisreallydifferent,Ithoughtthisisbreakingnewground.Isaiditcouldhurtyoucommerciallywithrecordsales.Iwasalwaysworriedaboutthatpartofit—losingpeoplebecauseofit—buthedidn’tcare.Iwouldmakethosecommentsanditwouldgoinoneearandouttheother.

In2004,whenaskedabouthisreflectionson theblatantsexuality insomeofhismusic, Prince explained his thoughts to CNN: “I don’t have regrets likethatwhenitcomestomusic.Asyougrowandasyouevolveyoulearnmoreaboutyourself,you learnmoreabout thepeoplearoundyou.Youstart toseeyourselfasapartofthewholeuniverseandallthatchanges,soIthinkI’vedonethebestthatIcouldwithwhatIhadtoworkwithatthetime.”51

TheSoundcraftboardwouldultimatelybereplacedagainwhenheupgradedhisstudiothefollowingyear,buttheconsolethatwasremovedendedupstayinginthePrincefamilywhenitwassoldtoTimeguitaristJesseJohnson:“Princesoldme his Soundcraft recording board for $23,000. He used that same board torecord1999,WhatTimeIsIt?andPurpleRain.IwenttotheCivicCenterwherehewasdoingdressrehearsalsforthePurpleRaintour[October1984]andgavehimacheck.That’showIwasabletofinish[my]studio.”52

AUGUST1983

There is a link between the storyline and Prince’s own professionalstruggle.—AlbertMagnoli

Like his character inPurpleRain, Prince had always been a highlymotivatedartist. The epic nature of a movie brought out the strengths in him, and hesearcheddeepinsidetomakethishismostpersonalproject,workingharderthanever. “He is demanding of himself and everyone who works around him,”explainedhismanager,SteveFargnoli.“Youalwayshavetobeonyourtoes.Hedoesn’tplaybytherules.”1AlbertMagnoliwas nowback inMinneapolisworking on his rewrite of the

script. Although the script was in flux and the characters were evolving, themain concept of the movie hadn’t changed much. It was still about amisunderstood artist who didn’t play by society’s rules, struggling to provehimself to the world, and the rewrites began focusing on making everythingmorerealisticandmakingPrince’scharactermorevulnerable.Hisweakness isexposedthroughtherelationshipsofthosearoundhim,socontinuedfocuswasplacedonbothhisenemiesandthoseheallowedintohisinnercircle.AccordingtoMagnoli,“Myresearchwasformetositdownandsay,‘Okay,IhaveasceneI’mdevelopingbetweenyou,Wendy,Lisa,andPrince,andyou’reveryangryathim.Andyou’reinthedressingroomandyou’reabouttogoonandyouwanttoknowifhehearsyourmusic.Givemewhatyoufeellike?’Andtheystart,‘Ohwell, yeah that happens all the time!’ So, all of their shit comes up becausethey’vebeeninthatwithhim.”“Ihadnoideawhatthemoviewasgoingtobe,”WendyMelvoinexplainedto

JonBreamin2004.“AlandPrincewerewritingitastheyweregoing.Duringthatwholesummer,peoplewerecalledinandasked,‘WhatisyourrelationshipwithPrince?Howwouldyou see a situation arise?’Blah, blah, blah.Then10dayslater,therewouldbesomepages[ofscript].”2According toMagnoli, those in the campwere very open about their issues

with Prince: “Wendy andLisa didn’tmind revealing the shadows. Theywerequite vocal about it and I instigated that conversation.What I didwas simply

understandthat this isanopportunityformetocreateascenethatwouldhavepoignancyandmovenotonlythemselves,buttheaudience.”As the script got tighter,Princedemanded that thebandsget tighter aswell,

and he has always been a hard taskmaster to his bands. He was known fordrillinghis songs into thebandmembers, but this time the stakeswerehigherbecauseitwasexpectedthatmanyofthetrackscouldbeusedasblueprintsforhisnextalbum:thesoundtracktohisplannedmovie.“Thefilmwasparamountand the music secondary—or, not secondary, but supportive to the film,”recognizedAlanLeeds. “And by definition the film dictated a certain kind ofmusicthathadthatwideappeal,andwouldappealtoalargerdemographic.SoIdon’tthinkitwasaconcertedefforttoeithergotoowhiteorawayfromblack,asmuchasitwasjustthelogicalmusicatthattimeinhiscareer.”3Themoviewouldlikelysucceedorfailbasedonthemusic,soithadtoconnect

with the audience on an emotional level he’d never attempted. Princemade aboldmoveand,borrowingapagefromthescript,hedecidedtopremiereseveralof the potential tracks onstage at FirstAvenue to a hometown crowd.At thatpoint,fullfundingforthemoviewasn’tsecured,sotherewasnoguaranteethefilm would be made in spite of the months of planning. If the new musicdisappointedthecrowd,itmightbeablowthatwouldscareawayanypotentialinvestors,butPrincedecidedtotrusthisinstincts,andforthelastseveralweekshehadbeenpreparingforthemostimportantconcertofhiscareer.“Ofcourse,therewastheskepticisminthebackofyourmindthat[themovie]

wouldactuallyhappen,”saidMattFink.“ButknowingPrince,andhowhardheworksatthosekindofthings,Ithoughtifanybodycouldpullitoff,hecould.”4

WEDNESDAY,AUGUST3,1983

“Let’sGoCrazy”(live)“WhenYouWereMine”(live)“ACaseofYou”(live)“ComputerBlue”(live)“Delirious”(live)“ElectricIntercourse”(live)“Automatic”(live)“IWouldDie4U”(live)“BabyI’maStar”(live)“LittleRedCorvette”(live)“PurpleRain”(live)

“D.M.S.R.”(live)Venue:FirstAvenue(Minneapolis,Minnesota)Capacity:1,558(soldout)Artist:PrinceandtheRevolution|Engineers:David“DavidZ”RivkinandDavidLeonard

Wewereataverygoodplacemusically.—Prince5

Allof thesummer’srehearsalswouldbeput to the teston thisevening,as theRevolutiondebutedtoasold-outhometowncrowdatFirstAvenue.Technically,theRevolutionwasn’tactuallyintroducedbyname.Fornow,itwasjustPrinceandhisband.Thisconcertwasoneofhisgreatestshows...butevenmoresowhen viewed in retrospect. Few in the audience understood that they werewitnessingahistoriceventfeaturingablendoffivefamiliartracks,onecoverofaJoniMitchellpiece,andtheofficialpremiereofsixoriginalsongsthatwouldchangethecourseofPrince’scareer.“Weweresowellrehearsedthatanyopeningnightjittersmeltedawayafterthe

first songwas played,” reflectedFink. “I thinkWendywasmore excited thannervous.”6Thepressurewasonnineteen-year-oldWendyMelvoinbecauseoftheposition

shewasfilling:thespotlightformerlyheldbytheiconicDezDickerson,Prince’slongtimeguitarist.“Iwasanervouswreck,”sheremembered.“WehadmassiveamountsofrehearsalsoIwaswellpreparedmusically.ButIfeltlikeIhadtofillDez’sshoes.Peoplewouldbelookingatme,‘Who’sthisyoungwhitechickthatreplacedthiscoolcrazy-lookingblackguyonguitar?’”7Inmanyways,Melvoinwasn’t actually replacingDickerson, because Prince

adopted almost all the lead guitar work for this show, with the exception ofDickerson’ssolofrom“LittleRedCorvette,”whichbecamehers.Melvoin’sroleinthebandwasrhythmguitarwiththeoccasionalsolo,whilePrinceperformedmuchoftheleadguitarwork.Exceptduringhis1986tour,thiswouldremainthecaseformostofPrince’scareer.Thisconcertbeganlikethealbum,themovie,andtheeventual tour:withthe

openingnotes from the as yet unreleased “Let’sGoCrazy.”Princewas likelyalready imagininghowthiswouldappear in theupcomingfilmashewasfirstrevealedinsilhouette,playingtheroleofthetravelingministerpreachingtohiscongregation: “Dearlybeloved,we aregatheredhere today toget through thisthing called life . . .”8 over the sounds of a church organ. The first spotlight

shinedonMelvoin, introducingher immediately to thecrowd—and letting theaudienceknowthatthiswasanewband.Princewasobviouslyenjoyinghimselfasheassumedthepositionofguitargod

bytakingthefirstsoloofthenight.Thiswashisband,andPrincewasnotgoingtobeconfusedasjustabandmember.Heowneditandcontrolledeveryoneinthe room. Dipping briefly into his previous catalog, the band performed therocker“WhenYouWereMine”(fromhis1980DirtyMindalbum)followedbytheonlycoverofthenight,JoniMitchell’s“ACaseofYou,”whichcarriedanemotional connection for Prince: “[‘A Case of You’] is one of my favoritesongs2singbecausethemelodyissoheartbreaking.Thelyricsreadasthothe writer is extremely enamored with the subject and yet the melodysoundsasiftheyareabout2breakup....[Therecord]hassuchahauntingfeelthatitwouldmakeeventhehardestthugshedtears.”9PrincewasalongtimefanofMitchell’smusic.ThecreditsforhisDirtyMind

album thanked “Joni,” her name was featured on the back cover of 1981’sControversy,andhissongshavebeenpepperedwithreferencesasfarbackashissecondalbum,whenheborrowedalinefromMitchell’ssong“Coyote”(atrackfromher1976albumHerjira)anduseditinthetitleof“WhenWe’reDancingCloseandSlow.”HewouldeventuallyincludeelementsinfluencedbyMitchellin songs like “Kiss” (from 1986’sParade album), “Others Here with Us” (a1985outtake),“TheBalladofDorothyParker”(from1987’sSigno’theTimesalbum),“TheSacrificeofVictor”(from1992’ssymbolalbum),“TheCircleofAmour”(fromhis1998TheTruthalbum),andmanyothers.Althoughshewasn’tasfamiliarwithhiswork,MitchellknewthatPrincewasa

longtimefan:PrinceattendedoneofmyconcertsinMinnesota.Irememberseeinghimsittinginthefrontrowwhenhewasveryyoung.Hemusthavebeenabout15.Hewasinanaisleseatandhehadunusuallybigeyes.Hewatchedthewholeshowwithhiscollarup,lookingsidetoside.Youcouldn’tmisshim—hewasalittlePrince-ling.(laughs)PrinceusedtowritemefanmailwithalloftheU’sandheartsthatwaythathewrites.Andtheofficetookitasmailfromthelunaticfringeandjusttossedit!(laughs)10

Duringthedebutof“ComputerBlue,”MelvoinsharedthefirstguitarsolowithPrince, but for the most part Prince dominated the stage, completely in hiselement,proudofthenewband,newmusic,andnewdirection.Thenexteightsongs bridged the recent past and the future, with four new songs (“ElectricIntercourse,” “IWouldDie 4U,” “Baby I’m a Star,” and “PurpleRain”) andfour songs (“Delirious,” “Automatic,” “LittleRedCorvette,” and “D.M.S.R.”)from1999,whichwasstillinthetop10onthealbumcharts.

WhatstoodoutisPrince’scontrolofthestage,confidentevenwhenpresentinguntestedsongstothehometowncrowd.Whilehewasbackedbyaverystrong,tight,andwell-rehearsedband,hisonstageinteractionwiththemwassparse,andtheindividualmomentshegrantedtothebandwereinfrequent—buttwoofthemwould become a tradition in their live shows, includingMelvoin’s time in thespotlight at the start of “Purple Rain” and Fink’s iconic solo in “Baby I’m aStar.” “I came upwith that solo live at the FirstAvenue gig,” revealed Fink.“‘Baby I’m a Star’ sounds like this big grinding orchestrawith all these coolinterludes and that James Brown energy. And hearing Prince [shout out] mynameonthesongmeantalottome.Hewasbasicallysaying,‘Here’smygo-toguy...theDoctor!’”11As a way for Prince to give something back, this evening’s concert raised

twenty-three thousand dollars for the Minnesota Dance Theater (MDT), andLoyce Holton, the artistic director for the MDT, was present to witness theperformance. “[Loyce] had trained everyone how to dance for the film,”explainedAlanLeeds,“soPrincewantedtoreturnthefavor.”12Duringabreakbetween“LittleRedCorvette”and“PurpleRain,”Holtonwas

brought onstage for a hug from Prince and amoment when she declared hergratitudetohim:“Wedon’thaveaPrinceinMinnesota.Wehaveaking.”The final songs of the night took the crowd in twovery different directions.

“Purple Rain” was a more personal track about reflection and love, while“D.M.S.R.”foundPrincebackinhisblackleggings,heels,andwhatappearedatfirst glance to have been tight black underwear—reminding the crowd that hewasstilloutrageousandunwillingtocompromise,andwantedeveryonetohavefun.Itwasagreattrackonwhichtoendtheshowbecauseitlefteveryoneinapartymood,unlikethevibefromthedebutperformanceof“PurpleRain.”BobbyZ’sbrotherDavid(aka“DavidZ”)oversawtherecordingoftheconcert

andnoticedthecrowd’squietreaction:“Theaudiencewasstunnedbecausetheyhad never heard that song before. If you haven’t heard that song before therewasn’tapplause.IthinkthatPrince’smusicisthetypeofmusicthattakesyoualittlebitoftimetogetusedtoit,notrightaway.Andthenyoucan’tlivewithoutit.Whereasthere’salotofsongsthattheminuteyouhearit,itsoundslikeahit,thentwoweekslateryouaredonewithit.Hewouldjusthavethatabilitytogetunderyourskin.Hewasbrilliantthatway.”If the initial reaction to theopeningchordsof“PurpleRain”wassubdued, it

was the last time the song was played publicly without causing an extremeemotionalreaction.Severalissuesmadeitconfusingtothecrowd.Thefirstwas

obvious:Princewasn’tonstageastheopeningchordswereplayed,sothecrowdwaslisteningtoanunfamiliarsongperformedbyMelvoin,aguitarplayerthey’dnever seen before. As the trackwent on, the reaction changed and the crowdbegantorecognizethepassionatepowerbehindthesong.Onceitwasfeaturedinthemovie,thesongwouldbeforeverlinkedwiththesummitofhissuccessaswell,anditwouldremainoneofthemostemotionalconnectionshe’dhavewithhisfans.At this time in 1983 Prince was peaking, and he was connecting with his

audience in a personal way, delivering on the promise of his potential,confirmingwhatthecriticshadbeensayingforseveralyears,andgivingwhatisconsideredbymanytobetheperformanceofhislifetime.Thisevening’sshowplayed a largepart in thePrincemythology,making themusicperformed—aswellas theactualclub—morefamous thananyonerealized.Whatmostpeopledidn’t know was that this evening’s music was not just a snapshot of wherePrincewasmusicallyatthatmoment,butablueprintforthesoundtrackalbumtothemoviethatwasstillbeingwritten.Thenewsongsthatmadeittothealbumstayed in theorder inwhich theywereperformed.Theywereshuffledslightlyforthefinaleofthefilm,buttheconcerthelpedshapethestructureofthemusicplannedforthemovie.OneofthepeopleinattendancewasMagnoli,whowasbackintownworking

on the script, narrowing down the list of possible tracks for the project, andvisitingpotentiallocationsforthefilm.HewastakenbyPrince’sstagepresenceandbytheemotionsbroughtoutin“PurpleRain”:“Iwantedtoshootthere,soIwaslookingateverything,andthenhestartedplayingthatsong,andIstoppedandwent,‘Whoa.’Hefinishedplaying,andIsaid,‘That’s thesong.’AndsoIwent up to him after the set, and I said, ‘That song that you did, that one upthere, that could be the song,’ and he said, ‘Wow.Okay,’ because he himselfhadn’t even thought of it. I askedwhat’s the name of it and he said, ‘PurpleRain,’ and I said, ‘Okay,’ and he said, ‘Canwe call themovie PurpleRain?’AndIsaid,‘Yeah,that’sthenameofthemovie.’”DreamswasnowPurpleRain.Princewouldperformmanyof thesesongs for the restofhiscareer, through

numerousversions of his band, but the bottom line is that for the premiere of“PurpleRain” therewereonly fivepeoplePrince trustedenough tostandwithhimonthatstagetoplaythesong:WendyMelvoin,LisaColeman,MarkBrown,BobbyRivkin,andMattFink,andthereisnothingthatcantakethatawayfromthem. They would becomeMount Rushmore for many Prince fans and were

there when rock-and-roll history wasmade. Their contributions will never beforgotten.Princeknewhowmuchofagamechangerthesetrackscouldbe,andhewantedtocapturetheenergyoftheshowontape.AmobilerecordingtruckcontaininganAmpextapedeckandanAPIconsole

was quickly rented from New York’s Record Plant, and David Leonard andDavid Z were brought in to oversee the recording. “The intention of therecordingwastousesomeofthesongsonthealbum,”explainedSusanRogers,“specifically‘IWouldDie4U’and‘BabyI’maStar.’Ithinkhewantedtoseewhat he could get, hewanted to see his bandwork out. Hewanted to get asmuchaspossiblethathecoulduse.”13“Werecordedtheconcert.Anditwasamazing,”saysDavidZ.“[Prince]drove

up to the truck and rolled down his window and said, ‘How did it go?’ ‘Itsoundedgreat.’Andjustthenagirlsteppedoffofthecurbwiththetrenchcoaton,andsheopened itandshewasnakedunderneath.He lookedatherandhegoes, ‘No,no,don’tdo that.’Rollsuphiswindowanddrivesaway.Thatwasourconversation.”

Status:Ofthesixnewtracks,onlythreeofthemmadeitontothealbumbasedonthisperformance.“IWouldDie4U”/“BabyI’maStar”(7:03)and“PurpleRain” (13:05) were taken into the studio for overdubs and editing, and wereeventually released on the Purple Rain soundtrack (2:49, 4:25, and 8:42,respectively)andfeaturedinthemovie.Aneditof“BabyI’maStar”(2:46)wasalsoreleased.“Computer Blue” (6:28) and “Let’s Go Crazy” (5:17) were rerecorded from

scratch later thatweek,while this live version of “Electric Intercourse” (5:23)andtheremainderoftheconcertremainunreleased.

THURSDAY,AUGUST4,1983

Purple Rain started whenwe recorded the tracks of the live show atFirstAvenue.—DavidLeonard14

Princereviewedthepreviousnight’sconcert todecidewhichof thenewsongsworkedinalivecontext,andwhichwouldbebestrerecordedinthestudio.Atthetime,fourtracks(“IWouldDie4U,”“BabyI’maStar,”“PurpleRain,”and“Electric Intercourse”) were deemed worthy of additional polish. “ComputerBlue” and “Let’sGoCrazy”were decided to be inferior, so the live versionswereshelved.Itisunclearifanyoverdubswererecordedafterlisteningtotheshow.David Leonard engineered some of the studio sessions over the next week.

Because he was based in Los Angeles, he couldn’t continue as Prince’sMinneapolis engineer. Instead,hehelpedwith the transition forSusanRogers,whohad impressedPrinceenough toaskher to relocate to theTwinCities:“Iwasjustpackingmybags.August3ismybirthday,andI’dbeenhiredbyPrinceand Iwas in LosAngeles saying goodbye tomy friends and getting ready toheaduptoMinneapolis.”

SATURDAY,AUGUST6,1983

Iwashiredonafull-timebasistodowhateveritwasheneededdonetechnically,whetheritwasrecordinthestudioorinamobiletruckorassistingvideosorassistingmoviemaking.Whateverheneededdone,Iwastheretwenty-fourhoursaday,sevendaysaweek.—SusanRogers15

Prince’sideascameveryquickly,andhedidn’tlikeanythingslowingdowntheprocess.Atthesametime,hewasexpandinghissound,buthewantedtoincludeadditional people in the recording sessions.Because of the limited size of hisone-roombasementstudio,therewasnowaytorecordtheentireband,soitwasdecided to convert the rehearsal space at the St. Louis Parkwarehouse into arecording studio aswell. This gave him the ability towork out the parts of asong,andthenimmediatelygetittotapewhileeveryonewashot.Manyartistsworkondemosintheirhomestudios,theneventuallyattempttore-createthemin another studiowith a new engineer and producer. Princewould be able tobypass thatentireprocess,but firsthehad tohave thestudioassembled in the

warehouse. He asked Susan Rogers, Rick “Hawkeye” Henriksen, and DavidLeonard to create this for him. At first, Leonard thought he might have asolution,whichinvolvedtheAPIconsolethathadbeenremovedfromPrince’shomestudio:“Itwasstillsittinginthecrate—presumablywaitingtobereturned.SoIdecidedtousethat,andtoldhimIneededtosetupthatnightandwecoulddoitthenextday.SowetookthatAPIconsoleoutofthecrateandsetituponroadcases.”16They had the console but not the speakers. Rogers continues the story: “I

phonedaround townandendedupphoningMPR [MinnesotaPublicRadio], aradiostation inSt.Paulwhichhadspeakers that they’d letusborrow,becauseweneededbig,self-containedmonitors.SoHawkeyeandIandDavidtookavantoSt.Paulandpickedupthesebigspeakersandbroughtthemback.Wewiredup the studio as quickly as we could at the warehouse. There was a smallerofficeroomnearthefront,andthat’swhereweputtheconsole.”Acarpetwasplacedunderthemixingboardsoitwasn’tsittingonabarefloor,

and it was ready to go. The setup wasn’t optimal by any standard, but, asLeonardexplained,theyfoundaway:“ThebandhadaPAblastingandIwasinthecornerofawarehouse,soIhadtouseheadphonestorecord.”17Itwasn’tideal,buttheresultswerelegendary.

SUNDAYAUGUST7,1983

Myoriginaldraft of“Let’sGoCrazy”wasmuchdifferent from theversionthatwoundupbeingreleased.AsIwroteit,“Let’sGoCrazy”wasaboutGodandthede-elevationofsin.Buttheproblemwasthatreligionasasubjectistabooinpopmusic.—Prince18

Albert Magnoli was still writing the most recent draft of the script. In thepreviousversion,themovieopenedwithoutamusicscene.OnceMagnoliheardthe song and saw it performed at theFirstAvenue show, he knewhe had theidealspotforthetrack:“Ilovethesong.Andsotomeitwastheperfectsongtoopen.Andtheinterestingstoryaboutthatisthatthesongwasonlythreeminutes

long,sowhenIdesignedthemontageintheopeningitwassevenminutes.SoIhad to go to Prince and he had to elongate it. He basically punched into themiddle,addedanewmiddle,whichbroughtittoitslength.”Princehadbeenabletorecordrehearsalsinthepast,butonlyonabare-bones

system that fed the sounds to a cassette recorder. Now, for the first time, hecouldcreatemultitrackrecordingsofbandrehearsalsanddocumenthowasongwaswritten.Withinashorttime,hewasn’tjustrecordingtherehearsals,hewasrecordingeverything.Leonardrememberedhowrapidlythewarehousemorphedfromrehearsalhall to recordingstudio:“On theweekendI recorded‘Let’sGoCrazy,’Princewantedmetogotothewarehousewhereherehearsed,andhehadthefull-onproductionrehearsalwithlightsandsound,andtheywereworkingonthatsongandwantedtorecordit.It’salmostlikeitwassupposedtobedonethenightofthe[August3,1983]show,butwewererecordingitafterthefact.”19JustasPrincewasconcernedabout“PurpleRain”beingsimilar toasongby

Journey,hewasequallycautiousaboutthesong’ssimilaritytoonewrittenandproducedbyhisformerbassplayer,AndréCymone:“Ihadasongcalled‘Let’sGetCrazy’withEvelyn‘Champagne’Kingandhecalledandsaid,‘Igotasong‘Let’sGoCrazy.’Idon’twantyoutothinkItookitfromyou.’”20Otherthanthesimilar titles, the songs had very little in common. “Let’sGoCrazy” dates toearlier in the summer, startingwith a jam session, according to Prince’s bassplayerBrownMark:“He’sprobablygot tonsofdifferentversionsof it,wherewewouldjustbeintherehearsalhalljustjammingonit,andthetapeswouldberolling, and thenhe takes it andcreates the song from it.Hewouldget in thestudioandhewouldreplaypartshereandthere,butforthemostparteverythingstayedthesame,theliveenergywasthere.”“Hetaughtittousinrehearsaloneday,”MattFinkrecalledaboutthefirsttime

he heard the track. “He taught that organ intro tome on theOberheim, and Iplayed that live for the recording. It was a Farfisa organ sound, like an oldgaragebandorgan,anold-styleboxorgan,itwasverysimilartonallytothat.”21“Ithoughtitwaskindofsilly,”reflectedColeman.“Themoreweplayedit,the

more it developed into a sparkly, tough song. It’s sort ofDisneyland, but it’stalkingaboutlifebeforedeath.Thebandaddedjusttherightattitude.”22Sections of the song can also be traced back tomuch earlierwork. Prince’s

“Let’s Go Crazy” solo bears a strong resemblance to the solo in his liveperformancesof“WhyYouWannaTreatMeSoBad”fromasearlyasthe1981tour. In addition, thewrap-upof “Let’sGoCrazy” canbe foundonmanyold

bluessongsaswellasonVanHalen’s“IceCreamMan”(fromtheir1977debutalbum).Regardlessofwherethesongbegan,theRevolutionhadbeenrehearsing“Let’s

GoCrazy”formostofthesummer,andhadperformeditliveearlierintheweek,sotheyhaditdowntight.Thebandranthroughthetrackafewtimestocheckrecordinglevelsandtoverifythatthenewlyinstalledequipmentwasoperatingproperly.Leonardexplainedinmoredetailabouthoweverythingwasrecorded:“The drums on that songwere two sets of LM-1 Linn drums that Prince hadBobbyplayingpadsonthetriggersthatweretriggeringtheLinndrums.Fortheguitars,wemic’d the stacks.Thebandhad rehearsed it, sowe just rolled tapeandwent. It wasn’tmore than one or two takes, and it was done. It wasmyfavorite song I recordedwith him because I recorded it on a shoe-string on aconsolewithapairofheadphones.Hehadsomeamazingmaterial.”23Aftertheinitialrecording,Princehadthebandaddafewoverdubs,including

background vocals and Matt Fink’s solo. “At first I tried to do somethingmelodic,” Fink said, “but because the song was called ‘Let’s Go Crazy,’ Ithought I should do something that was out there. I just started randomlysmackingthepianonotreallyintendingtoplayanything.AndPrincelovedit.IwishthatthelongversioncouldhavebeenontheactualPurpleRainalbum.”24In 1983 Prince didn’t have a system that allowed programming of a precise

sectionthatwastoberecorded,sotheengineerwasresponsibleforpunchingitin.Thismeanttheengineerliterallyhadtostartrecordingatacertainspotonthetape and stop the machine at a specific later spot, which requires extremeprecision, as Fink explained: “The punching-in process has to be done by areallygoodengineer,becauseif theengineerscrewsupthenyoulosethattakecompletely and you’ve got to start over because it erased something in thereaccidentally,oryoujusthavetopunchinandfixabiggerspotbecausehedidn’tgetyououtintime,orhegotyouintoosoon.Whateverreasoning,ifyoudon’thaveagoodengineerpunchingyouinandout,you’reintrouble.”25LeonardflewbacktoLosAngelesafterthemainpartofthesongwasrecorded,

leavingRogersaloneinthestudiowithPrince,whowantedtooverdubsomeofhis guitar work. The session was Rogers’s first time fully in charge ofengineeringPrince’smusic,andsherevealsthatitdidn’tgoassmoothlyasshehoped:IwasoperatingtheremoteandPrincewasplaying[theguitarsoloon“Let’sGoCrazy”],andhemadeamistakeandhetoldmetorollback.SoIrolledbacktothetopofthesoloandthetapewasplayingandI’mwatchingPrinceplayguitar.NowbearinmindthatIwasamaintenancetech,soIknewalloftheequipmentlikethebackofmyhand.Iwasn’tarecordingengineer.Sohe’splayingtheguitarsoloand

thetapemachineisrolling,butit’snotin“record,”andIthoughttomyself,“He’sprobablygoingtobemadatmeifIdon’trecordthis.”SoIreachedoverand—dink!—pressedrecord,andhereachedoverandwent—dink!—andstoppedthetape.Andhesaid,“Whocuedyou?”Isaid,“Well,youwereplayingsoIthoughtyouwantedmetorecordit.”Hesaid,“Rollback,I’mgoingtoplayalong.Watchmeforacueandthenpunchin.”Iwasthinking:“Wow,I’mnotfired!”SoIrolledbackandheplayedthesolo.Iwatchedhimandhewouldraisehisheadupandashewouldstarttoputhisheaddown—thatmeant“now,”soI’dpunchin.Sothatwasmyfirsttimepunchinginwithhim.Isurvived,andeventuallywedevelopedthatunderstandingofeachothertowherehe’dmakeamistakeandhewouldn’thavetotellme;I’djustknowbasedonhisexpression.I’dwatchhim.I’dneverwatchmyhands.Itwaslikebeingaplayer.Youwatchyourartistandyourartistisgoingtoplayalongandthereisgoingtobesomethinginhisfaceorbodylanguagethattellsyouthathe’sreadynowandyouwaituntiltheappropriateplaceinthebar,orjustgototheheadofthebarwherethereisanappropriatepickup,andthetwoofusworkedveryseamlesslytogether.Sowedevelopedthatkindofworkingrelationship.

Aroughhalf-inchmixwasdoneattheendofthenight.“My first impression was that this guy is extremely intelligent, extremely

creative and I was so happy and delighted with the fact that he was at thebeginningofhiscareer,”recalledRogers.“Youwouldsensethatthisguywasatthebeginningofsomethinggreat.”26

Status:Thefullversionof“Let’sGoCrazy”(7:35)wasreleasedasan“extendedversion” on the 12-inch single andwas featured in themovie. Prince enjoyedFink’ssolosomuchthatthefilmfeatureshimpersonallyplayingthepartthathecreated.Eventuallythetrackwasediteddown(4:39)andplacedastheopeningsong for the soundtrack album. It was modified again (3:46) for the singlerelease,andonJuly18,1984,itbecamePrince’ssecondnumber1song.According to the handwritten lyric sheet, the song’s original titlewas “Let’s

GetCrazy.”

MONDAY,AUGUST8,1983

The next day [after “Let’sGoCrazy”]we did “Computer Blue” thesame way, with the band, and everybody was very happy and veryexcitedaboutit.—SusanRogers27

NowthatPrincehadawaytorecordthebandproperly,hestarteddoingitmoreaggressively.“Atthistimehewasn’tdoingmuchathome,”maintainedRogers.“Hewas really happyworking at thewarehouse.Asmuch as he had enjoyedrecordingathomebefore,hewasnowhappytohaveallhis instruments there;nothing had to be carried back and forth, his bandmembers were there if heneededthem.Hehadagoodsetup.”28AnothertrackPrincewantedtorerecordfromtheAugust3benefitshowwas

“Computer Blue,” so he gathered the band to retrack the tune from scratch.BobbyZemphasizedthatregardlessoftheprimitivesetup,itinspiredthemusicthat they recorded: “What Prince was doing with the warehouse was totallyunique. He put this board right in the middle of this very echoey place, androlledtapewithoutgivingthetechnicalaspectsofitanyrealthought.Therewasneveranyproperseparationbetweentheboardandtheinstruments.Ifitsoundedokay, thatother stuff justdidn’tmatter tohim.Hebelieves in spontaneityandgettinggoodperformances,notwhetheramicisplacedproperlyornot.”29“ComputerBlue”wasconceivedearlierintheyear,andlikemanyoftheother

recent tracks, it had started in a jam session. “I inspired that song,” assertskeyboardistMattFink. “Itwas froma jamat a rehearsal.Before the rehearsalstarted,Istartedplayingthebasspartonmyown,againstthegroove.Bobbyhadthegroovegoing,and forall intentsandpurposeseveryoneshouldhavehadawritingcreditonthat,ifyouwanttogetdowntobrasstacks,butitwasinspiredbymykeyboardbassline.Helikeditrightawayandhesaid,‘Let’sturnthatintosomething.’”In2009Finkwouldexpandmoreontheprocess:“Werecordedaroughversionofitandhetookitintothestudioandjustincorporateditallandmadeitflythatway.LisaandWendycameinandtheydidsomeofthestuffonit.Princeborrowedthebridge/portalsectionfromhisownfatherwhohadgivenhimsomemusicovertheyearstoplayaroundwith.Sothatparticularsongwasarealmixtureofdifferentpeopleandinfluences.”30“[Myfather]co-wrote‘ComputerBlue.’ . . .He’sfullofideas,”according

toPrince.“It’dbewonderfultoputoutanalbumonhim,buthe’salittlebitcrazierthanIam.”31Susan Rogers remembers John L. Nelson’s contribution to the songwriting

slightlydifferently:Thiswasthetimewhenhefirstwasbeginningtobringhisfatherintohislife,sohisdadwasaroundalot.Hisfatherwasinhislatesixtiesbythistime,andtheyweretryingtodeveloparelationship.Princehadalotofrespectforhisfather.IwastoldthatPrincegavehisfathersongwritingcreditonmanyofhis songs. Thiswas theway he helped his father financially. I don’t believe that it’s true that JohnNelsonwrotethatlittlepartof“ComputerBlue,”thatbeautifulpart,becausewhatIhaveheardofJohn

Nelson’s piano playing—and I have recorded him some—it’s quite a bit different, although hemayhavetakenupamusicalthemethatPrinceinvertedandturneditinsideoutandputtohisownmusic.SoPrincegavehisdadsongwritingcredittohelphisdadfinancially.32

Ultimately,songwritingcreditforthesongwassharedbetweenPrince,JohnL.Nelson,WendyMelvoin, and Lisa Coleman. Because the trackwas based onFink’soriginalriff,hedisagreeswiththisdecision:“Thatkindofbotheredme,becauseI thought that itshouldhavejustbeenasplitbetweenme,Prince,andhisdad,andthat’sitbecauseIdon’tknowwhattheycontributed.Theyalwaysthoughtitwasfunnytoo.Theyalwaysthoughtthatwasaweirdcall.”In 1998Melvoin elaborated on their input to Bam magazine, verifying that

even she was confused about this issue: “For ‘Computer Blue,’ we justcontributedakeyboardline.That’swriting?Youjustneverknewwhat[credit]hewouldgiveyou.”33“Sometimesitisalittlecomplicated,”cautionedAlanLeeds:Maybeyou’rerehearsingariff,maybePrincewillstartasong,andyou’rejustjamming,andsomebodywilldeviseakeyboardlick,orahornlick,andthere’sathinlinebetweenwhat’sanarrangementandwhat’sacomposition.Iwon’tgointoitinanymoredetailthanthat,butthere’sagrayarea.Whenever—tomyknowledge,anyway,tenyearsworkingforhim—whenevertherewasaquestion...somebodysaid,“Hey,man,makesureIgetapiece...Iwrotethatlick,”wheneveranythingwaseverquestioned,orquestionable,Princealwaysgave.Heneverargued,becausethelastthingintheworldhewantedtohavewasamusicianwhowas(a)unhappyor(b)feltmanipulatedorcheated.34

Finkwouldlaterpartiallyconcedethat“PrincereallywasthemainlyricistandmelodymakerforthesongsandI’mprettysureveryrarelytookordidnottakeanylyricalcontentfrompeople.Hewasreallythemainguyonthat.”35Thetrackwasexpandedfromthebenefitshow’ssix-and-a-half-minutesongto

a jam that lastedmore than fourteenminutes. The resultwas a loose exercisewithPrince’sguitar andguitar effectsovermostof it.When theversion fromthissessionwascompleted,Princeendedthesongwithmorethantwominutesoffeedbackandnoise,butitisunlikelythatwasconsideredpartofthesong.It ispossible thatadditionaloverdubsweredoneon“ComputerBlue”before

thisversionwasshippedtoSunsetSoundinLosAngeles.

Status: “ComputerBlue” (14:02)waseditedseveral times (11:44,10:40,7:30,andpossiblymore),buttheversionrecordedtodaywasdeemedincomplete.Thefollowing week, Prince and the Revolution would gather in Los Angeles andcomplete the track.Adrastically editedversion (4:00)waseventually releasedonthePurpleRainsoundtrack.Thelongerversionsremainedunreleasedduringhis lifetime, but a version of it renamed “Computer Blue (‘Hallway Speech’

Version)”(12:19)waseventuallyplacedonthePurpleRainDeluxe(ExpandedEdition)CDsetin2017.

Duringthisperiod,Vanitywasn’thappywithherplaceinthePrincecamp.Thesummerhadbeenspentrecordingnewmusicandinrehearsalspreparingfortheupcomingmovie,butherromancewithPrincehadsouredandshedidn’tfeelshewasbeingcompensatedproperlyforallherwork.Hernamedidn’tappearontheguest list for the August 3 benefit show (although she was reportedly inattendance), and there is no documentation of any additional tracks recordedwithherinAugust.Magnolirecalls:VanitywasinthedevelopmentwhenIwasthereinAugust.Soshewasgoingtobeinthemovie,andwasgoingtobeinVanity6.InthefirsttwoweeksIwasthereinAugust,therewastensioninreallifebetweenVanityandPrince.Shewasaveryindependentwomaninanextremelymale-orientedworldcalledMinneapolis.Andshewasatoughgirl,andtheywerehavingtheirissues.Iwaswritingitwithherinmind,andthenshecametomeoneday,andsaid,“Ihaveadilemma.”“Okay,Vanity,what’sthedilemma?” And she said, “Martin Scorsese talked to my agent, and he wants me to play MaryMagdaleneinhismovie.”Soshesaystome,“WhatshouldIdo?”AndIsaid,“Thisismyfirstpicture.It’samusical.MartinScorsese?Okay,Idon’twanttosteeryouwronghere,butgeewhiz,that’sagreatopportunity,Ican’tbedishonest.”Isaid,“This isgoingtobeahardone.Whatdoyouwant todo?”Andshesaid,“Idon’tknow,butI’mleaningtowarddoingMaryMagdalene.”Andwithinforty-eighthours,shewasout.

After a failed negotiation with Prince’s management for more money, shechosetoaccepttheroleinScorsese’sTheLastTemptationofChrist.“[Purple Rain] was Prince’s dream,”Vanity explained at the time. “Hewas

bringingineverybodyforverylittlemoney.You’vegottopaypeople.You’vegottobefair.”36In2013sheexpandedonherreasons:“Princewantedtopaymefivethousanddollarsfortheentirefilm.That’sridiculous.Yeah,fivethousanddollars—I’mlikeouttahere.That’sthebestyoucando?Bye!”37“Vanity wanted more money,” agrees bandmate Brenda Bennett. “Vanity

wantedmuchmoremoneytodoPurpleRain.Thescriptwasbasicallyfinalizedand, unbeknownst to us, she had gotten an agent and an accounting firm.Herlawyersgotheroutofitbecauseshewantedout.Shewantedinonherterms,butPrincenevercalledherbackaftersheleft.”Unfortunately for Vanity, the Scorsese project was delayed and scheduling

conflictskeptheroutofthatmovieaswell.VanitybouncedbackandwashiredtoactinTheLastDragonforareportedthreehundredthousanddollars.“Mostpeopleprobablywould think that iswhyI left,but that’snotwhyIwentsolo.

Princediscoveredme;hediscoveredallofus.He’sagreatperson—abrilliantkid.ButIhadplannedtogosoloallalong,”sheexplainedin1984.“Ifyou’reaveryindependentperson,likeIam,youdon’tbaseyourcareeronwhathappensinyourrelationshipwithaman.I’macareer-orientedperson,andIgowithmycareer.AsfarasI’mconcerned,yourcareer is therefor life;amansometimesisn’t.Youdon’tknowhowlongloveisgoingto last.Otherwomenmightfeeldifferently,andsure,I’dlovetohavebabiesandallthatstuffoneday.Butrightnow,mycareeristhemostimportantthinginmylife.”38WithVanitygone,therewasanewroletofillinthemovie,inVanity6,and,to

someextent,inPrince’sheart.“IthinkthatPrinceandVanitywerealotalike,”remembers Peggy McCreary. “She was a female Prince. I think he was hurtwhentheybrokeup.”“In his personal life, I think Prince was disappointed that Vanity had left,”

addedRogers. “Thingsweren’tgoingalongaswell ashewouldhave liked it,but hewas beginning to realize that people are the tools he needed to get hiswork done. He was very, very happy withWendyMelvoin, delighted to getWendyin theband.Anyway,hehad thebandhewanted,hewasbeginning togettheequipmentthathewanted,andhecouldrecordwhateverhewantedto.”39“InourworldVanitywas famous,andwe thought itwas likeabigcommon

grabontheaudiencetowanttoseethemovietoseeVanityandPrinceinloveorfighting,”explainsBobCavallo.“Soyes,Ithoughtitwasabigloss.”With Vanity gone, the hunt for a replacement was on. Until then, Prince

focusedonhismusic.

AUGUST1983(DATEUNKNOWN)

I think I’monlyaconductorofwhateverelectricity comes from theworld, or wherever we all come from. To me, the ultimateresponsibility is the hardest one—the responsibility to be true tomyself.—Prince40

Thevibe fromworkingwith theRevolutiononmanyof the recent trackswasinfectious,andthesoundthatPrincehadbeenachievingwhileusingthemwasthicker and more intense. The band had been playing “Possessed” in concertduring the last tour, so they were very familiar with jamming on it. Princedecidedtomakeanotherattemptatrecordingthetrack,thistimeusingtheentirebandtoseehowitwouldevolve.“Thereisafunnystoryabout‘Possessed,’”recalledSusanRogers:Foronereasonoranotherwehaddifficulttimesrecordingthat.Hetendedtoavoidit.Itwasduringahot day and the air conditioning was going on full power, and the band was attempting to cut“Possessed” and theywere rehearsing it.And for some strange reason, they kept blowing fuses, thewholebuildingwasshutdown.Itwasoddbecausewehadbeeninthesamesituationbeforeandhadnever blown the fuses when we had the whole band going. We couldn’t figure out why we weredrawingsomuchcurrent;maybeitwasbecauseoftheairconditioning.Somebodymadeajokethatitwasbecauseofthenatureofthesong,thatitwasthedevilshuttingusdown,andwealllaughedaboutthatuntilthefuseskeptblowingandkeptblowinguntilPrincesaid,“I’mnotdoingthissong,itisnotmeanttobe.”Hewassosuperstitiousthatway,andhejuststopped.Hemovedontosomethingelse,andhadthatsongcutanothertime.41

Status:Althoughworkon“Possessed”fromthissessionwasaborted,itislikelythat a full versionwas attempted once again at the St. LouisWarehouse. Theexact date of that session is unknown.The songwas ultimately rerecordedonMarch17,1984,withanupdatedarrangementandnewlyrics.Aninstrumentalrenditionofthe1984versioncanbeheardinthePurpleRainmovieduringthescenewhenApolloniaandMorrisDayarehavingadrinkatFirstAvenue.

AUGUST1983(DATEUNKNOWN)

We all had writing credit on that: Me and Lisa, Wendy and Prince.Thatwasrecordedatthewarehouse.IjustrememberthatgrooveandIrememberallofuscomingupwithourownpartsonit.—MattFink

BeforePrinceleftforLosAngeles,heandtheRevolutioncontinuedworkingonpotential tracks for the PurpleRain project, including songs for theTime and

Vanity6.“[‘17Days’]cameoutofaPurpleRainrehearsal,”recalledMelvoin.“MeandLisastartedplayingariff,andPrincestartedsingingthatmelody.”42“I thinkwewerebeing reallyplayfulbecausewe starteddoing likea reggae

groove and we were twisting things around,” remembered Lisa. “It’s likemusicians,weused tobusteachother’schopsall the timedoingpolyrhythms,this feel against that feel, [and it] ended up being cool. Hewas like, ‘Hey, Ikindalikethis.’”43AlthoughtheRevolutionrecordedthetrack,theleadvocalswereperformedby

BrendaBennett ofVanity6. “We rehearsed itwith thebandat thewarehousewithBrenda singing lead,” recalledRogers. “Thatwas intended forBrenda; itnevercameout thatway,butwedid record it livewith thewholebandat thewarehouse.”44Additionalparts,includingBennett’sspokensection,wererecordedatPrince’s

homestudio.“WhenIheardit,”saysBennett,“IrememberedsittingdownwithapieceofpaperandcombiningsomeofwhatPrincewrotewithwhat Iwrote.Welaughedandjokedaboutspeakingina‘sexyalienmonotone.’”Bennett phoned her husband,Roy, to talk about the song.He remembers, “I

wasbackathomeinRhodeIslandandshecalledme,andwasallexcitedaboutanew song that she’d recorded with Prince, ‘17 Days.’ They were doingrehearsals,andsuddenlyajamsessioncameandtheystartedplayingthat,anditwasgreat.ItendedupwhereBrendastartedsinging.Shesangthevocalsonitinthestudio.”Brendaconfirmedthatthiswasoneofherfavoritetracks:“Love,love,lovethe

song.IhavearecordingofitwhenIdidthesongforthesecondVanity6album.Iwish thatonehadcome to fruition.”45Princedecided thathewasn’tsatisfiedwiththeresultsofthefirstattemptandshelveditforafewmonths.

Status: This version of “17 Days” remains unreleased. It was rerecorded thefollowingyear from scratch andplacedon theB-side for “WhenDovesCry.”Despite putting this early version on the shelf, Prince must have ultimatelyenjoyed this song a great deal because in 2004 he added a snippet of thererecordedsingletohissong“Musicology.”ThelyricswerepartiallyinspiredbyPrince’ssong“HowComeUDon’tCall

MeAnymore”(theB-sidefor“1999”),whichincludedacallback(punintended)tohimbeggingforhislovertopickupthephone.

ItislikelythatthesongwascraftedwithBennettinmind,asthelyricsincludereferencesto“twocigarettes”andshewasasmokeratthetime.Shecaneven

beseenonthecoveroftheApollonia6albumwithacigaretteinherhand.ItisalsopossiblethatthetrackwasrecordedinOctober1983.

MONDAY,AUGUST15,1983*

Myfavoritetrackwillalwaysbe“PurpleRain.”Theopeningchordstothefinalsustain.ItcaptivatesmeandIfeellikeitwaspartofhistory.—BobbyZ46

The script was being rewritten and there was pressure to complete the newmusic,soPrincereturnedtoLosAngelescommittedtofinishingthesongs.Thefullfinancingforthefilmhadyettobelockedin,buttheywerehopingtobeginshootingat theendofOctober.Othermusic thatwas tobeused for incidentalpurposes could be created after the shooting was finished, but any bandperformanceshadtobecompletedmuchearlierbecausetheywouldhavetoberehearsed, choreographed, lit, and blocked before they were filmed. Once the“live”performanceswereshot,therecouldbeverylittlealterationtothemusic.Prince was back in Studio 3 at Sunset Soundwith hismain engineer at the

time, Peggy McCreary. Studio 3 was Sunset Sound’s largest room and gavePrince the ability to record more with the Revolution. According to SunsetSound owner Paul Camarata, Studio 3 is also very segregated from themainbuildingandcontainsitsownentranceandexit:“Ithasitsownbathroomanditsown lounge, so you could go in there, and Prince was a pretty private guy.Somewhatshy...althoughhewouldcomeoutandcommingleonthebasketballcourt.Otherthanthat,hewasholedupintheroom.Healwayshadanarrayofpeoplecomingover,mostlygood-lookingwomen.Itwasprettyamazing.”Not completely satisfied with the results from theMinneapolis recording of

“ComputerBlue,”Princefelt, for thefirst time, that the twenty-four individualtracksweren’tenoughtoreplicatewhatheheardinhishead,andhehadtomakethechoiceofeithercompromisingoraccommodatinghisvision.Hedecidedto

double thenumberof tracksavailable from twenty-four to forty-eightand toldMcCrearytotakecareofthis:AllofasuddenhewantedtoaddthingslikestringsandIsaid,“Excuseme.Weonlyhavetwenty-fourtracks.We don’t have enough room.”And he just said, “Make somemore.”That’s just theway heworked.SothenIhadtohookuptwomachines,whichwasalotofequipment,whichwasn’tthewayhewasused toworking,and itdoesn’talwayshappenas fastashewasused toand liked.SoDavid[Leonard]lentahandbecauseIcouldn’thandleitallmyself.DavidandIstartedworkingtogetherasateamonthisstuff.

Accordingtothestudionotes,afreshtapewasusedforthenewrecording,butinsteadofbeingforanall-newversionof thesong, itwasusedfor theseconddeck(anAmpexMM1200)toprovidetheadditionaltwenty-fourtracks.SunsetSoundsuppliedaQ-Lock tapemachinesynchronizer to linkup the twodecks.Theadditionalmachinewouldbeusedforthenextseveralmonths.Princewaspushing the limits of equipment as well as those in everyone around him,especiallyhisengineers,remembersMcCreary:“Someofthesongsweresolongandhecouldn’tquit.Hejustkeptgoingandgoingandgoing.Andthatwassohard,becausethenyouhadtooverdubthem.Alongsongmeantalongdayandthatishowhewouldwearyoudown.Heneedshissleep,butonlyafteracertainpoint.”47Thebasicpartsofthetrackwerekeptintact,butPrincebeganmakingchanges

tothesongstartingaroundthefive-minutemark.Towardtheendofthesession,Princedecidedtoaddstringstotheliveversion

of“PurpleRain”usingtheOberheimkeyboardperformedduringtheconcertasaguide track.NoviNovogwasbrought in to playviolin andviola, andSuzieKatayamaandLisaColeman’sbrotherDavidwere invitedtoplaycello.DavidColemanremembers:Outoftheblue,mysistercallsmefromSunsetSoundandsaidthattheyweredoingsomestringsforaPrincesongrightnowwithNoviandSuzieandwethinkathirdstringplayerwouldgroovebetter.Itfillsitinandthechemistryisimportant.Isaid,“Okay,”andthatIwouldbedownthereinfourhours,soIwashedupreallyquicklyandpracticedthecellobecauseI’dbeendoingallpercussionandIwasonlyplayingcelloonceinawhile.SoIranthroughsomescalesandranrightdowntothestudio.Iwalked into the control booth and [Prince] said, “HiDavid.Do something!”He got up from the

consoleandIsatinhisseatandtheyplayedmethetrackandthatwasit.IwentinandjoinedSuzieandNoviandwestarted from there.Suzieused tocallmycelloplaying“rock-and-rollcello.”Shecouldplaycirclesaroundme,butwegroovedtogether.Thethreeofusplayinghadgoodchemistryandwejustsoundedgoodtogether.

Inashowoftrustforthosearoundhim,PrincereliedonLisaColemantoguidethestringoverdubs.“WhatwouldhappenwasLisawouldcomeinandshe’ddosome thingson thepianosowe’d learnourpartsbyear,” recalledDavid. “So

we’dgothroughthesongandpunchinourstringparts.Princewassittingnextto [Lisa] and they’d decide, but I think that Lisawas taking the leadwhen itcametothestringarrangements.”McCrearyrecalledthechangeinPrince’smoodashewatchedhertakecharge:

“ItwasneattoseePrincerelaxingforonceandnothavingtodoitallhimself.”48AroughmixdownwascreatedandoneC-60cassettewasmadeofthesession.

TUESDAY,AUGUST16,1983*

Ittooktwoengineerstodothisstuff.Itwasjustwildtowatchhimwork.—PeggyMcCreary

If“PurpleRain”wasthe“StairwaytoHeaven”ofthealbum,“ComputerBlue”was becoming its “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Building on the fourteen-minuteversion recorded inMinneapolis, the Sunset Sound sessions included suitelikeportions,manytellingstoriesofseductionandtrust.Thesessionwasscheduledtostartatnoonbutwasdelayeduntil3:00p.m.,and

mostlyconsistedof twospurtsofoverdubs to“ComputerBlue,” the first from3:00p.m.to8:30p.m.andthesecondfrom9:30p.m.to4:30a.m.Thetechnicaltasks for this song were getting more and more complicated, and ultimatelyPrince realizedhehad tocontinuehavinga teamof twoengineers (veryoftenMcCrearyandLeonard)runningthesessionstogether.“Itriggeredsynthsoffofhi-hatsandstufflikethat,”LeonardtoldauthorJakeBrown.“Iremembergatingstuffandtriggeringstuff.Itwascool.”49Princewasstartingtodelegatepartstoothers,butonlyaslongastheyaddedto

his vision. If not, he’d continue to do the parts himself. “He’s the boss,”according toLeonard. “Butwhen he calls upon them for ideas they definitelycome upwith something.He’ll give somebody parts of a song or cassettes tofigureoutparts.”50Aroughmixwascreatedoftheday’sworkandtwoC-60cassettetapeswere

madeofthesession.

WEDNESDAY,AUGUST17,1983*

WhenPrinceandtheRevolutioncameoutintheearlyEighties,youfelttherewasachangehappening.YoufeltthatwithTheBeatles.Someonewillfindthatnewthing,grabit,andthatstartsit.—WendyMelvoin51

During this time, Prince was very open to influences and inspired by otherartists.The cold isolationof “ComputerBlue” canbe traced tomusicians likeUltravoxandGaryNuman.“All sortsofbands from thatera, like theCocteauTwins, were a big, big influence,” explained singer Jill Jones. “RoxyMusic,GaryNuman.Hewouldlistentothem,whetheritbetostudy,tounderstandtherhythms.Hewouldgotosleeplisteningtotheserecordsandyou’dwakeuptothem.”52Listening to “Computer Blue,” it is easy to hear Prince’s interest in Gary

Numan. In fact, Numan’s style can be heard near the end of “Purple Rain,”whichcanbedirectlyattributedtothelastthirtysecondsofNuman’ssong“IDieYou Die” (from his 1980 album Telekon). His impact can also be heard onearlierPrincetrackslike“Let’sPretendWe’reMarried.”Numan’spressreleasesoftenquotePrince’spraiseforhim:“TherearestillpeopletryingtoworkoutwhatageniusGaryNumanis.”53In 2009 Lisa Coleman andWendyMelvoin described how they would find

influences for Prince, both on purpose and accidentally. “Wewould hang outandplayrecordsforeachother,”offeredColeman.“Haveyouheard this thingandhaveyouheardthat?’”“Itwasfantastic,”interruptedMelvoin.“Thosewerethedays.”“And it was like as if you were in your college dorm or something . . .,”

observedColeman.Melvoinagreed:“Wewereinourcollegeyearsforsuretogether.”54Threeroundsofoverdubsoccurredduringthissession.From3:00p.m.to6:00

p.m.,from7:00p.m.to9:00p.m.,andfinallyfrom11:30p.m.to1:00a.m.Nomixdownwasloggedandnocassettetapesweremadeoftoday’srecording,soit

is likely Prince felt he wasn’t finished and that work would continue thefollowingday.Duringtheeveningbreak,PrinceprobablywenttoseePeterGabrielplayatthe

GreekTheatre,whereheheardDavidTickle,whomixed thesoundduring theconcert.PrincewasimpressedenoughtohirehimtodothesameforthePurpleRaintour.

EventuallyGaryNumanwouldreturnthecomplimentbyrecordingaversionofPrince’s“UGot theLook.”PrincewouldalsosampleNuman’s“Remember IWasVapour”(alsofromTelekon)inhisoriginal1988versionof“RaveUn2theJoyFantastic.”

OnAugust17,1983,“Delirious”(backedwith“HornyToad”)wasreleasedasasingle,thethirdtrackfromPrince’s1999album.ItwouldstayintheBillboardTop100foreighteenweeks,peakingatnumber8onOctober29,1983.

THURSDAY,AUGUST18,1983*

Thequestionisalways,“Whatneedstobehererightnow?”It’snotaboutwhat’s hittin’.What sound needs to be here at thismoment?It’sallabouttrust,andkeepingthechannelclear.—Prince55

From 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Prince recorded additional spoken parts for theextendedversionof“ComputerBlue.”Inoneofthem,commonlyreferredtoasthe“hallwayspeech”byPrincefans,Prince tells thestoryofamanwholivedalone in a house andwhile escorting awoman to his bedroom, he named thehallwaysafteremotions,includinglust,fear,insecurity,hate,andpain.Hisvocaldeliveryisreminiscentofthespoken-wordsectionofEbn-Ozn’sJuly1983song“AEIOU sometimesY.” TheEbn-Ozn trackwas getting airplay onMTV and

was being hyped as the first song to be completely recorded on a computer,whichmight have grabbed Prince’s attention.Again, he seemed to be pullinginfluencesfromanywherehecould,nomatterhowminor,tocreateanewsound.He recruited Bobby Z to scream, “It’s hell, Computer Blue!” to the track.

PrincealsorecordedothermembersoftheRevolutiontoembellishthatscream;they canbeheardon theopposite trackwhen listeningonheadphones.Princemappedoutmultiple pages of dialogue formembers of the band to recite andchant,mostofwhichwasnotusedinthefinalalbumversion,includingsectionsof Melvoin and Coleman coldly castigating the computer for being narrow-mindedandchauvinisticandfor“fallinginlovetoofast,inheattoosoon.”56The most famous of today’s vocal overdubs involved the opening dialogue

betweenMelvoinandColemanregardingthetemperatureofthewater:Lisa:“Wendy?”Wendy:“Yes,Lisa.”Lisa:“Isthewaterwarmenough?”Wendy:“Yes,Lisa.”Lisa:“Shallwebegin?”Wendy:“Yes,Lisa.”57

Colemandescribedhowinnocentlyittookplace:“Princehandedusapieceofpaperandsaid,‘Willyouguysgooutthereandsaythis?’Ididn’tthinktwice.Honestly, Ihate tosay that itdoesn’tmeananything. Is it tea?Is itabathtub?Whateveryouwanttothink.Itwasjustusbeingcheeky.”58“Wedidn’teven think itwas thisweirdpsychosexual lesbian thing,” insisted

Melvoin.“Ihadnoidea.”59The recording took only a few minutes, but the effect created years of

confusion among fans, largely because of speculation about (and eventualconfirmationof)thelong-termrelationshipbetweenMelvoinandColeman.“[Our relationship]wasnevermeant tobea secret,” emphasizedColeman in

2009.“Wewerejustwhowewere.Shewasmygirlfriend,andthatlasteduntiljustaboutsixyearsago.Weweremarriedfor20years.Imean,notmarried,buttogether.”60IntheApril2009issueofOutmagazine,MelvoinandColemangaveafrank

interviewregardingthistopic.Wendy: “[Prince]was incredibly conscious of it.Look at thewayhe looked duringDirtyMindandControversy and 1999. He was so androgynous. He didn’t care if you were [paraphrasing Prince’s‘Uptown’lyric]‘black,white,straight,gay,PuertoRican, justafreakin’.’”Thatguywantedfans.Soanywayhecouldgetthem—andamoreinterestingwayhecoulddoit—appealedtohim.TheSlyandtheFamilyStonementality,thatwholeblack/white/freakythingonstageappealedtohim.”

Lisa:“I’llgiveyouanexample.WehadaphotoshootforthePurpleRainposter.WewereallinourdifferentpositionsandheatonepointwalkedovertomeandWendyandliftedmyarmupandputmyhandaroundWendy’swaistandsaid,‘There.’Andthatistheposter.That’showprecisehewasabouthowhewantedtheimageofthebandtobe.Hewantedittobewaymoreobvious.Weweren’tjustthetwogirlsintheband.Wewerethegaygirlsintheband.Itwasverycalculated.”61

From6:30p.m.until2:30a.m.,stringoverdubswerecompletedfor“BabyI’maStar”and“ComputerBlue”aswellasafewadditionalpartsof“PurpleRain.”Princeused the sameperformers fromearlier in theweek:NoviNovog,SuzieKatayama,andDavidColeman.“Youcan’tgetaroundnepotisminHollywood,man!”laughsColeman.“Iwasverylucky.”“Princewas all smiles. Ifwemade amistake, he’dmake a face. Therewas

somethingaboutPrince.He’dmakeyoulaugh.‘Ohthatwasalittleweird,’andhe’dtwitchandwe’djustlaugh.HewasafunnymanwhenIworkedforhim.Hemoved so fast. Itwas like doing three songs in one day. Princewas someonewhoitjustseemedtocomerightoutanditwaslikeaprintingpress.”“Whenwewererecordingwegot toexperiment,anda lotof timeshe’dtake

thefirsttake,”explainedNovog,“eventhoughtheremaybemistakes.He’dsay,‘No’;hewantsthefeeling.Therewassomethingaboutthefirstemotionthathewantedoryourfirstimpressionofthesongthathewanted.Becauseinthatera,everybodywaskindofdoingthesterilemusicwhereyou’ddotwentytakesofonething,andhedidn’tworklikethat.”62PrinceandLisaColemanarelistedonthealbumasarrangingthestrings,but

muchofitwasdoneonceagainbyColemanherselfwithPrinceobserving.Thesessionendedaftertwoandahalfhoursofmixingthesongs.“Helovedto

just grab the EQ knobs and just add some excitement here and there, and heneverworriedaboutwhathewasdoing,”observedSusanRogers.63Themethodschanged a bit during Purple Rain, but years later Prince acknowledged toKeyboardmagazinehowlittlecareheput intomixingsomeofhisbiggesthitsfrom this era: “Mymixeshavealwaysbeen terrible.All of them.Listen toanything.‘1999,’‘DarlingNikki,’‘PurpleRain.’They’reallthatway.”64AsinglecassettewascreatedforPrincetoreviewandevaluate.

FRIDAY,AUGUST19,1983*

When I write an arrangement, I always picture a blind personlisteningtothesong.AndIchoosechordsandsoundsandpercussioninstruments,whichwouldhelpclarify thefeelof thesongtoablindperson....ButwitheverythingIdo,Itrytokeepthatblindpersoninmind.—Prince65

Apparently Prince wasn’t completely happy with the version of “ComputerBlue”fromthepreviousday,andnowthathehadatotalofforty-eighttrackstofill,hecontinuedwiththeoverdubs.From3:30p.m.to6:30p.m.andfrom11:30p.m.to4:00a.m.,Princemadeadditionalchangestothesong.It is unclear what happened during the five-hour gap in recording, but it is

likelythatheattendedeitheraconcertorameetingfortheupcomingmovie.Asinglecassettewasmadeattheendofthesession.


JamesBrownplayedabig influence inmystyle.WhenIwasabouttenyearsold,mystepdadputmeonstagewithhim,andIdancedalittle bit until the bodyguard tookme off. The reason I liked JamesBrown so much is that, on my way out, I saw some of the finestdancinggirls Iever seen inmy life.AndI think, in that respect,heinfluencedmebyhiscontroloverhisgroup.—Prince66

PrincetookthenightofftoattendaconcertthatfeaturedB.B.KingandJamesBrown.DuringBrown’sperformance,Michael Jacksonwas invitedonstage toperform “It’s aMan’sMan’sMan’sWorld.”The band started playing “ThereWas a Time,” and very quickly Jackson told Brown that Prince was in theaudience;Browncalledhimup,askinghimtojamwiththetwoofthem.Oneof

Prince’s bodyguards, Chick Huntsberry, carried him up to the stage. PrincehuggedBrownandborrowedaguitar fromtheband.Afteraquick jam,a fewdance moves (including Prince’s James Brown–influenced routine with themicrophone,whichBrownwasunfortunately toobusy towitness), and abriefattempt to get the band and crowd to follow his lead, Prince left without agoodbye to theGodfatherofSoul, falling into theaudienceasheattempted toleanoverthecrowdusingaproplightpostthatwasn’tsecurelyfastenedtothestage. “Prince played some guitar but I think hewas a little nervous,”Brownwroteinhis1986autobiography.“Michaelfitintomythingalittlebettersincehehadbeenstudyingmeforyears.ButlaterPrincestudiedandhegotintoitrealgood.When Iwas inCalifornia later, he came to a showand layon the floorbackstageandwatchedmyfeet.Afterward,heaskedmeiflhadroller-skatesonmyshoes.”67Only James Brown had the power to unite Prince and Michael Jackson in

concert, and it is a shame that nothing came of the three of them onstagetogether.JacksonandPrince shared a common interest in JamesBrown,but they also

sharedamutualrespectforeachother.JacksonhadattendedPrince’sMarch31,1983, show inLongBeach, and Prince had grown up a fan of the Jackson 5.They met up several times at various studios and soundstages and wereapparently even competitive while playing ping-pong against each other atSunsetSound.Unfortunately,theyneverworkedtogetherinthestudio.QuincyJones invitedPrince toparticipateon“WeAre theWorld” (whichwaswrittenbyJacksonandLionelRichie)in1985,butPrincedeclined.JacksonalsowantedtorecordaduetwithPrinceforhis1987track“Bad”butwasturneddownagain.Yearslater,PrinceexplainedtoChrisRockwhyhedecidedagainstteaminguponthattrack:“Thefirstlineinthatsongwas‘Yourbuttismine.’NowI’msayin’...whoissayingthattowhom?’Causeyousureain’tsayingthattome,andIsureain’tsayin’thattoyou.Sorighttherewegotaproblem.”68AlthoughPrincemadelightofthesituation,thereseemedtobeamoreobvious

reason: Princewasn’t comfortablewhen hewasn’t in control. This iswhy hechose to leave the stage at theBeverlyTheatre. “Wehad no idea that hewasgoingtobecalledup,soit’snotlikehewaspreparedforthestage,eventhoughhe looked like he was,” remembered Jill Jones, who, along with Bobby Z,attendedtheshowwithPrince.“Itwasvery,verychoreographedandstructuredhow[JamesBrown]wanted tobe,and [Prince] justkindofchoked ina reallyweirdway.”69

Themedia often played up the rivalry between Prince andMichael Jackson,claimingthatPrince’smainobjectivewastoovertakeJackson,butthoseclosesttoPrincehadaslightlydifferentoutlook.“Michaelwasn’tthebiggestprioritytokill—it was everybody,” Wendy Melvoin explained to author Alan Light.AccordingtoLisaColeman,“ItwasPrinceagainsttheworld.”70

Status:When the JamesBrown showwas releasedonDVD (asJamesBrownwithB.B.King—LiveatTheBeverlyTheatre1983),Princewasconspicuouslyabsent,probablybecausehedidn’tfeelconfidentenoughabouthisperformanceandrefusedtogivehispermission.MichaelJackson’sappearancewasincludedandwaspromotedonthecover.

SUNDAY,AUGUST21,1983*

Thiswasagreatsong.Itjusttookforever.—PeggyMcCreary

Prince went back into the environment he could control and worked to tame“Computer Blue,” a song that was an anomaly for Prince. He was creatingsomethingspecialwiththissong,andcontinuedtoputmoreandmoreeffortintocraftingthesound,butitwastakingmuchlongerthanexpected.Workingonatrackoverthecourseofmultipledayswassomethinghedidn’toftendo,andthismayhavebeen themost timehe’dever spentonan individual song.Over thecourseofhiscareer, someofhisengineers feltPrinceseemedmoreconcernedabout thecreationof thesongthanhedidabout“producing”itafter themusicwas put on tape. “My vibe about Prince is he’s so ‘song-centric,’” explainsDavidKnight,whowouldlaterbehisengineer.“Youhavetorememberthatalotofhisstuffwascraftedinsixhours.Thetimethathefirststartedwritingthesong to the roughmix and it never got looked at again, that’s not production,that’snotalotofcrafting,that’swritingthesongandcapturingtheseelementsthewayIwanttoandnotalotofsecond-guessing.It’shimcapturinganessenceandgettingitontotapeandturningthepageonthenextone.”

AlthoughPrincewasworkingoncreatinganewsound,hissoloinoneoftheextendedversionsof“ComputerBlue”soundssimilartothesolointheextendedversion of the Vanity 6 song “DriveMeWild,” specifically around 4:40 and5:01. “They don’t all sound different. There’s a couple times I copiedmyself,” admittedPrince in a 1986 interviewwithWHYTDJ theElectrifyingMojo. “I try not to do that too much. If I do, then it’s usually someonearound,WendyorLisa,whosays,‘Hey,man,I’veheardthat.Putitaway.’Anditgoesaway.”71Almostfourteenhoursofoverdubbingwentintotoday’ssession.Attheend,a

singlecassettewasmadeof thesong.Prince then tookaone-weekbreakfromrecordingatSunsetSound.ItispossiblehewentbacktoMinneapolistorecordadditional tracks and supervise some of the rehearsals for the Time. It is alsolikelythatheattendedDezDickerson’ssolodebutatFirstAvenueonAugust28.

MONDAY,AUGUST29,1983*

Whenyousitdowntowritesomething,thereshouldbenoguidelines.Themainideaisnotsupposedtobe,“Howmanydifferentwayscanwesell it?”That’ssofarawayfromthetruespiritofwhatmusicis.Musicstartsfree,withjustasparkofinspiration.—Prince72

Today’s session was delayed from 3:00 p.m. until 5:30 p.m., when PrincearrivedbackinLosAngelesafterhistriptoMinneapolis.Aftereightandahalfhours of additional overdubs and mixing, the session ended the followingmorning.An expensive meal from Gourmet Faire was brought in, so it is likely that

variouspeopleconnectedtothefilm/recordwereinattendance,possiblytolistentothemostrecentversionsofthesongsforthesoundtrackandtodiscussplansforthefilm.Asthestudiogotbusier,PeggyMcCreary,whohadbeenrecordingwithPrincesince1981,missedthedayswhenitwasjustthetwooftheminthestudio:

Hedidn’thavetobe“anybody”withme.Wedidn’ttalkalot,butsometimeshe’dtalkabouthispastandabouthisfamily,whichwasn’tahappysubjectforhim.Hewasn’tatalker,butheprobablytalkedtomemorethanhedidtomostpeople.Ifyouaskhimquestions...he’dtalk.Beingwithsomeoneforoverfiveyears,dayandnight,you’dfindoutlittletidbits,littlewindowsintowhotheywere.Andalso,hismanager toldmesomestuffwhichshedsomelight intowhohewas.Abouthowhegrewupanddidn’thaveaplacetoliveandhowbythetimehewastwelvehewasoutonthestreet,andhowhelivedinAndré’s[Cymone]basementandhisdadwouldcomebyeveryweekorsoandbringhimcake,andthatwasthekindoffoodthatheate.Itwaskindofrough.Hewasprettymuchabandoneduntilhemadeit,andthenofcourseeveryoneshowedbackup.

AlbertMagnolisubmittedthefirstdraftofhisscripttoday.Forthefirsttime,itwasofficiallylistedasPurpleRain.

TUESDAY,AUGUST30,1983*

AlotofPrincesongs, the first timeyouhear themyougo,“What theheck did I just hear?” Prince’s songs were more complex than theaveragepopsongs.—MattFink73

From3:30p.m.untilmidnight,Princecontinuedtoaddoverdubsto“ComputerBlue.”At theendof thesession,aquickmixwascompletedand fivecassettecopies were created. For Prince to have generated so many cassettes likelymeans that theywerepassed toexecutivesat the recordcompanyand to thoseinvolvedwithcreating—andpossiblyfinancing—themovie.


Evenifthemusicwascomingthroughme,Iwasstilllisteningtoitasanadmirerofthesound,sowhateverIheard,beitalyricoramelodyline or a beat or whatever, sometimes just the bassline, I paidattentiontoit,andIwouldlet thatstart thesongfirst.Onceyougetthatmain thingdown, then that’s the leaderand that’sgoing to tellyouwhatthenextinstrumentissupposedtobe.—Prince74

The start timeof this sessionwasmoved from10:00a.m. to7:00p.m., and itbegan with a three-hour meeting. This was probably another gathering ofexecutivesinvolvedintheupcomingfilm,whichmayhaveturnedintoachancetodiscuss the recentlydeliveredscriptandrevealall thesongs thatPrincehadbeenrecording.Oncethemeetingended,Princespentthreehoursaddingvariousoverdubsto“IWouldDie4U.”Attheendofthesession,onecassettewascreatedforPrincetoreview.When August ended, “Computer Blue” was finally complete. Prince could

continueworkingonothertracks,includingwhatmanybelievearesomeofthemostbeautiful songson thePurpleRain album.Theunfortunatesideeffectofsqueezingsomanystrongsongsontothesoundtrackwasthat“ComputerBlue”wouldbeeditedseveraltimes,losingalltheincrediblelayersthatwererecordedoverthelasttwoweeks.

SEPTEMBER1983

September found themovie inaslight stateofchaos.Vanity’sabruptexithadcompoundedtheworkthatneededtobedonetoprepareforthemovie.Nowthatthe script was finished, one of Albert Magnoli’s major tasks was casting thefemale lead role, as he explains: “Vanity’s presence is so freaking strong, shecanmake theRedSea part. Shewas a force of nature.”Magnoli recalled oneencounterwithheratFirstAvenueinmid-Augustaftershehadlefttheproject:“I’msittingup there in themezzanineareaand I feel thisquickening in there.Secondslater,someonecomesuptomeandsays,‘Vanityjustcamein.’I’mnotexaggerating. She has this thing, and she comes in with painted-on clothing,secondskin, leather, latex,Idon’tknowwhatit is,butshelooksfantastic,andwhatsurprisedmeistheattitude,she’stough.Solookingforthat,Icouldn’tfindit.”Vanity’s replacementwould have to fill her role in themovie aswell as the

leadpositioninVanity6.Untilthen,boththefilmandthegroupwereinflux.TheTimecontinued tohaveproblemsaswell.JimmyJam,TerryLewis,and

MonteMoirhadbeenreplaced,and thenewbandwascurrentlyrehearsingforthemovieandforapotential test showinOctober.Unfortunately,MorrisDaywasgrowingmore frustratedatPrince’s controloverwhatDayconsideredhisband.Onceapowerfulperformingmachine,thebandwasnowstrugglingjusttostay together, and there was resentment overflowing from within the group.“Whatwasgoingonis,likethewayVanityhadonefootoutthedoor,theTimehad one foot out the door during themaking of Purple Rain; so there was arivalry,” according toMagnoli. “The competition between the bandswas veryrealwhenIgotthere.”Jesse Johnsonwas put in the position of getting theTime into shape for the

showand themovie. “I rehearsedwith theband,but itwasn’t the same.EvenwhenMorriswasattherehearsalsinbody,hisheartwasn’tinit,”heexplained.“I knew him long enough that I could tell.”1When Day was involved in therehearsals,heoftenactedcompletelydisconnectedfromthenewmembers,andinsteadoflearningtheirnameshe’dsaythingslike,“Whoever’stakingMonte’splace,playsomething.”

PaulPeterson,thekeyboardplayerwhohadreplacedMonteMoir,notedhowdifficultitwastobeoneofthenewguysinaverywell-rehearsedband:“Whenyou’re in the middle of it, you’re trying to do your best to hang on becausethingsaremoving soquickly.And Iwas right in themiddleof it, so itmeantrehearsalsixdaysaweek,10hoursaday—especiallyduringthattime.[Prince]wasmeticulousandwantedthingsperfectandright,andthepeoplethathehadhiredunderneathhim—JesseJohnsonbeingthepersonforthattime—hecrackedthewhiphardonus.”2“The attitude of the entire timewas you do this, you do this, you do this or

you’re fired,” remarksMarkCardenas,whohad replacedJimmyJam.“Idon’tknowifthey’rejustfuckingwithusasnewguysorwhat.Andofcourse,asthenewguysweheardcountlessstoriesaboutwhentheywerenewandwhat theyhad todowhen theywere justgettingstartedandall theshit theyputupwithPrincewhichgavethemlicensetosafelytreatuslikeshittoo.”“PrincehadpromisedMorrisacertainamountofmoneywhentheycameoff

the[1999]tour,”revealedPepéWillie,alongtimefriendofbothDayandPrince.“And when they came off the tour, it seems like Morris had owed Prince asubstantial amount of capital which exceeded the amount which he wassupposedtohavegottenwhenhegotoffthetourinthefirstplace.HefeltthatPrince had set him up. . . . [S]o itwas coming for awhile.And I guess thatPrince wanted payback for helpingMorris, andMorris was going, like, ‘Heyman,howlongdoIhavetopayyouback?IknowIhavepaidyoubackalreadyintriple,sohowmuchmoredoyouwantfromme?’”3AlthoughPrincewasincontrolofthegroupbehindthescenes,thepublicstill

thoughtDaywastheleaderoftheband.TheTimehadbeencreatedasafavortoDay,butitwasneveranequalpartnership;Princehadproventhatwhenhefiredtwooftheband’smembers.Withthecontroltakencompletelyoutofhishands,Day saw his timewith the group running out. “The band had changed and itwasn’twhatitusedtobeforme,”concludedDay.“Icoulddoanythingwiththeold band. I could forget half the lyrics on stage and these guys would knowexactlywhattodo.Wehadthekindofrapportthatalwaysfeltgood.Italwaysfelt right when we hit the stage, no matter what the circumstances.”4 Butregardless of Day’s opinion of the band, Jesse Johnsonworked hard tomakesure theTimewas tight and ready.Cardenas recalls howmuch focus Johnsondrilledintotheband:“Itwasridiculoushowwellweknewthemusic.Weknewthemsowellby the timeweactuallyplayed them itwasalmost impossible to

screwup.”JohnsonevenbroughtinJimmyJamtowatchthenewbandrehearse,andJamapproved,supposedlysayingtoJohnsonthattheywere“stompin’.”5ButnomatterhowgoodtheTimegot,thehierarchywasalwaysapparent.“On

onesideofthewarehousewasPrince’shugestage,”recalledCardenas.“Ontheothersidewas theTime’s littleclubsetup. Itwasaconstant reminderofhowbigPrincewasandhowlittletheTimewere.”6WhilemuchofthiswasgoingoninMinneapolis,PrinceflewtoLosAngeles

toconcentrateonhismusic.

THURSDAY,SEPTEMBER1,1983*

Idon’tfeelsexywhenIplayguitar—Ifeelangry.—Prince7

These two tracks were connectedwhen theywere originally taped during theAugust3benefitshow.Princedecidedhelikedhowtheyfunctionedtogether,sohemaintained their order and flow for the PurpleRainmovie and soundtrackalbum. Because of the way the concert was recorded, the tracks weren’tcompletely clean. The drummachinewas isolated, but the cymbals and someotherinstrumentswouldoccasionallyleakontheopenmicsandadditionalworkonall the trackswasnecessary. “Everythingwas sweetened,”explainedSusanRogers. “No major reconstructions, just shortening because he played themlongeronstageandre-singingtheleadvocalstogetthatleakageoff.”8Theprocessof“sweetening”meansthatmistakesmadeduringtheperformance

wereeithercleanedupbyrerecordingthatsectionor,sometimes,coveredupinthe mix by adjusting the audio levels or accentuating another instrument.Although the original performance was recorded on 24-track tape, Princecontinuedtousethe48-tracksetuphe’dbeguninmid-Augusttoworkonthesesongs.

Thesessionstartedoutwitheighthoursofguitaroverdubs.DuringtheAugust3concert,Prince’sguitaron“BabyI’maStar”wassupposedlyoutoftune,sohehadtomakeoverdubsbasedonthatsameslightlyout-of-tuneinstrument.Asusual,Princeplayedhisguitarwhilestandingnexttothemixingboard,listeningtoitonheadphoneswithamicrophoneinfrontofthespeakerinthestudio.Thiswasacommonpracticewhenhewasrecordingonhisown.Afterdinner,anothertwohoursandforty-fiveminutesofoverdubswereputto

tape.AsinglecassettecopyofthesessionwascreatedforPrincetoreview.

FRIDAY,SEPTEMBER2,1983*

[Engineers] drive me crazy. It’s because they’re so technical.Everything just got so esoteric. . . . “We’ve got to do this a certainway,”whenyou’rereadytoplay.TheengineerIuseandgivecredittoonthealbum,shesetseverythingupforme,mostofthetimebeforeIcome in. And then I just do what I have to do and split. She putsthingstogetherafterward.—Prince9

No matter what time the session was scheduled to begin, the engineer (orassistant engineer, depending on the credit being given)would showup thirtyminutesearlytomakesurethestudiowasreadytogowhenPrincearrived.Hewasn’tfondofwaitingforanything,especiallyforsomethingtechnical.Today’s sessionwas originally slated for noon, but Prince rescheduled it for

3:00 p.m. and didn’t show up until 5:30, leaving engineer Peggy McCrearywaiting:Whatwouldhappeniswewouldleaveat4or5inthemorningandhewouldcallwithan11a.m.ora2p.m.startandhewouldsleep,butIhadtogetthereearlytosetup,sohe’dberestedandI’dbetherepumpeduponcoffee,andhewouldn’tshowupandIwouldbewaiting.Isaidtohimthat“thisiskillingme”andhewould justsay,“Well Ididn’twakeup,”andeveryonewasafraid towakehimup.He’d

say,“Itellthemtowakemeup,buttheydon’t.”I’mlike,“Right,whatever.”Sohegavemehisnumberstraightintohisroomorwhereverhewasandhesaidjustcallmewhenyou’rehere.Sothatworkedoutprettywell,butthattookquiteafewyearsandIwasjustfried.Hedidn’twantanyoneelsethere,andhe’dkeepmewaitingandhewouldcomeinwithanattitudebecausehekeptmewaitingsolong.

Prince did nine hours of additional overdubs on these tracks, includingreplacingmuchofhisownleadandbackgroundvocals,buttheyalwaysrequireda little more effort tomatch the energy of the live performance. Because thesongwasstillincomplete,Princedidn’tworkonamixormakeacassettecopyattheendofthesession.

Thephrase“Weareallastar”in“BabyI’maStar”probablycomesfromSly& the Family Stone’s “Everybody Is a Star,” which had been covered byPrince’s firstband,GrandCentral.Theunderlyingthemeis thateveryoneisastarandwe’reallimportantandserveapurpose.

SATURDAY,SEPTEMBER3,1983*

He’ll wear you out. Prince’ll wring your soul out. He spits out twosinglesadayandmixesthem.—DavidZ10

Princecontinuedhisoverdubbingfromthepreviousday.Afterthreeandahalfhourshecreatedamixdownof“IWouldDie4U”and“BabyI’maStar.”Oftenhismixesweredoneveryquicklybecauseoftheprepworkthattookplacealongtheway.SusanRogersexplainedtheprocess:Whilehewasplaying, Iwouldbe finessing thesoundand justgetting it . . .because Iknew thathewantedtoprintittohalf-inchwhenweweredone,soIwouldbecleaningthingsupandsortofgettingsoundon things as the songwasdeveloping.Sousuallywhenweweredoneoverdubbing, itwas ingoodshape.Wewouldprintitandcallit“roughmix,”unlesswehadtheenergyandhewantedtogoaheadandtakethetimetotweakitthefinaldegreeandcallitthe“master,”andthenwe’dmixitandthatwouldbeit.Itwouldbemixed.Soitprettymuchwasmixedaswewentalong.11

AsthePurpleRainmoviemovedclosertobecomingareality,Princeprobablyrealized the importance ofmaking these tracks as perfect as possible. Duringtoday’ssession,hedecidedtospendsixhoursmixingthetwotracks,andoncehewashappywiththemixeshespentanotherfivehourseditingthem.Insteadofmaking them shorter overall, the combined songs were extended by an extraminutebeyondtheoriginalliveversions.Atthispointintheprocess,therewerestillanadditionalsixteenmeasuresin“I

WouldDie4U”thatwouldultimatelybedeleted.Also,“BabyI’maStar”stillcontainedPrince’sspokenintrotothesongfromthebenefitconcert:“There’sapartyinheretonight,somebodyclapyourhands,comeon,everybodyrockthehouse...doit.”Twocassettecopiesweremadeofthesession.

SUNDAY,SEPTEMBER4,1983*

Mymusicwantstodowhatitwantstodo,andIjustwanttogetoutofitsway.—Prince12

Ten hours of additional vocal work were done in this session. Although it isunclear what was overdubbed, this is probably when the backward messageaddedtothebeginningof“BabyI’maStar”wasrecorded.Thisprocessconsistsofrecordingasound(inthiscaseavoice)onatapeandthenplayingthetapeinreverse—or, more accurately, loading it on to the tape machine backward. Ahalf-inchtapewaspreparedforthis,andLisaColemanrecordedthefollowing:“So,like,fuckthemman.Whatdotheyknow?Alltheirtasteisintheirmouth.Really,whatthefuckdotheyknow?Comeon,baby,let’sgo...crazy!”Thiswasaddedtothepreviousday’smix.Itcanbeheardat0:17andagainat

4:03onthereleasedtrack.Althoughwhatwasdoneduringthissessionhasbeenreferredtoas“backward

masking,” technically that phrase refers to a hidden message on an audio

recording that is only revealedwhenplayedbackward.Therewasno effort toburytoday’srecordinginthemix,soitisnotactuallybackwardmasking.

MONDAY,SEPTEMBER5,1983*

MostpeopleinL.A.willgetaband,cutalltheirtracksoneweek,andforthenextfewmonthsdooverdubsandvocals.Thenthey’llsitdownforamonthandmix thewholerecord.Princedoesnotdo things thatway....Alotoftimeshedoesn’tleaveuntilit’sdone,evenifittakesacoupleofdays.—PeggyMcCreary13

Princewas apparently still convinced that “Baby I’m a Star”wasn’t completeandspentthefirstsevenandahalfhoursworkingonreplacinghisvocals.OneofthemostrecognizablechangeswaswhenPrincesang,“Ain’tnothingwrongwithyour ears,”14 replacinghishumorous “Ain’tnothingwrongwithyourbigol’ears.”15Princemusthavefeltthephrasewasn’tappropriateforthealbumandthemovie, but it found itswayback into the live performanceof the track assoonashestartedtouring.Afteradinnerbreakheaddedanothertwohoursofsynthoverdubstoreplace

variouspartsoftheperformancesofLisaColemanandMattFink.“Ithinkthathethoughthecoulddoitthebest,”explainsFink,“andthatmusicallyhefeltlikehecouldgetwhathewantedbecausehecoulddoithimself.Hewouldalwaysknowwhat hewould like because he knew he could do it. I’d say itwas thecontrolaspect.Havingcompletecontrol.ThatwasonethingPrincealwayshadtohave.Iknowthat.”Prince has gone on record saying that being called a “control freak is a

compliment.”16He explainedwhat he credited as theorigins of this behavior:“Thatwholethingcamefrommyearlydays,whenIwasworkingwithalotofpeoplewhoweren’texactlydesignedfortheirjobs....Ihadtodoalot,andIhadtohavecontrol,becausealotofthemdidn’tknowexactlywhatwasneeded.”17

Childhood best friend and former bandmate André Cymone felt Prince’sapparent need to control every situationhadmuchdeeper roots: “Prince’s dadwasavery,verybiginfluence.Alotoftheworkethicwasinstilledbysomeofthe things thathesaid.‘Ifyouwant tobe thebest,you’vegot toplay.You’vegottopractice.Andwhenotherguysarerunningaroundandoutonthestreetsandblah,blah,blah,blah,andgettingthesegirlspregnantandblah,blah,blah...youguysneedtobepracticing.’ I rememberedall thatstuffandI really tookthatstufftoheart.”18“Myfatherwassohardonme,”Princerecalled.“Iwasnevergoodenough.

Itwasalmostlikethearmywhenitcametomusic.”19Princewasalmostalwaysincontrol,buthisfirstmoviewasscheduledtostart

shootingwithinafewweeks,andhewouldrelinquishmorecontrolthanheeverhadinhisentirecareer.Asinglecassettewasmadeofthesongatthisstage,andthesessionendedat

theunusuallyearlytime(atleastforPrince)of12:30a.m.

TUESDAY,SEPTEMBER6,1983*

I’ll have a color or a line in mind, and I’ll keep switching thingsarounduntilIgetwhatI’mhearinginmyhead.ThenI’lltrytobringtoearththecolorthatwantstobewiththefirstcolor.—Prince20

Performers like Michael Jackson took weeks in the studio getting the soundperfectforeverytrack.Forthemostpart,Princewasmoreimmediateinfindinghis sound,anduntil thisperiodhegenerallyworkedon themusicquicklyandmoved on. “[Prince] taught us perfection is in spontaneity,” explained TerryLewis.“Youjustdoit,andwhateveritis,it’sperfect!Create,anddon’tponderwhatyoucreated.”21ButPrincewaschanging,anditwasbecomingmorecommonforhimtofocus

onasinglesongfordays.Hecontinuedoverdubbingpartson“BabyI’maStar,”

stilllookingtoreplicatethesoundhehadinhishead.Itisveryeasytoimaginehowanartistwiththatmuchcommitmenttoperfectionwouldwanttoeliminateanyflawsinthemusic,especiallyconsideringthat,forthemostpart,hewasn’taperfectionistatall.“[Prince]wasnotaperfectionist,”explainedSusanRogers.“Hewouldn’thavehadthatoutputifhe’dbeenaperfectionist.Whathewaswasavirtuosoplayerandageniuswithmelody,ageniuswith rhythm,ageniusatwriting songs. It just poured out of him—he couldn’twait on perfection. Theimportant thing was to have the sound serve the ideas, not the other wayaround.”22According to some of his engineers and bandmates, Prince could get lost in

recordingmusicandlosetrackoftime.Thepeoplearoundhimwereessentialfortechnicalreasons,butPrincewasverysatisfiedcreatingsongsbyhimself.“Youwere a distraction. You were a necessary evil on a Prince session,” reflectsPrince’s future engineerDavidKnight. “He needed people to run the consoleand get the tapes set up and so forth, but youwere a necessary evil and youweren’t a collaborative or a creative element in the recording of his album. IthinkifPrincecouldwalkaroundinhisstudiowithfiftyinstrumentspluggedinand ready to go at any point and he had an iPad and he could just go boom,record,thisinputonthistrackandmicitatthisvolume,Idon’tthinkhewouldworkwithanybody.Ithinkhewouldworkbyhimself.”In2009guitaristWendyMelvoinshedsomelightonPrince’sworkethicand

focus: “He’s a guywho doesn’t question himself. Even if he fails, he doesn’tthink too much about it. He is one of the most committed people I’ve evermet.”23Twocassettesweremadeat theendof thesession,butonceagainhewasn’t

satisfied.

WEDNESDAY,SEPTEMBER7,1983*

I just feel I’ve been extremely lucky to have someone like Prince—himselfpersonally—thinkthatIwasgood.—LisaColeman24

Princecontinuedworkingon“BabyI’maStar.”DuringthissessionPrincespentthefirst fourhoursreplacingvariousvocals.Afteradinnerbreakat6:30p.m.,additional vocals were added, some of which probably included backgroundvocals fromWendyMelvoin, Jill Jones, and LisaColeman. Coleman recalledlayingdownsomeofthebackgroundvocals:“Wewereaddingacoupleofparts,and Jill Jones and I were at the mic singing the chorus parts, ‘StaaaaaaaarWooo!’Andforsomereason,wehadanuncontrollablegiggleattack.Wetriedtokeep singing, but by the last set of choruseswewere crying, fully hysterical.Prince was really annoyed and begged us to get it together on the talk back:‘Comeon!STOPIT!’Butwecouldn’t!Ithinkyoucanhearthedifferenceinthebackgroundvocalsattheend.It’sallPrincebecauseJillandIranoutside.”25“LisaandIalwaysscrewedaround,”laughsJones.“Wedidgoofaroundalot

andsometimeshe’dbeinthemoodforitandsometimeshewouldn’t.Wereallyenjoyedworkingtogetherallthetime.Wealwayshadagreatconnection.”PrincewasbeginningtotrustMelvoinandColemanmoreandreliedonthemin

waysthatexposedhisfeelingsaboutwhattheyaddedtohismusic.“Itwasjustso wonderful,” expressed Melvoin, “because we loved doing what we weredoingsomuchandbelievedinitsomuch.Itwasjustsowonderfulthatitwasalsobeinglovedandbeingbelievedin.”26“[Wendy]camefurthestofanyoneI’veeverseenatpullingPrinceoutofhis

shell,” explainedSusanRogers. “Headoredher and felt comfortablewithher.Everyoneelsewasmoreorlessintimidatedbyhim.”27At10:00p.m.Princewasstruckby inspirationand tookabreak from“Baby

I’maStar”tofocusonanewtrack.Hebeganthisbriefdetour—possiblywiththe help of Melvoin and Coleman—by laying down the sounds for a new,untitledsong,butthiswasmoreexperimentalanddidn’tfitthemoldofmostofhismusic.Infact,itdidn’tevenhaveatruebeatorrhythmtoit,butconsistedofacollectionofsoundeffectsandvocalchants.Prince stopped recording at 6:30 in the morning, and a single cassette was

madeofthesession,whichpresumablyincludedthelatestversionof“BabyI’maStar”aswellasthenewtrack.

Status: Although it has been previously reported elsewhere that today’s songwasaninstrumentalcalled“IAmFive,”itisalmostcertaintohaveactuallybeencalled“IAmFine.”Itachievedfamewhenitwasplacedattheendofsideone

of Purple Rain as the coda to “Darling Nikki.” Prince’s vocals were playedbackwardonthistrack,butarecordingofthemwasplayedforwardduringthePurpleRaintour.


There’snothinglikethefeelingafteryou’vedonesomethingandplayitbackandyouknowthatyou’llneverhearanythinglikeit,andthatthey’llneverfigureitout.—Prince28

Itappearsthattheremayhavebeeninstrumentsusedonthis,possiblyincludingdrums, but they were eventually removed in the mix, leaving only the soundeffectsandPrince’svocals,whichwere recordedoverninehourson thisdate.Hisvocalsweremultilayeredtosoundlikeachantingchoir,andsectionswereplayed in reverse to give it a haunting, almost spiritual vibe. When playedforward,hesaid:“Hello.Howareyou?I’mfine’causeIknowthattheLordiscoming soon. Coming, coming soon.” Once again, it wasn’t technicallybackwardmaskingbecauseusually thatmeans itwasmaskedorhiddenon thetrack.Thiswasabold, in-your-facebackwardsection thatadded to the track’setherealfeel.Under themusicbedhe’dcreated,Prince layeredsomeof thesameelements

from theAuthentic Sound Effects library that he had placed at the end of theVanity6track“WetDream,”includingwind,thunder,andrain.Inmanywaysthistrackwasacompanionpieceforatwo-minutesongPrince

had recorded in 1981 called “The Second Coming,” whichwas played at thestart of the show during his Controversy tour. This was a pattern he wouldduplicate when he played a variation of “I Am Fine” during the Purple Raintour.At theendof the session, “IAmFine” remained isolated fromanythingelse

Princehadrecorded.Itwasplacedontheshelfandwasnottoucheduntillaterin

themonth.


Inpeople’sminds, itallboilsdown to“IsPrincegetting toobig forhisbritches?”IwishpeoplewouldunderstandthatIalwaysthoughtIwasbad.Iwouldn’thavegotintothebusinessifIdidn’tthinkIwasbad.—Prince29

After thebriefdetouron“IAmFine,”Princecamebackto“BabyI’maStar”with fresh ears. It is unclear what he spent ten and a half hours overdubbingduringthissession,butalthoughtimewasdwindlingaway,hecontinuedtopushfor some formof perfection.Ultimately therewere additional instruments thatdidn’t make it into the final version, but this was fairly common during hiscareer. FuturePrince guitaristMikoWeaver reflected on thiswhen discussinghistimewithPrinceinthestudio:“He’llputdowntonsoftracks,everythinghecanthinkof,thenlistenbackandtakewhathewants.Whatendsuponthefinalmixmaybejustafractionofwhat’sonthetape.”30No tape copy was made at the end of the session, probably because Prince

knewhestillwasn’tfinishedwiththetrack.


Beinginthestudioiskindofaboringlife.Anybodywho’severworked[onliveevents]thinksstudiosarereallyboring.—PeggyMcCreary31

It is almost impossible to imagine that being in the studio with Prince was“boring,” butwhen thework gets repetitive it takes a toll. (“He’dwork threedaysstraightwithoutsleeping,”recalledguitaristDezDickerson.)32EventhoughPrince preferred to be alone, he relied on his engineers, specifically PeggyMcCreary.“Shedideverything,” recallsSunsetSoundassistantengineerMikeKloster. “Shewould get everything down, get it to tape, record everything totape, get it all coming back and when you sit down to mix, she would seteverythingupandhewouldkindofsit there,andshe’dgeteverythingset toagoodlevelandsay,‘Okay,thisis...[pointsatmixingboard],ifyouwantmoreof this . . . [pointsatanotherpartof theboard].’She’dlethimdoa littlefinaltweaking.”Becauseoftheintricatelydetailedworkneeded,whatPrincerequiredfromhis

engineers varied, so he had more than one on some sessions. Usually it wasDavidLeonardandPeggyMcCreary.McCrearyremembers,“It’sfunnytheway[Prince and I] worked; whatever Prince couldn’t do, I did. He was great atbalancingandheknewexactlywhathewanted,andofcoursethereweregoingtobecertainlimitationstothat.HeletDavidandItakeoveralotmorewiththesessions.Helikedtobealoneinthestudio,andthereweretimeswhenyouwereyawningandsotiredandhewouldjustlookatyouandsay,‘Justsetmeupandyoucangetoutofhereforalittlewhile,’buthewouldn’tletyougohome.”“Youjustcouldn’tbeweakinanyway,shapeorform,”explainsengineerand

co-producerDavidZ.“Weaknesswasforsissies.He’dcomedownonyoulikeadrill sergeant.He justwouldn’t accept it. ‘You’re tired?Oh, I’ll get someoneelse.’That’sthewayhewantedit.Heoncetoldmethatyouworkbetterwhenyou’retired,becauseyoudon’toverthinkit,andyoujustletitcomeout,soit’smuchbettertoworkwhenyou’retired.”BecausePrincetriednottooverthinkinthestudio,hehadtorelyonothersto

think for him when it came to the technical part of recording music, andaccording to many, this frustrated him. Even Alan Leeds, whose mainexperiencewithPrincewas in thecontextofhis liveshows,witnessedhowhetreated his studio engineers: “He was unmerciful towards engineers andtechnicians.Hehadabsolutelynopatiencewithequipmentanditslimitations.Ifatapehadtoberewound,he’dpaceforthirtysecondsandthensarcasticallyaskan engineer, ‘Aren’t you ready yet?’ While they frantically tried to repair a

problem,hemightstandover themwitharmsfoldedorbeginpacingbackandforth.”33For nine hours, Prince overdubbed additional keyboards and vocals to the

track.Whenitcametovocals,Princecreatedatechniqueearlyonthathetrainedeachofhisengineerstofollow.DavidKnightexplains:Heengineeredthevocalshimselfsoyouhadthisgreatbigboommicthatyouwouldswingoutovertheconsole,itwasaNeumannU47tubemic,andwewouldhangitrightwherehecouldsitatthedesk,putsomeheadphonesonhimself,andsetupthetapemachine.We’dshowhimthepatchcordsowhenyoumovefromtracktotrack,track16through22thatyoucanrecordon.Heknewhowtoengagetrack22andmovethetrackcordover,raisethefader,andrunhisownmix.Andsothatwaswhenyou,asanengineer,wouldhurrytotheloungegetaquicksnackandtrytosleepandliterallyjustgetforty-fiveminutesoranhournap,andnextthingyouknowhe’dcomeknockingatthedoorandsay,‘I’mready,’andyou’dthrowtogetherareallyquickfifteen-ortwenty-minuteroughmix.”

ThequickmixfromthissessionwasdubbedtoaC-60tape.


I hear everything in my mind but as I overdub synth parts, I flipthrough thepresets I likeuntil I find the sound Iwant for thenextphrase. I listen to what tone goes with what color. I usually don’tchangethesoundsthemselves.—Prince34

Princearrived lateandworked for tenandahalfhourson“Baby I’maStar.”Once again, it is difficult to knowwhat Prince was overdubbing because theworkhadnowbeengoingon forelevendays.“Whenyouwork forPrince,hewasveryhands-on,”notedDavidLeonard.“Imeanyouwouldjustsetstuffupandhewouldgoandhehasavision,sohewouldjustaskyoutodostuff,andifyou tried things, he would like it or not, but prettymuch he was driving theboat.”35ThesessionendedunusuallyearlyforPrince,andnomixwasdone.



Ican’tleaveagoodideaunfinished.IfIdothat,itdrivesmenuts.—Prince36

Thesessionwasslatedtostartat1:00p.m.butwaspusheduntil6:00p.m.Princewas ready toputa final touch to“Baby I’maStar”andhe spentmuchof thesessionmixing it.Overall,“Baby I’maStar”was the track thatdemanded themost work, but because it would be the final song in the film, Prince likelywantedittoreflectwhatheheardinhishead.“Princewasandissodedicatedtohiscraft,”explainedkeyboardplayerMattFink.“Moresothananyotherartist,fromwhatI’vereadandwhatIknow,Princeisprobablyatthetopasfarastheamountofhoursthatheputsintohiscraft.”37“ElectricIntercourse”wasalsomixedonthisdate.Itislikelythatthiswasfor

theliverecordingfromAugust3andnotthestudioversionofthetrack.Itisalsounclearhowmuchoverdubbing,ifany,wasdonewiththismix,andthereisnoindicationofanyadditionalworkonitduringanyothersessionatSunsetSound,soPrincemayhavefeltthetrackwasn’tworkingforthisprojectandputitasideuntilinspirationstruckhim.David Leonard, who sat at the board during many of the mix sessions,

commentedononeofthemanytoolsinPrince’sbeltwhenitcametogettingtherightsound:“During thatperiod,mixingnormsforPrince involvedhaving theLexicon reverb on the drums, which involved setting up a chamber and theLexicondelay,thosewerethethingsthatwerealwayspluggedup.SunsetSoundhadthreeactuallivechambers,echoroomswithmicsinthem,andtheyweresetoffthemixingboard,sowhenyouweremixing,youcouldrunanythingthroughthem.SoanythingPrincemixedduringthateraoutofSunsetSound,whichwasall of 1999 and Purple Rain, generally had a chamber on it, for all thoserecords.”38

Close inspection reveals thatmanyof thesongsduring thisperiod (including“Baby I’m a Star” and “Purple Rain”) contain a distinct reverb sound on thedrumsandoftenonthevocalsaswell.Thetwomixeswererecordedtoasinglecassettetapeandthesessionwasover

at1:30a.m.

Status:Theliveversionof“ElectricIntercourse”(5:13)remainsunreleased.

TerryChristian’sname iswrittenon thisdate,but itwas scratchedout, sohemaynothavebeenatthesession.Whenaskedwhetherhewasthere,Christianwasn’tsure.


Icanhearmyinfluencein“PurpleRain”intheharmony,butIdon’tknow if that’s coming from him or from Wendy and Lisa, becausethey’ve also assimilated some of the modality of the open tunings.—JoniMitchell39

The fact that JoniMitchell could hear her influence in Prince’smusic revealshowmuch hermusic inspired him.He expanded on this during a 1985MTVinterview:“JoniMitchell...taughtmealotaboutcolorandsound,andtoher,I’mverygrateful.”40Nowthathehadwrappedupworkon“BabyI’maStar,”Princerefocusedon

thetitletrack.Forthefirsttimesincemid-August,hebeganaddingoverdubstothe song. For seven hours he corrected mistakes he heard in the live mix,including rerecording parts of his own solo, which was probably overdubbedduringthissession.“Princeknowswhathewants,”explainedMcCreary.“Anyleaderofabanddoes.”41Princewasruthlesswithanythinghefeltcouldbemadebetter,andlikehe’ddonewith“BabyI’maStar”andothersongsfromtheliveAugustbenefitshow,hereplacedpartsrecordedbythebandmemberswithhis

own.Asusual,thiswasdonetoexpeditetheprocess.“Ihaveacommunicationproblem sometimes when I’m trying to describe music [to others in thestudio],”heexplained.42Hehadtroublecommunicatingaboutmorethanmusic.“Hewasveryquietand

veryshywhenhefirstcameintothestudio,”DavidLeonardexplainedtoauthorJakeBrown.“WhenIfirstsawhim,andthenafter1999andthenPurpleRain,hewasa littlemorecomfortablewithme.Wenevergot tobe friends, likehewouldn’tcallyouuptogohangoranything.Hewasn’tveryhappyorfriendly.Idon’tknow...hewastortured.IguessthatwouldbethewordI’duse.Itwasn’tthathewasunkind,it’sjustthathewasveryprivateanddriven.”43“He’sareal‘tohimself’kindofperson,”agreedMorrisDay.44MikeKloster concurs: “You could talk to him and hewould sometimes just

ignoreyoucompletely.AndIdon’tknowifhewasjustbeingrudeorifitwasbecausehewaslostsomewhereelse.Whenhegottothestudio,heworkedthemajorityofthetimethere.Hewouldjustbeworkingthewholetime.Hekeptitthatwayandheknewitwasapowerplay.HeknewhowthatcouldhelphimandIthinkthat’swhyhe’sverygood.He’ssmartandheknowshowtomanipulatethingstoputhiminthepositionofpower.”Thatdidn’tnecessarilytranslatetothoseoutsidehiscircle.“Someofourother

clients would avoid booking time here if they knew he was here,” explainsSunsetSoundgeneralmanagerCraigHubler:Wedon’tknowiftheyfeltintimidatedbyhissuccess,orjealousy,orhewassodifferentthattheyfeltuncomfortable coming here. Some clients used to come up to him in the courtyard, when he wasplayingbasketball,andtheycomplimentedhimonhiswork,andhewouldoftenjuststareatthem,notsayaword, and justwalkaway.Sometimeshemumbled,“Thankyou,”and sometimeshemumbledsomething else.Most of the time people didn’t understandwhat he said to them.Perhaps theywereoffended,thoughthewasrude,butknowinghimaslongaswehave,itmostlywasthathewasshy.Hedidn’trelatewelltopeoplehedidn’tknow.

According to Matt Fink, part of this was planned: “He wanted to keep hiswhole mystique going. There were times when he just wanted to keep hismystiquealiveandnottalk.Hejustdidn’twanttobetalkingtoanybody.Thatway, it also saves you from over-exposure when you’re not talking all thetime.”45“[Prince]wasmoreopenthanpeoplegavehimcreditfor,”Finkadded.“He’s

alsonotasintrovertedaspeopleclaimeither,becausewhenyougettoknowhimandgettobefriendswithhim,heopensupquiteabit.You’reabletospeakwithhimonaregularbasisandhealsohadaverygregariousnaturetohim.”46

TheironicthingisthatwhilePrincedidn’twanteveryonearoundhimtoknowhimthatwell,heexpectedthemtobeabletoreadhismind,whichoftenmadeitdifficult to know what he wanted. “I’ve seen him have trouble with a lot ofpeople,” said David Z. “He’s not real communicative with everybody. Hesomehow just expects things to be perfect, and when they’re not he can getmad.”47Prince’sangermadeeventhoseascloseasWendyMelvoinnervous:“Attimes

Iwas scared of Prince because he had anger stuff.When hewas pissed, youwantedtoavoidhiseyes.Hiseyescouldburnyou.Thereweremomentswhereyou were scared of him as a human being; he looked like he was going tofuckingkillsomebody.Andalotoftimesthatwouldbeme.”48Forthelastfourhoursofthesession,PrincehadMcCrearybouncethetracks,

preparingforthemixthefollowingday.Oncethiswasfinished,acassettecopywasmadeofthesessionanditwrappedupat12:30a.m.


He’s trulyagenius-levelmusician.EverythingIsawhimdoas farashistimeandplayingon“PurpleRain,”thatwassomething.Ithinkhealwaysputshimselfundermusicalpressuretomakeitasgeniusashecould.—DavidLeonard49

Princeseemedcommittedtotakinghismusictothenextlevelinhiscareer.Hewasn’tlookingforasmalljump,butseemedtobewantingachangeindirection—onethatbuiltonthelargesoundof1999butaddedmoreofarockelement.Relyingonhisinfluences,hepushedforanewsummit.Albert Magnoli, who had been in Los Angeles finishing up the script, had

variousmeetingswithhimduringthistime.HavingspenttimestudyingPrinceandhismusicfairlyclosely,Magnolihadsomeinsightintotheevolutionofhissound: “Princewas a hybridofSamCooke,LittleRichard, JimiHendrix, and

James Brown. And not only that, what about Sly & the Family Stone? Andwhat’s the thing that’s going to make you stand out? Keyboards? I doubt it.Guitar.”“PrincemademostofthemusicforthePurpleRainalbumwiththeconceptof

thefilminmind,”explainedAlanLeeds,“andvisually,theideaofarockiconwithaguitar,posedwithhislegsopen,hasalotmorecinematicimpactthanaguystandingatakeyboard.SoIthinkjustthefactthatthisguysawhimselfasamoviestarmakingamusical,arockmusical,dictatedthathemadesurehegavehimself thevehicles todohisguitar shtick,because itwas the role, this is theimagery.”50HavingtheTimeasthesurrogateforPrince’sfunkysidegavehimfreedomto

headinamorerock-and-roll-orienteddirection,whichwasultimatelygoodforthemovieandgoodforcontinuinghiscrossoverappeal.TheRevolution, including drummer Bobby Z, agreed: “‘Purple Rain’ is just

one of thosemoments, as a band, that you live for. From the firstmoment ofrehearsal,when I heard the strains of it onPrince’s piano, to the last timeweplayeditliveattheMyth[onMay25,2013,afterBobbyhadrecoveredfromhisheartattack].Itjustreallyhassomethingaboutit,thewayitcrescendos,thewayitcrashes,andthewaytheguitarsolotakesyoutoaplacewhereyoujustfeeldifferentaboutyourlife.Nomatterwhat,whenyouhearthoseopeningchordsof‘PurpleRain,’youjuststoptimesomehow,andjustlisten.”51Prince worked on the mix of “Purple Rain” for almost ten hours, but no

cassette copy was made of the evening’s mix at the end of the session. Adecisionwasmadetocompleteitthenextday.

MagnolileftthefollowingdayforMinneapolistocontinuepreproductionforthemovie.


“PurpleRain”(mix)UntitledSong(basictrackingfor“IrresistibleBitch”)SunsetSound,Studio3|1:00p.m.–12:30a.m.(bookednoon–open)Producer:Prince|Artist:Prince|Engineer:Prince|AssistantEngineer:“PeggyMac”McCrearyAdditional24-trackmachine(MM1200)billedonthisdate.

Princeoftenstartedwithdrumsinarecordingsituation.Theywereofparamount importance to him. He’d either come in and lay down adrum trackon themachineorwalkover to thedrumkitand tape the

lyrics to the tom-tomsohecouldsing thesong inhisheadashewasplaying.Mindyou,heneverhadaclicktrackgoing.Allthemusicandarrangementswouldbeworkedout inhisheadandhejustplayedthefillswherehethoughthe’dneedthem.—SusanRogers52

Princespentsevenandahalfhoursworkingonthefinalmixfor“PurpleRain.”The calm before the storm was ending and there were more and moredistractions,withmoreobligations,meetings,andvisitschangingthevibeofhisstudiowork.“Therewassomethingaboutthestudiothatwaslikeawombthatwrapped around you for protection, and we had Studio 3 pretty much toourselves,”reflectsMcCreary.“Wehadabathroom,wehadakitchen,andwewouldshutourselvesofffromeverything.Wedidn’tneedtogooutandsosinceStudio 3 was a separate building, nobody came in—nobody dared walk backthere—buttheneventuallypeoplestartedshowingup,thebodyguardsetc.Anditwasdifferentoncethebusinessstartedtogrowandthedistractionshappened.Idon’tthinkhewasasfocusedoncehestartedtodothemovies.”53DespitePrince’sscheduleandtheadditionofmultiplepeopleinthestudio,he

wassingularlyfocusedonthissong.Unlikemanymusicianswhocollapseunderpressure,Princeseemedtothriveonthechallenge.Hismanager,SteveFargnoli,explainedPrince’smind-setduringperiodslikethis:“Whereotherguysgooutandbuycarsandbuydrugsandbuyjets,thiskidisnotinterestedinthat.He’sinterestedinthingsthatsatisfyhiscreativeurge.”54And as always, Prince’s creative urge involved sharing his newest music in

someform.PrincewasworkingonPurpleRainthealbumandPurpleRainthemovie,as

wellaskeepinghisnameinthepubliceye.Theyear1983wasthefirstsincethereleaseofhisdebutalbumthatWarnerBros.hadn’t issuedanewcollectionofhissongs,insteadtheycontinuedtominetracksfromhis1999album.Ithadnowbeenayear since thatalbumwasunveiled,anda fourthsingle,“Let’sPretendWe’re Married,” was chosen for release in mid-November. Prince, alwayslooking to get his most recent music out to the public, decided to rerecord“IrresistibleBitch,”atrackhe’ddemoedin1981.Thelastninetyminuteswerespentlayingdownthebasictracksforthesong.It

isunlikelythatanyvocalswererecordedonthisdate.“Thethingis,youdon’tknowifhealreadyknewthesonginhisheadorifit

was unfolding before your eyes,” remembers Kloster about sessions like this.

“He would start with a drum machine and get a rhythm going, and then thebass.”Although it has been rumored thatMorrisDay played drums on “Irresistible

Bitch,” there is no confirmation of the accuracy of that claim. There are tworeasons for this rumor.The first isbasedonPrince’scomments in thebookletfrom hisCrystal Ball CD. In it he remarked that “[a] new style of playingderived from this recording style, and several songswere cut in the samevibe—the coolest being ‘Irresistible Bitch.’ OnlyMorris and Prince werepresenton thisrecording.”55Princewasdiscussing the track“CloreenBaconSkin,”butothershaveinferredthatMorrisplayedon“IrresistibleBitch”aswell.The second reason is that “Irresistible Bitch” and “Cloreen Bacon Skin”basicallysharethesamebeat.Daywas probably inMinneapolis during this period, so it is highly unlikely

thatheparticipatedduringthissession.

Status:“IrresistibleBitch”(4:13)wasissuedasasingleonNovember16,1983,as the B-side for the 12-inch of “Let’s PretendWe’reMarried.” The originalrecording(4:32)from1981remainsunreleased.Although “Let’s Pretend We’re Married” was the fourth regular US single

releasefrom1999,following“1999,”“LittleRedCorvette,”and“Delirious,”itwas the sixth overall: “D.M.S.R.” was released as a promo in the UK and“Automatic” was released in Australia, both before “Let’s Pretend We’reMarried.”


[Prince is]avery funkydrummer.Asa leadguitaristhedoesall thatincredible soloing, but funk is his strong point and he’s got thatmasteredonthedrums.—MorrisDay56

Long sessionswere thenorm forPrince, and forweekshe’dbeenburning thecandleatbothends.Onthisdate,“G-Spot”wastakenoutofthevaultforsomeadditionaloverdubbing.Ithadbeenrecordedduringthesummer,andPrincewasprobablytryingtodecidewhichtrackwouldworkbestastheB-sidefor“Let’sPretend We’re Married.” Whichever song he picked, it would have tocomplement the highly sexualA-side,which contained the phrase “I sincerelywanttofuckthetasteoutofyourmouth.”57Thechoicewasbetweenasongthatwasmonthsoldoranevenoldersongthat

hewasrerecordingthisweek.Notsurprisingly,hechosehismostrecentwork.Approximately ninety minutes of overdubbing may have been done on “G-Spot,”but itwas set aside.The trackwasoriginallyconsidered for thePurpleRainproject.“Ithink‘G-Spot’wassupposedtobetheshocker,”recalledBobbyZ.“AndIthinkthat‘DarlingNikki’waswrittenanditwasabetterone.”58After a short dinner break, Prince began finishing the revised version of

“Irresistible Bitch.” The next nine and a half hours were spent recording theelements for this very sparse song. Prince updated his original trackwith livedrums,giving thenewversionadrivingbeat that thedemo lacked.“ThemostimpressivethingaboutworkingwithPrinceinthestudiowashisinternalclock,”said David Leonard. “It was amazing, his time. For instance, when he wasplayingdrums,I’veseenhimdosowithoutaclicktrack,andstopplayingandjust keep singing and then come back in playing drums for a breakdown of asong,thenbeabletocomeinandpickupaninstrumentandtimeitexactlythesame over an eight-bar break or something, that’s pretty inhuman—with NOclicktrack.”59ItislikelythatPrinceaddedhisvocalsduringthissession,includingaspoken

section inwhich he repeated the phrase “Iwant you” and “irresistible bitch,”which was placed in reverse around twenty-five seconds into the track andburieddeepinthemix.Written fromaperspective similar to “WhenYouWereMine” (from1981’sDirtyMind),“IrresistibleBitch”isalover’slamentabouthowweakheisforthewomanhedesires.Insteadofthesexuallyaggressivecharacterin“Let’sPretendWe’re Married,” Prince takes a submissive role and allows the woman todominatehim,givingtheA-andB-sidesofthereleaseasortofsexualbalance.ThisreversalofcontrolissomethingPrincehadmasteredonmanyofhissongs,including“DarlingNikki.”At the end of the session, quick mixes were done and two cassettes were

created.


Wefoundeachotherintellectuallyandspirituallystimulating....BothLisaandIweresosupportiveofhimintellectuallyandcreativelythatIthinkhe responded to it.Wewereattracted to eachother’sbrains.—WendyMelvoin60

PrincebroughtinWendyMelvoinandLisaColemantoaddtothebackgroundvocalson“IrresistibleBitch.”“Lisaand Iwere reallyclose friendswithhim,”reflectedMelvoin in 2012, “sowhenyou arehangingoutwithyour ‘buddies’youare sharingmusic, sharing ideas, sharingphilosophiesandby that timehewasn’t a huge, mega-superstar, so there was much more of a reasonableconnectionyoucouldhaveonadailybasis,sowespentalotoftimetogether,the threeofus.AndweallhadthesamelikesanddislikesandthehumorwasverysimilarandIthinkhealsofeltverysafewithLisaandIbecausewewereacouple.”61According to thosearoundhim,Princewasdevelopinga romantic interest in

Wendy’stwinsister,Susannah.Aswithmanyofhisloveinterests,Princewouldsoonbeincludingherinhismusic.Susannah’svoicewouldbeaddedtomanyofhissongsandshewouldbecomeamuseforalongstringofprojects.After five and a half hours of vocal overdubs, a cassette wasmade and the

shortsessionendedat10:30p.m.


I’vealwayswrittenrealexplicitandI’vealwayssaidwhatwasonmymind.WhenIwasyoungIusedtoreadmymother’sdirtybooksthatshe had hidden in her bedroom. That was after my father left. Ialways rambled through her things andwhen I got sick of readingthose, I’d write my own. Sex was always most interesting to mebecause it dealt with human life more than anything. Thereproductiveprocessandthefactthatpeoplelosetheircoolbehinditisenoughtowriteabout.—Prince62

This was another short session, putting the finishing touches on “IrresistibleBitch.”Aftersixhoursofoverdubsandabriefmix, the trackwasfinished.At7:00p.m.,Princebeganworkingonanewtrack,buttherearenodetailsandnotitle. It is likely thathe spent threehoursworkingonpartsof“DarlingNikki”and possibly the section of the track thatwas recorded days earlier as “IAmFine.”A new tapewas created, probably preparing to blend “I Am Fine”with the

recordingof“DarlingNikki.”Ifthiswasthecase,itmadesenseforhimtohaveassembledthembothtoafreshtapesotheoriginalrecordingsremainedpristine.Eventually,thirty-sixsecondswouldbetrimmedfrom“DarlingNikki,”butitisunlikelythattheeditoccurredonthisdate.Onecassettewasmadeof theday’swork,and thesessionended longbefore

midnightforthesecondnightinarow.


Prince recorded [“Darling Nikki”] in his basement in Minneapolis.Youcantellthesoundofthatoneisprettydifferent.—DavidLeonard63

Workcontinued toblend thesongs“DarlingNikki”and“IAmFine” intoonetrack.Cassetteandsafetycopieswerecreatedearlyinthesession,probablyjustin case this experiment didn’t sound natural. At 4:30 p.m. Prince beganoverdubbingon the tracksand joined them,creating thecombinedversion thatendsthefirstsideofthePurpleRainalbum.Likehis1981song“Controversy,”whichhadhimreciting theLord’sPrayerwhilesingingabouthumancuriosityregarding sex, race, and drugs, “DarlingNikki” now contained a blend of thepureandtheprofane,somethinghewasturningintoanart,accordingtoSusanRogers:“ItwasreallycommonforPrince ifhewentveryfar inonedirection,that was strongly lust, passion based on just carnal lust, he would attempt tobalancethatstatementwithamorespiritualstatement,andthatplacewherethatbackwardsgospelbitcomesonthealbumisnoaccident.That’stheredemptionthatfollowshisjourneytohellinNikki’scastle.”64“This is his way of asking for forgiveness for having lust in his heart, and

doing it in away thatwas artistic,” explainedRogers. “Great art comes fromconflict,andhewasconflicted,forsure.”65


Q:Whywasthetrack“ElectricIntercourse”suddenlydeletedfromthefilmandsoundtrack?A: Once “The Beautiful Ones” was completed, it was always theballadofchoice.—Prince66

Princewasgenerallysomeonewhorecordedallnight.Itwasn’tuncommonforthesun tobecomingupashe left thestudio,but for the last severaleveningshe’dendedtheshiftmuchearlierthanusual.Onthisevening,thatwasgoingtochange.For almost twoweekshe seemedcontentnot to record anything fromscratch,choosinginsteadtotweaksongsthatwerealreadywrittenandrecorded.

For this session Princewas inspired by anothermuse, SusannahMelvoin, thetwinsisterofhisguitarist.“HewaswithSusannahatthattime,”explainsPeggyMcCreary.“Itwaskindofwrittenabouther,buthehadalotofreallygorgeouswomenaroundatthattime,andsoitwasabouther,butitwasalsoreferringtomanyof thewomen thatwerearoundhimat that time. Itwasavery turbulenttimeandkindofascarysong,thewayhescreams,andithasalotofpassionandemotioninthatsong.Ithinkthathewasverymuchinlovewithher.”Prince’sMinneapolisengineer,SusanRogers,confirmedthis:IwastoldbyDavidLeonard,whenheandIwereinthecontrolroominPrince’shouseandwewerelisteningback toa tapeof “BeautifulOnes,”andDavid said, “Iknowwho this is about.Susannah.”And he told me the story of how Prince loved Wendy, she was a great guitar player and a greatpersonality,butwhenhemethertwinsisterSusannahhewasabsolutelysmitten.Princestartedsendingher flowers every singleday.Andhe senther flowersdelivered toherhouseeveryday for almost ayear. So I think thatDavid verywell could have been right, that “TheBeautifulOnes”waswrittenspecificallyforSusannah.67

“He was recording for Purple Rain, and he was falling in love with me,”reflectsSusannahMelvoin.“AndIwas in thestudioconstantlywithhim.Thiswassofunny,buthewouldsendflowerstothehousewhereWendyandIandLisa livedeveryday forayearandahalf. Itwasn’taday thatwentbywheretherewasn’tahugethingofflowers.Nowitstartedtolooklikeafuneralhomebecause therewas noway to keepupwith the amount of flowers.There’dbedeadones,there’dbeliveones,there’dbeprettyones,there’dbeuglyonesanditwasjust,‘Wherearewegoingtoputallthisstuff?’”SusannahexplainedherroleinthistowriterMattThorne:“SomepeoplesayI

washismuse,andIdon’tknowifthat’swhatitwas,butIcansayIdidinspireacertainkindofwriting.Therewasapartofhimthatwantedtoexpresshimselfinadeeperway,andIthinkourrelationshipwasanopportunityforhimtodothatatthetime.Soifthat’swhatbeingamuseis,that’swhatitwas.IthinkWendyandLisahadthesameeffect.”68Princehimselfdisagreeswitheveryone’sassessmentregardingtheinspiration:Iftheylookatit,it’sveryobvious.“Doyouwanthimordoyouwantme,”thatwaswrittenforthat scene in Purple Rain specifically. Where Morris would be sitting with [Apollonia], andthere’dbe thisbackand forth.Andalso,“Thebeautifulonesyoualwaysseemto lose,”Vanityhadjustquitthemovie.Tothenspeculate,“Well,hewrotethatsongaboutme”?Afterwardsyougo,“Whoareyou?Whydoyouthinkthatyouarepartofthescriptthatway?Andwhywouldyougoaroundsayingstufflikethat?”It’snotaboutsomebodyhumanthatI’mlookingatrightnow.Itwouldn’thaveworkedifitwas.

Thiswasliterallyforthatcharacter.Andthat’swhyitworked.69

Work had stopped on “Electric Intercourse,” which was intended to be theemotionallovesongforthemovieandsoundtrack,butitwasn’tfittingproperlyandboththestudioandtheliveversionshadbeenshelved,leavingavoidinthemovie and the soundtrack. “I heard ‘Electric Intercourse,’ and obviously itwasn’trightforthemovie,”recallsMagnoli.“Itdidn’tfitintothefilmthewayitneededto.Themusicthatfitsintothatfilm,asyouseeit,isrelativelyseamless.Youneverquestion it.And that’sahard thing toachieve,and thefact thatwediditagainandagainistellingtotheamountofworkthatwentintomakeallthatseamlesssothatitwouldfitintothenarrative,and[Prince]knewtherewasasongnecessary.”Inhindsightitisobviousthat“ElectricIntercourse”waswrittenforadifferentPurpleRain—one that starredVanity.Both songswereworthyof release, butoncethefemaleleadleftthetoneoftheentireprojectwasaltered,andthetrackseemed drastically out of place. With the song no longer fitting the movie’snarrative, Prince set it aside. For “TheBeautifulOnes,” he sang about gettingmarried,whichdidn’tfitVanity’smoviepersonabutsoundedtailor-madeforadifferent type of character. The role had yet to be cast, and with shootingscheduledtostartinalittleoveramonththerewasmountingpressuretofindtheactress.Astheproductiongotclosertofilming,Princealsohadtostartlockinginthe

music to be performed. He had many tracks ready but was still missing theproperpowerballad.RevolutiondrummerBobbyZmade thebestobservationaboutthissongandaboutPrinceingeneralwhenhesaid,“That’swhathappenswhenyougivePrince24hoursbyhimself.”70Finkwasequallyblownaway:“‘TheBeautifulOnes’ ismy favorite songonPurpleRainbecauseit’sorchestratedinsuchauniqueway.Princecreatedthisotherworldusingsynthesizers,guitars,pianos,lotsofdigitaldelay,andreverb.Andthevocalsarejustridiculous.”71The reaction fromwithin the bandwas universally positive.WendyMelvoin

explained that “[w]hen [Prince]wrote ‘TheBeautifulOnes,’wewere inL.A.,and I remember going . . . you’re so totally in tune right now with yourcreativity.Youaresoonaroll.Ijustrememberhearingthatsongandthinkingtomyself...God,you’resogood.Youaresogoodatthis.”72ThetestforthesongwasgoingtobewithMagnoli,whowouldberesponsible

for determining whether it belonged in the movie in a way that “ElectricIntercourse”didn’t:“Ilovedthissongbecauseitfitsintothemoviethat’sbeingmade.”

Princebeganlayingdownthebasictracksat1:00p.m.andspentthenextfourhours recording the drums, keyboards, and piano (on the studio’s Steinway),whichDavidLeonardrecordedusingAKGC414mics.Afterthat,Princespentthe next ten hours on overdubs including his emotionally powerful vocals.Asusual, he had a method of asking the engineer to leave the room while herecordedvocals,accordingtoMcCreary:Iremembersettingupamicrophoneabovethemixingboardandgivinghimapairofheadphonessohecouldmonitorwhathewassinging.He’drunthemachineandjustsinglikecrazy.ItwouldbefourinthemorningandI’dhearthis“yeaaaaaaaaahhhhh”andstompingcomingfromthestudio.(laughs)Hehadnotoleranceforhumanweaknessandthat’sbasicallywhatitisandthereareonlysomanyhoursaperson can work. . . . He needs his sleep, but only after a certain point. I’ve read that that is acharacteristicofgeniuses—theygo for longperiodsof timewithout sleep and then theygo fordayswithnothingbutsleep,andhewoulddefinitelydothat.

Thesongwrappedinonesession,andafteranhourofmixing,“TheBeautifulOnes”wasputtocassette.Princeleftat5:15a.m.,almostseventeenhoursafterthesessionbegan.Itiseasytoimaginehowproudhewasofhisrecentaccomplishments.Within

twomonthshe’dcompletedsevenoftheninetracksforhisalbum.Therunningtimeswouldchange,butasofnow themusicnecessary for the filmwasdoneandhecould focuson songs for theTimeand theunnamed femalegroup thatwouldreplaceVanity6.WorkwouldcontinueinMinneapolis.Prince wouldn’t record in Los Angeles again until late December, after the

mainfilmingwascomplete.

Status:“TheBeautifulOnes”(6:07)wasultimatelyedited(5:14)andreleasedonthePurpleRainsoundtrackalbum.Itwasnotreleasedasasingle.

It is unclearwhenPrinceactuallywrote the track, but itwas likely formed inlateJuly/earlyAugust1983,whenSusanRogersrecalledhearingitforthefirsttime:“WhileIwasdownstairsinhisbedroomforaweekinstallinghisconsoleanddoinghiswiring,Princewas justwaiting for his studio to bebuilt, and Iwouldhearhimonthepianoplayingoverandoveragain.Iheardhimplayanearly version of ‘The BeautifulOnes’more than any other song.Hewas justworking it out over and over again. It was a powerful theme for him in hisplaying.Itwasreallyaprivilegetohearhimplaythesegreatsongs.Hewouldsitdownatthepianoandjustplay.”73


Wespentmoretimeonthatrecordthananyotherrecord....WespentmonthsandmonthsonPurpleRain.—DavidLeonard74

Princehadspenttwenty-fourdaysinarowinthestudiowithoutabreak.Withtheweight of the biggest project in his career ridingon the backof a twenty-five-year-old, one can only imagine the pressure he felt to create somethinggreat.ItiseasytoforgetthatPrincespentmuchofthistimealoneinthestudio,writing,recordingalmostalltheinstruments,singing,andproducingthemusic.No one else in popular music was doing that and maintaining that level ofcreativity.Seven cassettes were created of this collection of tracks, probably for the

director, the record label, and members of the band. The purpose for thiscollection is unclear. It is possible that he was gathering the tracks theRevolutionwouldbeperformingonstageinthemovie,butifthatwasthecase,hedidn’tinclude“Let’sGoCrazy”and“DarlingNikki”andtherewasnoreasontoinclude“IrresistibleBitch.”

Thefollowingday(September22)Prince’smanagementsentaletterofintenttoFirstAvenueofferingonehundredthousanddollarsforuseoftheMainRoominthemovie.ThedatesrequestedstretchedfromNovember26toDecember20.


He was a genius, and it was an incredible experience to watch himwork.Heworkedconstantlyanditwasreallygrueling.He’dleaveandyou’dgetmaybeadayoff,and thenyou’dbeputonanothersession,becausehewasn’tdoingjusthisownstuff.—PeggyMcCreary

Peggy McCreary made two cassettes of the B-side for Prince’s next single,“Irresistible Bitch.”Hemay have dropped by to pick up the cassettes, but heprobablydidn’tattendthisbriefafternoonsessioninStudio1.With all the music needed for the Revolution’s live portion of the movie

finished,PrinceflewbacktoMinneapolis,wherefilmingwasscheduledtostartinamonth.Octoberwasgoingtobeverybusy,withfinalrehearsals,recastingthefemalelead,andthescriptchangesthatwouldcomewiththenewcharacter.Hewould also spend themonthworking onmusic for the other artists in thefilm:theTime,JillJones,andthe(as-yet-unnamed)girlgroupreplacingVanity6.AlltheprepworkfortheyearwasabouttotestPrinceinamannerhe’dnever

beforeexperienced.Ifitfailed,itcouldsethimbackandderailanymomentumhe had from 1999, potentially turning his name into a punch line. If it was asuccess,itwouldmakehimasuperstar.Eitherway,hewasenteringunchartedwaters.

OCTOBER1983

WhenPrincecametotherehearsalspace,everybodyclammedupandshut down and just kind of “Oh, Prince is here” kind of thing.Occasionally, depending on what kind of mood he was in, he wouldhearus,hewouldlaugh,andthenmaybechangeacoupleofparts,andfine-tune a few things. He was excited about the sound.—MarkCardenas

LikelyinspiredbythesuccessofPrince’sshowonAugust3,whichpreviewedmultipletracksforthePurpleRainalbum,itwasdecidedtohavetheTimedebuttheir new tracks thatwere also premiering in themovie. Thiswould give theband a chance towork out the kinkswith the newmembers replacing JimmyJam, Terry Lewis, and Monte Moir, and would also allow director AlbertMagnolitheopportunitytoobservethebandinfrontofaliveaudienceatFirstAvenue.“IfIampreparingtoshoottheminamovie,Ineedtoseethemintheirownelement,”Magnolisays.“IgottoseePrinceinhisownelement,andifthebandisbeingshotforamotionpicture,Ineedtoseehowdotheyactonstage.That’stheauthenticitythatIwanttobeabletoconvey.”

TUESDAY,OCTOBER4,1983

[Prince]helpedusformtheblueprint,butitwasgettingcrazyforme.Witheverystepofsuccess,hebecamemoredifficult,andIwasgettingthebruntofit.Wearenothatingonhim.Wearejusttellingthestory.If

itsoundsugly, thenitwasugly.Wearejust tellingwhathappened.—MorrisDay1

The new lineup for the Time performed an eight-song set at First Avenue inMinneapolis,includingthepremiereofthetwotracksplannedfortheupcomingmovie:“TheBird”and“JungleLove.”Forthecrowd,thiswasachancetocatcha rare hometown performance by the band, and they weren’t let down. Thereaction to both songswas overwhelmingly positive, and the concert gave thebandthechanceto introducethedancemovesto“TheBird”asarehearsalfortheirsceneinPurpleRain.AccordingtoDay,therootsofhismovescamefromhischildhood:“It’sreallyatakeoffoftheold‘Pterodactyl’fromTheFlintstones,ifyourememberthat.Thatwasmorelikearms(extendshisarms)andflappin’the hands, while ‘The Bird’ is more like you get the wings going. It’s just amodernizedversionofthatwithsomefunkbehindit.”2The live version of “The Bird” was very similar to the previously recorded

studioversion,butinconcertthebandalteredthe“StarSpangledBanner”riffat5:21 (which can be heard on the Ice Cream Castle album) as Day shouts,“Fellas,what’stheword?Whenyouwanttogetsome,whatyoudo?”Forsomereasontheriffwascutinhalfandcanbeheardsoonaftertheguitarsoloonthealbumversion.“What’s great about the Time is that they are literally the polar opposite of

Prince and so that strengthened the thematic area,”observesMagnoli. “Tomeit’s the peacock against the black swan, right? Black swan, Prince. Peacock,pretty feathers,MorrisDay.Andbecause theyare soopposite eachother,youhavedrama.”But thiswasn’t justpartof thescript.ThetensionwithintheTimeaswellas

between the band and Princewas very real—a powder keg ready to explode.“Morriswasreallyveryunhappyandbasicallynon-participating,”notedSusanRogers.“Hewasgoingtogetthemovieoverwithandthenitwasobviousthathewasoutofthere.Hewasn’tcommunicatingwithanybody.Everyoneelsewasdoing their best to hold their end up, but it was really an unhappy situation.Everyone was looking for a way out. Jellybean, the drummer, was reallyunhappyandwantedtobewithJimmyandTerry.Jessewanteditbecauseitwasa job, but in the meantime he was doing his own demos and wanted out asquicklyaspossible.Sonoonewasreallyhappy.”3ThefrustrationregardinghowmuchmoneytheTimewasmakingboiledover

duringtheshowwhenDayopenlymockedPrinceaboutthefactthathecharged

twenty-five dollars for a ticket to his August show (“I couldn’t afford it so Istayedhome”).Dayplayedthepartofarevivalpreacherlookingfordonations,with “Prince, are you out there? Did you give? You took! Did you give?” Itobviously struck a chord because days later, when Prince was teaching theRevolution some of the songs he’d recently recorded, he was still makingreferencestoDay’squote.Infact,hewouldrevisitthisphrasewhencreatingtheFamily, the band that would eventually replace the Time after they self-destructed.By the end of the concert, Day’s patience had run out. “I was production

managerfor thatshowandat thesideofstagewhenitconcludedtoescort theband to thedressing room,” recallsAlanLeeds.“Instead,Morrisunexpectedlyboltedtothedoorbehindthestage,whichleadsintoaprivategaragewherehiscarwasparked.Hedidnotutteronewordbeforegettinginthecaranddrivingoff, still in his stage clothes. Even the band was stunned, looking for him tocelebratethewell-receivedperformance.”Fromoutsidethevenueinthetruck,abasic24-trackrecordingwasmadeofthe

concert for the twonewsongs,andthe liveversionsofboth trackswerebeingconsideredforuseontheTime’snextalbum.“JungleLove”and“TheBird”hadalreadybeenrecordedinthestudio,so,ashehaddonewiththesongsheandtheRevolutionhadperformedliveatthebenefitshowinAugust,Princewouldhaveto decide which versions of these tracks worked best for the album and themovie.The music sounded incredible and the performance went very well, but the

biggerquestionwas:CouldPrincekeeptheTimetogetherlongenoughtofinishthemovieandany remaining tracks foranalbum,orwouldDayquit and joinVanityasaformeremployee?

Status:Tonight’sliveperformanceof“TheBird”(7:28)wasoverdubbedinthestudioandaneditedversion(7:03)wasreleasedontheTime’sIceCreamCastlealbum. The thirty-two-second introduction to the songwas kept intact for thealbumbutdrasticallycondensedforthemovie.Theliverenditionof“JungleLove”(4:10)wasnotreleasedonthealbum;the

studio version was chosen instead. Like “The Bird,” the audio from “JungleLove”wasfeaturedinthemovie,withthebandlip-synchingtheirperformancesfromthisevening.Nothingelsewasofficiallyreleasedfromthisconcert,whichwouldbetheonly

showfeaturingthislineupoftheTime.RockyHarriswouldbereplacedbyJerry

HubbardwhilethemoviewasbeingfilmedinNovember.

Princewould recycleMorrisDay’sbitingphraseonMarch3, 1986,duringashow at First Avenue when he was upset with Paul Peterson for leaving theFamily:“PaulPeterson,yououtthere?Didyougive?Youtook.Didyougive?”followedbythechant,“St.Paul,punk-of-the-month.”

WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER5,1983

ItislikelythatPrincespentpartofthedayreviewingthe24-trackrecordingofthepreviousnight’sshow.

WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER5,1983*

Two-trackcopieswerecreatedduringthisbriefsessioninStudio1.PrincewasstillinMinneapolis,sohedidn’tattendthesession.

SUNDAY,OCTOBER9,1983

Sometimeshewouldworkthesongoutwiththebandashewaswritingit, and start teaching us the song, and then hewould go back in thestudioandfinishit.Orinothercases,hewouldjustgoinanddothem,andthenpresentthemtousonatapewhenitwasfinished,andI’dsay80%ofthetime,that’showitwasdone.Afterhe’dhandusacassetteof the mixed song, [he’d] say “Okay, go learn this” and we’ll startrehearsingit.—MattFink4

Prince spent the day teaching his band many of the recently recorded songs,including “Darling Nikki” and “The Beautiful Ones,” as well as the updatedversionsof“Let’sGoCrazy”and“ComputerBlue,”whichatthispointhadanendingthatwasshorterthanthereleasedversionandincludedonlytworepeatsoftheleadlinesjustbeforethefinalscream.Thisunreleasededitofthesongcanbeheardinthemovie,butthefollowingspringPrincewouldreconsidertheeditandextendittofourrepeatsoftheleadlineattheendofthetrack.Alloftheseversionswouldbefeaturedintheperformancescenesinthemovie.

Thebandwasalreadyveryfamiliarwith“IWouldDie4U”/“BabyI’maStar”and“PurpleRain,”as theyhadn’tchangedmuchsincetheywereperformedinAugust.Therehearsalalsoincludedthebandjammingon“17Days”aswellas“YouAreinMySystem,”asongthathadchartedin1983fortheSystemandforRobertPalmer.

INTRODUCING:APOLLONIAKOTERO

[Apolloniais]oneofthesweetestpeopleI’veevermet.—Prince5With Vanity out of the picture, literally and figuratively, a new actress was

needed to fillher role.Castingcallsweredone inNewYorkandLosAngeleslookingfora“beautiful,voluptuousfemale,between18and21,under5-foot-4,sexywithanopen, ripe look . . .andanyethnic typewithanexoticEuropeanallure,”andtheproductionwasswampedwithactresses.AlbertMagnolihadhisworkcutoutforhim:“Isawhundredsofgirlsandno

onecouldreplaceVanity,andsoitwasamiraclethatattheveryend,Apolloniawalkedin,andshewasthedirectoppositeofVanity.YouhadVanity,gorgeousanddark,andyouhad[PatriciaKotero],gorgeousandlight.AndIrealizedthatbecause they were so opposed to each other, they would work. She looksfantastic, andwhat surprisedme is the attitude; she’s tough.Apollonia finallycame in so diametrically opposed to her, so I immediately said, ‘I’m literallylookingatlight,whenIhadbeentryingtofindthedark.’”

ThenextstepwastohaveKoterotraveltoMinneapolis,soMagnoliarrangedameetingbetweenherandPrince:“Icalledhimandsaid,‘Thisgirlmightbethegirl.HernamewasPatty,Patricia.’Isaid,‘Whydon’tyoucomebyandseeifshecansing,’becausethatwasabigdeal.SoIsaid,‘Princeisgoingtobeby.Takearidetogotohishouse,andwe’llfigureoutifyoucansing,’andshesays,‘Okay.’Hewalks in, she’snervous, he’s nervous, and so theygooff togetherwiththebodyguard.”Soonaftertheyleft,PrincephonedMagnoli:“Hecallsandsays,‘Whatdoyou

think?’And I said, ‘Listen,canshesing?’Andhegoes, ‘Icanmake itwork.’AndIsaid,‘Okay,ifyoucanmakeitwork,Icanmakeitwork.’”Princewas taken by Patricia’s looks and personality and by their immediate

chemistry,andshewashiredasthefemalelead.AlthoughshewasbroughtintoreplaceVanity,Kotero’s personality took the character in a different directionandanamechangewas inorder.Thename“Apollonia”canbe tracedback toPrince’s fascination with movies, specifically The Godfather and MichaelCorleone’s first wife, Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone (played by SimonettaStefanelli).Princelovedclassicfilmsandinvitedthoseclosetohimtoshareinthispassion.PrincecalledMagnoliwiththeupdate:“Hegoes,‘CanwecallherApollonia?’ And of course, The Godfather, and I said, ‘Yeah.’ And I go,‘Where’sthatcomingfrom?’Andhesaid,‘Ihavenoidea,itjustcametome,’andsoIsaid,‘Okay,it’sApollonia,whattheheck?’”Prince also ran it by the remaining Vanity 6 members, Brenda Bennett and

SusanMoonsie, since theywould be performing together. “[She]was the onewho looked the best and her reading was very good,” remembers Bennett.“Princewassittingwithusandwetoldhim.Hehadtomakeadecisionandheaskedusaboutthename‘Apollonia.’Ilikedit.”“She came to rehearsals and saw how we work together,” Wendy Melvoin

reported in 1984. “Apolloniawas genuinely excited. She came to us and saidthatshethoughtalotofusandthebandandshereallywantedustoaccepther.”6

MID-OCTOBER1983

Apollonia brought a more pure, innocent, and sensual aspect to themovie.ItwouldhavebeenreallydarkwithVanity.—AlbertMagnoli

ThefirsttrackApolloniatapedwithPrincewasarerecordingofVanity6’s“SexShooter.”BrendaBennettdetailshowtheyworkedwithherinitially:“Apolloniawill tell you, shehadnotbeen a singerbefore, andwehadher copyVanity’svocals. I think that itwas tough forher.Shecame inwanting tobeapartner.David Lee Roth and Apollonia dated, so she knewmusicians. She wanted tomakeasuccessofthis.Shewasfriendlyandwantedtotryhardandshewasverydiplomatic. It didn’t come easy, but she was much easier to work with thanVanity.Shehadnopreconceivednotionsaboutsinging,butshewasmainlyanactress.”With Vanity out of the picture, Prince decided to go in a slightly different

directionanddiscarded“MoralMajority,”“Vibrator,”andothertracksrecordedfor Vanity 6’s aborted second album, but he was firm about using “SexShooter.” Because of the different personalities of the actresses and thecharacters,itwassuggestedtoshifteverythingfromsexualtosensual.Prince apparently agreed with this assessment and focused on changing the

tonewiththevocals.Earlyinthecasting,ApolloniahadgivenPrinceademotapeofhersinging,so

heknewshehadpotential,butlisteningtoatapeandlayingdownvocalsforanew track are two very different tasks, as Susan Rogers explained: “Shewaswarmingup, in a quiet little voice,with theBeatles’ ‘When I’m64,’ and thatwas the preparation for singing ‘Sex Shooter.’ I realized, ‘Oh boy, this one’sgoingtobetough,’becauseobviouslythepoorwomanwasnosinger,shewasanactress.Hewasdemandingtheimpossible.”7Princethoughtthemoodwouldbemorerelaxedifsheweresingingwithoutan

audience,soheaskedRogerstogoupstairsandwaitinthelivingroomwhileheandApolloniastayeddownstairsandrecordedhervoice,coaxinghertobemoreassertiveandconfident.Afewweekslater,onceApollonia’svocalabilitiesandhercomfortlevelgrew,sheandPrincewouldrevisitthesong.Apolloniawasn’ttheonlyonelearningwhatherroleinthestudiowithPrince

would be. Susan Rogers was starting to understand what Prince expected ofherselfaswell:“Princeneededanall-aroundengineer,onewhocouldrepairandusehisequipment.Ihadto learnveryquicklywhatsoundsheliked,butIwashelped by Jesse Johnson, who taught me how Prince liked the kick drum tosound,what reverbhe likedonhisvocal,whatmicsheused,etc.By the time

PrincecamehomefromLosAngeles,Iknewenoughtobeofgreatusetohiminthestudio.”8

Status:Thisupdatedversionof“SexShooter”(6:52)wasreleasedasa12-inch“DanceVersion”andedited(3:02)forreleaseasthe7-inchsingle.Thetrackwasedited(3:40)forplacementontheApollonia6album.Thesinglewouldpeakatnumber85ontheBillboardHot100singleschart,number19ontheBillboardBlack Singles chart, and number 32 on theBillboard Hot Dance/Disco chart,likelyhelpedthesong’spresenceinthePurpleRainmovie.

It is unclear when Prince made musical changes to the song, but during thesummer,additionalvocalshadbeenaddedbyBrendaBennett,SusanMoonsie,andJillJones.Aninstrumentaltrackofthenewversionwasalsocreatedforuseinthemovie.

MONDAY,OCTOBER24,1983

[“Wednesday”]was a little piano piece that hewas playing upstairsforquiteawhilebeforeitwasrecorded.—SusanRogers9

ItseemedlikeeverymusicianinPrince’sorbitwasgettingsomesortofmusicforthemovie.TodayPrinceworkedonatunecalled“Wednesday”forJillJones.“Werecorded itathishouseandhehadputaguidevocalon it,” rememberedRogers,“butitwaswrittenintothefilmasbeingapieceforJill.Itwaswrittenintothestorylinewhereshewasgoingtobesomeonewhoismadlyinlovewithhim.”10“It was a really sweet song,” reflects Jones. “It was a piano song. We did

recordthatathishouse.Hemic’dthepianoupstairstodownstairs.Ithadthesereallydarklyrics,butIlovedit.Itwasverywhimsical.”ThelyricstouchedonhowseriousJones’scharacterwasaboutPrinceandhints

atherpossiblesuicidebythreateningifhedoesn’treturnhomebyWednesday,“there’snotellingwhatImightdo.”11ThelyricshadbeenalteredsoJonessang

that she “contemplated your embrace”12 instead of “contemplated suicide” tomaskthenumber’sdarktone.“[Inthemovie]itwasmeatthepianoplayingandsinging,andthentheycutit

out,” remembers Jones. “He said he was really sad about it. I really did notbelievehim.”Magnoliexplainshisprocessregardingthatscene:“Ishotaportionofitinthe

movie.Iputthecameralikeaninchofftheground.Andwasabletotrackacrossaveryshinyfloorrightuptoherlegsandherfaceplayingthepiano.Freakinggorgeous,butthat’sbeforePrinceshowsupandsays,‘What’scooking?’She’sgreat,great,great—she’sbeautiful—butwherethehellisitgoing?Itwaslikeadifferentmovie.”

Status:“Wednesday”(1:41)wasshelvedandhasneverbeenreleased.

WithonlyafewdaysleftbeforethestartoffilmingonNovember1,Princewasrapidly finalizing asmuch of themusic as possible. The pressure to completethis must have been difficult for him, especially considering that outside oftouringandworkingwiththerecordlabel,thisisthemostcontroloverhiscareerhehadeverhandedtoothers.OnOctober25VanityreachedouttotalktoPrinceforthefirsttimeinweeks,

andafterspeakingonthephone,theydecidedtomeetupandtalk.“Inspiteofeverything, I’llmiss and lovehim,”Vanitywrote inherdiary. “He showedatFirst Avenue and said a genuine hello. Come to think of it, we never said‘Goodbye.’Icriedofcourse.”13Aftertalking,theypartedforgood.She’dbeenreplaced in the movie and she was already packed and moving out ofMinneapolis the following morning, days before the movie was to beginshooting.

SATURDAY,OCTOBER29,1983

Q:What’syourfavoritesongfromPurpleRain?A:Maybe“Father’sSong,”whichwasn’tonthealbum.—AlanLeeds14

This was the last weekend before shooting was scheduled to start, and onceagain Prince decided to turn to the piano, this time to revisit a piece ofinstrumentalmusic he’d incorporated in “ComputerBlue” twomonths earlier.AccordingtoPrince,“Father’sSong”waswrittenbyhisfather,JohnL.Nelson.“His father was hanging around during the recording of a lot of the album,”remembered Peggy McCreary. “During that time, people came out of thewoodwork.Hewasallofasudden‘reclaimed’duringthePurpleRainerabyhisfamily.Helikedhisdad,andthat’swhythatsongsortofhithome.”“Prince and his dad had a very deep, important relationship,” reflected Lisa

Coleman.“Hisfatherwasapianoplayer.Princereallylookeduptohim.Theirrelationshipneededalotofhealing....Thissongwasahealinggesture.”15It is likely that thiswas recordedfor thescene in themoviewherehis father

(playedbyClarenceWilliams III)played the trackonhispiano,whichcanbeseenat57:24inthemovie.Althoughtheversionthatwasrecordedtodaydidn’tend up in the film, it was a placeholder and was probably given to AlbertMagnoliforrehearsalsandstoryboarding.Thesongisapiano-onlytrackcontainingnovocalsandnooverdubs.Acopy

wasmadeat theendof thesession.Princewouldeventuallyaddsynths to thetrack,butthatprobablyhappenedonanotherdate.

Status:Theoverdubbedversionof “Father’sSong” (5:22)was included in thePurpleRainDeluxe(ExpandedEdition)CDsetin2017.Thepiano-onlyversionofthetrack(5:15)remainsunreleased.“ComputerBlue”usesthemelodyat2:30onthereleasedversion.Thenumberwasfeaturedinthemovie,butthefilm’sversionwasfromatake

recordedin1984.

In 1994 an EP called Father’s Song that contained four of John L. Nelson’scompositionswas released byVive Records.None of them containedwork byPrince.

NOVEMBER1983

Production for Purple Rain officially began on November 1, although someexteriorshotswere reportedly filmed thepreviousday tobeat thependingbadweather. Because the movie would be shooting until just before Christmas,Princefocusedmostofhisenergyonthefilm,leavinglittletimeforstudiowork.Thatdoesn’tmeanthatnoneoccurred,butverylittlehasbeenverified.

SUNDAY,NOVEMBER6,1983(ESTIMATE)

ThecharacterApolloniaplays inPurpleRain inawayparallelswhoshe really is. She came to Minneapolis as a spunky, giving kid whowanted to learn. Shewas nice, shewas intelligent, she had flair andspunk. She was the new kid on the block, but she fit in.—WendyMelvoin1

Withthemoviefinallyshooting,Apolloniawasgainingconfidenceandfindinghervoiceontheproject.“Vocalsweren’tquiteherstuff,”recalledSusanRogers,“butshekeptworkingon it,keptgettingbetter.Theywereback inonanotherday and she did the vocals on it, maybe a week or so after the first attempt,because that was right when they started making the movie, and they hadweekendsoff,oratleastSundaysoff,andtheywouldcomeinonaSunday.”2Prince would eventually create a track with her that reflected the sound he

wanted. He probably realized that because Apollonia was an actress, it madesense to have her act the part of a singer, which revealed the voice of hercharacter. Ultimately even Rogers conceded that Apollonia “had this campyqualitytohervoicethatwasperfect.”3BrendaBennettrecalledhowheworkedwithnewtalent:“Princehasawayof

extracting from you, sometimes painfully and sometimes without you even

knowingit.Creatively,hepullsoutyourbestparts;partsyouneverevenknewyouhadorcoulddo.Hewasn’talwaysniceaboutit...butthen...itwasn’taboutbeingnice.Itwasaboutlearninghowtoreachoutandgrowinadirectionyoumayneverhaveeventriedtoonyourown.”4The tunewasverycatchy,andalthough the songwasoriginally intended for

her predecessor, Apollonia added her own flair that reflected her personality.Vanity’smoaningwaseliminatedandBrendaBennettrecordedsomeadditionalbackgroundvocals.Ultimately,Apollonia’sperformancealteredtheeffectofthetrack,turningitintoamoreplayfulpopsong.

MONDAY,NOVEMBER7,1983

Even on the set ofPurple Rain the movie, he was running back andforthtodorecordings.—SusanRogers5

Accordingtosources,atestpressingofPurpleRainwascreatedonthisdate.Itincluded the following tracks: “Let’s Go Crazy,” “The Beautiful Ones,”“ComputerBlue,”“DarlingNikki,”“Wednesday,”“PurpleRain,”“IWouldDie4U,”“BabyI’maStar,”and“Father’sSong.”Althoughitdoesn’tmakesensetohavetwoversionsof“Father’sSong”(itwas

alsopartof“ComputerBlue”)andasolotrackbyJillJones,SusanRogersfeelsthisconfigurationmaybefromanactualtestpressing:“ThereasontherewouldbeasongwithvocalsbyJillJonesonitwasitwaskindofasoundtrackfromthemovie.Itwasintendedforsinginginthemovie.Itwould’vemadeperfectsense.Hewasjustanxioustogettherecorddone.Itwasalittlepremature,buthedidthis test pressing because hewas anxious: ‘What’smy record going to soundlike?’”6This track listing contains all seven of the songs he’d recorded that were

intended for the movie, but this configuration might not be complete. Therecould have been a second disc/cassette that was intended to be part of thecollection; thiswould likelyhave included“JungleLove” and “TheBird” andpossibly“Modernaire.”

EARLYNOVEMBER1983

JillhadapartinPurpleRainand“MiaBocca”mayhavebeenwrittenspecifically for the film. That was written specifically for her; it wasneverintendedforhim.—SusanRogers7

InthefirstdraftofthescriptforPurpleRain(whenitwascalledDreams),theonly track listedwas “MiaBocca,”whichwas originally recorded in 1982 orpossiblyearly1983.Princehadwrittenandrecordedit largelyonhisown,butthe inspiration and some of the lyrics came from Jill Jones, who regrets notpushingforacowritercredit.“WewerewritingandIseemtohavelostallmysensibilities,”recallsJones,“becauseIrememberworkingonthatwithhimandIdidn’tevendealwithpublishingandconsideringmyfamily’sbackground[JillisrelatedtoBerryGordy, theformerheadofMotownRecords],Iamlikeatotalassholefornotdoingsomething.”When asked if she participated in the writing of the track, she replied,

“Definitely!Mainlyhewas the leaderof it,butasmallpercentageof itwouldhavebeennice!Itwasaboutmymouth.Itcamedowntothat.Iwasalittleshywithsomeofthosethings.AndIthinkthathemadethosethingstogowiththat.BecausethetruthofthematterwasthatIhadonlybeenwithonepersonbeforeImethim.Like two times. Itwasprettynew tome. It’s awonder I’mnot in anunnery!(laughs)”PrinceandJonesstruggledwithsomeofthelineswhilerecordingthevocals,

andbecausethetitleandpartsofthelyricswereinItalian, theyreachedouttoanyonelocalwhomightbeabletotranslateforthem.“WecalledalotofItalianrestaurantstoworkonourItalian,”Joneslaughs.“InMinneapolis!WefoundoutthatinMinneapolisitwasbrokenSpanglishtheyweregivingus.Alltheirverbswerewrong!And allmy friends in Europe are like, ‘You aren’t dealingwithpeoplethatareItalian!’ThebusboywhogaveusthetranslationprobablygaveushalfItalianandhalfSpanish.IlearnedallaboutthatsongwhenIfinallywenttoItaly:‘You’vegottatheverbabackwards!’(laughs)”

Status:Itislikelythatadditionalworkwasdoneonthevocalsfor“MiaBocca”(5:25) later in the fall, but plans to use it in Purple Rain were scrapped. Aversion containing updated saxophone and orchestration composed by ClareFischer(7:21)waseventuallyreleasedonJillJones’s1987self-titledalbum.Aninstrumental version comprised only of the song’s beat and Fischer’sorchestration was placed in Prince’s second movie,Under the Cherry Moon,duringthepartyscenewhenPrincemeetsMaryandhermom.

Behindthescenes,SusanRogerswasmakingeffortstogatherallPrince’sworkintoavaultinMinneapolis:WhenIfirstwenttoworkforPrince,IsetupataskofassemblingallhistapesfromHollywoodSoundsStudios,SunsetSound,andWarnerBros.,togetallofhistapestogether.Wedidn’thaveavaultyet,butwhatwedidhavewasacompany thatwas rightup thestreet,andwestoredallof the tapes in theirarchives.That’swhattheplacewascalled,“TheArchives.”Wehadawholeroomfullofshelvesandmoretapesinplasticandcardboardcartons.Wekeptthetapesthereformaybetwoorthreeyears.Acoupleyearsatleast,untilPaisleyParkwasbuilt.Theirofficewasonlyopenninetofive,buttheyhadtwenty-fourhourretrieval.Soifitwasfouro’clockinthemorningandIneededatape,I’dcallandsayweneedcartonsuchandsuch,andthentheywouldsendthemouttous.Ithinktheywoulddeliverthemorsometimesitwasfasterformetojustgoandpickthemup.Thishappenedallthetime.Itwasn’taveryefficientsystem,butitwasawaytokeepallofourtapesatleastoff-siteandsafefromtornadoesuntilwehadavaultbuilt.8

WEDNESDAY,NOVEMBER23,1983

The final single from the1999 album,“Let’sPretendWe’reMarried” (backedwith“IrresistibleBitch”)isreleasedtoday.ItwillstayintheBillboardTop100fortenweeks,peakingatnumber52onDecember17,1983.Thecombinationoflower-charting singles and the upcoming Purple Rain project put an end topromotionofPrince’scurrentalbum.Despitehowthesinglesperformedonthecharts,the1999albumcontinuedtoriseuptheBillboardTopLPs&Tapeslist,breakingthetop40duringthesecondweekofDecember.

DECEMBER1983

TUESDAY,DECEMBER27,1983*

When you’re in the creative process, the first thing you naturallythinkabout is the“bombs,” thegreatones that you’vedonebefore.Youwant to fill in the slots on your albumwith the songs thatwillmake everyone the happiest: fans, musicians, writers, and so on. Iused to try to fill those gaps first whenever I was trying somethingnew,orwaittochallengemyselftodoanothergreatone.—Prince1

ForthefirsttimesinceSeptember,PrincereturnedtoLosAngelestorecord.Inmany ways L.A. was his adopted home, and whenever he was in town he’dschedule timeatSunsetSound.Itwasabondthathadbeenstrongsince1981.“The thing with Prince is, as far as the relationship with us goes, is thateverybody herewas so familiarwith him that he felt like part of the family,”recalls Sunset Sound general manager Craig Hubler. “He felt secure andcomfortablecominghere.”AgreatexampleofhowrelaxedPrincewasatSunsetSound is how he started making the studio reflect his home. According toHubler:Helikestowritehislyricslyingonhisbedathome,justontopofthebedspreadorwhatever,justkindof laying thereonhis stomachwithhis notepad in front of him.Hedecidedhewanted abed in thestudio,sowesomehowarrangedaqueen-sizedbedthatwesetupintheperformanceareainthemiddleoftheroom.Themorningafter itwasdelivered,hehadn’tarrivedyet,Iboughtpurplesheets,purplebedspread.HereIaminthelinendepartmentpickingupallthisstuffinpurple.TheclerklookedatmeandmypurplestuffandIwaslike,“Don’task!”Imadeuphisbed,andthebedstayedthereforlikefiveorsixweeks,makinghimfeelathome.

Beforethebedwasadded,Princewouldeithertakeatapeoftheinstrumentalsomewhere else overnight to write or find somewhere quiet to compose the

lyrics. Susan Rogers remembered that during his time at Sunset Sound, “[he]would justgoandsit inhiscar,he’d takeacassette, anotebookandapencil,writethelyricsandthencomebackanddotheleadvocal.Orifwewereatthewarehousehewouldgointohisbedroom.”2“His lyricwriting is solid,” she continued. “He’dwrite in pen; he’d usually

havetheideafullyfleshedout.He’dwriteonthepageandiftherewasawordorasentencethathewasn’thappywith,he’dtakethepenandhe’dscratchitoutinsuchawaythatitwasimpossibletoseewhatwaswrittenunderneath.Soallyouwouldreallyseeisthelyricinitsfinishedform.”3The bulk of the movie was now in the can. Over the next few weeks, the

directorandtheeditorwouldassemblearoughcutanddecidewhatstillneededtobeshot.Itwouldbeweeksbeforethefirstcutwasproperlyassembledandnoadditional music would be created for the film, so Prince decided to recordmusic that was unrelated to the movie. He had hoped to book his regularengineer,PeggyMcCreary,butsheandDavidLeonardwereawayforavacationtoMexico.InherplacewasTerryChristian.Uponarrival,PrincequicklystartedlayingdownamelodyinE-flatminor,usingonlytheblackkeysonthepiano.The song would eventually be called “The Glamorous Life” and wouldultimately be given to someone who had been visiting Prince in the studiorecently,SheilaEscovedo (whowould laterbeknownprofessionallyasSheilaE.), but at this point it was still listed as a Prince track and not assigned toanyoneelse.“I’lltellyouwhatIthink,”Christianreflectsonthisperiod.“WhenhewasrecordingthosesongsforSheila,hedidn’tknowhewasrecordingthosesongsforSheila.Hewaslookingforwaystogetmorematerialout.Hemadeitapointthatitshouldnotbereflectedontheworkorders.Sometimeshewouldasktohaveatitlenotwrittendown.Hedidn’twantWarnerBros.toknowwhathewasdoing.”Prince recorded the basic tracks for the song over the next eleven hours.

Christian remembers the consistency of Prince’smethod: “Theway hewouldworkatthetimewasalwaysthesame.HewouldjustputtogetheradrumgrooveontheLM-1.Thatwastheonlythingthatwasoutofthesequencer;everythingelsehewouldplay.Thenusuallyabass,orasynthpartand thengobackanddropinthebasspart.Firstthedrumtrackandthenoverduboneinstrumentatatime.”Princewould theneitherworkon the lyrics in the studioor takea tapehomewithhimandwritethelyricsbeforethenextsession.Duringtheevening,Princerealizedthattherewasanelementmissingfromthe

song,onehehadn’tmasteredandcouldn’timitate.Forthefirsttimeinhiscareer

hedecidedtoaddanoutsidepersononthesaxophone.ChristiansuggestedLarryWilliams,whohadrecentlybeenrecordinginStudio1.WilliamsremembershisintroductiontoPrince:“Hecomesoutandsays,‘Hello.’Irememberthathehadthisvelvetshirtwithrufflesandsomekindofhat.Tomeitwasreallyridiculous.Otherthanthat,helookedcompletelycomfortable,andtherewasnobodythere!Therewasnoonethathewastryingtoimpress.Andasthesessionwenton,itwas incredible how focused he was on the music and how there was just nobullshitofanykind.Hehadacoupleofideasandhethrewthemoutthereandthenhesaid,‘Whatdoyouhear?’Iplayedacoupleofthingsbackandforth,justrealinsync.Realeasy.”Williamsrecordedseveraldifferentsaxophonesections,whichwerestackedup

and added to the song.When it came to the solo, Prince pushed him to playsomethingmore“freeandbizarre”:Hejustkeptpushingmetobeascreativeaspossible.Hewantedeachtrackmoreoutoftune,becauseitwassoundingtooslickforhim.Hewantedit tosoundmoreofastreetsound, lessslick.I’musedtocomingintoanR&BsituationandI’musedtotryingtosneaksomehipstuffin,somethingunusual.Itwasoneofthehighlightsofmycareer,notjustthewayitturnedoutorthewayitsold,buttheactualprocessofit.IhadagoodfeelingaboutitandIknewitwasgoingtogobecauseheobviouslylikedit.Itwasveryexcitingartistically.Therewasnowastedtimeonthis,notripping,noanything...therewerenofrills,exceptonhisshirt!ItwasjustheandIintheroomandthatwasunusual.Hewasn’tanengineerandwasn’tpretendingto

be.He just liked the intimacy andhavingnodistractionswith anyone else around.He just liked thefocusofhimbeingintherebyhimself,andwhenheneededsomethingtechnical,he’djustgetonthephoneandcall.

“PrincedealtverywellwithLarry,”remembersChristian.“PrincehadtoldhimwhattoplayandLarrydiditforhim.”Although Prince hadn’t recorded his vocals, he had the title in his mind

because itwas listed on the nightlywork order.Christian explains that Prince“could rely on inspiration.He could come in and itwould flow and turn intosomethinggreat.”AfterLarryleft,PrinceandChristiancreatedaroughmixofthetrack,andtwo

C-60cassettesweremade.Princeleftthestudioat5:30a.m.onDecember28.

Status: “TheGlamorousLife” (8:12)was considered forplacementonalbumsforApollonia6andJill Jonesbefore itwasgiven toSheilaE.,whoaddedherdrums,percussion,andvoicetothesong.Itwasreleased(9:04asabonustrackand6:35asaclubedit)as thetitle tracktoher1984album.Aneditedversion(3:44)wasreleasedasasingle,climbingtonumber7ontheBillboardHot100,

number 9 on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart, and number 1 on theBillboardHotDanceClubPlaylist.Sheila’sdrumswouldberecordedinearlyFebruary1984andhervocalsadded

inlateMarch.

The“freeandbizarre”saxsoundsweregainingsomenoticeduring that time.Earlierintheyear,DavidBowiehadreleasedhisnumber1hit“Let’sDance,”containingsaxophonepartsthatsoundsimilarenoughtohavepossiblyinspiredPrince.AlthoughPrincewashelpfulwhenfindinganewstagenameforEscovedo,shehadbeencalledSheilaE.fromheryouth.Formultipleyears,artistslikeGeorgeDukehadreferredtoheras“E.”

WEDNESDAY,DECEMBER28,1983*

Thisismyjob.This[soundboard]ismydesk.—Prince4

During this period Prince often rode to the studio on his purple motorcycle.“Princewassomeoneyounoticed,”Christianrecalls.“Buthehadn’tenjoyedthepopularitythathehasnow,sobackthenhecouldgooutonhisown.”Eventuallyhisstatusgrewsothathe’darriveinapurplelimo,butfornowhewasenjoyingplayingtheroleof“theKid”fromPurpleRain.WhenPrince arrived back to Studio 3, he had the lyrics to “TheGlamorous

Life” written out on several pages of stationery from Le Parc Hotel inWestHollywood,California.Healsohadtheconceptforanadditionalsong.Focusingon “The Glamorous Life,” Prince added his vocals to the track in his usualmanner. “He would always set up a [Neumann] U 47 microphone over theconsole,”recallsChristian.“Yougethimassignedtoatrackandhejustrunsthemachine,punches in,anddoes thevocal.”Prince likeddoing this rightnext totheboard,keepingthespeakerslowenoughthatthesongdidn’tbleedontothe

tape.“That’showIliketolistentoitmyself,”Princeexplainedin2010,“withthemusicthroughthespeakersandtheheadphonesatthesametime.”5Princeenjoyedshowingoffhis latestmusic to thosearoundhim,andhewas

probablyreflectingabouthowApolloniainspiredthistrack,soheinvitedhertoattendtheday’ssession.“Hebroughtherinandjustplayedsomesongsforhertolistento,”explainsChristian.“TheyhadalreadydonethePurpleRainmovie.Heput inaphonecall toheraskingher tocomeby.Hesaidsomethingabouthowbeautifulshewas.”After Apollonia left Jill Jones attended the session and sang background

vocals,blendinghervoicewithPrince’s.JoneswasatalentedsingerwhoPrincereliedontofillinhissound.“Ilovedrecordingwithhim,”shesays.“Ithoughthewasprobablythemostopenfortryingjustaboutanything.”ItseemsthatPrincewantedtogetbackinthehabitofknockingoutasonga

day, so he raced through the track, giving “TheGlamorousLife” a quickmixbeforemovingontothesecondsongofthenight,“NextTimeWipetheLipstickoffYourCollar.”Christiandidn’talwaysagreewiththepaceatwhichPrincerecordedhistracks:

“I thought Prince’s records sounded awful, but they have the illusion ofsoundinggood.Princeholdsyourinterestwithgroovesandpartsinthewayheproducesrecords.It’sanengineer’sjobtomaketherecordsoundgood,buthedidn’treallyrespectthat.Someoftheflawswereintendedflaws.Hewouldkeepthingsinteresting.Sonicallytheydidn’tmakeitforme.”OncePrinceannouncedthathewasworkingonanewtrack,Christianhadto

quickly switch around the microphones and repatch the board to be able torecordeverything:“HewasreadytogoandIwasn’treadywithallthemics.Hesaid,‘Nevermind.Idon’twantthistosoundlikeanL.A.record.’Thatkindofopened my eyes to a different approach. The main rule was that his recordsshouldn’t sound like everybody else’s. The recording flaws maybe weren’tintended,buthedidn’thavetherespectforcertainrecordingprotocolsthatotherpeoplewould.”AsimpledrumpatternwasquicklyprogrammedontheLinnLM-1andabeat

was recorded. Prince added keyboards and piano, but he was looking forsomethingthatwouldcreateamoodinthesong,enlistinghelpfromChristian:“Hewantedanaccordionontherecord.Ididn’thaveacluewheretogo,sohejustdugupaphonebook,andIguessNick[DeCaro]wastheaccordionplayerthere.”Unfortunately, theyweren’t able to getDeCaro into the studio for the

session, so the addition of accordion to the trackwould be shelved for a fewweeks.It is unclear if anyvocalswereplacedon “NextTimeWipe theLipstickoff

YourCollar”duringthissession.

Status: “NextTimeWipe theLipstickoffYourCollar” (3:47)was consideredfortheApollonia6album,butinsteaditlandedonSheilaE.’sfirstalbum,TheGlamorous Life. The released version contained no major changes or editsexcept the addition of Sheila’s vocals and the elimination of theLM-1 drumsthatwererecordedduringthissession.Princeremovedthemfromthefinalmix,creatingasongbyadrummerthatcontainednodrums.

AccordingtoSheilaE.’sbookTheBeatofMyOwnDrum:AMemoir,sheandPrincewrotethelyrics to“TheGlamorousLife”inMarch1984,aftermostoftherestofheralbumwascomplete.Because ithasbeen thirtyyearssince theeventsoccurred, I’mincludingbothversionsof theoriginof thissong,as theyalldeservetobeheard.

THURSDAY,DECEMBER29,1983*

Idon’tplanoranythinglike that.WhenIrecord,IfindifIusuallyjust sit down and do something, I’ll gradually come up withsomething.Sometimesitstartswithalyric.—Prince6

Princewas renting a house onBenedict Canyon, but for some reason hewasonceagainwritinglyricsonthestationeryfromLeParcHotel.Hisoriginaldraftstartedwiththephrase,“AboygotkilledatDisneylandtoday/SomesayhewastryingtobeSuperman,”whichwassupposedlybasedonastoryinthenews,butthe lyrics were discarded and the focus of the song shifted to a playfullyromantictone.Princewouldlaterusethismethodofsongwritingon“Signo’theTimes.”“She’sAlways inMyHair” is another amazing trackPrince recorded inone

day. It is the sort of song that would be a crowning achievement for most

musicians,butPrincewouldrelegateittoaB-side.Inmanyrespects,theA-sidesofPrince’ssingleswerereleasedfortherecordcompanyandforairplayontheradio,but theB-sidesgavehimachance tostretchoutand reveal someofhisextensiveunreleasedworkthatmaynothavefitthethemeofanalbum.Thereisalsoafinancialbenefittothis,astheB-sideofahitsinglegeneratesequalsalesroyaltiesastheA-side.ThereasonPrincelisted“SexShooter”ontheworkordercanbetracedtothe

influence of theApollonia 6 song,whichwas strongly featured in the PurpleRainmovie. Prince literally sampled himselfwhen he took the lead line fromApollonia6’s“SexShooter”(thefour-noteriffheardat0:09),slowingitdownslightly to create a recognizable sequence that comes between “she’s alwaysthere”and“tellingmehowmuch shecares”7 at0:43of “She’sAlways inMyHair.”Prince was the only musician on the track, and engineer Bill Jackson

remembers how this session began: “He was out at the piano writing a fewwords,playingsomekeys,writingalittlebitmore,andhewasouttheremaybealittleoveranhour.”PrincequicklyprogrammedthepatternontheLM-1,nearlyreplicatingthebeat

and the phasing effect of the drums he’d created on the long version of “SexShooter.”Jacksonsays,“Heputthetwo-barphraseinandwithintenminutes,hehadthedrums.Iremembertherewasapauseinthesong[probablyatthephrase‘MaybeI’llmarryher,maybeIwon’t?’8]andhejuststoppeditandwaitedandthenstarteditbackupinrealtimewithoutaclicktrack,andthenhewentbackanderased thekickdrumand thesnaredrumthathedidn’twantbecause theyweredoingthesamethingthroughthesong.”PrincethenrecordedthekeyboardsontheOberheimOB-8,aFenderbass,and

aguitar,followedbythepiano.AccordingtoJackson,“Hewentouttheretothegrandpianoand recorded thepianowithhimsinging.And I thinkwewent inandfixedacoupleofthingsinthevocals.”When it came time to delegate tasks during the session, Jackson recalls that

Princedidn’tseemtowanttorelyontheengineer:“Alotoftimehe’djustrunthetapemachinehimself.He’djusttakehishandoffofitandhe’dpunchinandpunchoutbecausealotoftimeshewasfasterthantalkingtosomeoneaboutit.Sometimeshe’dletmedoit.Heneededsomeonetoengineer,buthedidn’tneedthemtodoeverythingsoyouwerekindofpartiallyanassistantandpartiallytheactualengineer.”

Even though Prince hadn’t recorded the track before today, he instinctivelyknewthesong.“He’dbelisteninginhisheadphonestothetaperewindingandhe’dhearitgoingbackwardsandsay‘Okay,stopthere,’”accordingtoJackson.“Hewouldn’t tellyou togoback to thechorusoranything like that,he’d justsay,‘Rewind,’andthen,‘Stopthere,’andI’dplayitandwe’djustpunchinfortheplaceshewantedtofix.Andthenhe’ddoitagain.‘Rewind...stop,’andhewouldpunchinforaharmonyonanothertrack.Andhenevermessedup.Itwasallthereinhishead,andhe’djustputitdownwhenwe’drecordit.”Thehandwrittenlyricscontainanadditionalverse,butbecauseofthelengthof

thetrack,Princedecidedtodiscardit.MonthslaterwhenworkingonthesonginMinneapolis,Princeconfirmedthe

track’s muse to his engineer Susan Rogers: “He told me himself that it wasinspiredbyJillJones,soIcansaythatwithsomeauthority.Jillwasaroundatthattimeandhereallylovedher.Hehadalotofaffectionforher,butashesaid,‘Shewas always inhis hair.’Shewasoneof thosewomenwhowasn’t doinganythingwrong.Shewasalwaystheretellinghimhowmuchshecaredandhesaiditwithagreatdealofaffection.Hereallycaredforheralot.”9Thetrack’sincitingincidentsupposedlystemmedfromJonesleavingfoodon

thecounterathishome:“Hewas reallyveryorderly.Veryorganized.AndhethoughtIwasacompleteslob.Iwaslotsoffun,butkindofmessy,leavingstuffeverywhere.AndIwas like,‘WellIwasgoingtoget it later,’andhewas justlike, ‘Butwhodoes that?’ Iwas like, ‘Whodoeswhat?’ ‘You leave little bitseverywhereyougo.’IthinkPrincesometimesgotconfusedwithme.Wewantedto do the right thing, but a lot of times he just couldn’t.Wewere all just tooyoung.”PrinceofferedJonesacassetteofthesongasanattemptedapology,whichwas

something he’d done for other women in the past. It didn’t go over well,especiallytheline:“MaybeI’llmarryher/MaybeIwon’t.”“Iaskedhim‘Whosays that?’” remembers Jones. “And hewas like, ‘Well, I thought youwouldreallylikeit.’Hewasreally,reallysincereandI’mlike,going,‘Maybe?’Igotreallyhungupon‘maybe.’Isaid,‘Everybodyknowsthewomanalwaysdecidesaboutmarriage.Always.Whetherthemanknowsitornot,it’sthewoman.Thewomancanmakethemandoit.’AndIjusttoreupthehouse.Ididn’treallylike‘She’sAlwaysinMyHair.’Isaid,‘Youcan’tgivemethissongandthinkit’sgoingtomakeupforeverything.’”JonesneverendedupmarryingPrinceand, reflectingon ityears later, she is

veryphilosophical:“IreallytrulybelievedthatPrincewasmarriedtohismusic.

Therewasnowomanwhocouldever,everrivalthat.Orcompete.Noway.Youcouldtrytofitinnexttoit,butnah,itwashismusic.”Amixwascreatedattheendofthesessionthatcontainedadipintheaudioat

approximately6:15,consistingofabrieffadetosilenceandthenaresurfaceofthe last few notes and final sting. Because the song had an obvious Beatlesinfluence,itseemedlikeatipofthehattotheFabFour,whohadusedthistrickon“HelterSkelter.”PrincewouldalsorevisitthisstylisticdecisiononTheBlackAlbum with “Rockhard in a Funky Place,” and on the 12-inch releases of“AlphabetSt.”and“Mountains.”

Status: “She’s Always in My Hair” (6:32) was worked on again in January,adding finger cymbals, creating a new mix, and discarding the false ending.Additional work was done in Minneapolis, but it is unclear if the song wassimply overdubbed or completely rerecorded. If it was rerecorded, the newerversionwasdeemedlesssatisfyingandremainsunreleased.Theversionof thesongrecordedonthisdatewasgiventhename“She’sAlwaysinMyHair(NewMix)”andeventuallyreleasedonJune19,1985,astheB-sideforthe12-inchof“Raspberry Beret.” An edited version (3:27) was released as the B-side to“RaspberryBeret”onMay15,1985.ItwasalsoincludedontheB-sideofthe7-inchand12-inchof“PaisleyPark”inEuropeandAustralia.

ItispossiblethatthiswasrecordedonJanuary8,1984,butdocumentsindicatethat thisdate isaccurate.January8 isprobablywhen itwasoverdubbedwithfingercymbals.

FRIDAY,DECEMBER30,1983

Ifyoulike[himwritingon]bass,it’sprobablysomethinglike“WeCanFunk”or“Let’sWork.”—BobbyZ10

Workbeganonanewgroove.Princeonbass,WendyMelvoinonguitar,LisaColemanonkeyboards,andBobbyZondrums,were joinedbyLisa’sbrother

Davidinanotherjamsessiontryingtofindariff.“Westartedjammingon[whatwouldbecome] ‘WeCanFuck,’” explainsDavidColeman. “And Iwas in theisolationboothwith theoud [anArabic typeofguitar, similar to the lute] andstarteddoing that riff.Lisawas there,wewere all jammingand that’s the riffthatIwasdoing,andPrincesaid,‘Ilikethatriff.Let’sdosomethingwithit,’sohe said, ‘When’s a good time for you?’ and we all agreed that during the[following] day on New Year’s Eve would be fine and we could all go ourseparatewaysafterthat.”Theyworkedonitforabouttwohours,butattheendofthesessionthetrack

was just a basic repetitive jam. Itwasn’t yet a song, but itwas a groove thatcouldbecomeasong.

Status:Today’ssessionconsistedofajam,whichremainsunreleased.

No work order has been found for this session, but it has been discussed ininterviews.

SATURDAY,DECEMBER31,1983*

Hewasneverprepared.Hejustcameinandgotagroovegoing.Neverreallyknowingwhat’sgoingtocomenextiswhatkeepshimfresh.Hisdemosarethemasters.—TerryChristian

Thiswas the firstyear sincehisdebutwas released in1978 thatPrincedidn’tdeliveranalbum.1999wasadoublerecordandcertainlyincreasedhisvisibility,butheprobablyrealizedheneededtocreateademandforhismusiceventhoughhehadbankedenoughtocreateanalbumwithoutrecordinganynewmusic.(In1985PrincetoldRollingStonemagazine:“Ihavethefollow-upalbumto1999.Icouldputitalltogetherandplayitforyou,andyouwouldgo‘Yeah!’AndIcouldputitout,anditwouldprobablysellwhat1999did.ButIalwaystryto do something different and conquer new ground.”)11 By not releasing anewrecord,Princehadcreatedanticipationforhisnewwork.Foraworkaholic

in thestudio, thismeanshewasstockpilinghissongs,waitinguntil thepropermomenttosharethemwithhisfans.ThenextyearwasslatedtobethebiggestinPrince’scareer,andhewantedpeoplehungry.Theyear1983hadbeenthesortofyearanyartistwouldwant.Inalmostevery

possibleway,Princewasonacreativehighnoteunlikeatanyothertimeinhiscareer.MostofthePurpleRainmoviehadbeenshotandhewasonaninspiredroll and on the verge of getting the respect he knewhe deserved, but directlyaheadofhimwasalotofwork.He’dhavetofindawaytokeeptheTimefromself-destructingwhiletheyfinishedtheirthirdalbumandcreateanentirealbumofnewsongsforApollonia6,butforsomereasonheendedtheyearworkingonatrackthatwouldn’tfitoneitheralbum.Thesong,basedonthepreviousday’sjam session, wouldn’t be released for another six years, and even then, in ahighlycensoredform.“IrememberthatdayverywellasitwasNewYear’sEve,andIdidn’twantto

work,” recalls Terry Christian. Prince listed the track as “The Dawn” butChristiansays itwasa fake titlebecause theoriginalwas“toosexy torelease.Thetitlewas‘WeCanFuck.’”Theconceptof“TheDawn”wassomethinghe’dplayedwithforawhile.Itis

unclearwhetherhe’drecordedasongwiththattitlebythatpoint,butaccordingtothosearoundhim“mayyoulivetoseethedawn”wasaphraseheusedquitefrequently, and he eventually even used it in his album artwork. “TheDawn”wasalsothenameofamovieprojecthe’dplannedseveralyearsdowntheroad.DavidColemanrecalls thatPrincewasveryexcitedaboutgettingthesongto

tape:“I just rememberPrincegoing, ‘Comeon.Comeon,we’regoing to loseit!’Andtherewasallthisrepatchingeverythinginandgettingusgoing.Andhejustsaid,‘Playthatriff’[ontheoud]andwe’lldoitforfifteenminutesandjustplayitoverandoveragain.Princecountedoffandhesaid,‘Ready,1,2,3...’IrememberPrincesaying,‘Oh,you’regettingalittleItalianonit,’becauseIwasgoing,“Dodododingding,do,dingding,diddle,diddle,diddle.”PrinceplayeddrumswhileColemanwasintheisolationboothplayingtheoud

on the basic tracks.Afterward they added a few additional touches, includingColeman on finger cymbals and Prince likely on synth, keyboards, and bass.“Then we called it a day,” Coleman says. “He left unannounced. ‘Where’sPrince?’ ‘Oh, he left.’ He was the nicest guy, but he would just vanish orsomething.”The recordingof “WeCanFuck”wouldbe a turningpoint forPrince, as he

was always looking for inspiration and found it with the infusion of David

Coleman’sMiddle Eastern vision. “My brother David had a big influence onhim,”reflectedLisaColeman.“David[whopassedawayinMarch2004]leftanamazing impact on the world and he was quite a musical genius and veryworldly.Hewasquiteacharacter.HetaughthimselftospeakArabicandFrenchandSpanish,andhewaslikethatwithmusic,too.”12“[Prince’s]earwasgettingmorematureandhewashearing things thatwere

not inhis tool chest at the time,” saysSusannahMelvoin, “andhe foundwithLisaandherfamilyandthenWendyandherfamily;webroughtinanentirelydifferentmusicalpalettethatinspiredhim,tousethefingercymbalsandtohaveDavid play cello and have himplay oud and do all of these things.He didn’tknowanyofit.Heknewnoneofit.”Fornow,PrincewaspreparingforadditionalworkonthePurpleRainmovie,

album,andtour,buttheseedshadbeenplantedforhisfollow-upalbum,AroundtheWorldinaDay,andPrincewassomeonewhohadtroublefocusingononlyoneprojectatatime.

Status:Thenameof“WeCanFuck”(10:18)waschangedto“WeCanFunk,”andthetrackwaseventuallyrerecordedinJune1986withtheRevolution(5:43)duringthesessionsfortheunreleasedDreamFactoryalbum.AccordingtoEricLeeds, there was a humorous side note during that session. The Revolutionreferredtoitwithanalternatetitlebasedonthesong’sinitials,W.C.F:“‘W.C.Fields’wasourworkingtitle,ourcodenameforit.”13In late 1989 the songwas reworked again (5:28), shifting back to the basic

recording from this session and adding several elements, including GeorgeClinton’svocals aswell asvocals frommembersofClinton’sband.The trackwaseditedandmixedforreleaseonGraffitiBridgein1990.“Therewasawholenewbasspart,” recallsSunsetSoundengineerStephenSheltonabout the1989version.“Therearesomeoftheoriginalinstrumentsinthefinalmixthatcamefromtheoriginaldate.Thedrums,Ibelieve,werechanged,therewereacoupleofotherthingsthatwereoverdubbed,buttherearebitsandpiecesoftheoriginalmixinthere.”It was the only Purple Rain era song that was used in the sequel to PurpleRain,GraffitiBridge.Thesongwasreleasedas“WeCanFuck”(10:18)onthePurpleRainDeluxe(ExpandedEdition)CDsetin2017.

JANUARY1984

SUNDAY,JANUARY1,1984*

Theoriginalversionisastonishing.IfIweretocountfivesongsofhisthat were my favorites, that’s right up there. It’s one of the mostamazingtrackshehaseverdone.—SusanRogers1

New Year’s Day occurred on a Sunday and Los Angeles was basically shutdown...exceptSunsetSound,whichopenedthestudioforPrince.AtaNewYear’sEveparty,PrincehadmetawomannamedAshe(whowas

associated with the musical group Direct Drive) and invited her down to thestudio.Wally Safford, Prince’s friend and one of his bodyguards,was sent tobringher toSunsetSoundwhilehecontinued tooverdub the track.When shearrived,Princewantedhertohearthetrackinprogress.AccordingtoAshe,thesongwas referred toas“Sex” insteadof“WeCanFuck.”At5:15p.m.PrincetookabreakandleftthestudiowithAshe.“Wewentoutfordinner,thenPrincewenttodothevocalsfor‘Sex,’”shesaid.“Heaskedmetoleavethenbecausehe’dgetreallyembarrassed.Icouldseewhywhenheplayedmethesong.Itwasreallyrude.”2OnceAshe left for the night, Prince hadChristian set up hismicrophone to

sing:“Irememberaknockoutvocal.Hewastheonlyoneinthestudiowhenhesangit.”AllofPrince’slyricsareopentointerpretationand,ashe’sstated,theycanbebasedon somethinghappening inhis life, so it is easy to imaginewhyhe’dsing“CausethoughIjustmetyou,there’sthisenergybetweenus....”3Forthenexttenhours,Princeaddedmorevocaloverdubstothesong.Wendy

MelvoinandLisaColemanprobablyaddedtheirvocalstothemixthatevening.JillJonesalsorecordedapartforthetrack,butnotinherusualcapacity.Instead,

Princerecordedherinthethroesofecstasy,eventhoughsheisn’tcreditedonthetrack,assherecalls:“Iwasalwayslittlebitadamantabout‘WeCanFuck.’Iamonthatrecordandnottobedescriptive,butyes,IjustknowI’monit.AndthenIguessheexpandedonthatsectionbecauseIwentoutfromthereandhewentinand filled in all the blanks. And I went into the side room and I was justwatchingTV.(laughs)”Artists’ career growth can often be mapped out based on the music they

release,butsometimeswhattheychoosenottoallowthepublictohearcanbeveryilluminatingaswell.OccasionallywithartistsasprolificasPrince,asongwillsurfacethatcanbeviewedasamissinglinkfromoneeratoanother.“WeCan Fuck” is one of those tracks. Building on the complexity andexperimentation of “Computer Blue,” he shifted his sound slightly butprofoundly with the addition of the new and exotic instruments supplied byDavidColeman. Instruments such as finger cymbals, the oud, and the riq (anArabic tambourine) intrigued Prince, but mastering some of the exoticinstruments wasn’t easy. “I remember being at Wendy and Susannah’sapartment,”recallsDavidColeman.“AndIhadtheoudandhepickeditupandfingered it [likeaguitar] forasecondandwent, ‘Ew!’andgave itback tomeandhesaid,andIrememberhisexactwords,‘Itsoundssocool,butIcan’tgetusedtothefeel.’Sohereallylovedtheinstrument,buthedecidedthat‘Idon’tplaythatinstrument.’”These new soundswould dictate the vector of Prince’s next album, and this

trackwas a point of entry for the psychedelic vibe ofAround theWorld in aDay. David Colemanwas a very important person in the charting of Prince’snewdirection.“IknowthatmybrotherinspiredPrince,andIamproudofthat,”reflectsLisa

Coleman.“Wealllovedeachotherandgotsomuchoutofbeingtogether.Itwasallforacommongood,soIhaveneverfeltcompetitiveinanyway.Mybrotherand Iwere always extremely close, and admired eachother greatly.Hewas ageniusinwaysIstillhaveneverreached,andhewouldsaythatIwashisidol...hisoldersister!Weallinfluencedeachother,andcheeredeachotheron!”Aswith the previous day’s session, Prince requested that the true title, “We

CanFuck,”notbeusedonthedailyworkorder.Instead,hesubstituteditwiththetitleofanunreleasedVanity6track,“MoralMajority.”No mix was done, more than likely because he knew the session would

continuethefollowingday.


Princeisn’tawareofanythingthat’sgoingonaroundhim.Hetoldmehehasn’tgotmanyfriendsandIsaid,“I’mnotsurprised.You’reinthisbloomingstudioallthetime!”—Ashe4

Prince spentanotherdayworkingon“WeCanFuck.”Becauseof thependingdeadlines forhismovie, his album, andmusic forhisprotégés, it didn’tmakesenseforhimtolosefocusrecordingatrackthatwouldbasicallysitontheshelffor years, but this is part of the reason he was one of the most intriguingperformersinpopmusic.Princeoftenfollowedwherethemusicledhim:“I’mhappiestmaking records that tell the truth, and I don’t beat around thebush. I have to be what I am and sing what’s on my mind.”5 He alsoexplainedthat thereasonherushedthroughprojects is theneedto“[get] italloutbeforeanotherideacomesalong.”6BecausePrinceseemedtoenjoytheprocessofcreating,itislikelythatforhim,

the thrill camewith beginning a project.Wrapping up the final details can beboring,andfinishingasongoralbummaybedelayedinfavorofstartinganewandcompellingproject.TerryChristianbelieves thatPrincefollowedhisurgeswhenitcametocreatingmusic:“Everythinghedoesispurelyinspiredwork.Assoon as he is boredwith somethinghemoves on.He’s very impatient.That’swhythere’ssomanyunfinishedprojects[inhisvault].”Princewould eventuallybe forced to focusonwhat heneeded todo, but on

dayslikethisonehewasfocusedonwhathewantedtodo.“Princehadanever-ending supply of energy,” revealsChristian, “but never any drugs that helpedthat along. He would order dinner from Martoni’s, and he wouldn’t eat itbecausehewasafraidofgettingtiredfromit.”Additionalworkwasdoneon“WeCanFuck,”andthefinaltwohoursofthe

sessionwerespentmixingthetrack.

WEDNESDAY,JANUARY4,1984*

Ifhewasawake,aslongashewasn’tonthephonehandlingbusiness,forthemostpart,Princewasrecording.I’veneverknownanyoneelsewhoworkslikethat.—SusanRogers7

Princeshiftedhisfocusbacktosomeoftheprojectsheneededtocomplete,andhebeganworkingontheliveversionof“TheBird”fromtheOctober4,1983,concertbytheTime.Theoriginaltapecapturedtheband’senergy,andifused,wouldbethefirsttimetheentirebandwouldallperformonanyoftheiralbums.More importantly, it was the first officially released song by the Time thatpotentially did not involve Prince controlling the session. However, once helistened to the track, Prince decided that he could do better on some of theinstruments. TerryChristianwitnessed Prince’s need to leave hismark on thetrackasheselectivelyreplacedvariouspartswithhisownperformance:“Princewas putting up the tape and going over old guitar parts, him playing guitarinstead of Jesse.Hemade a comment like, ‘Jesse can’t play that good.’Veryarrogant.”“Princeissuchanasshole.He’s[so]scaredofpeoplerisingtohislevelthathe

alwaystriestokeepyoudown,”JesseJohnsonreflectedin1986.“Heplayedsomanymind trips onus—whichwehad to take or be fired.The stagewas ouronlyrelease.That’swhy[theTime]weresuchatreacherousband.Whenwehitthe stage we had a serious mental grudge. Some nights we’d knock on hisdressingroomdoorandsay,‘We’regoingtoslaughteryou!’”8AlanLeedsacknowledgedthetensionbetweenJohnsonandPrince,especially

during this period: “Youhad Jesse,whodidnot growupwith theseguys.Hewastheoutsider,andprobablythemostcompetitivewithPrince,becauseofthefact that theybothplayedguitar,and the reality isPrince is scared todeathofhowJesseplays.Princewilltellyouthattheonlyguitarplayerontheplanethe’sscaredofisJesse,thatthereareotherguitarplayerswhoarebetter,buttheonlyonewhocanthreatenhimatwhathedoesisJesse.”9Jellybean Johnson had a different perspective onPrince’swayof controlling

thosearoundhimbypushingthem:“Hehasaway,anditmaynotbethenicest

way. It’s almost like he’sBobbyKnight or something. It’s amazingwhat youcan find yourself doingwhen you’re around him. Because he demands it. Hedemands it. And I admire that. He makes you do things that you think youcouldn’tdo,butyouendupdoingthem.Everybodythat’severbeeninhisbandisalotbettermusiciantodaythantheywerebefore.”10Thebottom linewas thatPrincewas incontrol inpracticallyeveryway,and

everyone around him understood that. Accepting his authority was the anterequiredtostayintheroom.Evenonallofhissideprojects,Princeoversaweverydetailanddominatedthe

decisions.Thefirst twoalbumsbytheTimewerebasicallyrecordedbyPrinceandMorrisDay—“InitiallyPrincedideverything,”rememberedDay.“Iplayeddrumsanddidmostofthevocals,buthedidmostofit.Hewassortofopposedtotheideaofanybodyelsedoinganything.”11EverymusicianintheTimewasvery talented, but the problem was that Prince could arguably play theirinstrumentsaswellorbetter,andsincehewrotethemajorityoftheirmusichedidn’tneedtorelyonhelpfromanyoneelse,andoftenthemembersoftheTimewaitedforPrincetoinvitethemtoparticipateinthestudio.“Morriswouldbearound,butIneversawthemworkingtogether,”according

toChristian,whoengineeredseveraloftheirsessions.“WhenevertheTimewasaroundtheywouldbesittinginthelounge.Theywereoutsidetheroom.ItwasPrince’sshowandeverybodyelsewasthehiredhelp.I’msuretheydidstuff,butnotwhenIwasaround.WhenIwasarounditwasthemwaitingforhimtodohisthing.”Prince’stightgripunfortunatelyendedupslowlydestroyinghisowncreation.

“I was always planning on leaving,” Jesse Johnson confessed in 2011. “Youreallycan’tfulfillwhateveryourpersonalgoalisthroughagroupsituation.Youneedsomethingthat’sjustallaboutyouandsomethingthatmassagesyourownego,ifyouwill.”12Despite a few technical problems, several instruments were left virtually

unchanged, includingmostof the livedrumming,becauseof theenergyof theperformance.“Mistakesandeverythingareleft,that’showheis,”saidJellybeanJohnson.13“Ibrokeastickrightbeforethelastchorus,andIwantedthemtouseanotherversionbecauseofthat,butPrincelikedtheenergyofthelivething.”14By the timePrince had finished adding his embellishments to “TheBird,” it

featuredmuch less of the Time. Prince added new keyboards and completelyrerecordedRockyHarris’sbass, thenmixed itvery low in the finalversion. ItwouldhavebeenHarris’sonlypartonasongbytheTime,ashewasintheband

foronlyabriefperiod.Itwasn’tuncommonformembersoftheTimetobeoncallandjusthangingoutatSunsetSoundorclosebythestudiowaitingtohelpout,eventhoughthechancetoaddtothesongoftennevercame.“Isatthereforlike two or three hours,” commented Jellybean Johnson. “But if you sayanything, you’re wasting your fucking time. It’s going to be his way or thehighway.Hehashisideasandobviouslyhe’shadenoughhitstoknow.Itmustwork.Somebodylikedit.”15PrincehadmembersoftheTimeaddbackgroundvocals,andthesessionended

earlier than usual. A very rough mix was done, leaving a full mix until thefollowingday.Threecassettesweremadeofthesessionforreview.

Status: The original live version of “The Bird” (7:56) contained three extracallbacksfromDay(includinganother“chilisauce,”asquawk,anda“onemo’time”).Princekeptthesefortoday’sversionbuteventuallycreatedaneditofthesong (7:03) for release on the Ice Cream Castle album. An additional thirtysecondsofmusicboxsoundeffectswereaddedtothefinalalbumversion.The song was also released in an edited single version (3:41) and a remix

(6:25).


Mostkeyboardplayersdon’thavegoodrhythm.Youhavetohaveanintimate relationshipwith the beat, and either have it or you don’t.Youcan’tlearnit.—Prince16

The first four hours of this session were spent mixing “The Bird.” TerryChristiannoticedthatPrincehadthesamephilosophyaboutmixingasongashedidabouttrackingone:“Heisnotaperfectionistatallintechnicalterms,butifitfeelsgoodthenforhim,it’sright.Hewouldbemixingasongandthemeterswouldbepegged.Ratherthanmodifyingthelevelshewouldputatracksheetin

frontofthemeterssohewouldn’tseethemflaming.Ifit’sfunkythenthat’sallthatmatters.”At5:00p.m. themixwasdoneandPrince asked for a fresh2-inch tapeand

startedworkingonanothersong.Itwouldeventuallybecome“Oliver’sHouse”forSheilaE.,but for tonight ithadnoname.“Until ithasa lyric, there isn’tatitle,”saysChristian.“Hewouldsay:‘Putonanything,maybewhatwerecordedthedaybefore,asthetitle.’”Thenext twelvehourswere spentworkingon thenew track.Amixof “The

Bird”andoftheunnamedinstrumentalwerecreatedandputtotape.Princetookthecassettetowritethelyricsbeforehereturned.Thesessionendedat5:30a.m.


Princelovedmybrother’ssenseofhumorbeforehehadevenheardonenoteofhismusic,or[his]musicalabilitiesonseveralinstruments.MybrotherwasoneofthefunniestpeopleIknewandoneofthefewpeoplethat made Prince crack up. Prince would also imitate my brother’shilarious version of someone screaming, “Look out! She’s gonnablow!”inagrowlingadventureheroyarl!Thatalwaysgaveeveryoneabellylaugh.—LisaColeman

“Wewereworking extremely fast,” recallsBill Jackson,whowas back in theengineerseatfortoday’ssession.“Thesongswereinhisheadandhejustneededtoputitdownontape.”Prince’splayfulmoodshined through in the lyricsandon thepageonwhich

they were written. He referred to a neighborhood slut with the absurd name“Glodean,” and an examination of the handwritten lyrics shows that he evendoodled a castlelike house on the top of the page, completewith stick figuresplaying in a swimmingpool.Once the lyricswere complete, Prince addedhis

vocals to the previous night’s instrumental, giving the song a title: “Oliver’sHouse.”ItisunclearwhoOliverwas,buthewouldberevisitedamonthlaterontheApollonia6track“InaSpanishVilla,”anditiseasytohearhow“Oliver’sHouse” could have been placed on theApollonia 6 album aswell.Additionalinstrumentswereoverdubbed,andby8:00p.m.Princewaslookingforsomeoneelsetohelphimfindaspecificsound.OverthelastfewmonthsPrincehadseemedtobecomeenamoredwiththenew

sounds thatwerecomingfromthosearoundhim.SheilaE.wasgentlyguidinghismusicinanewdirection,WendyMelvoinandLisaColemanwereexpandinghisemotionalrange,andLisa’sbrotherDavidwasbringinganewandyetclassicexotic flavor tohismusic, soPrince askedhim todropby the studiowithhiscello. He arrived at 10:00 p.m. “He sang what he had in mind and he said,‘Come up with some kind of cheesy melody, what have you got?” chucklesColeman.“Webothlaughedbecausewebothhadthisthingaboutcheese:‘Let’shavesomeofthatcheeseDavid.’AndsoIfirstdidpizzicato[plucking]andhesaid, ‘Not thatone.’So Idid avariationof theFatherKnowsBest themeandthat’swhatthatiswhenthecellodriftsoutintodifferentkeys.”PrincealsoaskedColemantoaddtheiconiccelloriffto“TheGlamorousLife”

duringthissession.It is likely that Jill Jones was also in attendance and added her background

vocals to“Oliver’sHouse” today.According toJones, shehadavery intimateunderstanding about what he wanted from her: “One interesting thing aboutrecordingwithhim,hewasn’tlike,‘Canyoudoitagain?’Forsomereason,youknew,‘Idon’tthinkIreallynailedthat,I’mgoingtohavetodothatagain!’He’snotpushy.He’djustsay,‘Canyoutrysomethingdifferent...justdowhatever.’Hewasreallygoodatthat.”As thesessionwounddown,Princecreatedaroughmixof“Oliver’sHouse”

and “TheGlamorousLife.”Aftermaking twocassettes, hekept one andgavetheothertoDavidColeman:“HegavemeacassetteandIsaid,‘Whataboutoneforthegirls?’Andhesaid...‘Um,thatisforthegirls.’”

Status:SheilaE.’svocalseventuallyreplacedPrince’sguidetrackon“Oliver’sHouse”(6:20)fortheversionincludedonherdebutalbum,TheGlamorousLife.Aneditedversion(3:14)wasreleasedastheB-sideofthe“NoonRendezvous”single.


Allofmysongsareanextensionofme,andanyone songcouldn’thavebeenwrittenwithouttheother.Andjustlikechildren,Iwouldn’tplaceanyabovetheother.—Prince17

Bill Jackson got an earlymorning phone call saying, “‘[Prince is] on hiswaydown.He’sgotthewholebandcominginandyou’vegottogoinandsetuptheroom.’ He’s on his way and I’m just waking up. I got in like around five[o’clock]andhewascallingmeinthemorning.”The band began arriving around 2:30 p.m., and Wendy Melvoin, Lisa

Coleman,andPrincetooktheirplacesintheroom.Theywereseparatedbygobopanels (for soundproofing) and amps, which Jackson hadmic’d with a ShureSM57 microphone on each one. Bobby Z, David Coleman, and JonathanMelvoin joined them as well. “Jonathan was in the back in an isolated roomplaying bongos or something,” recalls Jackson. “Davidwas playing cello andthere was Lisa on the keyboards, although I think that Prince came over andplayedsomethingtoo.Basicallytheyallsetupandallplayedatonce,whichwasnothinglikeIhadexpectedatall.”Prince and the bandworked on the track “17Days” for the next two hours.

Theyhadtakenaswingatthesongtheprevioussummer—withBrendaBennettsinging the lead—and he decided to give it another try. Probably because thebandwasjustriffingonafamiliartrack,Princerequestedthatthetaperollat15inchespersecond(IPS)insteadoftheusual30IPS,givingthemthirtyminutesofrecordingspaceonthetape.JacksonobjectedbutwasoverruledbyPrince:“Isaid‘That’snotaligned.It’snotgoingtosoundright,’buthedidn’tcareaboutthatandsaid,‘Justdoit.’Hedidn’tcareaboutthatstuff.Hejustwantedtherightvibe.Maybeifhehadtakenmoretimetobealittle‘hi-fi,’hemighthavelosttheedge.”Althoughtheengineerwasnotreadytorecord,Princestartedworkingonthe

song; Jackson furiouslykeptplugging thevarious instrumentsdirectly into the

mixer,butnoteverythingwasbeing fed to the tapeand those tracks thatweremakingitontothetapedidnothavetheproperEQ(equalization/adjustmentstothefrequenciesofthesoundusedtosmoothoutanaudiosignal):“Astheywereplaying I was adding some EQ and making things sound a little better andgetting the levels right and they played until the tape ran out for like thirtyminutes.” The track would be another of Prince’s songs built around a long,repetitive jam similar to other tracks he’d recorded, including “Possessed,” “IWould Die 4 U,” and “Controversy.” Overdubs—including tambourine,additionalvocals,andotherelements—lastedanotherfourhours.Asmidnightgotcloser,Princewantedtoworkon“Oliver’sHouse”again.He

askedJacksontofindaharpplayer,sohegrabbedacopyofthelocalAmericanFederationofMusiciansyearlyroster,contactedaharpistatrandom,andbookedherforthecurrentsession.Heremembers:Aboutanhourlater,thiswomanshowsupinthisnice,plushvan.Andsheissomeonewholookslikeshe’dplayharpinthechurchandnotinarockband.Andherhusbandisinatie,andsheisalmostinagownandIthought,“Ohwell,thiswillbeinteresting.Ifsheisagoodplayer,thiswillprobablywork.”So they bring in the harp.Her husband is acting like the roadie and setting it up. I introduce her toPrince.I’mnotsure ifsheknewwhohewas.Backthen,sheprobablywouldn’thaveknownwhohewas.Soshesitsdown,andPrincesaid,“I’mgoingtoplaythisandI’lljustpointatyou,andIwantyoutoplaythis[harptype]sound,glistenonthestrings.”SoshesatupandthesongwentbyandshedoesthisverystrictkindofglisteningandPrincesays,“Let’strythisonemoretime.Befluid.”SowedoitagainandIthinkhegaveherafewshotsatitandIrememberhewalkedoutthereandsaid,“Welllady,itain’tkillingme.”Shelookedathimandasked,“Well,istheresomethingelseyou’dlikemetodo?”“No,that’sokay.You’redone.”

Princepaidherfortheentirethree-hoursessiondespiteherharpnotmakingitonthefinalmix.“Inthemeantime,”Jacksoncontinues,“[Prince]wantedanaccordion,soIhad

to do the same thing, and called an accordion player, [Nick DeCaro] and hecame in, andhe letmeknow that the accordion isn’t hismain instrument andPrincesaid,‘That’sgood,’becausehedidn’twantittosoundreallypolished.SohecameinandhedidhispartandPrinceknewexactlywhathewantedandhegotitandsenthimonhisway.”At the end of the night, three TDK SAC-60 cassettes were used to copy a

quickmixthatwasmadeof“17Days”and“Oliver’sHouse.”Itisprobablethatamixfor“She’sAlwaysinMyHair”wasdoneonthisdateaswell.Itisunclearwhether any additional was work done on the track, but if there was, it waselements likeaddingfingercymbalsanddoubleandquadruplebassdrumovertheend.Themixdonetodayalsoeliminatedthefalseendingfromtheoriginalversion.

AlthoughPrincewouldremainatSunsetSound,mostofhisupcomingsessionswouldbescheduledexclusivelyforStudio2.ThiswouldbehislastfullsessioninStudio3untilMarch.

Status: The new version of “17Days” (7:25) sat on the shelf for twomonthsbeforeitwasworkedonagain.ItwasconsideredforreleaseasanextendedB-side,butultimatelyonlyaneditedversion(3:56)wasreleasedasaflipsideof“WhenDovesCry.”Onsomereleases,thefulltitlewas“17Days(therainwillcomedown,thenU

willhave2choose,ifUbelieve,look2thedawnandUshallneverlose).”Thefullversionremainsunreleased.

“17Days”waspossiblyrecordedonDecember30,1983,buttheworkorderfortodaylistsitasbeingtrackedduringthissession.Prince’sworkordersfromthiseraarenotoriouslyambiguousonsomeoccasions,butuntilevidenceindicatesotherwise,thisdatewillbeconsideredasthesessionforthereleasedversionof“17Days.”


I’ve come to think of percussion as the last color added that turns apretty painting into themost beautiful painting in the world.—SheilaE.18

During this timePrincemaintaineda lotofcompany in thestudio.Gonewerethedaysofhisbanonvisitors.WendyMelvoin,LisaColeman,Apollonia, JillJones,andmanyotherswereinvitedtojusthangoutandwatch,butoftenthey’dcome in shifts or waves so they weren’t in the studio at the same time. BillJackson,whohadbeenengineeringvariousrecentsessions,remembershisownintroductiontooneofthem:

Therewasthiswomansittinginthecontrolroombesidemenotsayingaword.ShewaswearingaT-shirtandjeansbeingveryquiet,cominginforseveraldays,andI’mkindofquietandworkingatthesametime,andweliterallydidn’tsayanything.I’minthecontrolroomandPrinceisgoinginandoutofthere,andfinallywhentherewaskindofalull,Iturnedtoherandsaid,‘Areyouamusician?’andshesaid,‘I’madancerandpercussionist,andI’veplayedwithLionelRichieandPrincehadcometoashowandinvitedmedowntothestudio.’NextthingIrealizedisthatmostofthestuffthatwe’dbeenworkingonwasactuallyfor[SheilaE.’s]record,regardlessofwhatitsaidontheworkorder.

Tomanyaroundhim, therewasanunspokenunderstanding thatatany time,inspirationcouldstrikeandeverythingwouldchange.Planswouldbecanceled,amixwouldturnintoarecordingsession,ordowntimewouldturnintoahastilyplannedstudiosession.LisaColemanreflectedonPrinceduringthisperiod:“Allwe did was watch movies, eat, and write music. It was incredibly prolific.Everythingwasasong.Anythingwethoughtoforjokedaboutorfeltwouldbewrittenfiveminuteslaterintoasong.”19Thiswassuchaday.Jacksonremembers:Ifhecameinandhedidn’tfeellikeworking,hewouldjustleave.He’dgoseeamovie,gotoaconcertorgooutandplaybasketball,whatever,andhemightcomebackandhemightnot.Youhad towaitthereuntilsomeonecalledandsaidthathewasn’tgoingtocomeback...unlesshejustabsolutelysaid,‘Nope,I’mgoinghome,’andthenyouwenthomeandwaitedforthephonetoring.(laughs)ButIkindofadmiredthatbecauseheworkedfastenoughthathestilldidn’tspendanymoremoneythanpeoplewhoworkedeveryday.Heworkedwhenhewasinspiredandhedidn’twhenhewasn’t.Outsideofthat,themoodwasveryniceanduplifting.Veryexciting.AnytimethatsomeonewastherethatwasafriendorabuddylikeMorris,itwasjustagreatsituation.

TodayPrince startedout jammingwithSheilaE., looking for agroove.ThiswassomethingthathehaddoneregularlywithMorrisDay,butPrincewaslikelyexpandinghisinterestsandhadfoundanewmuseinSheila,afemaledrummerwho could keep up with him and inspire him on many levels. Although thesessionwastakingplaceinStudio2,Sheila’sdrumsweresetupinStudio3forrecording.OnceJacksonhadherkitproperlymic’d,theimpromptujamsessionbegan.“Idon’t thinkthisturnedintoasong,”remembersJackson.“Theywerejustjamming.Hehadaformulaformakinghishits,andthistypeofdrummingwasn’t part of that. They were just having fun.” For the next groove, Princepicked up the bass and played along. “Hewould either play one or the other[keyboardsorbass]atatime.Ineversawhimdoingbothatthesametime.”Between8:30p.m.and10:00p.m.,Sheilaaddeddrumsto“Oliver’sHouse”in

Studio3.Oncetheywererecorded,everyonereturnedtoStudio2foroverdubs.Sheila’sleadvocalswerenotaddedonthisdate.Although therewasnomixandoutput to tape listedon thisworkorder, it is

fairly certain that the addition of Sheila’s drumsmeant Princewouldwant to

createabriefroughmixthathe’ddubtocassetteforhisownpersonaluse.

Status:Theonlynewmusicrecordedonthisdatewerethevariousstudiojamsinvolving Prince and Sheila E., and those recordings remain unreleased,althoughitispossiblethat“ShortberryStrawcake”wascreatedonthisdate.

TUESDAY,JANUARY10,1984*

Princeplayedeverythingon thestudioversionof“TheBird”andit’ssick!—JesseJohnson20

AccordingtoJackson,itwasahectictimeforPrince:“Aroundthistimehewasdoing several projects at once, and to tell you the truth, I never knewwhoserecord Iwasworking on. I never knewuntil the endwhen Iwas doing somestuff andMorrisDaywas there that Iwas doing some stuff for theTime.” Infact,theworkorderlistsPrinceastheartistandproducer,whichmeansthatthepurposeofthesessionprobablywasn’tlockedinuntilarrival.Prince had finished overdubbing the live version of the “The Bird” for the

Time, but he apparently wasn’t completely happy with it. Perhaps the liveenergy stood out from the rest of the album, or perhaps he wanted to addelements from the original track that he’d recorded inApril 1983 at his homestudio in Minneapolis to the live version. But for whatever reason, Princedecided to spend the first ninety minutes of the session reviewing his studiodemoandcomparing the twoversions todeterminewhichwouldworkbest inthecontextof thealbum.Jacksonremembers that“theyhadacopyof the liveone andwould play it and theywould listen to the solo, and fromwhat I canremember, this isPrincebasicallyplayingeverything,and the reasonwhywasbecause he knew what he wanted to do. It was Prince and Morris. I don’trememberthewholebandbeingthere.Ididn’tworkwithothermembersoftheband.Theypoppedbytolisten,butIdon’trememberthemplaying.”

AlthoughWendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman were possibly around for thissession, Jacksondoesn’t remember recording themon thisdate:“I specificallyrememberPrincedoing thekeyboardparts. I remember Iwaspunching inandoutforit.”Thestudiodemostarteddifferentlythantheliveversion.Thefirstfewbarsof

thedrumintroductionsoundedlikeavariationof“LittleRedCorvette”(fromthe1999album).Princecontinuedtoworkontheguitarpartsfor thesongand,ashad happened a week earlier, he wasn’t completely happy with the outcome.AccordingtoJackson,“[Prince]wasagreatguitarplayerandheplayedthissoloanditsoundedincredible.Heplayedsomethingthatwasgreatandsaid,‘Eraseit’becauseitwastoogood.Itwasjusttoogoodtomakeitwork.Hewantedittobebelievable. Itwasn’t that itwas toogood for theTime, itwas just that thesongdidn’tdemandJimiHendrix.Andmaybeitwasn’tright,butformeitwasagreatsolo.”Infact,PrinceendeduphidingJesseJohnson’ssolo,whichwouldhaveoccurredat4:11on thealbumversion,byburying it in themix.Asmallsection can be heard at 4:28, but the solo was practically hidden until it wasbroughtbackat4:55.Thefinaltwohourswerespentworkingonadditionaloverdubstothetrack.It

is unclear why the session wrapped up at 11:00 p.m., but a quick mix wasprobablycreatedof thesongat thispoint. ItwouldbeputawayforaweeksoPrincecouldfocusonothertracks.

Status:Thestudioversionof“TheBird”(6:29)remainsunreleased.


WhatI learned fromPrinceabout thestudiowas thereareabsolutelyno rules. Stuff people said about spending a million dollars onequipmentandgoingtorecordingschool,heflushedallthatdownthetoilet.—JesseJohnson21

During the 1999 tour Prince focused on creating a dynasty by promoting andsellinghisownmusicaswellasmusicfromtheTimeandVanity6.ItappearedthatPrincedidn’twanttojustduplicatethatsuccessforhisfilmprojectandtour—he wanted it to grow.With the 1999 tour he started at a certain level andexpanded,butthemoviewouldgivehimaforumtoprovetoeveryonethathislastalbum’ssuccesswasn’tafluke.Butbeforeanyofthat,hehadtocreatethemusic,sothisweekPrincewasfocusedoncompletingthe(asyetuntitled)thirdalbumbytheTime.Todayhestartedanothertrackfromscratch:“MyDrawers.”Settingupthedrumswasoftenthemosttime-consumingandchallengingtask

for theengineer, especiallyduringa session for theTime,because left-handeddrummers like Morris Day required a different setup than right-handeddrummers likePrinceandBobbyZ.“Morrisplayeddrumson ‘MyDrawers,’”recalls Jackson. “And if Prince wanted to play drums, I’d have to changeeverything.Notjustthemics,butthewholedrumsetuphadtomovearound.”Thefirsthourwasspentworkingonthebasictracks,withDayondrumsand

Princeonbass.After that,PrinceaskedDay tostartwriting the lyrics, soDaygrabbedapadandapenandsatdownonthecouchinthecontrolroom.JacksonrecallsthatPrincestartedrecordingontheOberheimsynth,whichwasalsosetupinthecontrolroom,buthekeptlookingovertoseeifDayhadcomeupwithanylyrics:“We’dbeworkingforaboutfifteenortwentyminutesandthenwe’dstop the tape and Prince would say, ‘Morris, what ya got there?’ and therewouldn’tbeanythingonthepad.Workalittlebitmore...andhe’dlookdownthereandsay,‘Morris,whatyagot?Gotanything?’Nothing.Andthiswentonfor about an hour and a half.Maybe two hours.He didn’twrite aword.AndPrincewasputtingtherestofthesongtogether.”Everyonewasinagoodmoodandtherecordingwasgoingverysmoothly,but

stillnolyricswerebeingwritten.Jacksonremembers:[Prince]madesomecommentabout ifhegotdonewiththemusicandMorrisdidn’thaveanylyrics,then Prince would have to write them because we were really going fast, and during this timeeverythingwasgoingreallyfast.Sohesaidsomethinglike,“Ifyoudon’twriteanylyrics,youaren’tgoing tomake anymoneyoff of publishing,” so hewent over there andgot the pen andpadout ofMorris’shandandhesatoveronthecouchandquicklyjustwrotedownthelyricslikehewaswritingdownagrocerylist,andaboutfifteenminutes laterhewasdone.Itwasprobablyinhisheadalreadyand then thatwas it.And thenhewentout and startedworkingon themelodyof it,workingon thesinging.

Jesse Johnson has recalled recording the solo, but Jackson has a differentrecollection: “On this song, Jesse didn’t do much. On this solo, I think it isPrince. I’m sure I remember recording that. I would swear that it was Prince

playingguitar. Icanrememberwhatguitarhewasplaying. ItwashisHohner.Mostofwhathewasplayingonthisrecordwasonthatguitar.HehadarackofBosspedalsandheusedthemtogetthatsqueezey-swirlysound.”Whoeverwasactuallyplaying the solo,Princedecided tobury it in themix,

much like he did on “The Bird.” In 2016, days after Prince’s passing, JesseJohnson sharedhismemoryofworkingwithhis friend: “WhenPrincedid theTimerecords...hewantedtotalcontrol.Theproblemwaswho’sgoingtoarguewithhimabout it,becausewhoelseknowshowtomakearecordinthisroomotherthanhim?Heshouldhavehadtotalcontrol,hewastheonlyonethatwassuccessful,hewas theonlyonewhohadmaderecords.Nooneelsehadmaderecords.Heknewwhattodosolisten,shutup,listen,andlearn,andthat’swhatIdid.”22The lead vocalswere recorded and at the end of the session. “MyDrawers”

was copied to a cassette for Prince’s private archival purposes and to playoutside the studio, but no real mix was done on this date. The song wouldbecomeafavoriteamongmanyfansaswellasthoseintheband,includingTerryLewis,whohadbeenfiredfromthegroupayearearlierbutwouldrejoinlaterinthe decade. In a 2010 interview onKMOJ, he expressed his affection for thetrack: “I love ‘MyDrawers.’ I don’t knowwhy, it’s just a fun song to play.That’sareallyfunsongtoplay.”23

Status: “My Drawers” (4:04) was released on the Time’s Ice Cream Castlealbum. Itwas edited/faded out early (3:43) for release as theB-side for “TheBird.”ItwasalsoreleasedasaB-sidefor“Chocolate”in1990.


Morriswas theguywhocouldmakehim laughmore thananyoneontheplanet.—WendyMelvoin24

Prince was likely in a great mood, having been nominated for two GrammyAwardsearlier in theweek forhisworkon“1999”and“InternationalLover,”and he and Day were probably enjoying the upbeat vibe. Although Day andPrincehadsomeseriousdisagreementsover the last fewmonths, it seems likethey shared a friendship (although sometimes strained) and amutual desire tofinish the Purple Rain project as well as the third album for the Time. Afterlosingmostof theTime,perhapsPrincewasworkinghard tokeep thecoreoftheband fromleaving.“The fourofus—me,Jimmy,Monte,andTerry—wereneeded,” according to Jellybean Johnson, “butMorris and Jessewere the twocenterpieces,werehistwotrophies.Everybodyelsewasinterchangeable.”25Daymayhaveagreedwiththatassessmentofhisroleintheband,butalthough

hewasvitaltotheproject,hewasn’thappywithhisinput.“IdidasmuchasIwasallowedtodo,”heexplainedin1984.“Icouldhavedonemore.IthinkthatyoucanactuallylookattheTime—thewholeproject—andwhatyou’reseeingisme.ThesongsthatIdidn’twrite, ifIdidn’twritethem,I inspiredthetitles.Thethingsthatpeoplesawmedoiswherethelyricscamefrom.Thehumorandtheattitude, theyallcamefromme.SowhetherIwrote thesongsornot, itallcamefromme.Allthesayingsandeverything.”26Furtheroverdubs,includingPrince’sadditionofdrumsaswellasDay’svocal

fixes and pickups, were recorded for “My Drawers” during the evening.Background vocals were recorded with Jill Jones, and she recalls standingaroundthemicrophonewithMorrisDayastheychantedtogether:“Iparticularlyremembertheyellingofthe‘MyDrawers’part,whichwasprettyfunny.AndIwouldchangemyvoicelike(singing)‘MyDrawers,MyDrawers,’justtomakeitsoundlikeyouwerealldifferentpeople.”Duringabreakinthesession,PrinceandDaytookinaconcert.Itislikelythat

theywenttoseeGenesis,whowereplayingathree-nightstandattheForum.Like“CloreenBaconSkin”(recordedonMarch27,1983),“Tricky”wasanad-

libbed studio jam involving Prince andDay that contained a similar beat. Aswiththeothersong,itwasbasicallyastudioexercisetoseewhatgroovecouldbecreatedandprobablywasn’tinitiallyintendedforreleaseonanalbum,butitfit verywell as a B-side for “IceCreamCastles.” Bill Jackson tells the storyaboutthesong’sorigin:“Threeorfourhourslatertheycomebackandtheyaregiggling so hard that they can hardly speak, and they’d been talking aboutsomething on the way over and they had an idea and he couldn’t even talkbecause he was laughing so hard, and he said, ‘Set up the drums,’ becauseMorriswasgoingtoplaydrums...itwassetuptheotherwaybecausePrince

wasplayingdrumsearlier,soIhadtorunoutthereandflipeverythingbacktoleft-handed.AndPrincesaid,‘Getmethatbass’andwehadthisjazzbassthatwerentedfromSIR[StudioInstrumentRentals]anditwasgreat.”Prince toldJackson,“You’vegot togetamic forbothofus,”sohesetupa

NeumannU87 foreachof them:“Theywerebothabout tobustbecause theywantedtoputthisthingontapeforthemandIhadnoideawhatwasgoingon,andassoonasIhaditsetuphesaid,‘Rollthetape,’andIstartedthe24-trackand he just started going through his thing, andMorris is singingwhile he isplayingdrumsandPrinceissinginglittletidbits.Theyarebothkindoflaughinginonepartandweeventuallywentbackandaddedalittlelaughter,sotherearethreetracksof laughing.Theyweresplittingat theseamswhenweweredone.Theywerebustingoutlaughingallnight.”After thekeyboardswereoverdubbed (includinga sectionof the theme fromTheTonightShowStarringJohnnyCarson),Princeaskedforanysoundeffectsofbirds.Jacksonlocatedaclipcontainingseagulls,andtheywereaddedtothetrack. Prince also wanted to hear a toilet flushing at the end of the song, soJackson hooked together multiple cables and dangled a mic above the men’sbathroomdownthehall.JillJoneswasvisiting,soshewasstationednearbyandtold towait foracue.“Whenwegotnear theendof the song,” Jacksonsays.“Prince pointed at her and she ran into the bathroom and flushed it. It wasperfectanditranonforever.Therewerethesereallyoldpipesandtheyhissed.Heevensaid,‘Oldpipes!’”Jackson continues, “[The song] was about George Clinton and his greasy

fingersandthatoldjacketheisalwayswearing,anditwasalldoneingoodfun.Itwasjustlikeajokething,andIdon’tthinktherewasanyreferencetohimbynamesonoonewouldknow.Iaskedhimwhathewantedtocallit,andhesaid,‘TrickyDick.’”Thesong,whichendedupbeingcalled“Tricky,”containsmanyof the same

elements as “CloreenBacon Skin,” including variations on some of the lyrics(“WhenIlookinthemirror,Iseeyouruglyface...”).27At the end of the session, roughmixes for both tracks were completed and

copied to twoTDKSA60 tapes,one forDayandone forPrince. In thepast,PrinceoftencreatedseveralcopiesofasongthathecouldgivetotheTimeandtell them to learn it. Although it wasn’t yet completely obvious, the need togatherthebandtolearnsongstoperformlivewasbecominglessandlesslikely.

Status: “Tricky” (3:12) was released as the B-side of “Ice Cream Castles.”During live shows in2015,Dayoccasionally satbehind thedrumsandplayedthetrack.

It has been suggested that Prince and Day saw George Clinton play on thisevening,butthereisnorecordofaperformanceofClintonoranyofhisbandsonthisdate.


Me and Prince were so close and we had so much fun and all, andhonesttoGod,whenIthinkofPrince,Ithinkaboutthosedaysfrom’81to’84,andI’mtellingyou,wedidalotoflaughing.—JesseJohnson28

StoriesofMorrisDayandPrinceconstantlyfightingduringthisperiodseemtobeexaggerated.Theyhadsomemajorissues,butworkingtogetheronaprojectwas something that had bonded them since they were young. “It was crazy,”reflectedDayabouttheirlonghistoryofrecordingtogether.“Hewantedtobeinthe studio all the time. That’s all we did.We started playing music togetherwhenwewerekids,buthe’salwaysbeenmoreofaworkaholicthanIam.”29AccordingtoBillJackson,themoodwasgoodbetweenPrinceandDay:“They

werelaughingalotandtheyweregettingalonggreat.Theyweredoingalotoftalking. Usually Prince didn’t talk a lot in the studio, but when Morris wasaround,he’dopenupandtheyweretalkingaboutallkindsofstuff.”JesseJohnson,whowasalsoinattendance,agrees:“Wedidalotoflaughing.

’CauseMorriswasreallyfunny,Princeisactuallyreally,reallyhilarious,andIjusthadablastwiththem.Wejusthadalotoffun.Wehadourdisagreementsand things like that, but I’m telling you, I’m one of those people that I don’treallyholdontoalotofnegative.Irememberthegood.”30At thispoint theTime’snewalbumdidn’thavea title, letalonea title track.

PrincedugupasongthatJohnsonandDayhadrecordedinMinneapoliscalled“OldandIgnant”(aka“OldandIgnorant”),reworkingandrewritingittocreate

“IceCreamCastles.”Astheyhaddonefortheirlastfewcollaborations,PrinceandDayspentthefirsthourlayingdownthebasictracksforthesong,butthistimeJohnsonjoinedthemfortherecording.Thesongbeganwithafewsecondsof Johnson’s riffingbeforeDay’s drumskicked in.The restwas fairly sparse,especially for a song by theTime. “I had a lot of creative input. I played thedrumsandhelpedcraftalotofthestuff,”rememberedDay.“Iwasthereeverymoment of putting the song together.Not to take credit for Prince: itwas hisvision early on. Itwas an alter-ego thing, things he felt he couldn’t get awaywithandthedirectionhewasgoingin.”31There are no indications that Princewas planning to use any lyrical content

from “Old and Ignant” because no vocalswere recorded for this track duringtoday’ssession.TheremainderofPrince’stimewasspentoverdubbingthis(stilluntitled) instrumental, and it is likely that other songs were givenembellishmentsduringthissessionaswell.AquickmixwascompletedandputtoasinglecassettesoPrincecouldwrite

thelyricsbeforethenextsession.

Status: The untitled instrumental (6:54) was eventually “Ice Cream Castles.”Day’svocalswereaddedand the trackwas releasedon theTime’s IceCreamCastlealbum(7:31,whichcontainsthirtysecondsofmusicboxsoundsreplacingJohnson’s brief guitar warm-up intro). The song was edited for release as asingle (3:37) and a music video was made for it. The video was the finalpromotionaltoolcreatedbythebandforseveralyears.MorrisDayquittheTimeinlatespringorearlysummerof1984,weeksbeforePurpleRainpremiered.


[Princewas]anartistineverysenseoftheword.Apopvisionary.Yousee a lot of Prince copycats around. He successfully borrows andcombines ideas from other people, and he’s probably going to bearoundforquiteawhile.—TerryChristian

TerryChristianwasbroughtbacktoengineerDay’svocaloverdubsofthelyricsPrince hadwritten earlier in the day.Additional instrumentswere also added,includingamultilayeredkeyboardriffthataccentsJesse’sguitar.Attheendofthe shift, a roughmixwas completed and copies of “Ice CreamCastles” and“MyDrawers”weresenttotheWarnerBros.vault.The castle in this song was not likely influenced by Darling Nikki’s

castle/home,but ratherbyJoniMitchell, asPrinceborrowed from theopeninglines fromher1969 song“BothSidesNow” (from thealbumClouds): “Rowsand flows of angel hair and IceCreamCastles in the air.”32 Prince turned thelyricsintoalaid-backrequestforbetterracerelations,atleastwhenitcomestodating.Asidenoteaboutthissession:ThiswasthelastnewrecordingoftheTimefor

severalyears.Technically,therewasadditionalworkdoneonthealbumoverthenext few days and in earlyMaywhen a few of the album trackswere editeddown,butforthemostpartthiswasthelastnewsongDayrecordedwithPrinceuntiltheyreunitedfortheunreleasedTimealbumCorporateWorldin1989.

During this period, Prince had 24/7 access to the room, and thework ordersreflected this, listing them as “booked lock-out,” which literally means thateveryoneelseislockedoutoftheroomduringtheperiodinwhichitisreserved.ThisbecameacommonpracticeforPrincewhenworkingatSunsetSound.


“MyDrawers”[listedas“YourDrawers”](overdubs)“JungleLove”(overdubs)SunsetSound,Studio2|3:30p.m.–1:30a.m.(bookedlock-out)Producer:MorrisDay(Princecrossedout)|Artist:theTime(Princecrossedout)|Engineer:Prince|AssistantEngineer:“PeggyMac”McCreary

It was a culmination of all of us being together and with the threedifferentstyles.Therewasjustsomethingaboutit.Especiallywhenyouget Prince and Morris, it was really magic. I was just there andfortunateenoughtocomeupwithsomethingsandsoforthandsoonandthoseguysweremagictogether.—JesseJohnson33

Prince apparently felt he had enough tracks for the third album by the Time.Morethanenoughwereinthecan,andthissessionwasthefirsttostartputtingthemintotheirfinalshape.Princespenttenhoursworkingonanotherroundofoverdubs for “MyDrawers” and “JungleLove,”which had been recorded the

previousMarch. It is likely thatWendyMelvoin and Lisa Coleman recordedbackgroundvocalsduringthissession.PeggyMcCrearyreturnedasPrince’sprimaryengineeronthisdate.“Whatever

motivationhehad,[Prince]wasquiteapioneerintheuseoffemaleengineers,”claims Sunset Sound general manager Craig Hubler. “At the time in themid-’80s, Peggywas probably one of the only female engineers going in thisbusiness.ThenSusan[Rogers]camealongandPrinceusedherquiteabit.Andthosetwowere,forquitesometime,hisprincipalengineers.Inthatwayhewasquite progressive. We still get calls from people all over America asking tospeaktoPeggybecausetheywanthertoengineerarecordforthem.”“Womenhaveaverynurturingnature,”agreedRogers,“andPrincethrivesin

thatatmosphere.Helikesastudioatmospherewherepeopleareflexible.”34“[I’vealways]hadgoodrelationshipswithwomen,”acknowledgedPrince.

“MuchbetterthanIhavewithmen.”35Aquickmixwascompletedandtwocassettesweremade.


Ithinkwecameoutatatimewhereitwasstillrealmusic.Idon’tthinkit’sfadmusic,Ithinkit’sstuffthat[you]canputonanditstillsoundsgood. It was all baked in the oven like it was supposed to be—notmicrowaved!(laughs)—MorrisDay36

Prince, Morris Day, and Jesse Johnson continued to whittle the Time albumdowntosixsongs.Lefton thecuttingroomfloorwere“Tricky,”“Chocolate,”and “MySummertimeThang,” amongothers.Tonight’s schedule included sixhours working on Day’s final vocal overdubs and background chants fromothers, a three-hourbreak from8:00p.m.until11:00p.m., andmixing“If theKidCan’tMakeYouCome”and“MyDrawers,”preppingthemforsequencingforthealbum.

“If the Kid Can’t Make You Come” (9:13) was edited (7:33) during anundocumented future session. The edits can be heard at 2:40 and 5:53 in thereleased track. It isobvious thatnotmuchcarewasplaced in creating smoothedits,soitislikelythatbythispointthealbumwasconsidered“goodenough.”Although she wasn’t directly involved in these sessions, Susan Rogers wasawarethatthebandwasbreakingapart:“ThingswereprettymuchoverandIceCreamCastlewas just a sign-off. I don’t thinkanybodyhadanyhopes that itwas going to do well. Morris could put on his best face so they could getthrough.Itwashislivelihood,too.Hemademoney,sohewassmartenoughtoknow . . . ‘Until I get a better situation I’m staying here.’ So they workedtogether,but[Morris]wasaveryunhappyman.”ThepartsofthesongsthatwereremovedconsistedofaboutaminuteofDay

and the group of female voices (including Jill Jones and possibly SharonHughes) chanting the track’s title and “Holland, France, London, dance,” andforty-fivesecondsofDayinhissexiestvoicesayingthingslike,“Asamatteroffact, let’s try another position” and additional repeated chants of “Holland,France,London,dance.”Thesongcomesbackinonthelasthalfofthatchant,completelyeliminatingthe“Holland,France”section.The session ended at 6:30 a.m. and two cassettesweremade, including one

containing“IftheKidCan’tMakeYouCome”thatwassenttotheWarnerBros.vault.


Idon’trememberanyfightsinthestudio[duringtheIceCreamCastlesessions]becauseeverybodyknewtofollowPrince.Hewas“theguy”and youdidn’t pickonhim, hepickedon you. Itwas sometimes verystrangebecauseitwassortofaBoys’Club.—PeggyMcCreary

The session was scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m., but Prince didn’t startrecording until four hours later. Occasionally on days like this, especially as

Princewrapped up the end of a project and before hewas inspired enough tostartthenext,hewantedtogetoutofthestudiotodosomethingfun.“Itwasrarethatwewould sit around and have a conversation,” reveals PeggyMcCreary,“butthereweretimesthathe’dbeverychattyandhe’dtalkabouthischildhood,andsometimeshe’dcomeinandyou’dbereadytoworkandhe’dsay,‘Comeon,I’vegotalimo,let’sgotoamovie.’AndI’dsay,‘I’vegottowork’andhe’dsay,‘No,no,no,’andwe’dgodowntoSantaMonicatoseethismovieinthishugestretchlimo.”Once the session began at 6:00 p.m., Prince spent six hours on additional

tweaksto“TheBird.”Atmidnightamoredetailedmixwascreatedofthetrack,andPrince compiled the album for the first time in the order that itwould beultimately released on Ice Cream Castle. Five copies were made of thiscollection.NotethatthealbumiscalledIceCreamCastle,whiletheactualtitletrackiscalled“IceCreamCastles.”InmanywaysPrinceneverunderstoodthepoweroftheTime.AlbertMagnoli

recallsPrince’sreactionwhenhesawthefirsteditsofthemovie:“Princewouldlookat the footage that I shotofMorrisandhewouldsit there justeyeswideopenbecausehegoes, ‘They aremagnetic.’NowPrince ismagnetic, but he’smagneticinadifferentway.WhenhesawhowIshotthemhegoes,‘Man,whatis it about them? Because the audience goes nuts when they do that. Howcome?’Well,becausethey’reinunisonwhenthey’reonstage,theyaremovingas a pack.Whenyou’re on stage you’re notmovingwith the band. It’s just adifferentdynamic.”TheironicpartofthatdynamicwasthatPrincewouldneveragainfindthatpart

ofthechemistryinanyofhisotherprotégéprojects.Hecouldwriteandrecordthemusiconhisownanddesigneverythingaboutaband,butthereasonithadlifewastheinteractionandbrotherhoodofthemembers.TheTimewasagang,anexclusiveclubthatwasunifiedinpurpose.Theywantedtobebetterthantheonepullingthestrings,andtheyfoughttogethertoachievethat.TheTimewasPrince’s first real side project, and he allowed them the chance to grow andmature onstage in away that none of his other protégé groupswould ever bepermitted.“Welivedfun,welivedcool,welivedwildandloose,butwealwaysrespected

ourselvesandthemusic,”explainedJeromeBenton.“Weworkedhardatit,werehearsedallthetime,andtheoutcomewaswhatitis.”37During this same period in another studio at Sunset Sound (or possibly at

SoundFactory,whichwasalsoownedbyPaulCamarata),SheenaEastonwas

working with McCreary’s fiancé, David Leonard, on her album A PrivateHeaven. Leonard mentioned working with Prince, and this impressed Eastonenough toaskLeonard topassanote toPrince, tellinghimshewasa fanandthat she would be appearing on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson thatevening.EastonwassimilartomanyofthewomenPrincementored:beautiful,with darkhair and a passion for performing.According toEaston,Princewasable tocatchherperformanceof“Hard toSay It’sOver”andapparently likedwhathesaw.

Thisistwoworkordersforthesamedatethathavebeencombined.


Everyone was tired of Prince’s control. Everyone was prettydisgruntledbythatpoint.Princewasincontrol.Youdidwhathesaidoryouweregone. I thinkTerryandJimmywere the first to find thatout.—PeggyMcCreary

After a review of the first assembly of the Time’s Ice CreamCastle cassettefromtheprevioussession, thealbumwasorganized,mixed,edited,andplacedon a clean tape for assembly. Five hours of additional overdubs and soundeffectswereadded,blendingthesongstogether.Five more hours were spent mixing and editing the tracks in order and

recordingtheseguesbetweenthesongs,includingtheorganpartsattheendof“IceCreamCastles”thatblendintothelongerversionof“IftheKidCan’tMakeYouCome”aswellasthemusicboxsoundeffectsthatbookendthealbum.Theroughassemblyconsistedof:“IceCreamCastles”(7:31),“MyDrawers”

(4:11),“JungleLove”(5:31),“ChiliSauce”(5:45),“IftheKidCan’tMakeYouCome”(9:13),and“TheBird”(8:13).

Status:Thealbumwaslaterediteddown,butthiscompilationfinalizedtheorderofthetracks.


Hecouldn’tsqueezeitallintojustPrince,evenextendingitintoPrinceandtheRevolution.Heneededotheroutlets.Thesewerewayshecouldlivedifferentlives.Hismindisoutthere,notjustonanotherplanet,it’sinanothergalaxy.—LisaColeman38

Princehadbeenextremelybusy,butaccordingtothosearoundhimhewasalsolooking to expand his influence whenever possible. When pop artist SheenaEaston asked him for a track, he saw it as another chance to get his musiccirculating. “[Prince] wrote and offered songs to whoever it was that wantedone,”recallsPeggyMcCreary.“SheenaEastondid‘SugarWalls.’Itwasasonghewasworkingonandsheaskedforsomethingandhesaid...‘Here.’Thatiskindofthewayhedidthings.”Looking at Prince’s erratic career, it seems he was easily distracted and

followedhismusicalurgeswhenanewinspirationoranewmuseappeared,sohe briefly stoppedworking onmusic for theTime and dedicated this eveningandthenexttocreatingatrackforEaston.PrinceexplainedhowprolifichewastoRollingStonemagazinewriterNealKarlenin1985:“Iwriteallthetimeandcutall thetime.Iwanttoshowyouthearchiveswhereallmyoldstuff is.There’stonsofmusicI’verecordedthere.”39JillJoneswitnessedfirsthandhowmuchmusichewascreatingand,becauseof

that, how incredibly important it was for Prince to socialize and find newinspiration,buthowrareitwasforhimtohavepeoplecloseenoughtoactuallyconnectonadeeperlevel.“Idobelievethewholethingaboutfindingdifferentmusestokeepinspiringanddeliveringbecauseitwasamonsterthatneededtobefed,”sheremembers.“Hisformofcommunicatingwithanotherpersonwas,

at best, being in the studio. You’re not going to go take him to a barbeque.(laughs)He’dbethehusbandthatyouhavewhoisalwaysinthestudio.”“Hedoesn’t havenormal relationships,” agreedEricLeeds,who laterplayed

saxforPrince.“It’snotlikehe’sgotguysthathehangsoutwithonFridaynight.He’snotoneforsmalltalkorcasualconversation.Ifhe’sonatourbus,hemayhavesomeconversationthat’srelativelycasual,butninetimesoutoften,eventhatwillbe something related to the showor thealbumor something.Almosteverything in the ten years I was with him—save some very specificallyallocatedleisuretime—wassomehowaboutmusicortheshow.He’ssostrictlydefined by his career that there really hasn’t been a normal life away fromthat.”40WhensomeoneaskedPrincetopenasong,he’doftenjustgrabatapeoutof

hiscollectionatSunsetSound,dustitoff,andhandoveracopy.SunsetSoundengineerDavidKnight rememberswhere the trackswere stored in the studio:“Studio3isinthisold,almostderelictapartmentbuilding,andifyougoupstairsthere’sthesecrazylittleapartmentsfrombackinthetwenties.Tinylittleplaces,andtwooftheapartmentshadbeenconvertedintoliveechochambersandthenattheendofthisdustyoldhallwayPrincejusthadshelvesandshelvesofstuffupthere,quarter-inchtapesofroughmixes.Onanumberofoccasions,hewouldliterallyjustgoupthere,lookthroughthelistoftapes,roughmixes,andliterallygrabsomething,yankitandgo,‘We’llusethis.’”On future collaborations with Easton (such as in 1985 with the track

“Eternity”) he would pull something off the shelf, but this first request wasdifferent:PrinceactuallyrecordedanewsongfromscratchforSheena.“‘SugarWalls’ was done for Sheena Easton,” explains Susan Rogers. “It was neverintendedforhim,itwaswrittenafterhe’dmether.Sheaskedforasongandhewrotethatforher.”41The instrumentation of the trackwas sparse and keyboard heavy, containing

more or less the same melody as the synth lead line to his unreleased song“Possessed.”Princequicklywrotethelyricsandrecordedhistempvocalsashealwaysdid,withthemicrophonedanglingoverthemixingboard.PrincealsodidapasswithJillJonesonleadvocals.Theseven-and-a-half-hoursessionwrappedupat2:00a.m.,andthemaster2-

inchtapewassentovertoSoundFactoryforEaston’svocals.Eastonrecalledhervocalsession,whichtookplacelaterthatweekend:“[David

Leonard] said, ‘Prince sent over a track for you.We sawyouonTheTonightShow the night before andPrince said “Yeah, I gottawrite something for that

girl.”Andsohesentover‘SugarWalls,’anditwasoneofthosethingswhereitwaslike,‘Hereitis.Ifyouwanttodoit,here’smynumber.’”42“Longstoryshort,”shecontinued,“IrecordeditonSuperBowlSunday.”43PrincewasrecordingatSunsetSoundatthesametime,butit isunclearifhe

left to attend Easton’s vocal sessions at Sound Factory. There are conflictingreports about whether he dropped in on her, but nothing could be confirmed.According to Easton, Prince obviously enjoyed collaborating with her, givingher“Eternity,”cowriting“La,La,La,He,He,Hee,”andteamingupwithheronmany tracks, including “U Got The Look,” “101,” “Cool Love,” “Arms ofOrion,”andtheunreleased“ComeBack2Me.”“Whenweworkedinthestudio,wegotalongreallywell,”rememberedEaston.“Wecrackedeachotherup.Wemadeeachotherlaugh.Hereallylikedmyvoiceandthoughtweshoulddomorestuff.”44NoteveryonewashappythatthenumberwenttoEaston.“‘SugarWalls’was

supposedtobemysong,”remembersJillJones.“[Whenhetoldme]IrememberIwassittinginthebed,andIwasjustlike,‘What?Really?Youtookmeoutlastnight tobe able tobreak this news tome thismorning?’Wehad somewordsaboutit.That’sallI’mgonnasay.”

Status:“SugarWalls”(3:59)wasreleasedonSheenaEaston’sAPrivateHeavenalbum.ItwasentirelyPrince’soriginalversion,butwithhisvocalsreplacedbyEaston.AlthoughthisodetoavaginawaswrittenandrecordedbyPrince,itwascredited toAlexanderNevermind,his firstone-use-onlypseudonym.The songeventually became infamous as number 2 on the Parents Music ResourceCenter’s “Filthy 15,” a list of tracks that deserved parental labeling.The onlysonghigheronthelistwas“DarlingNikki,”anotherPrincetune.Princelaterusedelementsfrom“SugarWalls”ontheextendedremixof“Hot

Thing,”whichwasreleasedin1987.


“Take Me with U” has a lot of character to it and works in theframework of Prince and Apollonia because obviously you needed tohavesomesortofduetwiththemforthesoundtrack.—MattFink45

With thealbumby theTimebasicallydone,Princecould start to focuson thenextmajorproject:Apollonia6.Sofaronlyonetrack,“SexShooter,”hadbeencompleted, but Princewas hoping to create an entire album for the group. Inmany ways this was the first day of work on what was expected to be theiralbum,butmoreimmediately,itwouldbeconsideredforuseinthemovie.TheTimehad two songs (“JungleLove”and“TheBird”) inPurpleRain, so therewasaneedfortwosongscontainingApollonia6.Thiswouldhelppromotebothgroupsand, itwashoped,createademandfor theiralbums.Asthemoviewasbeingedited,itwasobvioustoAlbertMagnolithatwhatwasmissingwasPrincesharing a romantic songwith his co-star, Apollonia: “I realized I had a placewhere I coulddoamusicalmontagewherePrincehasbeendeniedApollonia.She’salreadysaid,‘Gotohell,’andhe’sgot thatmomentwherehe’s thinkingthroughhislife,soPrincewrote‘TakeMewithU.’”During themultipledecadesPrince spent in themusicbusiness, theduetshe

recorded amount to fewer than ten, and at this stage of his career Prince hadnever recorded a true duet. The only other co-lead vocals were with LisaColeman and Dez Dickerson on the song “1999,” but outside of that Princedidn’tsharethespotlightonthemicrophone.With“TakeMewithU,”Princesetout towritea romanticduet inwhichhewas truly theco-leadsinger,becausehalf the lyrics were written from Apollonia’s point of view. Prince was nostranger to writing from a female perspective nor to singing as such on thescratch tracks,but this is the first timeheallowedanotherperson toshineandthis seems like a testament tohowhe felt aboutApollonia andher role in themovie.During thissession,Prince likelyexploredseveral ideas,hoping to turn them

intoasong.Therewasnonew2-inch tapepurchased,so it isunlikely that thejammingwent any further than recordingmusic to cassette. “Sometimes he’djustwanttorunthecassette,”explainsSunsetSoundengineerStephenShelton.“Andhe’dmakethatquiteclear,andtherewereprobablythingsthatwouldendupbeingcreatedoncassetteandhe’dprobablyreviewitatsomelatertimeandpullfromitwhathewanted.”It is also unlikely that any vocals were recorded for the track during this

session.When lyrics are written and recorded they are often reflected on the

workorder,butPrincedecidedtolist“SexShooter,”indicatingthatheprobablyhadApolloniaonhismindwhileformingthetrack.The session ended early, and at 11:30 p.m. Prince left with a single C-60

cassetteofwhathe’drecorded.

Because the original work order for this track lists it as “Sex Shooter,” thedetails ofwhatwas recordedare unclear.TheWarnerBros. vault lists“TakeMewithU”ashavingbeencreatedtoday,soit isprobablethatthegenesisofthesongbeganonthisdate.AlthoughtheTimeandMorrisDayarelistedonthedailyworkorder,theirparticipationonthissessionisdoubtful.Prince flew back toMinneapolis and held a surprise party at a club calledTrampstocelebrateWendyMelvoin’stwentiethbirthday.Sheremembered:“Atonepointduring theparty,he said, ‘Domea favorandsitdownat this tableandwait.’So Iwaited,and then incomesPrinceandJoniMitchell tositwithme,andshegavemethreeofherlithographsasapresent.Itwasoneofmymostprofoundmoments.”46

THURSDAY,JANUARY26,1984(ESTIMATE)

WhenI’mwriting,sometimesthepenjustgoes.I’mnotinchargeandI’malmostlisteningoutsideofit....It’slikelisteningtoacolorandbelievingthatthesecolorshavesoulmatesandonceyougetthemalltogetherthepaintingiscomplete.—Prince47

Although the actual studio notes from this session have never surfaced, it isprobablethattheadditionalseedsof“TakeMewithU”wereputtocassetteonthisday.ThestudionotesforJanuary27detailedthat twoC-60cassetteswerebilled to Prince on this date, but no specific trackwas listed, and there is noverification that Prince actually attended this session, and if any additionalrecordingtookplacetoday.


Apollonia was there with us in the studio during that song. She wasthere a lot during the recording of a lot of the tracks.—PeggyMcCreary

Thedailyworkorder lists this time in thestudioas“live,”whichoftenmeansothersperformedonthetrack,butthatwasn’talwaysthecase.“Itsays,‘Live,’whichmeanthewascuttingtracksor‘tracking,’buthedidn’ttracklikenormalpeople,”saysPeggyMcCreary.“Hedidthepiano,hedideverythinghimself,soitdependedonwhatthemoodwasorwhatthesongneeded.”At7:00p.m.Princestartedfleshingout“TakeMewithU,”beginningthesong

by counting in the drums. Although his drummer, Bobby Z, was around thestudioduringthistime,Princeplayedthemforthistrack.“TheRevolutiondidn’thave much to do with this one,” explainedMatt Fink. “The actual drums on‘Take Me with U’ were the Simmons electric kit [Simmons SDS-5] beingplayed.Itsoundsacoustic,butit’sahybridsetthatBobbywoulduse.”48Basic tracks, including Oberheim keyboard, were recorded in the first two

hours.Thenextfourhourswerespentoverdubbingondifferentsectionsofthetrack.Although the actual title is listed, there is no indication that Prince hadrecorded his lyrics yet; he probably had an idea for the lyrics based on theplacementthesongwouldhaveinthemovie,buthadn’tfullyfleshedthemout.Theywerelikelywrittenafterthesessionended.

Status: “TakeMe with U” (5:04) was originally planned for theApollonia 6album, but instead it was trimmed down for release on the Purple Rainsoundtrack(3:54)andeditedforreleaseasthefifthsinglefromthealbum(3:37).Itwouldmakeittonumber25ontheBillboardHot100chartandnumber40onthe Billboard Hot Black Singles chart. A 12-inch version of the track wassupposedlycreated(althoughitwaslikelyjustthelongversionbeforetheedit)butwasneverreleased.


[Prince] has an incredible talent for recognizing strengths andweaknesses. He has marvelous natural leadership, is very good atknowing justhowtopushyou toget thebestoutofyou,andheknewwhen to stop, in most cases. Singers, musicians, technicians, officepeoplewouldrisetolevelstheyhadn’tthoughtbefore.“TakeMewithU”wasperfect.—SusanRogers49

Princearrivedatthissessionwiththelyricscomplete,readytorecordthevocals.Tonight’s crowd had dwindled down, as Prince didn’t enjoy having peoplearoundduringthisprocess.PeggyMcCrearysetupthemicintheusualpositionovertheconsoleandleftafewemptytracksforhisleadvocalandbackgroundvocals. Sunset Sound general manager Craig Hubler recalls how differentPrince’stechniqueswerefromothersingersatthetime:“Thatwasratheruniqueabout him; hemay have been one of the first people, at least as far asmajormainstreamartists,thatactuallydidhisownengineeringinacontrolroomwithalivemicrophoneon,danglingover theconsole.Justsittingthereat theconsoleanddoinghissinging,thetapemachineroaringinthebackground.Helikedtobealone,justconcentratingonhisvocalsorwhatever.Ifheneededsomeonehejustpoppedhisheadoutthedoor.”UsingDavidLeonardashisengineer,Princespenttheentirenine-hoursession

workingonvocals, firsthisownand thenApollonia’s.Theworkon this trackwere Apollonia’s first vocal sessions for new music with Prince. They’drecorded her vocals for “Sex Shooter” at his home (with his Minneapolisengineer,SusanRogers),butthatwasatrackoriginallycreatedforVanity6,sothiswasApollonia’sfirsttrueleadvocalsessionatSunsetSound.Twocassetteswerecreatedattheendofthesessionafteraroughmix.

Prince already knew he’d be calling the track “TakeMe with U” instead of“TakeMewithYou”becausehecorrectedtheworkordertoreflectthepropertitle.


IrememberPrinceaskingifIhadmyfingercymbalsandIsaid,“Yes,Ido,” and that is when I came in to do “Take Me with U.”—DavidColeman

Afterseveraldaysofwork,“TakeMewithU”stillwasn’tcomplete,soPrincedecided toaddstrings to tie themusic inwith someof theother trackson thealbum.DavidColemanrecalls:[Prince] called me into the studio and Novi [Novog] and I did strings. I don’t remember if Suzie[Katayama] ison thereornot. I think it is justNovi and I. I don’t remember ifLisawas thereor ifPrincesatdownatthepianoandgaveusnotes.HecameupwiththosemelodiesthatthestringsdidandIkindofjammedabitofwhatthecellopartwouldbetoharmonizewithwhatNoviwasdoing.MyrecollectionwasthatitwasjustNoviandIandPrinceatthepiano,butwithmyrecollection,Lisa

didsomucharranging,thatshemighthavebeentherebecausealmosteverythingwedid,shewasthere.

Novog,who had already recorded the viola and violin for Prince on severaltracks,recallswhatPrincewaslikewhenoutofthepublicspotlight:“Princewasveryconfident.Healwaysstayedtohimself.Hewasveryshyunlessheknowsyou.Alwaysverypolite,butveryshy,butrealnice.NotthreateninginanywayandnoegotripsthatIsaw.”Thetrackwouldbethefirstsonghe’dreleasethatcontainedfingercymbals.It

islikelythatthosewereaddedduringthissession.


“TakeMewithU”(ApolloniaandPrincevocaloverdubs)SunsetSound,Studio2|7:30p.m.–4:00a.m.(booked7:00p.m.–open)Producer:Prince(MorrisDaywascrossedout)|Artist:Prince(onlyPrincewaslistedandtheTimewas crossed out) |Engineer: Prince |Assistant Engineers: “PeggyMac”McCreary (listed) andDavidLeonard

“TakeMewithU”isjustabeautifulsong.It’sjustsogreathowhegotApollonia inon that,and it’s justabeautiful song that reallycatchesyoueverytime.—BobbyZ50

For Prince, adding vocals was never simple because he almost always knewwhat he wanted, and that required translating what was in his head to tape.Recording anyone’s vocals often required embellishments, and because itwashis firstduet, thiswasnoexception.“[Apollonia]wasnotasinger,”explainedLisa Coleman. “She was an actress. So the poor thing was thrown into thestudio:‘Here,youhavetosingthis.’Shewaslike,‘OhmyGod,Idon’tknowhowtosing.’Andshedidthebestshecould.Idoubledhervocalson‘TakeMewithU’tomakeitsoundalittlebetter.”51In fact,youcanhearbackgroundvocals fromColemanat1:20on thealbum

version (“Don’t carewherewego”52) andavarietyofotherplaces throughoutthe track. Jill Jones was also brought in to do additional vocal work, whichdidn’talwayssitwellwithotherperformers.“HehadaguidebutIwasaghostvocal,”recallsJones.“Iwasaghostvocalist.”IfIwereanothersinger,I’dbelike,“Goddamnwhyisshealwayssayingthat?”Idon’tthinktherewasanymaliceormaliciousintent. Ialwaysknewthat,overaperiodof time, it instillsconfidencein thesinger.I thinkthatwhentheythinkthatisthem,theygohomeandtheylistentotheirtapesandtheycomebackandmaybedoanothervocalon topand theyactuallygeta littlebitmorecojones if theybelievealittlebitthatitmightbethemselves.EvenwithApollonia,itwasn’tevertotakeanythingawayfromher.Itwasjusttostrengthenherso

shewouldcomebackandapproachthestudiodifferently.Ibelievethat’showhefeltaboutit,becausewesawadifference.Like“Ohwow,she’sgettingthere.”Anditmadeforbetterperformancesinthestudio,andhecoulddiscover their style.And thatwouldhelpApolloniastart todoherBettyBoop–style thing.Andon thatnote, I’dhave tosayApolloniacreated thatherself,and that’swhathappensfromthatandthat’salljustbecauseyouhavethesupportofsomebodybehindyou.

Atotalof sevenandahalfhourswere spentaddingvocals to the song,withcontributionslikelyfrombothPrinceandApollonia.Prince would place this song on a single C-60 tape, but he also transferred

something he’d recently recorded to three C-90 tapes. It is possible that he’dbeenrecordingpotentialpiecesofthescoreforthePurpleRainmovieandwascopying this or any incidentalmusic to cassette for the editor and director toconsiderforplacementinthefilm.

TUESDAY,JANUARY31,1984*

Oneof thethings thatI thinkis important is thatonelearnshowtolisten. So I never stop being a fan. Even if the music was comingthroughme.—Prince53

Because“TakeMewithU”wasPrince’sfirstduetanditwastobeplacedinthemovie, five hours were dedicated to getting themix right. This was differentthanhisusualmethod.“Onthingsthatwerereallyimportant,we’dsetasidetimetojustmixit,”explainedSusanRogers.“Butforthemostpart,wemixedaswewentalong.”54DuringthissessionPrincewaschargedarentalonaLinndrumset(LM-1),so

hemayhaveaddedthemtothetrack,butifhedid,theywerehiddenduringthefinalmix.ThedistinctivesoundoftheelectronicSimmonsSDS-5drumscanbeheardclearlyintheintroductorytom-drumrollthatrecursinthebreakbeforetheend.Atthispoint,“TakeMewithU”wasstillplannedfortheApollonia6album.

NowthatPrincehadcompletedtwosongsfortheirproject,thenextweekwouldbecommittedtofillingintheremainingspots.

FEBRUARY1984

WEDNESDAY,FEBRUARY1,1984*

Eachbandbringsdifferentsongsoutofyou.—Prince1

Thebasic tracks for today’s songwere recordedbyPrince,but theactual ideawasinspiredbyApollonia6singerBrendaBennettandherrelationshipwithherhusband,Roy:“PrinceandIbothwroteit.Isubmittedittohimandhekept99percentof it.At the time,wehadaperfectmarriage.Thepeople thatknewusknew we had a great marriage. I felt like people put us on a pedestal as anexampleofworkingtogetherandbeingaroundeachotherandgettingalongverywell.”NovocalsbyPrinceorbyanyoneinApollonia6wererecordedonthisdate.A

quickmixoftheinstrumentalwascreatedandplacedonthreecassettes.

Status: “Some Kind of Lover” (4:07) was the sixth track on theApollonia 6albumandwasattachedtoaskitinvolvingthethreegroupmembers.ThetrackwasalsoreleasedastheB-sidefor“BlueLimousine.”

THURSDAY,FEBRUARY2,1984*

HehadthemusicdonewhenIrecordedthelyrics.AndIrememberhimsaying,“Hereyougo,thisisyours.”—BrendaBennett

The session started out with Prince inviting Bennett back to Sunset Sound torecord her part. “I remember him playing the track and not having a guidetrack,”sherecalls.“Hekindofsangitinthestudiotogivemeanidea,melody-wise,forthelyrics.AndIsaid,‘Okay,Icandoit.Icandoit!’”WhileBennettsangherpart,Princewasplayingbass.Fortheendofthetrack,

Princepushedhertomakeitevenmoresensualwithherwordsandmoans,andshegavewhatisprobablyhersexiestperformance,butitisobviousthatshewasa little shy about it when she added her very honest assessment—“I’membarrassed”—at theendof the track.“After Igotdonewithmyvocals,” sheremembers,“hegotupandwaslike‘Goddamn,Brenda,’becauseIputsomuchofmeintothissong.”Duringthesevenhoursspentrecordingvocals,PrinceandLisaColemanadded

background vocals to the track. SusannahMelvoin was enlisted as well: “Hecamerightoutandsaid,‘Youfeellikeyouwanttosing?’Andofcourse,itwaslike, ‘Yeah, of course I do.’” The list of people Prince relied on to singbackgroundvocalswas short, andMelvoinwouldquicklybecomea fixture inthestudio,withPrinceaddinghersoundstomanyofthetracksonalmosteveryoneofhisprojects for thenext severalyears.She recalls the routinewhenherphonerangat3:00inthemorning:“He’dcallinthemiddleofthenightandsay,‘I’mcutting.Whatareyoudoing?I’mcutting.’Andyou’dsay,‘It’sthreeinthemorning.’‘I’mcutting.Idon’tknowwhatyou’redoing.’Anditwasalwaysthatwasliterallythesignthatyou’remissingoutonallthegoodstuffandyou’realoser if you don’t get your ass down here. ‘I’m cutting.What are you doing,sleeping?Sleepisfordeadpeople.’Andyou’dgodowntothestudio.”Threehourswerespentmixingthetrack,andasinglecassettecopywasmade

attheendofthesession.

FRIDAY,FEBRUARY3,1984*

SometimesideasarecomingsofastthatIhavetostopdoingonesongto get another. But I don’t forget the first one. If it works, it willalwaysbethere.It’slikethetruth:itwillfindyouandliftyouup.Andifitain’tright,itwilldissolvelikesandonthebeach.—Prince2

Creatinganewsongeverydaycanbedraining, soPrinceconstantly reliedonthosearoundhimfor inspiration.“I try to letotherpeople influenceme . . .othermusicians,”Princeexplainedina2004interviewwithCNN.“Musiciansthatareinmygroups,notonesthatarelookingtostarttrendsorthatIseeonTV,butjustpeoplethatImeetthatmovemespiritually.”3Today’s session began as a jam with Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, and

SheilaE.“Sheilawasaroundalot,”accordingtoPeggyMcCreary.“Shewasalotoffun.He’dbeworkingonsomethingandshe’dbeoutplayingdrums,andhe’dsay,‘Putsometapeuptorecord.’”AsLisasatbehindthepiano,Princesaid,“Givemeagroove,”andshecreated

thesignatureriffin“AMillionMiles”onthespot.Whenthesongwastracked,Prince played the bass while standing at the soundboard, Coleman was onkeyboards,Melvoinwasonguitar,andSheilaE.wasplayingdrums.Usinghisfalsetto,Princerecordedascratchtracksothesingerwouldhaveareference.“AMillionMiles(ILoveYou)”wasanothertrackthatwasdirectlyinfluenced

by Brenda Bennett: “This was such a hot number. [Prince] gave me theimpressionthatitwaswrittenforme.ThiscamefromthefactthatIalwaysworemyweddingring.Thereisalineinthereaboutmy‘diamondring’andtherehadbeen a conversation betweenPrince and I aboutmy ring.”At the time Princewasn’t touringandRoyBennettwason the roadwith theScorpions; the songtriedtoreflectthedistancebetweentwolovers.Apolloniawasinthestudiofortherehearsals,theinitialtracking,andPrince’s

vocals.Theearliestversionofthesongbeganwiththesamedrumbeat,followedby Prince purring “Yeah” and some “ooohs” that were later discarded. OncePrincefinishedrecordingthemainvocals,hehadApolloniaandBrendaBennett

replacehisvoicewiththeirownformuchofthesong.“Onthechorus,youcanhearPrince,”remembersBennett.“Ifyouputyourheadphonesonyoucanhearhim,becauseheputhisvoiceontheretoshowApolloniahowhewantedhertodothebackgroundvocals.”Another song was tracked on this date: “In a Spanish Villa.” In need of

inspiration,Prince involvedApolloniaonceagainashismuse,allowingher tocreate a romantic story line for the track.Prince recorded theCarlosSantana–inspired lead guitar, Melvoin played the rhythm guitar, and, with the studiolights turned down, Apollonia recorded the spoken lyrics. The track wascompletedinveryfewtakes.Itwas thesortofsong thatVanity6wouldneverhaveattempted:subtleand

slightly romantic, with no danceable groove anywhere to be found. It wasdifferentthananythinghe’deverrecorded,andisahiddengemthatmostpeoplewouldneverimaginewasPrince.Sixhourswere spentmixing and editing the tracks.Sound effects, including

waves,wereadded(itisunclearifthatoccurredduringthissessionoronalaterdate),thesongsweredubbedtoacassettetape,andthesessionwasoverat4:30a.m.

Status:“AMillionMiles(ILoveYou)”(5:52)wasediteddown(3:11)andfadedout justbefore the“Somebodyclapyourhands”chant,but the shorterversionremainsunreleased.ThecompleteversionwasissuedasthefourthtrackontheApollonia 6 album. “In a Spanish Villa” (2:15) was the closing track on thealbumandwasalsoreleasedastheB-sideofthe“SexShooter”single.

SATURDAY,FEBRUARY4,1984*

Sixo’clockalready,Iwasjustinthemiddleofadream....—“ManicMonday”4

Fewpeopleunderstandhowbigaglimpse theopeningphraseof today’s songexposedPrince’sthoughtprocess.PeggyMcCrearyrecallsthatthistrackbeganshortlyafterthepreviousday’ssessionended:“Iremembergoingtobedatsixinthemorningandhecalledandsaid,‘Canyoubeatthestudioatnoon?’becausehehaddreamedasong.Hesaidifhedreamedachorushe’dcallme,andhedid,anditwas‘ManicMonday.’”ItiseasytoseehowPrincecreatedthistrackbecauseheliftsthemelodyfrom

hisearliertrack“1999.”Comparetheopeninglines:

Sixo’clockalready,Iwasjustinthemiddleofadream(“ManicMonday”)5IwasdreamingwhenIwrotethis.Forgivemeifitgoesastray(“1999”)6

Even if he ended up being his own muse, Prince was still able to bringsomething inventive to the song. “That was the secret to his music,” revealsMcCreary.“Hewouldcomein,itwaswritten,itwasrecorded,anditwasdoneanditwasmixedallwithinthesameperiod.Onoccasionitwastakendownandremixedlater,butitwasalmostalwaysbornrightthere,andthatiswhyitwassofresh.Hewassoprolificatthattime.”In many ways Prince was a master of technique, and he was open to

experimentingwith technology.Forhismusic,heenjoyedcreatingnewcolorswith the sounds he discovered, and although he was not truly technical, heenjoyed working with keyboards and preprogrammed keyboard sounds (alsoreferredtoas“patches”)tryingtofindsomethingdifferent:“Idon’teverreadmanuals.Idon’twanttohaveapreconceptionaboutwhatapieceofgearshouldorshouldn’tdo. I just startusing it. I startpushingbuttons,andIdiscoverthesoundsthatIcanmakewithit.Sometimesaparticularsoundwillgivemeawholesong,liketheharpsichordsoundon‘ManicMonday.’Thatsoundjustdictatedthepart.”7“That sounds likePrince, yeah,” reflectsMikeKloster, his assistant engineer

duringthisperiod.“Hewasreallyoneofthosebelieverswhofeltthatanythingthathappenedwasfate.Godwantedittohappenthatway.Likeifheshowedup,andweweren’tdonealigningthetapemachinethenhe’dsay,‘Well,that’sthewayit’ssupposedtobethen,let’srecord.’Hehadthatattitude.”Althoughshewasverytired,McCrearylooksbackfondlyonthisdate:“Itwas

actuallyagreatday,andhewasinareallygreatmood.Iwasexhausted,butitwasafunday,andwewentuntil1inthemorning....Itwasatwelve-hourday,justthetwoofus.”

After a quick one-hour mix, the session ended a little early—at least byPrince’s usual standards.Hewanted the girls to record their vocals that night,butcouldn’tconvinceSusanMoonsieandApolloniatodropbythestudio.Theytold him they were tired but instead went out dancing at a local club calledVoila. Prince eventually tracked them down and spent the rest of the eveningdancingwiththem.Hetoldthemaboutthetrackandinvitedthemtojoinhiminthestudiothefollowingdayforvocals.

Status:“ManicMonday”(2:49)wasconsideredfor theApollonia6albumandwasplacedinanearlyconfiguration,butitwasultimatelyremovedandreplacedby “Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian.” The song was later rerecorded by theBangles, and their cover would hit number 2 on the Billboard Pop chart inJanuary 1986. The only song above it on the charts that week was Prince’s“Kiss”atnumber1.

Aligningatapedeckisamultistepprocessthatinvolvesverifyingthatanythingrecorded on this deck will match the specifications of another deck. It caninvolveadjustingthespeed,calibratingtherecordingtonesandplaybacklevels,cleaning the tape heads, and demagnetizing them if necessary, among otherthings.

SUNDAY,FEBRUARY5,1984*

Often when he would do those template vocals, guide vocals forsomeone else to come along and copy them, hewould then erase hisvocaltrack,soinmanyofthesecases,thevocalsnolongerexistonthetapes.He’dpermanentlyerasehisvocalpass.—AlanLeeds8

ThedaystartedwithApolloniaandBrendaBennettrecordingtheirvocals,andthemood among themwas amazinglyoptimistic.Even the lyrics reflected the

upliftedattitudeoftheday(“IwishitwasSunday/that’smyfunday...”9)andthestudiowasfilledwith thevibethat thesonghadhugepotential tobeahit.ThetrackalsotookthegroupinadirectionthatwasdifferentfromtheovertlysexualmusicofVanity6.“Whenitcametothestudioandthevocalpartsonit.. . we did it in a way that was very comfortable and we enjoyed doing it,”Bennettexplains.“Itwassomethingthatcouldbeplayedouttherewheretherewouldn’tbeanycontroversyaroundit,whichwassomethingthatIwantedustoget away from. We started out as such a controversial thing and we’re thesteppingstoneforalotofgirlsthatcameafterus,withanysexualconnotations.Madonna,forexample.Weweresobad,thatwecouldn’tbeinthemainstreamofstuff.”Noteveryonewashappythatthetrackwasn’tgoingtobereleasedbyPrince.“I

wassoupset thathegavethat toApollonia6,”complainsMcCreary,“becausehediditsogreatwithhisvocals.Heneversaidwhyhedidthingslikethat,youjustdidwhathetoldyou.”Withallthemembersofthegroupinthestudio,Princedecidedtorecordafew

skits for the record, some seeminglybasedon thepreviousnight’svisit to theclub, but it didn’t go over well with everyone. “[Prince] kept saying that hedidn’twantanyfiller,butthepartwithusplayingandlaughingwasfillerasfarasIwasconcerned,”assertsBennett.“Itwasstupid.Itwasscriptedright thereonthespot.Princewassaying,‘Thinkofsomething!’Apolloniawantedtotalkabout her rabbit, Smokey, and I came up with the spacemen thing, and hewantedSusantobesleepingandtohaveadreamorsomething.”Workwasalsodoneon“OooSheSheWaWa.”Asusual,Princerecordedthe

basic tracks, but instead of singing it himself he hadMoonsie add her vocals.Bennett remembers thatMoonsie’s songs were different than the other tracksbecausePrincegaveheralotofroomtowriteherownlyrics.“Hersongsneverhadaguidevocaltoit.Shewasreallygoodatwriting....Shewrotepoetryandshewasvery,verygoodbutsheneverwantedtosubmitanythingtohim.Maybeonceortwice,butnotmuchasshecouldhave.”Bennettalsorecallshowthemoodinthestudiohadchangedfromearlierinthe

day:“SusanandPrincewerefighting.Youcanhearitinthesong.Susandidn’treallygetloudwhenshegotmad;youjustknewit.”Bennettalsoaddedhervocalsforthebackground.Oncetherestofthegrouphadleft,PrinceaskedJillJonestoaddbackground

vocals to the recently recorded tracks for Apollonia 6, including “A MillionMiles (I Love You),” “Ooo She She Wa Wa,” “Some Kind of Lover,” and

“ManicMonday.”SusannahMelvoinwasalsorecruitedforbackgroundvocalson some of these tracks as well. As always, each singer was brought inseparately to record her part, and all the elements used on any track were atPrince’sdiscretion.“Thetruthis,noneofthegirlswould’veeverreallyknown,”accordingtoJones.“Theywouldn’tknowwhathewasdoinguntilyougot thefinalmix.”The last four andahalfhoursof the sessionwere spenton roughmixesand

cassettecopies.

Status: “OooSheSheWaWa” (2:43)was attached to one of the skits they’drecorded,andthesongwasreleasedontheApollonia6album.

MONDAY,FEBRUARY6,1984*

Princelovedsequencingalbums.—SusanRogers10

Considering the length of many of his recording sessions, tonight’s wasrelatively brief. In five hours he mixed, edited, and assembled the firstcompilationfortheApollonia6album.Duringthattime,additionalmixingwasalso done on “Sex Shooter” and Prince likely added some of the remainingsoundeffects,includingthesoundeffectofwaveswashinguponabeachduring“Some Kind of Lover” and the similar sounds on “In a Spanish Villa.” It isprobable thatPrince recorded thekeyboardson“AMillionMiles”and thathealsoscoredthemultipleskitsfromyesterday’ssession.Fromstarttofinish(withtheexceptionof“SexShooter”and“TakeMewithU,”whichwerecreatedfor

themovie),thealbumwasrecordedandassembledinlessthanaweek.“Ithinkitwas an easier record,” saysMcCreary, “because he had done it beforewithVanity 6 and [Brenda and Susan] had done it before and Apollonia, he justslippedherintothemold.”Theprospectsforasuccessfulalbumweregreat,andalmosteveryoneinvolved

agreedthatithadatleasttwohits(“SexShooter”and“ManicMonday”)aswellasanattention-gettingduetwithPrince(“TakeMewithU”).Apolloniahadnotonly replaced Vanity, she’d found a way to create her own identity whileblending into Prince’s vision of the group. “By the time we recorded it, thewhole thing just clicked,” according to Susan Rogers. “She sounded like anactresspretendingtosing.”11Thiscompilationstartswiththetwomovietracks.Apollonia’sleadvocalsare

on the first three songs, followed by two Brenda Bennett tracks, and one bySusanMoonsie.Itisuncertainwhether“InaSpanishVilla”wasincludedinthiscompilation,butifitwasn’t,thatmeansthatsideonewasexclusivelyApolloniaandsidetwowasexclusivelyBennettandMoonsie.It ismorelikelythat“InaSpanishVilla”wasincludedtokeepthevoiceof theband’snamesakeonbothsidesoftherecord.At this point the concept of a bigger version of the 1999 tour—including

Prince, the Time, andApollonia 6 (taking the place ofVanity 6)—was beingdiscussed.Alotwouldchangeinthefollowingmonths.

Status:Twootherundatedbutpotentialtracklistsfromthiserahavesurfaced:

TakeMewithUNextTimeWipetheLipstickoffYourCollarAMillionMiles(ILoveYou)

InaSpanishVilla

SomeKindofLover

SexShooter

VelvetKittyCat

aswellas:

SexShooter

TakeMewithYou

ManicMondayAMillionMiles(ILoveYou)

VelvetKittyCat

SomeKindofLover

InaSpanishVilla

When Prince was assembling an album, cassettes were created for listeningpurposes,andformanyprojectsPrincewouldthrowsongstogethertoseehowthey played in his car. It is unknown whether these track listings were basicassemblies for listeningor for seriousconsideration.“VelvetKittyCat”wouldlikelyhavehadSusanMoonsie’svocalson it sinceshehadnoother tracksonthesecompilations.Whenandifsherecordedthevocalsfor“VelvetKittyCat”isnotknown.

The water sound effects used at the end of “Some Kind of Lover” would berevisitedbyPrinceduringhisLovesexyera.

TUESDAY,FEBRUARY7,1984*

Question:IfGodcametoyourightnowandaskedyoutoplayonesongofyours,whatwoulditbe?Prince:God.12

With theApollonia 6 album finished, Prince turned his attention to themusicplannedforthemovie,buttonight’ssessionwasdelayedfortwohoursbecauseofamovie-relatedmeeting.McCrearyrecallsthattheusualflowofthesessionswas being strained: “There were a lot of executives from Warner Bros., thedirectorandothersinthestudio.Whatatimewaster!Iwasnotinvolvedinthemovieatall,anddidn’twanttoknowaboutit.Ihadenoughonmyplate.”ItislikelythatPrincewatchedanearlycutofthemoviethatwasmissingsome

ofthemusicbecauseoncehereturnedtothestudio,hequicklyrecordedanewversionof“Father’sSong”thatmoreaccuratelymatchedthesceneinthemoviewhenhischaracter’sfatherplaysthepiano,aswellasthemusicforthesegmentcontaining theversionof “PurpleRain” thatWendyandLisa submitted to the

Kid.Thismusicisnotconsideredscoring.“Scoring”canbebroadlydefinedasbackgroundmusicthathelpsdramaticallyunderscoreasceneandcancreateorembellishthemood.Musicthatfeaturessomeoneperformingasongcanalsobeconsideredscoring,butthese(aswellastheperformances)areoftenlabeledassongsandnotascore.Whenitwascomplete,Princecontinuedinthesamemodeandworked on an untitled instrumental thatwould eventually be called “God(LoveThemefromPurpleRain)”andwouldconsistofkeyboards,guitar,piano,SheilaE.ondrums,andafewsoundeffectslikethunderandrain.“I remember this sowell,” recallsMcCreary. “As I remember it, [Sheila and

Prince]weremusically just playingwith each other, sort of flirtingwith eachother.Itwasmidnight,andIwaslike,‘Okay,can’twejustleave?(laughs)Can’tyoutwojustgetaroom?’AtthetimeSheilajustlovedtohangoutwithhim.”Thestressofthemovieandtherapidpaceofrecordinganalbumbegantotake

its tollonApollonia, and shecame toPrince forhelpbecause shewashavingdifficultysleeping.ItwascommonforPrincetolookforinspirationbysittingatthepianoandjust

playingwhatevercame tomind.Hisengineerwould record it toacassette forhimincasetherewassomethingworthbuildingintoasongoranelementthatcouldbeaddedtoanexistingtrack.PrinceapparentlythoughtsomeofhispianoplayingwouldhelpApollonia’sinsomnia,andhesatdownandrecordedhimselfrunningthroughamedleyofsomeofhissongsincludingideasforsongsthathehad yet to record. Among the songs he played that evening were “Father’sSong,” “Venus De Milo,” “God,” “Raspberry Beret,” “You’re My Love,”“Wednesday,”“DoMe,Baby,”and“MoonbeamLevels.”At4:30a.m.,whilePeggymixedtheinstrumental thatwouldbecome“God,”

Princewrote“Poppa’ssong”onthecassetteandlefttotakeittoApollonia.

Status:“God(LoveThemefromPurpleRain)”(7:53)wasreleasedastheB-sideof “PurpleRain.”On theUK 12-inch it is listed as “God (Instrumental)” andsubtitled “Love Theme fromPurple Rain.” Two minutes of the track can beheardat41:45 in themovie, soonafter the seduction scenewhenPrinceplaysthebackwardcrying tape forApollonia.Lisa andWendy’s “PurpleRain”wasplacedinthefilmat1:21:56,underthescenewhenthewomenplaythesongforPrince. “Father’s Song” replaced the previously recorded version in the scenefeaturinghisfather(playedbyClarenceWilliamsIII)atthepianoat57:42andat1:19:56aftertheKid’sbasementtirade.



When you’re around Prince, you can’t help but learn something,becausehe’ssointenselyintohavingeverythingjustthewayhewantsit.Youcan’tbearoundthatkindofenergyandnotlearnsomething.—SheilaE.13

Princecontinuedcreatingmusicforspecificscenesinthemovie.Today’smusicwasintendedforthesceneinwhichPrinceseducesApolloniainhisbasement,but itwasbasedonsomethinghe’drecordedthepreviousyearandhadplayedfor the director of themovie, AlbertMagnoli, during preproduction.Magnoliremembers,“IsaidIneededsomethingreallyfreakingscary,butreallysexyandhesaid,‘Oh,Igotthat.’”Princewouldcollectsoundsandfindnewwaystousetheminhisrecordings.

He’doftenrevisitsomethinghe’dpreviouslytapedandrepurposeitinawaythatwasn’texpected.AmongtheelementsusedinthiscompositionwerethesoundsofLisaColemanandJillJones.“Heseemedtojusthaveatatapeofmecrying,”Jonesrecalls,“andhe’dputitinalltheseweirdplaceslikeinthemovie.Thatistotallyme. He hadme and Lisa crying before in ‘Automatic’ [from his 1999album].”At thispoint“TheGlamorousLife”hadfeaturedLinnLM-1machinedrums,

with no additional percussion from Sheila. During this period it was verycommonforPrince’smusic tocontainsynthdrums.Partof thereasonwasforspeed,becausewhenPrinceknewwhathewanted torecord,hedidn’twant towaittogetthetenmicsplacedproperlyonthedrumkit.Theotherpartwasforspace.Onamixingboardthatonlyhadtwenty-fourinputs,usingupalmosthalfof themon a single instrument limitswhat else can be recorded. Even on theoccasionswhenheexpandedtoforty-eighttracks,recordinglivedrumstookupa lot of valuable real estate on the tape. But there was still another reason,according to engineer Susan Rogers: “The records that Prince did, his sideprojectssuchasSheilaandtheTimeandstuff,hadanarrowerrangeofvision,

narrowerthanhisownrecordsdid.Sohewasmorereluctanttouseavarietyofsounds on those.Hewanted them to sound smaller andmore contained. Thatwas the reason thatdrummachinesmadeperfect sense for them.BecausealsoSheilawasprimarilypercussionstoo,sothey’dtapethedrummachineandthenaddalotofpercussionontopofit.”14Sheila probably added her drums and percussion to “The Glamorous Life”

duringthissession.Ithadn’tbeenplacedontheApollonia6albumasplanned,sonoonewassurewhereitwouldreside.IftheideaofSheilahavinganentirealbumwas in theworks, no focus had beengiven to the project, so this trackcouldhavegonetoalmostanyone,includingJillJones,whohadbeentoldthatheralbumwasintheworks:“That,ultimately,wassupposedtobemyrecordweweredoingandIwasreallyalittlebitpissedoffaboutthatonebecauseSheilawas just showing up at the studio just in her basketball-looking clothes andwhatever.AndIwasn’tquitewisetowhatthatreallymeant,butthat’swhatthatwas,andthenhetookhertomyuncletogetherhairandhermakeoverandallthisstuff.AndthenmyprojectgotkickedbackwardsbecauseofSheila.”ItseemedmoreandmoreobviousthatPrincewasenjoyingthenewinspiration

hehadfoundwithSheila,butitisunlikelythathervocalshadbeenrecordedforanytrack.RogersnoticedachangeinPrinceduringthisperiod.“Hehadagreatdeal of affection for Sheila.A great deal,” she revealed. “Theywere not onlylovers,buttheywerefriends.Hehadrespectandaffectionforher.”15“We were friends first,” Sheila confirmed in a 2012 television interview.

“Beingthatfriend,youfallinlovewithyourbestfriendandthat’sawesome.Wedidn’t want to fall in love.Music brought us together, but we did.”16 Havingfound today’smuse in Sheila gave Prince a new direction and new priorities.Regardlessofwheretheywereemotionally,almostallhisprojectsforthenextfouryearswouldbeaffectedbythismusicalpartnership.

AFedExbillwaspresentedforFebruary8and9,1984,soitislikelythatPrincewas planning to travel back toMinneapolis soon after andmay have shippedsome of his music to Minneapolis in case he wanted to record while there.“Therewasn’tanyrealconcepttowherethingswererecorded;itwasamatterofconvenience,”explainedAlanLeeds.“Andyoucan’treallymakeanyrhymeorreason.Andbythesametoken,becauseofoverdubbingandsoon,youcouldworkfivedaysononetapeinfivelocations—justtakethetapewithyou.Andhewoulddothat.He’dsay,‘I’vegottogotoL.A.foraweek,sopackupaboxoftapes,’andhe’dgiveusalistoftapesthathewantedtotakewithhim,meaning

that‘if Iget theurge,I’mgoingto findastudioandgoworkonthesesongs.’And hemay come backwith tapes as is, theymay gowith him and he neveropens thebox, or hemay endupgoing in the studioandworkingon someofthem,andstartingtennewsongs,orwhatever...anything!”17

THURSDAY,FEBRUARY9,1984*

I think that “The Glamorous Life” is wonderful, I think it is one ofPrince’sbestandcatchiest songs.Someone toldmeonce:“Haveyouever noticed when you walk through a music store, when you gothroughthekeyboarddepartmentitdoesn’ttakelongbeforesomebodystartstogo:ta,ta, tatata,ta, tata?”Whatacatchyrhythmthatis!—SusanRogers18

Prince spent five and a half hours mixing “The Glamorous Life” and theremainderofthesessioneditingit.


Oneof[Prince’s]chiefstrengthswashisabilitytoobserve,assimilateandthenreinterpretrecordingtechniques.Hewasalsoobservingandassimilatingsongwritingtechniquesandstuffthatwasfreelyhappeninginsidetheband.Andallofthatinfluencedhimandhebecameashape-shifter. He became great at assimilating these techniques and

reinterpretingtheminawaypeopledidn’trecognize.AndthatbecamethegeniusofPrince.—DezDickerson19

Thespringof1984wasthebusiesttimeinPrince’srecordingcareertodate,atleast when considering the scope of his projects. He was creating music forhimself, Apollonia 6, and the Time, as well as composing music for thesoundtracktohismovie.Hewasunderstrictdeadlinesforalltheseprojects,butthat didn’t keep him from being inspired to record something outside thoseprojects.“Princealwaysfollowshisinstincts,”accordingtoSteveFargnoli,hismanager during this period. “That’s just how he is. I’ve never seen an artisttotallyconsumedtothelevelofPrince.Itprettymuchexcludeseverythingelse.Hehasvery little tosayaboutwhathe’sdoingother thanwhat’s inhismusic,buthehasaclearperceptionofwhathe’sdoneandwhathewantstobe.”20Accordingtomanypeoplewho’vespenttimewithPrince,hewasaddictedto

the creative process. He was constantly looking for something that wasn’tfamiliar to keep him interested. In retrospect, adding Sheila to the mixmadecompletesense.Tokeepfrombecomingboredwithonelongprojectandallthearterialsideprojects,heprobablyfeltaninternaldesiretoexpandbeyondwhatwasexpected.Princedemandedthatthosearoundhimstepuptotheplate,whichmeantleadingbyexample.ButonceagainPrinceneededtocontinuallyfeedthemachine;hewasseeking

inspirationandat timesthatcamefromwithinhiscamp.For“TheBelleofSt.Mark,” Prince (consciously or unconsciously) took a part of a song JesseJohnson had written and made it into his own. Johnson had submitted manytrackstoPrince,butonlyonrareoccasions(“TheBird”and“JungleLove”fortheTimeand“BitetheBeat”forVanity6,forexample)weretheyused.JohnsonwasinMinneapolisatthetimeanddidn’tparticipateinthissession.Prince recorded his own voice on the demo for this track, and according to

Sheila, she helped create the track. In her 2014 autobiography she stated thatwhenshepennedthelyrics,she“wroteaboutPrince.”21

Status:Prince’svocalswere replacedbySheilaE.duringa latersession.“TheBelle of St. Mark” (5:08) was released as the first single from her TheGlamorousLifealbum.Aneditofthesong(3:38)anda“DanceRemix”(7:42)werealsoreleased.Thebelltollsoundeffectatthebeginningofthetrack(“BigBen Strikes Midnight” from the Authentic Sound Effects library, vol. 4) waslikelyaddedonalaterdate.

Noworkordercouldbelocatedfor thissession,but thevaultatWarnerBros.verified that “TheBelle of St.Mark”was recorded on this date. It should benotedthatthereisevidencethatPrincemayhavetraveledtoMinneapolisfortheweekendofFebruary10–12.Ifthisisthecase,thesessionslistedfortodayandtomorrow were either recorded in Minneapolis or on another date in LosAngeles.

Afterthemoviefinishedfilming,theTimecontinuedtorehearseinMinneapolis,butwithonemainpartofthebandmissing.“Morriswasneverthere,”recalledPaulPeterson.“Hebarelyshowedup.”22According to JerryHubbard, Jesse Johnsonwas still taking responsibility for

thebandstayingtight:Jessewastheonesaying,“Beatpracticeat this time.Dothis.Here’s thesongswe’regoingtoworkon.”ButwhenPrincecametotownitwasPrince’sshow.ImeanPrincerantherehearsals.He’dsingMorris’sparts.Hewouldtelluswhatharmonieshewantedustosing.Hewouldgoovertoeveryone’sinstrumentandsay,“Iwantyoutodothis,”andwerehearsedforalongtimeandthisiswhenIknewtheworkethicofPrince.Ithought:“Wow”;hewouldrehearsewithusforfifteenhoursorwhateveritwas.ThenhewouldtakeasmallbreakinbetweenandwaitfortheRevolutiontocome.Andthenhewould rehearse them for another, you know, eight, nine, ten hours. And I was like, “This dude isnonstop.”

AccordingtoHubbard,Princerelatedtothepeoplearoundhimthroughmusic,andanychancetojamwithotherspotentiallysparkedhisinspiration:IrememberonetimeafterrehearsalIaskedPrincecouldwehangout,andwejammedforhourswithmeonthedrumsandhimonthebass.Justmeandhim.AndI’llneverforgetthatdaybecausehewasplayingthebasswithgloveson.ItwasinthewinterandIwasthinkingtomyself,“He’splayingthatbasswiththosegloveson.Wow.”Irememberonerehearsalheplayedpianoforlikeanhourtome.JustmesittingtherelisteningtohimplaypianobeforetheRevolutioncameinandtheystartedrehearsing.AndIwatchedalittlebitoftheRevolutionrehearsingandthenIleft.Itwasjustspecialtimeslikethatthat,IgottohangoutwithPrinceandreallywitnessthatgenius.

The plan was to have a continuation of the previous tour with Apollonia 6replacingVanity6as theopeningact.TheTimewouldperformtheirownset,butwouldonceagainberesponsibleforplayingbehind thecurtainfor thegirlgroup.“Theyweretalkingtousabouthowwe’regoingtobackupApollonia6behind the curtains,” recallsHubbard. “I’ll never forgetPrincecameup tomewith anApollonia 6 song and he says, ‘Can you play that?’And itwas ‘SexShooter.’AndIsaid,‘Yeah,Icouldplaythat.’Andhesays,‘Okay.’Thewholemoviethingwasgoingtogoontour,whichwouldhavebeencrazy.”

SATURDAY,FEBRUARY11,1984(ESTIMATE)

AlotofpeoplesayI’magirlversionofPrincebecausewe’resomuchalike.We like a lot of the samemusic, the same clothes, some of thesamemusiciansandthesamefoods,especiallyspaghetti.—SheilaE.23

Prince continuedhis internalbattlebetween the long-termplans involvedwiththePurpleRainprojectandhisshort-termplansinthestudio.WhenPrincewasinspired he generally recordedwhat hewas feeling at that time, and he rarelyseemedconcernedwithmoralityorboundaries.According toSusanRogers,“Irememberhimsayingthatifawomancamealonganddidwhathedidshe’druletheworld.AndIdon’tknowifhehadsomeprecognitionaboutMadonna.ButwhenMadonnafirstcameouthecalleditimmediatelyandhesaid,‘She’sgoingto be huge.’ He knew that a female version of what he was doing would besuccessfulandIthinkhefeltthatatthisparticularstage,andhealsowashavingastrongfemalesidehimself.Heprobablyhadaprettyvividimaginationaboutwhathecoulddoifhewereawoman.”24At thispointMadonnawasstill releasingsingles fromher firstalbum,and it

wouldn’tbeuntil late1984—whenshereleasedherLikeaVirginalbum—thatshe showed the world how far she was willing to push the envelope. Princeprobablysaw that therewasno femaleversionofhim,so itwasverypossiblethat he visualized a way to create that through Sheila, and when inspirationstruckPrinceeverythingelse tookabackseat. In the studioPrince lived in themomentandtheoutsideworldoftenhadtowait.Eventechnicalissueshadtobeput aside. “His focus is what’s coming out of the instrument right now,”remembersSunsetSoundengineerDavidKnight.“Andcanweget this to taperightnow?Idon’tcareifit’salittledistortedorifit’snotEQ’d,we’regoingtorecord thatanyway.Letmeget thisdownrightnowbecauseIhave toget thisoutofmyhead.Averylaser-likefocus.IfIcanhearit,ifIcangetthisthingintothesongrightnow,we’regood.”

Engineer Bill Jackson was often alone in the room with Prince, but evenJacksonwasn’tsurewhere thesenewtrackswouldbeplaced:“At themomentthatwewererecordingallofSheila’stunes,itdidn’tseemlikeitwasgoingtobefor her. Shewas there a lot. She couldhavehelpedwrite someof it and thenlaterontheygottoworkingonthemforheralbum.”Like otherworkwith Sheila, “Shortberry Strawcake” started as a jam based

aroundasteadydrumbeat.Therewasasubtle, funkykeyboardriff thatsoundsalmostburied,especiallywhencomparedtotherepeatedmainriffthatbeginsat1:05.The restof thesongwasPrince jammingonkeyboardsandguitarabovethe bed of drums, with Sheila eventually filling it in with percussion andadditionaldrums.Lyricswerewrittenandputtotape(probablythroughoneofPrince’s guitar effect pedals to give his voice extra distortion). The track alsoincludedPrincesingingaboutadreamhehadbasedonhislover.Ultimatelythedecisionwasmadetokeepthesongasaninstrumental,andPrince’svoicewasplacedbackward in the song,hiding the romantic themebutgiving the songamore sensual vibe. Prince had done this earlier in theweekwhileworking onmusicforthePurpleRainmovie,sothetechniquewasstillfreshinhishead.Even the title, “Shortberry Strawcake,” is a sly acknowledgment of the

differentpartsofthetrackgoinginmultipledirections.PrincehadborrowedpartofasongfromJesseJohnsonfor“TheBelleofSt.

Mark”onthepreviousday.SosoonafterreturningtoLosAngeles,hereachedouttoJohnsonandofferedhimasongwritingcredit,butnotintheusualmanner.Johnson was recording with Susan Rogers in Prince’s home studio inMinneapolis,andRogersrecalledwhathappenedduringthatphonecall:“Princeasked Jesse if itwasokay thathegave JessewritingcreditononeofSheila’ssongs.Jessesaid,‘Okay,Iguessso.What’sthenameofthesong?’Princesaid,‘Shortberry Strawcake, bye-bye.’We didn’t think anymore about it until therecordcameout.Thesong‘TheBelleofSt.Mark’ isbasicallya rhythmtrackfromoneofJesse’ssongs....SoJessegetscreditforsongwriting,butitisnotfor thesonghewrote.Veryweird,andJessewasveryoffendedandheplayedmethecassetteofhissong.AndIhadtoagreewithhim,itwas‘TheBelleofSt.Mark.’”25Elementsofthissongturnedupintheguitarworkon“UJustCan’tStop,”an

instrumentalby theFlesh,a jazz-basedsideprojectPrincewouldcreate in late1985thatincludedSheilaE.ondrums/percussion.

Status:“ShortberryStrawcake”(4:44)wasreleasedonSheila’sTheGlamorousLifealbum.

See February 10, 1984, note regarding the uncertainty regarding where andwhen this was recorded. No documentation for February 12, 1984, has beenlocated, so it is unclear whether Prince spent any time in the studio. It ispossible that he was still out of town or traveling back to Los Angeles thefollowingmorning.


Another song he and I cowrote was “Noon Rendezvous,” which wasaboutourrelationshipatthetime.—SheilaE.26

Prince continued recording, but it was becoming more obvious that he wasworkingonanewproject.EngineerTerryChristianexplainshistheory:“Princealwayshadabig lockerofsongshewasrecording.Somehadtitles,somenot.Hehadsomuchmaterialandhewanted tokeeprecording,buthedidn’twantWarnertoknowwhathewasupto.”Somethinghaddrasticallychangedinthelastweek,andPrincehadanewplan

that he kept from practically everyone. Prince had recently spent time withSheilaandhadjammedwithherfamily.SheandPrincesharedamusicallineagepassed down to them from their fathers, but Sheila’s bond with her fatherprobably struck a chord inside of him and helped him realize that she wassomeone he could communicate with both musically and emotionally. “It’sreally themusic thatbroughtus together,”Sheila explained in2004. “The funpart about being his friend was I think he hadn’t met anyone who was ascompetitiveashewas.Andbeingawoman,hewaslike‘Oh,Ihavetobeather!’Itwasthatkindofthing.Growingupinafamilythatwasverycompetitive,mymomandallherbrothersandsisterswereveryathletic.Iwasveryathletic,andsowasPrince.We’dplaybasketball,we’dplayping-pong,we’dplaypool.We

dideverythingbesidesrecordingmusic.AndsoIwasabletohangwithhimasabuddy,almostasafriend.”27PrincedecidedtoproduceanalbumforSheilaE.andselltheprojecttoWarner

Bros., but he would need more music before it could be assembled, so onceagain Sheila and Prince recorded together in the studio. “We started writing‘NoonRendezvous’when I letPrince listen toaballad I’dwrittenandplayedcastanetson,”sheexplainedinher2014autobiography.“Wetalkedaboutit,andItoldhimmydreamwastowriteasongcommercialenoughtobeplayedontheradio,whichwassomething totallydifferent forme.Princewasexcitedby theidea.”28“Itwasalmostas ifhecouldrelyon inspiration,”statesChristian.“Hecould

comeinand itwouldflowand turn intosomethinggreat.SheilaE., Jill Jones,Wendy,andLisawerearound.Itwasjustthewomenand[hisbodyguard]Chick[Huntsberry].HewasprobablyasclosetoafriendasPrincehas.Heneedsaguyaround,andChickwasthatguy.”“NoonRendezvous”wasrecordedoverasix-hoursessionthatincludedPrince

singinghisownvocals.Thefinaltwohourswerespentcreatingamix.

Status: Almost forty seconds of percussion were eventually added to “NoonRendezvous”(3:16)atthebeginningandendofthetrackbeforeitwasincludedonSheilaE.’sTheGlamorousLife album(3:56).Thepercussionused for thatsection was likely inspired by the Linn drum pattern from the backwardwoman/cryinggirlscenethatwasbeingworkedonthepreviousweek.(ThatpartofthePurpleRainscorecanbefoundat40:25inthefilm.)Aneditedversionof“NoonRendezvous”(3:35)wasreleasedastheB-sidefor

“Oliver’sHouse.”

Nodocumentation ofPrinceworking in the studio onFebruary 14, 1984, hassurfaced,soitislikelythathespentValentine’sDayoutofthestudio.


He saw the movie and he was able to see the movie cut up to thatmoment.Hewasactuallyseeingwhattherepetitionoftheseimagesandthecolorsandwhattheeditingwasdoing,andhethenwasinspiredtogowritemusicrightaway.—AlbertMagnoli

AsPurpleRainwasbeingassembled,Princewasgivencopiestoscreen.AVHSdeckwas installed inStudio2soPrincecouldcomposemusic for the finishedscenes.Afterreviewingthemovieuntil1:30p.m.,Princetookafive-and-a-half-hour break from the studio. He returned around 7:00 p.m. Despite the timePrincespentaway,itappearsthatatleastfoursceneswerescoredduringtoday’ssession,althoughthereissomeconfusionaboutwhathewasdoing.Princemightsimplyhavebeenattemptingtocreatemusicformultiplescenes,butverylittleof the music that he recorded during this session was used. According toMagnoli,“Atthatpointhewasreallyinvestedinthemovie,intherelationshiphewasseeing in themovie,andsohe just said, ‘I’ll justdo this thing.’SohegaveittomeandifIlikedit,Ilikedit.IfIdidn’t,Ididn’t.Inevergotthatsensehewascomingtomewithstuff,he’dusuallywaitformetosay,‘Icoulduseasong.’” Magnoli would ultimately bring on Michel Colombier to score themovie,leavingPrincemoretimetoworkonmusicforhisotherprojects.“MichelColombierworkedcompletelyautonomously,”saysMagnoli.“Ithink

hehadoneconversationwithPrincethatwas,‘Hello,howareyou?’Princeisalot likeWoodyAllenwhenhemeetspeople,whichmeanshehardlywants tomeet them.He just sort of . . . ‘Meh!Okay,’ and thenwalks away.He’s shy.Peoplethinkit’sarrogance,but it’snot.It’sshynessandhe’s justbeingpolite.ButonceMichelcamein,IworkedwithMichelfrombeginningtoendandthemusicisaresultofthatwork.”

Status: Among the scenes that may have been composed during this sessionwere: “Dorito Scene” (Prince eating Doritos in his basement, 47:11–47:23),“PoliceScene” (Princebeing interviewedby thepolice, 1:18:32–1:19:17), and“Thought Scene” (it is unclear what scene this is, but possibly when the Kidfindshisfather’smusicat1:20:30).Princealsorevisited“BackwardsWoman”

(39:56–41:45).Ofthese,only“BackwardsWoman”seemstohavebeenusedinthefinalversionofthemovie.

SATURDAY,FEBRUARY18,1984*

Thatsongisaworkoffiction.—Prince29

Prince had never recorded a Christmas song. He enjoyed having his studiodecorated with Christmas lights, but a traditional Christmas song wasn’tsomethingheeverpursued. Insteadhedecided to turn the ideaofaChristmassongonitsheadbysingingasadsongabouttheholiday.HewrappedlonelinessanddepressionaroundastoryinvolvingaloverwhohaddiedonChristmasDay.Withatopiclikethat,itwasunlikelytoeverbecomeaholiday/familystaple,buttofansitisoneofthehiddengemsfromthisperiod.Thereweregenerallyothers in thestudioduring this time,but this is likelya

trackheworkedonexclusively.InaninterviewforUptownmagazine,drummerBobbyZ confirmed that itwas recordedbyPrincewithout input fromanyoneelse.The work ended by 10:00 p.m., which was almost unheard of for a Prince

sessionunless he hadplans outside the studio.Nomixwas done, so the songwasprobablynotcomplete.

Status: “AnotherLonelyChristmas” (6:47)was releasedas the12-inchB-sidefor “IWould Die 4 U” and edited (4:51) for release on the B-side of the “IWouldDie4U”single.TheeditedversionalsoappearedonhisTheHits/TheB-SidesCD.Anotheredit(4:20)wasapparentlycompletedbutremainsunreleased.In1987 thesongwasoffered to theSpecialOlympicsfor theAVerySpecialChristmasproject,butitwasrejectedbecauseithadpreviouslybeenissued.

SUNDAY,FEBRUARY19,1984*

It’shard tohear thismusicplayedcomplete inmyheadandnotbeabletogetitout.IfIdon’tgetitout,itwon’texistonearth.Ican’tignorewhatIhearinmyhead.—Prince30

Afterspendingfourhoursoverdubbingandmixing“AnotherLonelyChristmas,”PrincehadPeggyMcCrearyquicklysetupforalivejamsession.“Iwasprettyproudof thatdrumsound,”McCreary fondly remembers.“For the first time, Igot a drum sound in about fiveminutes because he didn’t giveme any time.People take days or hours to get a drum sound, and I had literally one run-throughon‘PopLife,’soIhadlessthantenminutestogetallthemicspatchedin,togetthelevels,tomakesureitwasn’toutofphase,Godforbid,andyou’vegottocheckthatwhenthetapestops.ThatwasSheilaplayingdrumsonthat.Ithinkhewasplayingbassalongwithher.”SheilaexplainedthisprocesstoTavisSmileyin2003:WhatIlovedabout[Prince]somuchisthatwe’dgetinthestudioandwewouldn’ttaketwohourstothreehourstogetadrumsound.Thatdoesn’texistinhisworld.Actually,youwouldbedonewitharecordintwoorthreehoursasopposedtogettingadrumsound.Soitwasreallycoolbecausethemorethatthingssoundednaturally...ifitwasrattling,thenbringiton.Hedidn’twanttochangetonesandmakethingscleanandcrisp,andthat’swhyhisstuffsoundedsofullandbig.Becauseeverythingthatyouwereandwhatyoubrought to the tableandwhatyour instrument sounded like,hedidn’t try tochangeit.Hewouldletyouplayitlikeitwas.Ifitwasraggedyandoldandbeatup,thenthatiswhatitwasgoingtosoundlike.Anditbroughtlifetothesong.31

Princewasalittlemoreexperimentalthanusualwithhisvocals,puttingwhatsoundedlikeaslightdelay—butwasactuallyadifferenttakeofthevocals—ononeof thechannels.This surreal audioeffectwasonlyonhismainvocal; thebackgroundvocalswerenotgiventhesametreatment.Princecontinued looking fornewsoundsandnew inspiration.Many felt that

songs like“PopLife”wereshapedby the legacyof theBeatles,but ina1985interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Prince denied this: “The influencewasn’ttheBeatles.Theyweregreatforwhattheydid,butIdon’tknowhowthat would hang today.”32 Revolution guitarist WendyMelvoin agreed with

thisassessment:“MytakeonitisthathehatedtheBeatles,notforthemusicbutfor something else. Maybe because of the iconic look of them or there wassomethingaboutthemthatdidn’tringtrueforhimandhisrockstardom.ButIalways knew if he listened to ‘Dig a Pony’ and ‘Let It Be,’ he’d change hismind.Period.Iknowtheguy’staste.And‘PolythenePam.’Ifhejustsatdownandlistenedtothatstuff,he’dgetit.Buthethinksof‘IWannaHoldYourHand’or‘StrawberryFieldsForever’andseesthemastoopopulist.”33LisaColemanpointedout that thereweremanysourcesfeedingPrince:“Our

brotherswereaheavyinfluence.Mybrother[David]wasaworldmusician,heplayedtheoudandcelloandfingercymbals,darbukahanddrum.WhenPrincemetthoseguyshewasreallyblownawayandimpressed.ItwasourscenethatwehadgoingthatPrincetunedinto.”34Prince andSheila (andprobablyWendyMelvoin andLisaColeman aswell)

worked on “Pop Life” for more than ten hours. If Melvoin and Colemanparticipatedintoday’ssession,itislogicaltoassumethatthesubjectofaddingstrings to the song came up, and Prince likely asked them to supervise stringoverdubsonthefollowingday.Jill Jones was also brought in to add background vocals, but it is unclear

whetherherpartswererecordedonthisdate.Today’s session lasted almost seventeen hours and wrapped at 6:15 the

followingmorning.Noformalmixwascompleted,andworkon“PopLife”wasscheduledtocontinueduringthenextsession.

Status:In1985aneditedversionof“PopLife”(3:42)wasreleasedonAroundtheWorld inaDay andwas thealbum’s third single.“PopLife”was the firsttrackcompletedfortheproject.It is likelythatPrince’s initialrecordingof“PopLife”wasmuchlongerthan

what appeared on the album, and some additional overdubbing and remixingwere done before it was released in New Zealand, Australia, and the UnitedKingdomas “PopLife (ExtendedVersion)” (9:07).Multiple 12-inchmixes of“PopLife”were created, including Sheila E.’s remix “PopLife (FreshDanceMix)”(6:16),whichwasreleasedinEuropeandtheUnitedStates,andKirkyJ’sremix (6:06) in 1994.Many of these remixes added additional sound effects,suchaswater,foundintheAuthenticSoundEffectslibrary.Various other remixes from 1984–1985, including a 6:04 version, remain

unreleased.

In 1996 Prince proved Wendy correct when he stated, “I think one of thegreatestsongseverwritten,andforthelyricsalone,isPaulMcCartney’s‘LetItBe’,cos,boy,letmetellyou,that’swhatyouhavetodo,youjusthavetoletitbe.”35


Itwasalotoffun.Lisawouldsitatthekeyboardandknockoutsomenotes.—SidPage

Workresumedon“PopLife”lessthantwelvehourslater.Ashedidonseveralsongs from Purple Rain, Prince askedWendyMelvoin and Lisa Coleman togatherlocalmusicianstocreateanorchestralsoundtogowiththesong.Duringprevioussessionsthey’dcreatedspaceforastringsolooraduet,butforthefirsttime they were looking for something larger than they’d ever attempted on aPrince song.Sixmusicianswerebrought in:SidPageandMarcyDicterowonviolin,DenyseBuffumandLauryWoods on viola, andAnnetteAtkinson andTimBarronstand-upbass.“Wejustkindofmadeitintoasymphonyforhim,”recallsBarr.“That’swhatIremember.Irememberthesmallstringsectiongavehimasymphonyon‘PopLife.’”LisaColemansatatthepianoplayingaguidetrack,butsheandMelvoinwere

veryopen tohearing the ideasof themusicians, asSidPage recalls: “[WendyandLisa]wereveryrespectful.Irememberreallylikingthissessionbecauseitwas like theolddaysofworkingwithSlyStoneandVanMorrisonbecause itwasaveryintuitivesession.Allthechartsweren’tlaidoutandwrittenout,wewerejustwingingitandthatwasfun.They’dhaveideasandI’dsketchthemoutandreflectthem.ButtherewasnothingprescribedwhenIgotthere.Itwasprettymuchastreamofconsciousness.”Theentirestringpartwas finished in justover fourhours.Thesixmusicians

recordedtheirpartsmorethanonce,slightlytweakingtheirperformancesalong

theway,butthegoalwastomakethetracksoundasifthey’drecordedalargerensemble.Theoverdub session finished at 10:00p.m., and three and a half hourswere

spentcreatingaroughmixandplayingitbackbeforewrappinguparound1:30a.m.No cassettewasmade from this session, andPrincedidn’t sign theworkorder,sohisattendanceisuncertain.Pageindicatedthathedoesn’trecallseeingPrince, but Barr remembers it differently: “He was always there . . . in theshadows in the back, and the engineer is on the board and I kind of alwayssensed itand Ididn’twant to lookandpeer in,buthewas incontrol.Hewaslisteningtoeverything.”By theendof thesession the trackmayhavebeenediteddownandpossibly

containedmanyof theelementsfromthereleasedversion, includingthesoundeffectsforthe“Throwthebumout”section.Contrarytolegend,thiswasn’ttheactual recording of Prince getting booed out of the Rolling Stones concert inOctober 1981; the crowd sounds are actually a blend of two effects from theAuthentic Sound Effects library, vol. 4: “Barroom Brawl” and “Prize Fight,LargeArena.”Prince would not attend any sessions at Sunset Sound until the following

Monday,eitherbecausehehadlefttownorbecausehewasinvolvedinshootingpickupscenesrequiredtofinishthemovie.AnystudioworkthatoccurredinLosAngelesoverthenextfewdayswasprobablydonewithouthim.

ALinndrummachinewasrentedonthisdate,andBobbyZislistedasplayingthe drums on the song. There is a strong possibility that the stringswere notactuallyrecordedonthisdate,butinsteadonFebruary22,1984.


I have no idea who [“Pop Life”] was written about, but I know ingeneralPrincewasawareofthecocaineuseinthiscountry;thatwassomething that he thought was absolutely ridiculous. Why wouldanybody spendmoney toput that up yournoseandget high? I don’tknowifhewastalkingaboutanybodyinspecific.Ireallycan’tsaywhohemight have been inspired by.For all I know it could have been agirlfriendoradate.—SusanRogers36

A safety copy was made of “Pop Life,” “God (Instrumental),” and “AnotherLonely Christmas” as well as Sheila E.’s album. This was the first time heralbumwasmentionedonanystudiodocument.Thetracklistingisnotwrittenonthe document but probably consisted of: “The Glamorous Life,” “Oliver’sHouse,” “Next Time Wipe the Lipstick off Your Collar,” “The Belle of St.Mark,”“ShortberryStrawcake,”“NoonRendezvous,”andpossibly“17Days.”ItislikelythatPrincewasgoingtotakethesongstoWarnerBros.togivethem

atasteofhowheralbumwouldsound,althoughitisunlikelyanyofthesetrackscontainedSheila’svocalsatthispoint.Princewasprobablynotpresent, ashedidn’t sign theworkorder anddidn’t

oftenattendsessionsthatonlyinvolvedmakingsafetycopies.


Prince was by now hungry for influences to take him further, so herelied heavily on Lisa andme to guide him in directions he couldn’tthink of himself. He knew he needed to go somewhere else, he justdidn’tknowwherehewasgoingtogo.LisaandIhadtheaudacity,orsheer stupidity, to try certain things, and he loved it.—WendyMelvoin37

ThefactthataworkorderlistsPrinceasproducerdoesn’tmeanhewasinvolvedwiththatparticularsession.PeggyMcCrearyexplains:“Sometimeshe’dcalla6o’clocksession,andhewasgoingout sohe’d say, ‘Youcanhave the studio,’anditwasstill listedasPrincebecauseitwashismoney.Sometimeshe’dsay,

‘Here,youguysmixsuchandsuchandseehowyoudo.’Ofcourse,he’ddoitwheneveryonewasfriedandhewasgoingoutandwewantedtogohomeifhewasn’tthere.SosometimeshewoulddothatandIthinkhedidthatforWendyandLisa.Gave themstudio timeandsaid, ‘Go for it.’ Idon’t remember.Thatcouldhavebeenoneofthosetimes;IrememberbeinginthestudiowithWendyandLisaalot.”AlanLeedswitnessedPrince’s growthduring this period, noting that hewas

beginningtoallowotherstointerprethisideaseventhoughitwasn’tnecessary:“Unlike Stevie [Wonder], Prince is actually more than ‘good’ at everyinstrument he plays. So his recording needs simply never depended on othermusicians.ThathechosetorecordwithvariousmembersofhisbandssaidmoreabouttheflavorsandindividualvoicesthatWendyMelvoin,LisaColeman,EricLeedsandSheilaE.broughttothetable.Thecaliberofmusicianshipinhisbandgrewduring thePurpleRainperiodandI think itwassimplyacaseofPrincerecognizingtheelementsthatthesemusicianscouldcontributetohispalette.”38According to thosearoundhim,Princewasbeginning to relyon the inputof

MelvoinandColemanascollaborators inways thatwereunprecedented inhiscareer.Overtimehewouldextendatrusttothemthatalteredthedirectionofhismusic. It should be understood that at the end of the day all studio decisionswerePrince’s,butwiththeconfidenceheextendedtothem,theybecameabandwithin theband,creatingacircleof trust thatallowedhimtoexperiment.“WewereabsolutemusicalequalsinthesensethatPrincerespectedus,andallowedus to contribute to the music without any interference,” Wendy explained in1997toMojomagazine.“Ithinkthesecrettoourworkingrelationshipwasthatwewereverynon-possessiveaboutourideas,asopposedtosomeotherpeoplethathaveworkedwithhim.Wedidn’thoardstuff,andweweremorewillingtogivehimwhatheneeded.Menareverycompetitive, so if somebodycameupwithamelodyline,theywouldwantcreditforit.”39AccordingtoSusanRogers,theimportanceoftheirroleneedstobenotedfor

posterity:WhatIcansayisthatPrince’smusic,asinterpretedbyandplayedbyWendyandLisa,fannedoutanditwasbroaderinitsemotionalscopeandwidthanddepthithad;morethanjustthehorizontalstructureofthecomposition,theyexpandeditvertically.Theymadeithigherandlowerinitsemotionalscope,andharmonically, theyenriched it.Theypulled it further fromitssourceandyet remained true to it.Everythinginfluencesyou,andPrinceisextremelyintelligentandsohewasobviouslyinfluencedbythem.TheymeantsomuchtohimthatIcansaywith100percentaccuracythathismusicwasn’tthesameaftertheyleft.Hetaughtthemsomuchanddeliberatelyplacedtheminapositionwherehecouldlearnfromthem.Heobviouslywantedtoknowwhattheyknewaboutmusic.Heobviouslywantedtohearmusic through their ears, theway they heard it. If theyweremusicians that he could have just

dismissed, hewouldn’t have used them to the degree that he did. He so seldomworkedwith otherpeopleinthestudio,especiallyoninstrumentshecouldplayhimself.ObviouslyhehadtoworkwithEricLeedsbecausehecouldn’tplaysaxophone,buthecanplaypianoandguitarandifhewouldbringin another pianoor guitar player and specifically givehismusic to that pianoor guitar player, he issaying,“YoudothingsIcannotdo.”

This is one of the few work orders that reflects Peggy McCreary as a fullengineer,wheninrealitysheandotherswerealwaysfullengineersinthattheyranthesessionandprovidedtechnicalsupportandknowledge.Onthedailylogs,Princewaslistedasengineer,probablybecausehetookoverasmanytasksashecould, but he always relied on his engineers to set him up and solve anyproblems. On the albums Prince listed McCreary and David Leonard as fullengineers.SusanRogersnoticedhercredits:I didn’t know any other women engineers other than Peggy McCreary and Leslie Ann Jones whoworkedinSanFrancisco.Whenyouareayoungwomanengineerstartingup,youreallyscanrecordsforthosecredits,becauseyoujustwanttoseeitispossible.CanIdothis?AndnotonlywasPeggyanengineeratveryprestigiousSunsetSound,butshewasworkingwithPrince.Tomeshehaditall.WhenIbecamePrince’semployee,wewouldgoout toSunsetSoundwhereshewasanemployee,andwewouldworkwithher.Shewouldbetheotherengineerontheproject,andwehititoffimmediatelyandI lovedworkingwithher.Shewaswonderfulandvery,veryfunny.HerrelationshipwithPrincewasquiteabitdifferentthanminebecauseherpersonalitywasquiteabitdifferent,butshereallymademelaughandshereallyknewherstuffandshewasahardworker.AndIknowthatPrincereliedonherformany,manyyears.Shejustwastherightpersonforhim.Ithinkthat’spartofthereasonwhyhefinallyfoundastudioinL.A.thatheloved—SunsetSound—becauseofworkingwithPeggy.Shejusthadtherightpersonalityforhim.”40

Status:Itisunclearwhatwasrecordedonthisdate.Nosongtitlewaslistedandtherewasn’tanewtapereelpurchasedandused,soitisprobablethatadditionalwork was done on an existing track, possibly the strings for “Pop Life.”Although the strings are listed in thisbookasbeing recordedonFebruary20,there is a very good chance that they were actually recorded during today’ssession. Unfortunately, no firm evidence tipping the scale to either day hassurfaced.

NodocumentationforFebruary23–26,1984,hasbeenlocated.ItislikelythatPrincetraveledtoMinneapolis,butifheremainedinLosAngelesitispossiblethatmultiplepickupshotsweredoneforthefilm.

SATURDAY,FEBRUARY25,1984(ESTIMATE)

Itmaysoundfunny,butthereisarealvibeonthatboard[inhishomestudio]. Prince recorded 1999, Purple Rain, Vanity, the Time andApollonia6albumsonit.—JesseJohnson41

Princewasabsent fromSunsetSoundfromFebruary21–26,and it isprobablethathetraveledbacktoMinneapolis.Duringtripslikethis, itwascommonforPrincetocontinuehishabitofrecordingwhenevertheurgehithim,sosessionsduring this period often happened at his home studio on Kiowa Trail inChanhassen, Minnesota. “Traffic Jam” is a Linn drum/keyboard–basedinstrumentalthatPrincerecordedaloneinthestudio,likelyjustasanexcusetogetariffhehadinhisheadontape.SusanRogersexplainstheprocessfromthisperiod:“Princehadreachedthispointwiththerecordcompanywherehecoulddowhateverhewanted,whichisaveryrarepositiontobein.Hedidn’thavetodemo anything for anybody. As soon as he thought of it, he worked out thearrangements,hecouldrecordit,anditwasdone.”42Considering the quality of the songs that came out of his home studio, it is

shocking how plain and inconspicuous it was. “The studio itself was just aregular bedroom,” recalled Jesse Johnson,who briefly lived in Prince’s houseandcuttracksinthisstudio.“Butwheneveryouwalkedin,Princewasrecordingsome incredible stuff. He always worked in themiddle of the night on somevampireshit.Butthedudeknewhowtomakerecords.”43ThankstosomehelpfromJohnson,Rogerslearnedhowtoproperlyengineera

sessionwithPrince:Themost important thingwas to never handPrince an instrument thatwasn’t in tune. Princewouldcomedownstairsandusuallyhavealyricsheetwritteninlonghand.Andhewouldtapeituponastandin front of thedrums. I’dhit record andhewouldplay the entiredrum track frombeginning to endwithoutaclick(track)withthesonginhishead.That’showtalentedheis.Princewantedtobeabletowalkfromthedrumboothintothecontrolroom,pickupthebassandplaythebassparts.Nexthemightdothekeyboardorpickuptheguitar.He’dgethalfoftheinstrumentationdoneandthenbyhimselfhewouldrecordhisvocalsandIwouldleavetheroom.Healwayshadtodohisvocalsalonebecauseheneededthatconcentration.Wecouldfinishanentiresongandhaveitprintedandmixedinonedayandhavecopiesmade.Andthenafewhourslater,thephonewouldringagainandit’sPrince.(laughs)And

Iwouldcomebackanddothewholethingagain.Butthat’sjustsoextremelyrare.Mostpeopledon’torcan’tworklikethat.44

Status: Although “Traffic Jam” (4:25) remains an unreleased instrumental, itsendingwasusedasthesynth-and-drumvampattheendof“WhenDovesCry”onthePurpleRaintour.

No documentation regarding this date exists, and evidence that the song wastrackedatSunsetSoundhasnotbeen located; itwasprobably recordedawayfrom Sunset Sound/Los Angeles during this week, but the exact date isspeculation. It is likely that ifhewas inMinneapolis,herecordedothersongsduringthisperiodaswell.


JamesBrownwasaninspiration.Wasandis.—Prince45

WorkonPurpleRainwasstillinhighgear,butonceagainPrincefollowedhisurges instead of any pending release schedule. After several days away fromSunset Sound, he jumped back in with a high-energy track that unfortunatelyendeduphavingnoplaceinanyofhisupcomingprojects.Attheunusuallyearlyhourof9:15inthemorning,workbeganon“LoveandSex”inStudio2,andtheday was spent fleshing it out, likely with members of the Revolution andpossibly Sheila. At midnight Prince began overdubs for the song, ending thesession at 3:45 the following morning. All told, Prince and PeggyMcCrearyspent more than eighteen hours in the studio. “Getting a part right, or beingdemanding is an art form to get perfection and he’s a perfectionist withoutquestion and that pushes you and him to find out your limits,” explainedRevolutiondrummerBobbyZ.“Nobodyworkedharderthanhim.Soyouwerejust trying tokeepup, andcertainlywhenhewasyounger itwas super, super

human.Itwasamazingtoseethisgoonandtobeapartofit,soyourosetotheoccasionbecauseyoufeltlikeyouhadto.”46Thesongstartsoffwithacount-inbyPrinceandthegirls.ALasVegas–style

vamp,similartoonehewoulduseinhisupcoming1984birthdayshowforthesong“Possessed,” leads intoaPrince scream:“YEAH!!!!Comeonbaby,hurtme!”“ItwasveryJamesBrown,”recallsMcCreary.“Youcanfeelacockinessinhis

voiceonthissong.Youcantellthathethinksthatheishotstuff.”Thetrackhastheflavorofmanysongsfromthatera(suchas“17Days”),and

the lyricsquestionhowhe’llbe treated inheavenbyhis lover.Willhestillbedesiredor“willhe letyouhurtme in theupper room?”47Aswith“IrresistibleBitch”whenPrinceusesthephrase“hurtme,”thissongcontinuesthethemeofthe singer enjoying the pain from his lover. It also containsmany of Prince’sstandard comments fromhis live shows, like “Letmehearyou sayyeah” and“Hitme.”ThesongendswithPrincesaying,“That’sright.”Susan Rogers referenced what set his music and attitude apart from other

performers:There’ssomethingabouthimthatIthinkisnotwell-understood.Hisgenerosityofspiritwithregardtowomen.For all of his loveof sex andwomen,Princenever approachedwomenas a conqueroror apredator.ThetypicalPrincesongwas“DoMe,Baby,”fromtheControversyalbum.“Youdome.Youget all thepower. I’m taking all this power, giving it toyou, andnowyoudome,” iswhathe sangabout.Heempoweredwomen.It’swhathedid.“TakeMewithU.”In“DarlingNikki”hewakesupandthere“wasaphonenumberonthestairs.Itsaid,‘Thankyouforafunkytime.Callmeup,wheneveryouwanttogrind.’”48She’scallingtheshots.Hebroughtwomentoworkwithhim,likeWendyandLisa,me,andPeggyMcCreary,Sylvia[Massy]workedwithhim.Henevertreateduslikehewasdoingusafavor.Heempoweredusandletusdoourthing,andhestoodoutofourwayaswedidourthing.Hisimitatorstalkedabout,“Baby,I’mgoingtodothistoyou,”and,“I’mgoingtodothattoyou,”andhowmuchbetter theyare thantheirrivals.Heempoweredwomen,andI thinkwomenlovedhimforit.49

It is likely that someadditionalworkwasdoneon“Traffic Jam,”whichwasprobablyrecordedoverthepreviousweekendinMinneapolis.AroughmixwascreatedandasingleC-60cassettewasmadeof“Loveand

Sex”attheendofthesession.

Status:Although“LoveandSex”(4:58)wasanincrediblypassionatehomagetoJamesBrown andwould have shown off Prince in a completely new light, itdidn’t have a place on any of his projects from that period, so it remainedunreleased during his lifetime, although it was included in the Purple RainDeluxe(ExpandedEdition)CDsetin2017.OnJanuary2,1986,twoyearsafter

“Love and Sex” was recorded, Sheila E. (with possible help from Prince)recorded a track with the same name (4:17). The two songs have nothing incommonexceptthetitle.


More thanmy songs have to dowith sex, they have to dowith onehuman’sloveforanother...theneedforlove,theneedforsexuality,basic freedom, equality. I’m afraid these things don’t necessarilycomeout. I thinkmyproblem is thatmyattitude is sosexual that itovershadowsanythingelse.—Prince50

Another relatively early sessionwas held tomix the track andmake a safetycopy.Atsomepoint,JillJonesaddedherbackgroundvocalstothistrackduringthe“Sha-la-la-la”section,butitisunclearifthatoccurredonthisdate,oronalatersession.Princeleftat5:00p.m.TheGrammyAwardceremoniestookplacethatevening,andhewasnominated forPopMaleVocal for“1999”andR&BMale Vocal Performance for “International Lover.” Michael Jackson won inbothcategorieswith“Thriller”and“BillieJean,”respectively.This really wasMichael Jackson’s year, and it was tough to arguewith the

successofThriller.Princewasn’tquiteinhisleaguejustyet,butitwasobvioushewasgainingmomentum.WhilepredictingtheGrammywinners,LosAngelesTimes critic Robert Hilburn accurately noted that Jackson would come outdominantinthePopMaleVocalcategory,adding,“Princewillhavetowaituntilnextyear.”Fewunderstoodatthetimehowtruethatwouldbe.

ItisunclearwhetherPrinceactuallyattendedtheGrammyAwardsthateveningashewasn’tseenwhenhisnamewasannouncedasanominee.


I’mtryingtoput inthatbodyofworkthingsthatIhaven’tdone,sothatwhenIfinish,Ilookatallofit,itrepresentsthewholecompletepieasopposedtothesamethingoverandover.—Prince51

Having lost both Grammy Awards to Michael Jackson the previous evening,Princemaynothavebeeninthemoodtocreateanewsong.Insteadhefocusedhis attention on wrapping up the Apollonia 6 album. At the beginning ofFebruary the album was basically being written in the studio, and now hebookendedthemonthbycreatinganotherassemblyofthealbum.(ThefirsttookplaceonFebruary6.)The track selections hadn’t changed, and this new shufflewould remain the

basicsequenceforthefinalrelease.Atthispointthealbumstillcontained“TakeMewithU”and“ManicMonday,”butthatwouldchangeverysoon.Fourcassettesweremadeofthenewversionofthealbum.ItisunlikelythatPrinceattendedtheactualsession,buthewouldhavedropped

bytopickupthecassettes.AfterPrinceleftthestudiohecalledApolloniafromthelimo.Shewasn’thome,sohehummedthebreakforasongasamessageonheransweringmachine.Potentiallyhumbledbythepreviousnight’sGrammyloss,itispossiblethathe

was inspired toworkon somethingmore introspective, andmayhave laid thegroundwork for what can be argued is the most personal song of his career,“WhenDovesCry.”Thattunewouldeventuallybecomehisfirstnumber1song,introducingtheworldtothePurpleRainsoundtrackandmovieaswellastothegeniusofPrince.Nothinginhiscareerwouldeverbethesameafterthat.

August18,1983:Stringsfor“PurpleRain,”“ComputerBlue,”and“BabyI’maStar”(uncreditedonworksheet)arerecorded.Itislikelythatseveralofthespokenparts,includingthe“Wendy...isthewaterwarmenough”section,wererecordedtoday.LisaColemanrecallsthat“Princehandedusapieceofpaperandsaid,‘Willyouguysgooutthereandsaythis?’Ididn’tthinktwice.”Used

withpermissionfromPaulCamarata/SunsetSound

September20,1983:Princerecords“TheBeautifulOnes,”whichreplaced“ElectricIntercourse”onthePurpleRainsoundtrack.“That’swhathappenswhenyougivePrince24hoursbyhimself,”observedhisdrummer,BobbyZRivkin.UsedwithpermissionfromPaulCamarata/SunsetSound

February4,1984:Princerecords“ManicMonday”forApollonia6,basedonadreamhe’dhadthenightbefore.AccordingtohisengineerPeggyMcCreary,“Itwasactuallyagreatday,andhewas

inareallygreatmood.”ThetrackwaseventuallyremovedfromtheiralbumandgiventotheBangles.UsedwithpermissionfromPaulCamarata/SunsetSound

March2,1984:Princerecordsthebulkof“WhenDovesCry,”whichwouldbehisfirstnumber1hit.He’dstarteditthepreviousday,butitwasonthisdatethatmostofthetrackwasputtotape.“Heknewexactlywhathewasdoing,”remembersPeggyMcCreary.“Hehadahandleonitthen,

andhejustknewhehadahit.”UsedwithpermissionfromPaulCamarata/SunsetSound

November4,1984:TheopeningnightofthePurpleRaintour.Thisphotoisfeaturedonthecoverofthisbook.PhotocopyrightNealPreston

November29,1984:PrinceperformsacharityshowatGallaudetCollege(nowGallaudetUniversity),aliberalartsschoolforthedeafandhardofhearing.Theshowwasfreeforthe

students,butPrincepaideveryoneonthecrewonehundreddollarseachtoputontheprivateperformance.CourtesyofGallaudetUniversity

November29,1984:Princegavehismoneyandtimetocharitablecausesataratefarbeyondwhathasbeengenerallyreported.Thiswassomethingthathe’dcontinueforhisentirecareer,

oftenwithoutanyfanfareorrecognition.CourtesyofGallaudetUniversity

November29,1984:DuringthecharityconcertatGallaudetCollege,Prince’slyricswereinterpretedviasignlanguagefromthestage.Accordingtothosearoundhim,thisconcertmeantalottoPrince,anditwasoneoftheraretimeshesignedautographsduringthistour.Courtesyof

GallaudetUniversity

SunsetSoundStudio2:ThisistheviewofthestudioPrincehadwhilerecordinghisvocalsfordozensofsongs,including“TakeMewithU”and“PopLife.”PhotobyDuaneTudahl

SunsetSoundStudio2:AmongthemanysongsPrincerecordedinthisroomwere“ConditionoftheHeart,”“JungleLove”(fortheTime),and“ManicMonday,”whichwasoriginallyrecordedfor

Apollonia6butwouldultimatelybereleasedbytheBangles.PhotobyDuaneTudahl

SunsetSoundStudio3:AlthoughthebasictrackswererecordedatFirstAvenue,Princespentmanysessionsaddingvocalsto“PurpleRain,”“BabyI’maStar,”and“IWouldDie4U”while

sittingatthisconsole.PhotobyDuaneTudahl

SunsetSoundStudio3:“WhenDovesCry,”“TheBeautifulOnes,”andpartsof“ComputerBlue”wereamongthemultiplesongsrecordedinthisroom,manyofthemusingthisYamahapiano.

PhotobyDuaneTudahl

MARCH1984

THURSDAY,MARCH1,1984*

What is commercial, and what is innovative? One of my biggestrecordshadnobass—“WhenDovesCry.”—Prince1

Anewmonth,anewsong—andbackinStudio3.InmanywaysStudio3wasbetter suited for Prince. Craig Hubler, Sunset Sound’s general manager,remembers that Prince kept it busy: “I would say during ’84–’85–’86, Princeoccupied that room seven to eight months out of the year. He was almost abookingwecoulddependon,cominginandjustcampingout.Hedecoratedabitwithcandles,andChristmastreelightsdangledaroundthetopoftheconsole.”Prince spentonly twohours recording in the studio tonight.The sessionwas

probably layingdown thebasic tracks for “WhenDovesCry.”No lyricswerewritten and no titlewas given to the new song, so it is doubtful Princemademuchprogressonthetrack.HistimewasprobablyspentcreatingtherightdrumsoundontheLinn.“Princewasoneoftheverybestdrumprogrammersbecausehecouldgetverywarmsoundsoutofmachines,” recalleddrummerBobbyZ,“particularly on songs like ‘When Doves Cry.’ He really liked the sound theLinngavehim,andhungontoitforalongtime,evenafteritwasobsolete.”2Nocassettecopiesweremadefromthissession.

FRIDAY,MARCH2,1984*

Themusic, forme,doesn’tcomeona schedule. Idon’tknowwhenit’sgoingtocome,andwhenitdoes,Iwantitout.—Prince3

When Prince had something to say, he had a singular focus. Today he wascompletelyinspired,andwhathecreatedwouldbehisintroductiontomillions.“When Doves Cry” would claim the number 1 spot for five weeks on theBillboardHot100,butonthisdate, itwasjustamantryingtoputasongthatonlyhecouldheartotape.The inspiration for “When Doves Cry” isn’t completely clear. According to

keyboard player Lisa Coleman, it came from working with her and WendyMelvoininthestudio:“IthinkIinfluenced‘WhenDovesCry’totheextentthatPrincewasengagedinahealthycompetitionwithus.Hewasalways thinking,‘HowcanIkicktheirass?’”4Prince’sformerguitaristDezDickersonisconvincedthatheknowsitsgenesis:

“Iwroteasongcalled‘SheLoves2Video’thatPrinceheardmybandandIplayatashowinL.A.shortlyafterhefinishedshooting thefilm.Therhythmfrom‘When Doves Cry’ is identical to ‘She Loves 2 Video.’ I’m sure it wasn’tintentionalonPrince’spart.That’swhathappenswhenyou’reinwritingmode.Butitisunmistakable.”5“Isuspectedfora longtime—andI’vehadhintsotherpeoplehavesupported

me on this—that ‘When Doves Cry’ could have been about Susan Moonsie,because that was around the last period, around Purple Rain, where he stillwanted her around,” reasoned Susan Rogers. “But she desperately needed toreallyjustgetawayandformherownlife.Shewasanadultnow.She’dgrownup.NowitwastimeforhertostartdatingandIthinkthathekeptheraround.Hecausedheralotofpainbytryingtohangontoher,andshelovedhim.Shewaswillingtostay,butonlyuptoacertainpoint,andIthinkshe’ssomeoneinhislifewho’sgentle,giving,kind,loving,understanding,andshewasalittledoveandhewasreluctanttolethergo.ButIthink‘WhenDovesCry’couldprobablyhavebeeninspiredbyher.”6

Inthelyricsforthetrack,aswellasinthemovie,Princewasveryhonestaboutthecharacter’scomplicatedhistorywithhisfather.InaBBCdocumentary,MattFinkrecalledthatPrincehadbeentoyingwiththesubjectmatterinthesongforalongtime:Hereallyopenedupwithusanddiscussedalotofhispersonalissueswithus.You’dbeonthattourbuslateatnightandyou’dstarttalkingaboutthefactthatyourparentshadtroublewhenyouweregrowingupandtheywerefighting.HisfatherwasverydisappointedwithPrincewhenhewasaroundfourteenorso.Hedecidedhewanted to livewithhis father,buthekeptbringinggirls into thehouseandhisfathersaid,“Youjustcan’tbemessin’withwomenundermyroofatthisage,”andPrincesaid,“Okay,”andPrincedidn’tobeyhimandgot caughtmore thanonce, and finallyhis father said, “Ifyoucan’tobeytherules,you’regoingtohavetoleave.”Princetoldmethisstory,soIknowthathisfathercouldbedifficult,butthenagain,Princewasnopieceofcakeeither.Idon’tknowforsurehowabusivehisfathercouldhavebeen.Igottoknowhisfatherprettywell.Ican’tpicturehimbeingveryabusivetoPrince.7

Regardless of its origin, the track stands out because it was Prince’s firstnumber1hitonthepopcharts,andthecollectivememoryofwhenandhowitwas recorded is shared among those around him. Peggy McCreary says thepotentialforthisonewasobviousveryearlyon:Irememberthatsongreallywell.Wewereinthestudio,andhestartedthewayhealwaysdid...withthedrummachine,thenthebass,thenthepiano,thenthisandthat,andallofasudden,heknewhehadahitandhegotrealexcited....Heknewexactlywhathewasdoing.Hehadahandleonitthenandhejustknewhehadahit.Youcould tell itwasgoing tobe ahit.Listen to it, thewayhe sang, itwasincredible.Hewas theonlypersonon that song. Itwasa realquiet time,a realpersonal time in thestudio,andIthinkitwasattimeslikethat,thathemadehisbestmusic,whenitwasjustthetwoofus.

Princeworkedonthefulltrack(includingthenewlywrittenlyrics)forsixteenhours.When it came time to add the frantic keyboard solo at the end, Princerealized thatwhatheheard inhisheadwouldbe tricky to re-create, soheandMcCrearycameupwithaplan.Becauseitwouldneedtobeplayedlive,PrincesharedthesecretwithkeyboardplayerMattFink:“Princerevealedtomethathetook the 24-track 2-inch tape machine and slowed it down to the half speedsetting.Heplayedthesolohalf-timeandspedthetapeback-up,whichmadethesolomucheasiertoplay.ButPrincealwayshandedthefootballtomewhenwedid ‘WhenDovesCry’ live. Itwas ifhewas saying, ‘Here,you play itdude.’(laughs)”8Princehadn’tcreatedapropermixofthetrackbytheendofthesession,buthe

hadMcCrearyrunoffacassetteofthesong,andbeforehewasfinished,heleftthestudioforashorttime.Hisexcitementforthetrackwasobviousbecausehedrovetothehomesofseveralbandmembersandassociatestoplayitforthem.AccordingtoLisa,sheandWendywereamongthefirst tohear thetrack:“He

called us at 4 a.m.Wewere in our jammies, thinking, ‘What now?’He cameoverandwegotinhiscaranddrovearoundL.A.listeningtothatsong.Hewassoexcitedaboutit.”9JillJonesrememberssimilarbehavior:“3a.m.drop-by?Yeah.That’showhe

is.Andyou’rehalfasleepandsittingtherelisteningandthenhe’slike...‘Bye’andyouarelike,‘Thanksfordroppingby.’”Inadditiontotheversionofthesongthatwaslaterreleased,Princealsocreated

an instrumental on this date to potentially be used in the movie, which wasdeliveredtotheWarnerBros.vault.

Status: “When Doves Cry” (5:54) was the lead single from the Purple RainsoundtrackandbecamePrince’s firstnumber1hit in theUnitedStates. Itwasedited for single release (3:48). An instrumental version (3:49) remainsunreleased.Although therehasbeenrumorsofanextended12-inchcontainingadditionallyrics,thishasnotbeenconfirmed.

“She Loves 2 Video” can be found on Dez Dickerson’s 2005 CD, ARetrospective.


Theywerealmostdoneeditingthemovie.“WhenDovesCry”wasthelast song to be mixed, and it just wasn’t sounding right. . . .Sometimes your brain kind of splits in two. Your ego tells you onething, and the rest of you says something else.Youhave togowithwhatyouknowisright.—Prince10

Prince continuedworkingwith PeggyMcCreary andDavid Leonard trying toget the proper sound, but he seemed to feel that it wasn’t quite there yet.McCreary remembers that while the track was being mixed, “[Prince] justpunchedoutthebass.Hesaidsomethinglike,‘Nobodywouldhavetheballstodothis.Youjustwait,they’llbefreaking.’”

According to Prince, Jill Joneswas also present during the decision.As shewalkedin,Princeliftedhisheadofftheconsoleduringtheroughmix:“Itwasjustsoundingtooconventional, likeeveryothersongwithdrumsandbassand keyboards. So I said, ‘If I could have itmyway itwould sound likethis,’andIpulledthebassoutofthemix.Shesaid,‘Whydon’tyouhaveityourway?’”11Leonardhasasimilarmemoryoftheevent:“IrememberithadALOTofstuff

onit,sowhenitcamedowntomixingthesong,itoriginallyhadbassonit,andhemadethedecisiontoremovethebass.Iwasoriginallytryingtomixitas itwas,buthecameinandturneditoff,andputreverbonthebassdrumandawayyougo.”12In funk music the bass propels the song and usually adds a heavy dose of

sexuality to a track. Removing the instrument completely was practicallyunheard of in this genre. Prince explained his thought process best: “‘WhenDovesCry’doeshavebassinit—thebassisinthekickdrum....Thebassis in the tone of the reverb on the kick. Bass is a lot more than thatinstrumentoverthere.BasstomemeansB-A-S-E.B-A-S-Sisafish.”13Thereverbhelpedcreatethesound,butPrincemadeitdeeperbypilingthree

tracksofbassdrumontopofeachother.Regardlessofwhowasthere,themostimportantpartofthestoryremainsthe

same:Princedecidedtoremovethebass,whichchangedeverything.Hewoulddothisagainafewmonthslateron“AroundtheWorldinaDay”andon“Kiss”inApril1985.Two C-60 cassettes were made of the mix, and the session ended before

midnight.

SUNDAY,MARCH4,1984*

Dohis lifeexperiences informhisart?Ofcourse.Howcan theynot?I’mnotsayingthathadheneverbeenacelebrityhewouldhavewritten

thesamesongs thesameway.No,youarewhoyouare.Themusic ishonest.—AlanLeeds14

Princeprobablydidn’tattendthissessionbuthegaveMcCrearyinstructionsforhow“WhenDovesCry”shouldbeedited.“Peggywashisrightarmoutthere,”recalledSusanRogers.“Butheworkeddayandnight,longdaysandlongnights,andPeggywouldreachapointwhenshe’dbedroppingfromexhaustionandshewould call in her boyfriend,DavidLeonard, to do an edit or somethingwhenshe’dbeenupfor twenty-eighthoursandwas tired.Prince likedandrespectedDavid,buthepreferredworkingwithwomensohepreferredtoworkwithPeggyandathomehe’dworkwithme.”15In thecreditson thePurpleRainalbum,Leonardwas thankedforbeing“the

blade.” Prince enjoyed his editing skills and relied on him to help trimmanysongsduring thisperiod,butPrincewasn’talwayspresentduring thesessions.Sometimes he would conduct sessions over the phone. When this happened,PrincewouldpulluptoSunsetSoundafterthesessionwasoverandwaitinhiscarwhilethesongwasrecordedtoacassettetape.Someonewouldwalkouttohis car andhandhim the cassette.Princewouldoften roll up thewindowandleave without saying a word. He would later tell Keyboard magazine that“[drivingaroundinmycar]ismyfavoritewaytolistentonewmusic.”16AsingleC-60cassettewascreatedofthisedit.After picking up the cassette during one of the sessions this week, Prince

invitedhisdrummer,BobbyZ,andhiskeyboardplayer,MattFink,toridealonginhiswhiteCadillactolistentothetrack.Princepoppedinthetapeandplayedit, to theconfusionofhisbandmembers.Finkpointsout that thesonghadnobassonit:“Princesaid,‘Yeah,Idid thatonpurpose.Ididn’twant there tobeanybassonit.’Hesaid,‘Because...it’sdifferent.You’llgetusedtoit.’Isaid,‘Okay,’andIdid!Itgrewonmeafterwards.”“Heplayed‘WhenDovesCry’forme,”rememberedMorrisDay.“Igotoutthe

carandsaid,‘Nexttimeplaysomethingfunkyforme,’andslammedthedoor.NextthingIknow,itwasoneofthebiggesthitsonradio,soyoudon’talwaysgetitthefirstlisten.Sometimesittakestwoorthreeorfourtoreallyhit.”17Thefirstlistenwasconfusingtomanyofthosearoundhim.Afterheleftoneof

the sessions, he brought it back to play for everyone, including SusannahMelvoin,whorecallsherinitialthoughts:“Hecomespullingininhislimousinewithhismanager,SteveFargnoli.Hepullsin,andyouhear‘WhenDovesCry’and everybodywas like, ‘Okay,God!What is he doing?This song is awful!’

Noneofusunderstood:Whatwasthatchoiceabout?Like,what?!Heheardit.Heheardit.Andhewasright.”

MONDAY,MARCH5,1984*

OnthePurpleRainalbumhebegantorealizethathewasgoingtobeabigstarandsellalotofrecordsandthattheyweregoingtobejudgedagainstotherpeople’srecords,andhebegantotakealotoftimeandcareandslowdownalittlebitingettingsomeofthesongsontape.—SusanRogers18

Prince apparently wasn’t content with the edit from the previous day andscheduledanadditionalsessiontoreducethetrackforasingle(orradio)version,butthistimeheoversawthework.Therelativelybriefsessionwasoverbeforemidnight,butPrincespentalmost

threehoursfindingthepropereditsforthetrackandlayingittoasinglecassette.

WEDNESDAY,MARCH7,1984*

It was written as I was editing the movie. I realized there was anopportunity for a song. I needed to get Prince from one place toanother. Itwasn’t scripted that therewouldbea song there, but as Iwascutting,IrealizedIneededasong.—AlbertMagnoli19

Prince andAlbertMagnoli had been collaborating verywell together, trustingeachother’sstrengths.ItwasrarethatPrinceallowedsomeonetoworkwithhimsoclosely,butasMagnoliexplainsit,thefactthathewasperformingataskthatPrince couldn’t domade it necessary: “Thewayweworked is I said, ‘This iswhatIneed,’andthenhesuppliedthemusic.Heneverquestionedmyneed,andIneverquestionedthemusicthatwassent.AndthatwasjustthewayweworkedbecauseheknewthatIwasinchargeofmydivision.Hewasinchargeinhis.Now,obviously,ifI’mgettingmusicfromPrinceevenatthatstageIknowthatit’sgoingtobekinky,niche,anderotic.”Magnoliplacedacall toPrinceexplainingwhathewaslookingforinasong

andwasinvitedtomeetatthehomePrincewasrentinginBeverlyHills.Princewantedtoauditiontwotracks:“WhenDovesCry”andtheinstrumental“God.”“InthosedayswithPrince,”remembersMagnoli,“itwasyousittingonthefloorwithamachine,andsoI listenedto the twosongs,andIsaid, ‘I like thatone,what’sthatcalled?’Andhesaid,‘WhenDovesCry,’andIsaid,‘Great!’”AsingleC-60tapewasmadeof“WhenDovesCry”forplacementinthefilm.

Magnolisays,“Iwentbacktotheeditingroomthatveryday,andIspentthedaycuttingthewholesequencetogether.IthinkIdiditinaboutfourhours.”Once it was cut into the movie, Magnoli received a call from the film’s

producer, Bob Cavallo. The director explained to Cavallo that “When DovesCry”wasalreadyinthemovieandthatitworkedwell.Cavallorespondedwithhisdoubtsaboutthetrack.Magnoliremembers:[Cavallo]goes,“Okaysolet’stalkaboutthesongforaminute.Iheardthesong,andyouunderstandthere’snobassline.Youhavetoputabasslineonit.”AndIrealize,“Ohyeah,thereisnobass.It’sjustthedrumandthegroove,”andsohegoes,“I’mgoingtocallPrincerightnowandtellhimthatheneedstoaddabasstoit.”AndIgo,“Okay,that’syourfight.”Twentyminuteslater,Princecallsmeup,andhegoes,“YoutalkedtoCavallo?”Igo,“Yeah,”andhesaid,“Cavallotoldmeit’salreadyinthemovieandhe’saskingmeforabassline,whatdoyouthink?”AndIsaid,“Ithinkthemusicworkswell,theimagegoeswithitlikeyoucan’tbelieve,sothat’suptoyou.”Hesaid,“I’mnotgoingtodoit.”

“Bothofuswere tooyoung tobe incharge, right?” laughsMagnoli.“That’sthebeautyofthis.Whyisanybodylisteningtoeitheroneofus?”The raw urgency of the track fit perfectly in the movie as well as on the

soundtrack album. The song not only blended with the music he’d alreadyrecorded, it elevated the rest of the album, shining a light on Prince as aninnovatorofsound.

A fresh2-inch tapewaspurchased,butnonewmusicwas created. It is likelythatitwaspurchasedwhilewaitingforthemeetingwithMagnoli.

Once a rough cut of the movie was pieced together, Prince held a privatescreening at hisLosAngeles home and invitedmany of the peoplewhowereinvolved in the film. “There was a whole different cut of the movie that heplayedforus,”recallsTimebassistJerryHubbard.“AndIwasthrilledtodeathbecausehehadmeallupinthemovieandhehadtheTimeintheremore.”Afterthemovie premiered,Hubbard got a chance to ask about the final product: “Iwentup toPrinceand I said, ‘HeyPrince,whathappened in themovie,man?Therewasalotofstuffmissing.Themovieatyourhousewaslikethreehourslong.’AndI’llneverforgetit.Helookedatmeandhesays,‘Well,wehadtocutsomething out. You didn’t think we were going to cut me out did you?’(laughs)”

FRIDAY,MARCH9,1984*

Youhavetobereallyfast.Hedoesn’twanttomessaround.Ifyoucan’tget it right he wants to drop it. He says it’s an omen and it’s nothappening.You lose thegroove.Fiveminutes toget adrum sound isprettyunique.—PeggyMcCreary20

Thiswasthefirsttimethephrase“PaisleyPark”appearedinanyPrince-relatedstudiodocument.AlthoughitsharesthenameofthesongeventuallyreleasedonhisAroundtheWorldinaDayalbum,thesimilaritiesendthere.Thistrackisanunrelatedinstrumentalthatfocusesonagroovecreatedbylivedrumsandbass,accented by some heavily reverbed keyboards and sounding like it wasinfluencedbyGaryNuman andTomTomClub’s 1981hit “Genius ofLove.”The overall production gives it a retro feeling that makes it feel very dated.Princewould revisit andupdate the beat of this song twoyears later on “BobGeorge.” “Paisley Park (Instrumental)” also contains multiple reverbed soundeffects, including children playing in a park, laughter, and whistles. Princewould repeat this theme of children playing in a park when he recorded the

versionof “PaisleyPark” thatwas released onAround theWorld in aDay aswellasinthevideo.Afterpresumablytakingthepreviousdayofffromrecording,herequestedthat

PeggyMcCrearysetupforasessiontostartat1:30p.m.“Sometimeshe’dcomeinandtherewouldbeamixupontheboardandyou’dthink,‘Okay,I’mreadyfor this,’ and he’d tell you to put up some fresh tape because he wanted torecord,”sherecalls.“Soyouhadtore-patchtheboardfrom‘mix’to‘live’andEQ everything and you had about twentyminutes to tear it all down and seteverythingbackup,andmicitall.Andhewouldbeplayingthedrumsandhewouldsay,‘ComeonPeggy,you’reblowingthegroove.You’relosingmehere.’Thepressurewasincredible,buthegotsomegreatstuff.”Thesongisbasicallyasynthworkoutwithnosolo,andsoundsasifPrincejust

wantedtolaydownatracktoseeif itwentanywhere.Herecordedthedrums,bass,andkeyboardsoverthenextfivehours,andsoundeffectsfromtheSunsetSoundlibrarywereusedtohelpcreatethemood.Insteadofstrategicallyplacingthem(ason“PopLife”threeweeksearlier),heusedthemasabackgroundbedfor theentire“PaisleyPark”track.Afteraquickmix, twoC-60cassettesweremade,andthebriefsessionwasoverby8:30p.m.Noadditionalinformationisknownaboutanyoneelseparticipatinginthisrecording.PrincewouldnotrecordagainatSunsetSounduntilMarch17,soitisassumed

thatheeither traveledback toMinneapolisorworkedonadditional scenes forthemovie.Anyrecordinghedidduringthistimehasnotbeendocumented.

Status: “Paisley Park (Instrumental)” (4:16 with sound effects; 3:44 withoutsound effects) was briefly considered for placement on The Family album in1985,butitremainsunreleasedtothisday.

Accordingtoallavailablesources,thetrackiscalled“PaisleyPark,”butforthepurposesofclarityitwillbereferredtohereas“PaisleyPark(Instrumental).”

FRIDAY,MARCH9,1984,ORSATURDAY,MARCH10,1984

Themusicvideofor theTime’s“IceCreamCastles”was taped,butoutsideofthisshootMorrisDayhadlittletodowiththebandanymore.Atthetimetherewasstillhope thateverythingcouldbeworkedout,butafter the taping,directcommunication betweenDay and Prince became almost nonexistent. Day hadbasically leftMinneapolis behind andmoved toLosAngeles,whichdidn’t sitwell with Prince. Although they were both in California, Prince and his

management felt Day should have been in Minneapolis rehearsing with theTime.“ThefactthatImovedouthereandtooktheinitiativeasagrownmantochoosemy own place of residence seemed to upset certain people,” observedDay.“Thatwasthebeginningoftheend.”21Once theTime returned toMinneapolis, Jesse Johnson continued to lead the

band during their rehearsals and Princeworked behind the scenes to get Daymore involved, includingmakingplans toget theTimeonstageagain. “Princewastalkingaboutdoingagigwithusthatnevermaterialized,”remembersJerryHubbard.“WeweregoingtodoFirstAvenue,andwewereallgoing,‘Whatarewegoing todoaboutMorris?Hehasn’t even rehearsedwithus.’But itneverhappened.”


When I still wrestled with demons, I had moods when I couldn’tfigure something out and so I ran to vice to sort myself out, likewomenortoomuchdrink,orworkinginordertoavoiddealingwiththeproblem.—Prince22

St. Patrick’s Day found Prince back in the studio at Sunset Sound reworking“Possessed,” a track he’d originally recorded the previous summer inMinneapolis.Insteadofbuildingontheoriginalversion,hestartedfromscratch,spendingmore thansixhoursalone in thestudio layingdownthesong’sbasictracks.“He’sexcellentonpianoandguitar,”rememberedPeggyMcCreary.“Hemakesmesmilewhenheplaysbass;it’simpressive.He’sgoodondrums,butIdon’t thinkhe’sascomfortable.He likes topickupdifferent instruments.Onetimehesaid,‘Getmeaharp.Itwasn’toneofthosehugeharps,butanon-pedalGothicharp.Hepickeditrightup.He’sanatural.”23Another assistant engineer, StephenShelton,was given the task of finding a

harp:“Iactuallycalledaroundtoseveralcompaniestohaveaharpbroughtintothestudio.Andatthatpointintimehewasn’tthatinclinedtousethesoundsthat

wereontheYamahaDX7,andhewentaheadandlearnedwhateverheneededtolearnaboutplayingtheharp.”Anothersevenandahalfhourswerespentoverdubbingtheharpandrecording

hisvocals,usingmanyofthelyricsfromthepreviousversionbutmakingafewminorchangessuchasswitching“Italianlust”intheoriginalto“demoniclust.”WhenPrincehadsomethinginhismind,hewantedtogivelifetothesoundsinhis head as quickly and as accurately as possible. “Lots of people hear theorchestras in their head,” Shelton continues. “Not everybody is capable ofpulling thatorchestraoutof theirhead,and that’swhyhismultiple-instrumentversatilityandhisabilitytoadapttoanewinstrumenthe’snevertouchedbeforeis impressive, because he hears a harp part and yet there are times when hewould rely on the musical input of other musicians because he wanted theirinput.Givethemaguide,givethemstructure,butthenhe’dletthemgoforit.”Partoftheinspirationmayhavebeenfromthemainrifffor“SugarWalls,”the

Sheena Easton song he had written earlier in 1984. The lead synth of“Possessed” shares the same melody as Easton sings on the intro to “SugarWalls.”Thefinalseventy-fiveminuteswerespentmakingaroughmixandacassette

versionofthesong.Thesessionendedat5:45a.m.

Status:“Possessed”(7:56)wasnotusedinPurpleRaininthisform.Althoughitwasplayedinmanyconcerts toward theendof the tour, thisversionremainedunreleased during Prince’s life, but was included in the Purple Rain Deluxe(Expanded Edition) CD set in 2017. It also appeared on the Prince & theRevolution: Live! video from the March 30, 1985, concert in Syracuse, NewYork.Thestudioversionofthistrackwouldberevisitedthefollowingweek.

SUNDAY,MARCH18,1984*

Princealwaystoldme,“Brenda,youcouldbesinginginachoirof200peopleandI’dstillbeabletopickoutyourvoice.”—BrendaBennett24

SusanRogers remembers the amazingmusic being created on a daily basis atthistime:“ThatwasagreateraforB-sides.Iloved“17Days.”Thatwasonethathepulledoutoftheclosetacoupleoftimesandreworked.Idon’tknowwhyhedid that but itwas probably because he knew that therewas something reallygoodtherethathejusttossedoffandhefiguredhecouldmakeitbetter.”Today’sshortsessionconsistedofthreehoursofadditionaloverdubsandtwo

and a half hours of mixing “17 Days.” A newly recorded part consisted ofBrendaBennettdenouncingaman’s“majesticmachoattitude”andherquestionsaboutwhenhewillfinallyseehowbeautifulsheisasaperson“aswellasyoucan see my vagina.”25 It is likely that this spoken section was recorded atPrince’shomestudio.DespitetheoriginalintentiontohaveBennettsingtheleadandhelpshapethe

lyrics on the song, by this point itwas no longer considered to be a track foreither Apollonia 6 or even a potential Brenda Bennett solo project. Bennett’shusband,Roy,has a theoryaboutwhyPrince reclaimed the song: “I think thereasonwhy‘17Days’didn’tgoto thegirlswasjustbecausehefelt itwas toogoodforthem.Hedidn’twanttowasteitonsomething,that’sterribletosay,butonsomethinghedidn’tfeelwasgoingtosellasmuchas thatsongcouldhavesold,butthenitendedupasaB-side.”Despitetheoriginalhigh-mindedgoals,itseemedthatPrincehadbeenlosing

interest in Apollonia 6 by this point and he was treating it as an obligatoryalbum,insteadofonehewantedtopromote.It ispossible thatduring thissessionJillJonessangbackgroundfor the track

andthatSheilaE.addedadditionaldrumsandpercussionaswellastambourine.

MONDAY,MARCH19,1984*

OnethingIain’tgoingtorunoutofismusic.—Prince26

It is unlikely that Prince attended this session, but he requested that PeggyMcCrearymake two cassette and safety copies of ten songs that he’d createdover the last threemonths.They included“AnotherLonelyChristmas” (6:45),“God (Instrumental)” (7:53), “Love and Sex” (4:59), “Pop Life” (3:37),“Possessed” (7:56), “Traffic Jam” (4:25), “We Can Fuck” (10:18), “WhenDovesCry”(5:52),“PaisleyPark(Instrumental)”(4:16),and“17Days”(7:32).Thepurposeofcompilingallthesesongsisunclear,butitwasprobablyfora

finalreviewbeforehestartedassemblingthelockedversionofthePurpleRainalbumandtodecidewhichalbumtrackswouldbereleasedassinglesandwhichB-sideswouldcreatethebestpairings.Princealsoprobablywantedtofocusonwherehecouldassignsomeofthesesongs.“Iknowthathewrotealotofsongsforthemoviesoundtrack,”recalledMattFink.“Ofcoursetheyonlypickedeight[eventually nine—ed.] out of probably, I don’t know, 40? There’s a lot ofmaterialtheywentthroughtopickoutthosebestsongs,andhewasstillwritingstuffforthemovieashewentalong.”27Ofthetunesassembledduringthissession,onlyonetrackwouldappearonthePurpleRainsoundtrack,threewouldbecomeB-sides,twowouldappearinsomeform on his future albums, and four: “Love and Sex,” “Possessed,” “TrafficJam,” and “Paisley Park (Instrumental),” would not be released in this formduringhislifetime.TwoC-90cassetteswerecreated.



TheonlythingIhavedislikedisthelatehours.It’snotthatIliketogotobedearly,it’sjustthatwhenI’mworking,itgetsprettyweird.—Prince28

Princehadchosen thesongs thatdeserved focusedattention,and todayheandPeggyMcCreary (andprobablyDavidLeonard aswell) beganwhittlingdownthetracksforrelease.Theentiresessionwasdedicatedtoedits,crossfades,andaroughassemblyofsongsforthealbum.“17Days”waseditedfrom7:32to3:56byremovingmuchoftherepetitionas

well asBrendaBennett’s speech at the end, and the first lyrics began at 0:42insteadof1:09.Theentirefinalthreeminutesofjammingwereeliminated.“DarlingNikki”(whichhadbeenmergedwith“IAmFine”inSeptember)was

edited the least.Prince removeda thirty-secondsectionofdrumsandguitarat2:42tomakeroomfor“WhenDovesCry”onthealbum.Princewent back and forth about keeping the lyrics on “Possessed.”During

this session he muted the track’s vocals, creating an instrumental version,because itwas stillbeingconsideredasaB-sideand foruse in themovie.Hewasapparentlyproudofthesong,asheeventuallyplacedtheinstrumentalinthefilm. The instrumental was also played on the PA before his upcoming FirstAvenuebirthdayshowlater in theyear,andthevocalversionwasplayedoverthe PA at the after-party and performed live with the Revolution during theconcert.“Computer Blue” was edited once again, making more room on the album.

Workwasalsodoneadjustingtheseguebetween“ComputerBlue”and“DarlingNikki.”Asixty-minutetapewascreatedforPrincetoreviewontheridehome.

It is unclear which engineers were responsible for the edits onmany of histracksfromthisera.DavidLeonardorPeggyMcCrearygenerally tookcareofthem during the actual session, but there is no documentation of this. If anengineer was busy working on a mix, Prince was notorious for just grabbingsomeone he trusted from the Sunset Sound family and asking for a favor,includingRichardMcKernan:“He’dsneakthingsintometoedit.Icutthe24-trackacoupletimesandthenafterthathewantedmetoeditallofhis24-tracksrecordings.I’dbeworkingwithotherpeople,andhe’dopenupthedooralittlebitandhe’dsay,‘You’vegottoeditthis,you’vegottoeditthis.’SoI’dgooutandedit stuff. Itwas something thatwasn’ton theworkorders.Therewasnodocumentationofmedoingthat.Ihavenocluewhatthesongswere.He’djustsay,‘Iwantyoutocuthereandhere,andcutthatpartoutanditshouldwork.’AndI’dhearitandIwouldcutit.”

THURSDAY,MARCH22,1984*

Weedited[“ComputerBlue”]downafewtimes.Icanstillhearafewproblemswiththesong.—PeggyMcCreary

Apparentlynotsatisfiedwiththepreviousday’sseguework,Princecontinuedtoperfect the crossfade between “Computer Blue” and “Darling Nikki.” Withsongslike“ComputerBlue”and“Let’sGoCrazy,”Princehadproducedamoreintricate sound.SusanRogersnoticed thiswhile the albumwasbeing created:“Whenyouthinkaboutit,youhearthatguitar,youhearhisincrediblekeyboardskills,andyourealizethat,atanygivenmomentonthatrecord,hecoulddothat.Hecouldhave filledup that recordwithvirtuosoguitarplaying,withvirtuosokeyboard playing, and with virtuoso singing. Then here’s another thing to

consider: his lyrics. It’s not Leonard Cohen, but think about . . . he’s talkingaboutan ‘us.’ ‘IWouldDie4U.’ ‘Let’sGoCrazy.’ ‘TakeMewithU.’ It’s agenerousrecord.He’shappytobealive.”29Additionaleditstookplaceonseveralofthesongsbeingplacedinthemovie,

including“SexShooter,”“TheBeautifulOnes,”and“Let’sGoCrazy.”

FRIDAY,MARCH23,1984*

Sequencing for the record was a very important part of the processback when the album was the work of art that the consumer waspurchasing, not singles. On those earlier records, you hear thatunrestrained,unfilteredrawnessonsomeofthetracks,whereasPurpleRainwasverycarefullyarranged.It’samasterpiece.—SusanRogers30

Prince’s music had changed and everyone around him noticed the difference.Themessageof1999wasthattheworldwasinitsfinalchapter,soyoumightaswellenjoyyourself. InmanywaysPurpleRainwasabout thearrivalofhope.After theapocalyptic toneof1999,Princeadded theconceptof“thedawn” tohis work. It wasn’t a coincidence that he sang about being the messiah,considering the world was supposed to have stopped in the newmillennium.ThiswasPrincerisingfromthetombafterthreedaysandstruttinghisstuffasiftosay,“Didyoumissme?”tothosewhowerefamiliarwithhiswork—andanintroductoryshotacrossthebowtothosewhoweren’t.

“Tome,PrincewasjustfinallygettingpopularandIfeltthatthiswashisbesttime. I thought 1999 and Purple Rain were his peak,” remembers PeggyMcCreary.“I feel thatpartof thathas todowith thechemistrybetweenus. Itwas a great time. This was raw genius to watch him come in everyday andduringthisperiod,hewasjuston.”ForthiscompilationPrincewasstilllookingforthestructureofthealbumand

theflowneededtotellthestoryofthemovie,butitwasimportantthatthealbumstandonitsown,soPrincespentfivehourseditingthetrackstogether,lookingfor the proper sequence. Often this is done by trial and error to see how thesongsworkincontext.Thetrackorderforthiscompilationisn’tknown,buttheabsenceof“TakeMewithU”shouldbenoted,asitwasstillslatedtobeontheApollonia6album.

SUNDAY,MARCH25,1984*

One time [GeorgeClinton] sentmea tapeand says, “Youpeeon itandsenditbacktomeandI’llpeeonit,andthenwe’llseewhatwegot!”IwenttoseehimattheBeverlyTheatreanditwasfrightening.Fourteenpeoplesinging“KneeDeep”inunison.ThatnightIwenttothestudioandrecorded“EroticCity.”—Prince31

The truth about Prince’s statement hasn’t been verified, but George Clinton’sinfluenceon “EroticCity” is impossible to deny. It is dirty, sexy, and layeredwithfat,greasyfunk.Asheoftendid,PrincestartedthesongwithaLinnLM-1drumtrackandbuilt

it up from there: guitar, bass, and then his vocals, which were processed tochangethepitch.Lyrically,Princerevisitedtheideaof“thedawn,”andhealsoborrowedaphrasefromApollonia6’s“SexShooter”(changing“comeonboy,let’smakesometime”32 to“maybewecanmakesometime)”33ButPrincehadanotherprotégéinmindforthisduet,soheaskedMcCrearytoinviteSheilaE.downtothestudio:

He’dgetabuguphisbuttandwantedtohavesomeoneonacertaintrackandhewouldtellmetocallthem.Itdidn’tmatterwhattime,justcallthem.AndIwouldusethelistthathegaveme:Jill,Sheila,etc.Andnoneofthewomencouldknowwhoelsewasthereattimesthattheyweren’t.ItbecameveryprivateandIwasn’tallowedtodiscussanyofitwithanyofthem.Eachprojecthadadifferentlist.Italldependedonhismoodatthetime.Thefunnythingisthattheywouldcome,butitwasveryfrustratinglivingyourlifeknowingthatatanymoment,someonecouldcallyouandyou’dhavetogointowork?Itwasn’tonlythesesingersandstringplayersthathadtodothis,itwasalsome!Andthatisn’taveryfunwaytoliveyourlife.

“Peggywasprobablythemostprofessionalinthatshekeptareallynicearm’slength,” recalls Jill Jones.“Shenever ranoutandsay, ‘Ohyouknow thatyoujustmissedthelastgirl!’(laughs)”“I walked in to find sweet-smelling candles burning and the whole place

impeccably clean, as usual,” Sheila described in her 2014 autobiography.“Princehadsetupthestudiolikealivingroom—allcomfortableandcozyasifwewereathome.Itmightaswellhavebeen—ifhewasn’tplayinglive,hewasinthatstudio,soitwas‘home.’”34Shecontinued:“IwentintoplayandIdidn’tseeanything,Ijustsawamicand

I said, ‘Where’s thegear?’Andhe said, ‘Wedon’tneedany.You’regoing tosingwithme.’AndIsaid,‘Idon’tliketosing.’Hesaid,‘You’vebeendoingthisforalongtime.Yousingbehindeveryone,justdoitwithme.’”35Sheila’svocalswereaddedtotracks14and15ofthesong.Itwascustomary

forPrincetorecordtwosetsofvocals,oftenaddingreverbtooneofthemandkeepingoneofthemdry(oratleastwithalotlessreverb).ForthesecondtimethisspringPrincesangaduet,whichmayrevealhowopen

he was to the idea of collaboration—at least on his terms, which meant hiscollaboratorsaddedwhathe told them toadd toa track.Heaskedher tosing,“Wecanfuckuntilthedawn,makinglove’tilcherry’sgone,”36butshebalked:“Thereweresomewords in thesong that I thought . . . ‘Ican’tsay that.’SoIdidn’t.Hesaid it. Ididn’t say it, sohekindofducked [themix] so itmade itsoundlikemaybeyoudidhearit,maybeyoudidn’thearitbutIdidn’tsayit!”37McCreary remembersSheila’s first timebehind themic: “Hepushedpeople.

Maybe he saw talent in people that they really didn’t see themselves, and hepushedthemtodothingsthattheymightnothavedonewithouthispush.He’dpush you in and it was either sink or swim. I remember that shewas a littlenervousbutshecouldsing.She’satalentedgirl.”“People still comment on how ‘sexy’ I sound on that song,” remembered

Sheila, “whichalwaysmakesme laugh,because if youhadbeen in the studiowithPrincethatnight,you’dsoundsexytoo!”38Afterward,PrincediscussedhisplansforanalbumwithSheila:

[Princeasked,]“Whydon’tyoudoyourownalbum?”AndIsaid,“Nah.”“Whynot?”“Idon’twantto.”“Don’tyouthinkyouhavebeenplayingbehindotherpeoplelongenough?”“ButIlikeit.”“I’mtellingyouthatyouneedtobeoutonyourown.Youcansing,youcanplay.”IneverwantedtosinguntilPrinceaskedmeto.LionelRichiehadaskedmetosing“EndlessLove”

ontour.Isaid,“You’recrazy.I’mnotgoingtodoit.”IgetkindofscaredwhenIhearmyvoice.WhenPrinceaskedme,though,Ijusthadafeelingthatheknewwhathewastalkingabout.39

Theentiresessionwascompletedinfiveandahalfhours,anothertestamenttohistalentandthespeedinwhichhewasrecording.“‘EroticCity’was the first song I recordedwith Prince,” Sheila reflected in

1995onanAOLLivechat.“Andatthattime,thepersonthatIwas,Iwasnotembarrassed.ButIamnow.”40

Status:Today’s versionof “EroticCity” (7:21)was released as theB-side for“Let’sGoCrazy”andedited(3:55)forthe7-inchsinglerelease.Otheralternatemixes (6:45 and 6:52) remain unreleased. Prince eventually added samples of“EroticCity”totworemixesof“Partyman”in1989.

According to P-Funk trombonist (and eventual Prince band member) GregBoyer,“WemetbrieflyataP-funkconcertin’83.ItwasthenightwerecordedP-funkliveattheBeverlyTheatre.Hecametocheckusoutafewtimesovertheyears,andacoupleof timesalsowhen IwasplayingwithMaceo.”41BecausetheP-funkconcertwas tapedonApril23and24,1983,ayearbefore“EroticCity” was recorded, it is likely that Prince was either incorrect, attended adifferentshowduringMarch1984,orembellishedthestory.

MONDAY,MARCH26,1984*

Healways regardedalbumsas having a kernel or a core.For lesserartists, you might consider two or three songs as the heart of yourrecord,andtheneverythingelseisreallyjustfiller.Butforhim,fiveorsixsongscouldbetheseeds,thecoreoftherecordand,fromhowmuchI heard him rehearse these things, he knew that “Beautiful Ones,”“PurpleRain,”“ComputerBlue,” those songswere representativeoftherecordtohim.—SusanRogers42

Princewasworkingveryhard tokeepPurpleRainas focusedaspossible.Hispreviousalbum,1999,wasa two-disc set and therewas little interest indoingthatagain.“Wehatedtheideaofadoublealbum,”explainsBobCavallo.“Itwasneveragreatidea.”Aswithmany compilation sessions, this one probably didn’t include Prince,

buthehaddecidedthestructureandPeggyMcCreary’s jobwas toassemble itaccording to hiswishes.Unlike the compilation session fromMarch 23, therewerenomusiceditsscheduled,soMcCrearyspent twohoursreorganizingandcopyingthetrackstosixC-90cassettes.Theorderwasnowlocked—exceptfor“TakeMewithU,”whichwasstillontheApollonia6album.


Hesaid,“Icanmakeithappenforyouifyouwanttodoarecord.”Isaid,“Just like that?”Andhesaid,“Yeah.”Isaid,“Okay, let’sdoarecordthen.”—SheilaE.43

InJanuaryPrincecompiledanearlyversionofIceCreamCastleby theTime,andbytheendofFebruaryhehaddonethesamethingforApollonia6.PrinceclosedoutMarchbycompilinganalbumforhisprotégéeSheilaE.Threenewalbumsinthreemonthsisanamazingpace,especiallyconsideringalmosteverytrack was written and recorded without a full band and rehearsals. Now thatPrincehadSheilainterestedinasoloalbum,hehadthesongsthatbestsuitedhervoiceandstyleassembledforademotapeforhertolearn.Manyofthemdidn’tcontain Sheila’s drums yet, but these were the songs that would eventuallybecomeheralbumTheGlamorousLife.“Ithinkweinfluencedeachother,”SheilaexplainedtoTimemagazinein2014:Iinfluencedhimthesamewayheinfluencedme.WhenhecamebacktotheBayArea,Iintroducedhimtomyfamily,andhegottoseemeplaywithmyfamily,withmydad,andplayLatinjazzmusic,andhe’dneverhearditbefore.Hewaslike,“Thisisjustcrazy.Thisisamazing.”Helovedit.Wementoredeachother,ifyouwanttolookatitthatway.That’sthegoodthingaboutPrince:youcanseehowhewasinfluencedbythepeoplearoundhim.Icanhearandseeit,becauseIgottolivetheinfluencethatIhadonhimaswellastheinfluencehehadonme—justbeingaroundeachother,beingabletorecordallthetimeandplay,anddothingsthathehadneverdoneusinglivepercussioninstrumentsandrecordingallthetime.44

Sheilaattendedthetwo-hoursession,althoughitisunclearwhetherPrincewasin the studio for the compilation. Six cassettes were created (probably forWarnerBros. executives, Prince, Sheila, and theWarnerBros. vault). For thefirst time, thework order listed Sheila E. as the artist and (taking a cue from

Prince’sanonymousworkwiththeTime)theproducerswerelistedasSheilaE.andtheStarrCo.

Status: Sheila E.’s albumTheGlamorous Life contained all of the tracks thatwerecompiledduringthissession.Thealbumwasfast-trackedandreleasedonJune 4, 1984, before any of the other albums Prince had created during thespring. The albumwas certified gold, peaking at number 28 on theBillboardTop 200 chart. Sheila was nominated for two American Music Awards forFavoriteSoul/R&BFemaleArtistandFavoriteSoul/R&BFemaleVideoArtistaswellastwoGrammyAwardsforBestPopVocalPerformanceandBestNewArtist.Thiswasanamazingaccomplishmentconsideringmanyof these trackswereoriginallyrecordedwithoutafullyrealizedconceptinplace.

THURSDAY,MARCH29,1984–SATURDAY,MARCH31,1984

Itseemed likeonly fiveminutesago thathe’dpersuadedme tosingaduetwithhim.Nowhe’dconvincedmethatIshouldbetheleadsingerinmyownband!Weworkedthreedayssolidwithoutsleepbecausewewerebothsoexcitedabouttheproject.—SheilaE.45

Nodocumentation forMarch29,30,and31hasbeen located, so thespecificsabout thesesessionsareunclear.Fortunately,SheilaE.shedsomelightonthisperiodinher2014autobiography:“InMarch1984,IbeganrecordingvocalsonsomesongsthatPrinceandIhadchosenformyalbum.Asalways,weworkedtogether reallywell, so itwas easy tomeet in themiddle. The next few dayswereamixofwriting,recording,singing,playing,andstayingupallnight.”46AdditionalpercussionandSheila’svocalswereadded toseveralof thesongs

on her album, including “TheGlamorous Life,”which verified that itwas nolongerbeingconsideredasanalbumtrackorevenaB-sidefortheApollonia6album.

“Afterrearrangingthemusicandaddingothermusicianstothesong,wewerereallyhappywithit,”recalledSheila.“Itwasverypercussiveandithadacatchymelody,incorporatingalltheblackkeysonthepianosothatitalmostsoundedlikeanurseryrhyme.Andthesongwassimple.Commercialmusic—evenifit’sfunky and soulful—sometimes needs to be simplified in order to appeal to abroaderaudience.Simplemelodiesandsimplerhythmsoftencreatehitsbecausethey’reeasytoremember.”47Prince also brought Jill Jones into the studio for additional vocal work on

several of the tracks from this project, including “Oliver’s House,” “TheGlamorousLife,” “NoonRendezvous,” and“NextTimeWipe theLipstickoffYourCollar.”Theexactdateofhernewvocalworkisnotknown.

APRIL1984

SUNDAY,APRIL1,1984*

Itseemedlikewerecordedmyalbuminaboutaweek. . . . I’veneverevencomeclosetorecordinganalbuminsuchashortamountoftimesince.—SheilaE.1

Princerequestedthattoday’ssessionstartat4:00p.m.,buthewasdelayeduntil8:00.Theevening’sfocuswasonthevocalsfor“NextTimeWipetheLipstickoffYourCollar.”Of all the tracks onSheila’s album, “NextTimeWipe theLipstickoffYour

Collar”gaveSheila’svoicethebestchancetoshine,soextracarewastakenonhersinging.Aswiththerestofthealbum,Princeguidedherbutalsoreliedonherexperiencetohelpmakeheralbumaspowerfulaspossible.“TheGlamorousLife[album]cametogetherlikemagic,”detailedSheilain1984.“IknewwhatIwantedandIgotit.Ifitwasn’tjustright,Iwouldn’thaveletitgo.I’mkindofaperfectionist.”2ThreeC-90cassettetapesweremadeofthissession.

MONDAY,APRIL2,1984*

ForPrince,makingmusicisthemostfunintheworld.Whilewewerecollaborating,we’dstoptoeat.Orwe’dplayping-pongorbasketball—andIgavehimarunforhismoney,eventhoughhewon’tadmitit.Wewerelikeacouplelivingandworkingtogetherandenjoyingourselves.Itdidn’tfeellikeworkatall.—SheilaE.3

WorkcontinuedonSheila’svocalsfor“NextTimeWipetheLipstickoffYourCollar,” and three hours were spent layering her voice to create the bestperformance possible. At this point in Sheila’s career, her emphasis was onbeingamusician,notonhervoice.Ironically,PrincedecidedtodrawevenmoreattentiontoSheila’svocals,and

thedrumswerebasicallyeliminated in themix.When the trackwasoriginallyrecorded, the beat was maintained with a Linn LM-1 drumbeat that carriedthroughtheentiresong.Oncetheyweremixing,itwasburiedsofarthatitwasbasicallygone,andthesteadybeatwasreplacedbyPrinceplayingpiano,whichwasgivenamuchmoreprominentroleaswell.“NextTimeWipetheLipstickoffYourCollar”illustratesthatPrincefeltsostronglyaboutSheila’stalentthathe created a track that contained no drums, even though Sheila’s fame at thetime was largely based on her drumming and percussion and not her vocaltalents.Thedecisiontonotincludepercussionon“NextTimeWipetheLipstickoffYourCollar”wasawaytoshiftattentionfromherinstrumentstohervoice,whichwouldhelpintroducetheworldtoanewSheilaE.

WEDNESDAY,APRIL4,1984*

Realartistsmakealbumspeoplelove,notjustsongs.—Prince4

Princespentthefirstfewhoursreviewingtheeight-songPurpleRainreferenceLPfromtheMarch26albumassembly.AreferenceLPisavinylversionofthealbumcreatedsoitcanbeplayedonaturntablebeforethealbumgoesintomassproduction. It gives the artist a final chance to preview how the project willsound before money is spent creating a mold for the actual album. A properlisteningsessioncanrevealweaknessesinthemix,butitisalsothefirsttimeanalbumisheardinthewayitwasintended,soissueswithstructureandflowcanbeaddressedbeforethemastercopiesarepressed.Vinylreferencedisksarenotmadeassolidlyasalbumsforrelease,sousuallyanartistcan’tplayitmorethana dozen times before it starts failing. Although Prince seemed to enjoy thealbum’seighttracks,itwasnotcomplete.“TakeMewithU”was still being considered forApollonia 6, so it had not

been included on the record. That would change very soon in a decision thatwoulddrasticallyreducethepotentialaudiencefortheApollonia6album.Additionalvocaloverdubsweredoneon“EroticCity.”Forsomereasonitwas

stilllistedas“ElectricCity,”butthatcouldbeanaccident,orhemayhavebeenhidingthetitlefromWarnerBros.,ashedidwith“WeCanFuck.”Noevidencehas surfaced that the song was ever recorded as anything other than “EroticCity.”Princeenjoyedpushing theenvelopewithhissexuality.Hehaddecidednottoreleasesomeofhismoreblatantlysexualtracks,suchas“WeCanFuck,”but he had no problem cannibalizing some of the phrases andmorphing theminto the lyrics of songs like “EroticCity” (“Wecan fuck until the dawn”5). In2004hewasaskedifhewasembarrassedbysomeofthe“raunchier”songsinhiscatalog;heresponded,“Embarrassed?Idon’tknowthatword.Haveyouseenmyoutfits?”6Amix of “EroticCity”was done at the end of the night and a cassettewas

created. The session ended at 3:30 a.m. Prince would be away from SunsetSoundforoveraweek. It isunclearwherehewent,but it is likelyhewent to

Minneapolis,orpossibly toOaklandwithSheila.Nodocumentation for studiosessionsduringthisweekhasbeenlocated.

TUESDAY,APRIL10,1984*

I thinkMorriswaspretty fedupwith thewhole thingat the timeandwantedtodohisownthing.—JesseJohnson7

Thenewversionof theTime’sIceCreamCastlealbumwasassembledduringthissession,usingtwosongsthathadbeeneditedsincethelasttimetheywerecompiled. “TheBird”was cut from8:33 to 7:44, losingmuchof the repeatedchantingneartheendofthetrack.The54-secondeditislocatedjustbeforetheseven-minutemark.“IftheKidCan’tMakeYouCome”wasreducedfrom9:13to7:33,withtwoedits.Thefirsttakesplacenear2:42;itlastsapproximately58seconds,eliminatingseveralroundsofMorrisDayrepeatingthetitle,andrejoinsthe song at the start of a guitar solo.The second edit occurs around 5:52 andlasts for about 52 seconds. The discarded section contained the femalebackground vocals singing, “Holland, France,London, dance”—which happentobethefinalthreeplacesPrincevisitedduringhis1981Europeantrip.Earlierinthetrackthecitiesweresung/spokenbyDay(asheapparentlyundresseshisgirl):“ThislittlehookwenttoHollandThislittlehookwenttoFranceThislittlehookwenttoLondon/andthislittlehookwentto...OhLawd!”8Thecitiesarealso sung four times by the background singer, but only the last “France,London,dance”madeitintothereleasedversion.Thesepooredits,whichdon’teven bother trying to keep the beats in sync on the track, do not reflect thegeneralqualityofworkonPrince’smusic,possiblyexposinghislackofinterestinthisproject.Likemany of Prince’s album compiling (or comp) sessions, it was doubtful

that he was in the studio, since these assemblies occasionally only involvedplacingthesongsinaspecificorderandputtingthemonacassette.AlthoughtheTimewaslistedastheproducerofthesession,MorrisDaydidnotattend,either.

One cassette copy was created, and a reel was boxed and sent to BernieGrundmanformastering.

SATURDAY,APRIL14,1984*

Ilikedthelongversion[of“ComputerBlue”],butIwasn’tsadthathecutitdownbecausehehadtoforthealbumpurposes.—MattFink

After reviewing theeight-song referenceLPofPurpleRain,Princedecided tomake“TakeMewithU” theninth trackon thesoundtrackalbum, removing itfrom the Apollonia 6 album. “I’m not upset that it wasn’t on the album,”explainsBrendaBennett.“ItgotmoreexposureonPurpleRain.”“Hedid thatoccasionally,”recallsPeggyMcCreary.“He’dgiveasongaway

and then take it back. [In 1985] he did it with ‘Kiss.’We never knew whatanythingwasfor.Itwasallpartofhismasterplan.Heprobablyjustfelt‘Thiswouldfitintomyalbum,’anditwashissong,sowhynot?Imeanallofitwashisstuff.Theywereallhissongsandhecoulddowhathewantedwiththem.Itwashim!TheTimewashim,Apollonia6washim.”Tomake room for “TakeMewith U,” Prince had to edit “Computer Blue”

onceagain, this time reducing it to its final lengthof3:59.Unfortunately, thisfinalversion lost the lastpartof the song’smorecomplex sections,hiding therichness of thework thatwent into the track so fanswouldhave towait until2017before the fullversionwas issuedon thePurpleRainDeluxe (ExpandedEdition)CDset.

SUNDAY,APRIL15,1984*

I thinkhewas very comfortableat Sunset Sound, especiallyStudio3,which iskindof itsown little fort. It’s justgot suchavibe.There’sawallbehindtheengineers,ifthatwallshookyouknowyouhadtherightbottom.Youcouldfeel itshake.That’showweusedto tell if thebasswasdoingwhat’sright.Sympatheticvibration.—DavidZ

BecausePrincehadcannibalized“TakeMewithU”fromtheApollonia6album,heneededtofillitwithanothersong.Othertracksfortheirproject,suchas“TheGlamorousLife,” “17Days,” and“MoralMajority” aswell as the songs fromthe unreleased second Vanity 6 album, had already been taken out ofconsideration,soPrincehadtocreatesomethingnewtofillthemissingspot.Thepreviousevening’ssessionhadendedat9:30p.m.,andPrincedecidedto

startrecordingunusuallyearly.Arrivingatnoon,hequicklybeganlayingdownanLM-1beat(includingacountdownthatwouldbeeditedoutwhenthealbumwas assembled), guitar, bass, synth, and a guide vocal track to follow. OnceagainPrinceborrowedfromJoniMitchell,butthistimeitwasthescenariofrom“Car on the Hill” (from her 1974 album Court and Spark), a song about awomanwaitingforherlovertoshowupforadate.Prince’slyricswereanotherchance for him to use a car as ametaphor for sex, and he probably hoped torepeatthesuccesshe’dhadwiththatformulaon“LittleRedCorvette.”AlthoughthevocalswererecordedbyBrendaBennettanditsoundsasifitwas

tailor-madeforhervoice,shemaynothavebeenhisfirstchoice.Asthesessionprogressed,Prince contactedApollonia aboutdroppingby the studio to recordthelead,butshewasnotavailable,sothesongwentexclusivelytoBennett.Apolloniawasn’ttheonlypersonwhodealtwithsituationslikethis.JillJones

explains that ithappenedtoheraswell:“Hewouldgetsohurtoverwhenyoufinallysaid,‘No.I’mnotdoingX,Y,andZ.’Healmost lookedatyoulikehedidn’tunderstand.Hedidn’thave this cognitive skillofunderstandinganotherperson’sboundaries.And insteadofconfrontingyou,he’ll justcut it shortandmoveon.He’sgotanimmenseamountofcharm,ifheputsiton.Buthecanalso

belikeaDr.JekyllandMr.Hydeifyou’reonhisbadsideandifhe’sgunningforyou.”Bennettwascalledinandofferedtheopportunitytosingtheleadonthissong.

Onceshearrivedinthestudio,heplayeditforher.“Heusuallyhadaworkvocaltrack which you got the chance to listen to once,” Bennett remembers. “Hedidn’texpectyoutoget it,buthewantedthat. Ihadsuchagoodfeelingfor itandIsaid, ‘Just letmein thereand letmeget thesoundandlet’sdo it.’ I ranawaywithit.”SusanMoonsiewasnotpresentthatevening,soBennettwastheonlymember

ofthegrouptoperformonthistrack.SusannahMelvoinwasalsointhestudio,sohehadheraddbackgroundvocals. “IwantedSusannah tobeon itbecausewe’dsoundreallygoodtogether,”remembersBennett.Melvoinagrees:“BrendaandItalkedabouttherichnessofhervoice,andshe

cametomeafterIsangonthatandsaid,‘It’ssonicetohaveanotherdeep,richvoicelikemyself;I’mtheonlyonewhocandothis.’OhmyGod.Brendawassogreat.”AccordingtoBennett,“Therewasalotofad-libbingduringthemiddlepartof

thesong.HetoldmewhathewantedSusannahtodoandIdidmybestSusanimpression.” Their vocals were tracked multiple times and mixed to give adeeper“bandfeel”tothesong.JillJonesrecallsthatafterMelvoinandBennettleft,shewasalsobroughtintoaddanadditionallayertothevocals.“Youhaveto remember, I never did sessions with these girls. It was always after theyweren’t there or when he was working on it. So for some reason there wasobviouslyadynamic. I’mnotsosure thegirlsalwaysknewwhatwasactuallygoingtohappenontheirproject.”Waveafterwaveofpeoplewerecomingintothestudio,doingtheirpart,and

leaving,withPrinceoverseeingitallandbeingtheonlyonewhounderstoodtheoverallplan.Hisstaminaseemedunlimited,andhecouldoutlastalmostanyonearoundhim.“He’supatall timesatnight,”recalledJellybeanJohnson.“Themanusedto

sleeponlyoutofexhaustion.AndIknowIcouldstayupuntilfive,sixo’clock.Hecouldbeuptwo,threedayslikethat.”9Jonesagrees:“Hedidn’tunderstandifpeoplewouldbelike,‘I’mtired.We’ve

beenhereforsevendays.I’vegottosleep!’Itwaslike,rejection.‘Wellyoujustcan’thang.’No, itwas like, ‘Ihavea life.’ ‘What,my life isn’tyou?’ Imean,that’s what it always started to be, and sometimes you’d feel sad leaving a

studio.You’dfeelsad—goingouttothecar.Becausehewasn’twillingtogotosleep,sohe’dprobablycallwhoeverheneededto.Ifeellikehewaslonely.”“I never felt guilty about it. I spent somuch timewithhim, itwas just like,

‘I’mgoingtofuckingbed,’youknow,”remembersSusannah.“Thethingwas,you’dbegonetwohoursandhe’dcallyou.Sotherewasnosleeping.You’dgettogohomeanddowhateverfortwohoursandthenhewaslike,‘I’mcomingtopickyouup.’Andyou’dbelike,‘Allright,whatever.’Soitwaslikethatallthetime.”The sessionwas finished at about 3:00 a.m.McCreary and Prince spent the

next two hours and forty-fiveminutes creating a roughmix. At 5:45 a.m. onApril16,Princeseemedcontentandleft.Itwouldbehislastrecordingsession(as opposed to mixing, editing, etc.) at Sunset Sound until October, when hewouldrecord“ConditionoftheHeart.”SheilaE.wascreditedwithwritingthemusicforthissong,butthathasnever

been confirmed. The song contains many similarities with “Toy Box,” whichwasrecordedninemonthslaterinJanuary1985andplacedonSheila’sRomance1600album.ThattrackwasalsocreditedtoSheila.

Status: “Blue Limousine” (6:19) was released on the Apollonia 6 album onOctober 1, 1984, and as an edited single (3:22). It did not enter theBillboardchartsandwastheirfinalrelease.

In1986 theS.O.S.Band releaseda song called“BorrowedLove” (writtenbyformerTimemembersJimmyJamandTerryLewis)thatsoundssimilarto“BlueLimousine,”includingthesingermentioningthetimeofday.

TUESDAY,APRIL17,1984

Attheriskofsoundingcontradictory,Iwouldhavetosaythatononehand, he was the toughest. But, on the other hand, he was the best.Musically,IhaveneverworkedwithanyonelikehimandIdon’tbelieve

I ever will again. I am grateful, proud, and blessed to have had theopportunitytoworkwithhim.—BrendaBennett10

TheApollonia6albumwasassembledwith“BlueLimousine”replacing“TakeMewithU.”The compilationwas sent off tomake a referenceLP.The tracklistingwas:

SideOne

“SexShooter”(6:46)“BlueLimousine”(6:23)“ManicMonday”(2:53)

SideTwo

“AMillionMiles(ILoveYou)”(5:50)“OooSheSheWaWa”(4:13)“SomeKindofLover”(4:46)“InaSpanishVilla”(2:22)

Attheendofthesession,sevenC-60cassetteswerecreated.ItisunlikelythatPrinceattendedthissession.Prince’s daily schedulewas usually in a state of flux.On any day, he could

decidetorecord,remix,orrelax,dependingonhiswhim.Buthisoverallmonth-to-monthschedulewasslightlymorepredictable,andonceagainasthesummerapproached, Prince left for the Twin Cities. According to McCreary, “You’dcome in towork and they’d say, ‘Pack it up, he’s inMinneapolis,’ so it wasreallybizarre.Youneverknew,youjustalwaysexpected‘whatever’wasgoingtohappen.”

Status:Thisversionofthealbumwasapproved,andartworkwascreatedusingthisrundown.Bytheendofthemonththiswasconsideredtobethefinalversionof thealbum,but therewas stillonemoremajor shuffle comingbefore itwaslocked.Sidetwowouldremainthesame,butsideonewouldundergoadditionalchangesinorderandcontent.

This work order could not be located, but the date was referenced on otherdocuments;exacttimesforthesessioncannotbeverified.


I think anybody who is as different as he is—and I don’t mean justmusically different, Imean someonewho tries ashard tobedifferentjust for the sake of being different as he does—you know the guy islooking foracertainamountofvalidation fromotherpeople.And thevolume of his work could show an unending desire or need foraffirmationfrompeople.Again,itcouldsimplybebecauseheisjustsoprolific. It’s hard to know. I mean it goes without saying I think it’sboththosethings.Ithinktheguyisextremelyprolificandthenpeoplecanlookatthatasaconstantneedtobevalidated,andIthinkbothareprobablytrue.—TerryChristian

This short session consisted only of transferring six songs to cassettes withengineer Terry Christian. This collection was similar to the compilation fromMarch 19, except “Sex Shooter” was added to the mix. Although the likelypurposefor thiswas toauditionB-sides, the inclusionof theApollonia6songmakesitmorelikelythatitwasjustatapeforlisteningandpossiblyforuseinthefilm,whichwasstillinpostproductionatthispoint.ItisunlikelythatPrinceconsideredthistapeforanyprotégéprojectorforany

futurepersonalalbum.Princeprobablywasn’t in attendance at this session, so any edits or changes

werelikelydonewithinstructionsfromPrinceoverthephone.

WEDNESDAY,APRIL25,1984*

TherewasdefinitelyasensethatthePurpleRainsoundtrackandentireprojectwas noteworthy.We had no idea that this thingwas going tosellhowevermanymillionsofcopiesthatitdid.Buttherewasasensethatiftheyhadn’tnoticedPrincebeforetheywouldnoticehimnow.—SusanRogers11

DuringthistimePrincemaintainedaVCRinthestudiotovieweditedfootage,and he continued to find potential spots for his music. A month earlier aninstrumentalversionof“Possessed”hadbeencreatedbymutingall thevocals.This would be copied to another tape, and thirty secondswere edited out forinclusioninthemovie.Iftheeditstookplaceduringthissession,itislikelythatanyinstructionscamefromPrinceoverthephone.

Status:Theinstrumentalof“Possessed”(7:48)wasedited(7:16)andplacedinthemovie during the scene whereMorris and Apollonia are having drinks atFirst Avenue just before Prince and the Revolution perform “The BeautifulOnes” (30:08–32:23 in the film).Although itwaspart of themovie score, thefullinstrumentaltrackhasn’tbeenofficiallyreleased.

MAY1984

WEDNESDAY,MAY2,1984

Sheila has a high, passable voice, but it’s the conga line of Latinrhythms that carries “The Glamorous Life,” a winning dance trackabout a gold digger who confesses, “Boys with small talk and smallmindsreallydon’timpressmeinbed.”—RollingStone1

WarnerBros.releasedSheilaE.’s“TheGlamorousLife”singleasapreviewofherupcomingalbumofthesamename.Theyhadgottenthetestprinting,whichincludedherrecentlyrecordedvocals,twoweeksearlieronApril18.Thespeedatwhichthisprojectwentfromstart tofinishshowsthatPrincewasexcitedtogethismostrecentmusicout intothemarket.“Hesawthatsomeofhismusichad an expiration date on it,” recalled Alan Leeds to writer Joseph Stannard,“and that whatever moods and thoughts that went into the new music weretimelyenoughthathewantedpeopletohearthemasquicklyaspossible.”2Over the course of his career, Prince almost always chose his newestmusic

insteadofhis archivalworks. It is a trait thatwouldbothhelpandhaunthim,causinghimtoabandonseveralpotentiallyincredibleprojectsoverthecourseofhis career simplybecausehe couldn’t finish and release themquickly enough.“Onedaysomeonewillreleasethem,”saidPrincein2012.“Idon’tknowthatI’llgettoreleasethem.There’sjustsomany,andIlikewritingnewstuff.”3In addition to his ego’s need to share his latest inspirations, Prince probably

sensedanurgencytogethisnewmusicoutintothevoidthatwasbeingleftbytheTime’s likelyabsence.The timingwascrucial,because it couldget lost inthe potential PurpleRain juggernaut, and once themoviewas released all hisenergywouldbespentpreparingforthefalltour.The reviewswere generally positive, and Sheila E.’s “TheGlamorous Life”

singlewouldpeakatnumber7ontheBillboardHot100chart.Although the previous year saw no new albums from Prince or any of his

protégés,1984wasturningintoafeast,withSheila’salbumleadingayearthatwould include the release of four albums of Prince-penned music along withmultiplenon-LPB-sides.

Thewholeexperienceatthatwarehousewasareallydifferentthing.Itkindofstandsout.Itwassetapart,awayfromotherbuildings.Usuallywewould rehearse in these industrial parks and they were busy.Wewould have hours where we couldn’t play because there werebusinessesbeingrunthere.—LisaColeman4

Prince returned toMinneapolis and beganworking at a new location at 9025Flying Cloud Drive in Eden Prairie.With the new studio came a new focus:familiarizetheRevolutionwithallthemusicfromPurpleRainfortheupcomingtourandanyupcoming liveevents.Butveryquicklyhe started recordingnewtracks.Asusual,Princewantedtocreate,andnowthathewasinhisownstudio,hebegantheprocessinthesamewayhedidtheprevioussummer:writeasong,shareitwithhisbandmemberstofleshitout,thenrehearseitforalivedebut.TheformulahadworkedverywellforPurpleRainthepreviousAugustandforthe Time twomonths later, but would it work again? Andmore importantly:Woulditbeasinspired?As with Sheila’s album, the accelerated timetable for new music was vital

because he likely wanted to create something unique and didn’t want to beinfluenced by Purple Rain’s success or failure. “I don’t want to make analbumliketheearlierones,”PrinceexplainedwhendiscussinghisAroundtheWorld inaDay album.“Wouldn’t itbecool tobeable toputyouralbumsbacktobackandnotgetbored?Idon’tknowhowmanypeoplecanplayalltheir albums back to back with each one going to different cities.”5 It isgenerallyreportedthatPrincebeganworkingonAroundtheWorldinaDayatthisstage,butadifferentPrinceandtheRevolutionalbumwasbeingcreatedthatwould likely rely evenmore on contributions from the Revolution, especiallyWendyMelvoinandLisaColeman.Infact,whenColeman’sbrotherDavidbroughtthesong“AroundtheWorldin

aDay”toPrincelaterthatsummer,helearnedthattherewasaprojectplannedbetween 1984’s Purple Rain and 1985’sAround theWorld in aDay: “Princetoldmethathewasreallyinterestedin[thesong“AroundtheWorldinaDay”]andthatthisisn’tthekindofthingthatwewoulddoonthenextalbum,butthealbumafternext,whichturnedoutthathechangedhismind.”“‘AroundtheWorldinaDay’wasn’tthetitleuntilthatsongcamealong,”Lisa

ColemanexplainedtoauthorMattThorneaboutthatcurrentcollectionofmusic,“and that was really far into the project. He was thinking of it as ‘PaisleyPark.’”6

Atthispointonly twotracks thatwouldbeplacedonAroundtheWorld inaDayhadbeen recorded:“PopLife” (February1984)andanearly recordingof“RaspberryBeret”(April1982).“PaisleyPark”(March1984)wasthenameofaninstrumentalthathadnothingincommonwiththesongthatwouldeventuallysharethename,soatthisstageanynewalbumhadnorealconceptorpointofview.Princehuddled in thewarehouse andbegan rehearsingand recording,butno

matter which project was going to be the next album, when it came tocollaboratingwith the entireband, itwas still obviouswhowasboss. “Idon’tsaythatwecollaborated,asmuchastheRevolutiontriedtoliveouthisdream,”BrownMarkmadeclearin2015.“WegotintothemindofPrince.Welearnedwhat it was he was trying to accomplish, so I think that was more of thecollaboration.Uslearning,‘Whatisityouarelookingfor?’”7“Believeme,ifhehadallowedmorecollaboration,Iwouldhavelikedtohave

hadmorecollaborationwithhim,”explainedMattFink,whocowroteatleastsixsongswithPrinceduringthe twelveyears theyplayedtogether.“Infact, Iwasalwaysthrowingideasathiminrehearsalsandjamsessions.”8“Our role in ‘PurpleRain’ is to fight togetour ideas in there,” according to

BobbyZ,“andthey’reinthere:Youknow,Matt’spianoparton‘PurpleRain’—or thewhole song ‘PurpleRain’ is theRevolution—or the stop on ‘ComputerBlue’wasasnaredrumpart.Youhadtogetyourlittleideasinthere.Andifhelikedit,youfeltlikeamillionbucksbecauseitworkedinthisamazingsoupofmusicthathewascreating.”9“[CollaborationwithPrince]wasareality,”accordingtoWendyMelvoin,“but

itdidn’tpaybills.”10No matter who was involved in the actual recordings, Prince made an

arrangementsoeveryoneinthebandhadsomefinancialreward.Eachmemberof the Revolution was granted a percentage, and everyone was given blanketcreditfortheircontributionstothemusicaspartofthebusinessarrangementtokeepeverythingasfairaspossible.Withtheadditionofamovieinthemix,Prince’sbrandwasexpanding,andso

washislistofemployees.“Hehadpersonnelaroundhimthathefeltconfidentwith;hewasvery,veryhappy,”recalledSusanRogers:Iremember...atthistimehestartedgettingawardrobedepartment,Louis[Wells]andVaughn[Terry]werehiswardrobeguys.HewascreatingalookforhimselfthatwasmuchmorefinishedthanhowhestartedwithDirtyMind and thencontinuedon 1999, butnowhewasgetting into exotic fabrics andreally refininghis lookand the lookofhisband.Hiswhole aesthetic sensewasdeveloping.Hewasbecomingamanofwealthandtaste.TheonlytimeIeversawhiminbluejeanswasoneday...hewas

wearingbluejeansandashortjeanjacketandbluejeansboots.Hewasatthewarehouse,andhewassohappy,hewasdancingaround,andmyselfandsomeoneelsebothwent toaskhimaquestionat thesametimeandwebothsaid,“Prince!”atthesametime.Andheswungaroundonhisheelandhesaid,“Imustbefamous!”AndIlookedinhisfaceandIrealizedheisfamous,andheknowsheisfamous,andheisdelightedtobefamous.11

LATEAPRIL/MAY1984(ESTIMATE)

Thatwasinthewarehouseandithappenedasjustanorganicgroove.Westartedagroove.—WendyMelvoin

Sometime in the late spring, Prince gathered members of the Revolution andbegan recording a new track called “Roadhouse Garden.” The song is a verysparse keyboard-driven number embellished with finger cymbals and soundeffectsthatcouldbefoundasstandardpatchesontheYamahaDX7(#31Train,forexample).TheDX7wasanewtoyforPrinceandthosearoundhim,andtheirexplorationofitwouldinfluencethesoundsinmanyofhissongs.The specifics of how “Roadhouse Garden” was initially recorded and what

band members were in attendance are unclear, but it is likely the song wascreated to christen the FlyingCloudDrivewarehouse and as a housewarminginviteforeveryonetojoinhimatthenewlocation.Bycombining“Roadhouse”(anoftenrough-lookingclubgenerallyfoundontheoutskirtsoftown,featuringloud music, dancing, and partying) with “Garden” (a section of land wherevegetables,fruits,andflowersarecultivatedoftencreatingfeelingsofcalm)heseemed to be poetically explaining his views on the new venue. The lyricscontainmultiplecluesabouthispurposeofthewarehouseforplayingmusic,thefact that they recorded day and night, the brown exterior potentially scaringpeople away, and his fondness for a home to record his music that nurturedcreativity and warmth. He even references the twenty-four individual trackslinedupon the recording console: “This is thegardenwhere emotionsgrow /Twenty-fourfeelingsallinarow.”12

Lyrics referencing letting emotions grow and opening your soul reflected amore1960sattitudeaboutnurturingaffection,whichwascountertosomeoftheangrier themes on Purple Rain. The previous year, in a spoken part of“Computer Blue,” Prince had touched on the concept of one’s home beingreflectiveofone’semotionalstate,butwhilethattrackcontainedtopicslikelust,fear,insecurity,hate,andpain,“RoadhouseGarden”wasmoreaboutaplacethatfostered hope and bonding with others, perhaps reflecting where he wasemotionally at this time. “It reminds me of a sunny day in Minneapolis andthings were good,” remembered Lisa Coleman. “We were in a good mood.Princewasreallyhappy.Itfeltlikeatruestory.”13“Inever askedhimaboutwhathemeant in certain songs,” revealedFink. “I

couldusuallyfigureitout,evenifitwasfairlycryptic.TheBeatlesdidstufflikethat all the time, so did Led Zeppelin. It was poetry, so some things didn’talwaysmakecompletesense,butitallworked,soIjustwentalongwithit.”14Thetrackcametogetherfairlyquickly,andhereachedoutforadditionalvoices

forthechorus,accordingtoSusannahMelvoin:“Irememberitbeinginthenewwarehouseandeverybodywaslike,‘We’vegottogoinandsingthisvocalwithhim.You’vegottocomeinthereanddothiswithus.’Itwasapartybasicallydoingthebackgroundvocals.”The finalmixof the chorus clearly featuredWendyMelvoin,LisaColeman,

and Susannah Melvoin, giving it a much lighter ambience than many of thePurple Rain tracks. Prince was relying on the sounds they’d bring to him, apracticethatunfortunatelyoftenleftothersoutoftherecordingprocess.“[WendyandLisa]werecertainlymoreinvolvedwithPrince’srecordingsthan

mostofthebandmembers,”accordingtoAlanLeeds.“Tobeveryblunt,therewasn’tmuchthateitherMarkBrown,MattFink,orBobbyZcouldplayontheirinstruments that Prince couldn’t play aswell or better. Thatwas not the casewithLisa.AndinWendy’scase, itwasn’t thatshecouldoutplayhim,but thatshehadadistinctkindof sound, and sheandLisabeing soclose, it’skindoflike,yougotone,yougottheotheranyway.”15Recording in the new warehouse opened the door for potential technical

problems,but thankfullySusanRogerswasonceagain involved inputting thestudiotogether:“Prince’sattitudewas:‘Let’sgo!Thisisgreat!’Hewouldmakeit great by sheer willpower. There was no time for technical perfection. Theobjectwastogetittapedasquicklyaspossible,andthat’swhatwedid.HewaseitherhappywiththesoundIgotforhimontapeorelsehedidn’tcomplainifthingswerebad.”16

“With Prince, there were no limits and rules,” explained Sheila E. “It wasbasically,‘Let’sjustsetupandplay.That’showthe[musical]gearshouldsound—thewaythatwehearit.’Itwasgeniushowhewouldworkthesethingsout.”17Once the trackwas recorded,PrincespentmuchofMayrehearsing thissong

witheverymemberoftheRevolutionastheypreparedforapotentialupcomingbirthdayshowonJune7.

Status: “Roadhouse Garden” debuted at Prince’s June 7 birthday celebration.The live version (4:30) and the studio version of the song (3:30) remainedunreleasedduringPrince’slifetime.In1999Princeflirtedwithusingthissongasa title track fora“new”Princeand theRevolutionalbum.“Ithassongson itthat feature theRevolution ina front role, asaband,”Prince explained toSonicNetOnlinein1999.18Whenitwasshelved,hewentonlineagaintoupdateits status: “RoadhouseGarden [the album] got sidelined 4 a sec but itwilltakeatthemost—3weex2finish.Mostofthetraxwerecool2beginwith.Theyjustneededminimalproductionandamix.”19The studioversionof “RoadhouseGarden”was includedon thePurpleRainDeluxe(ExpandedEdition)CDsetin2017.Itwascombinedwith“OurDestiny”(6:25)andnotissuedasaseparatetrack.


We’dfoolaroundandplaytogetherandacoupletimeswe’dcomeupwithwhatwethoughtwasasong.Princewouldhearitandlikeit—anditwouldbecomea“Princesong.”Therearestilla lotof thosesongsthatwe’verecordedwithPrinceon theshelf. Idon’tknow—theymaybeused,theymaynot.Butthey’rereallygoodsongs....Anythingwedidatthetimewefiguredwasfortheband,becausewefeltitwasourbandtoo.—LisaColeman20

Prince had been listening to themusic onPurple Rain for almost a year, andalthoughhe’dcreatedthesongsandtheywerelikechildrentohim,hewaslikelyvery tired of those tracks. Knowing that he was about to conduct a tour thatwouldconsistofplayingthatsoundtrackalmosteverynightforanotheryear,hewas hungry for new inspirations to take him in a different direction and onceagainreliedonWendyMelvoinandLisaColemantohelphimfindanewsound.“Itwasallofustogether,”Melvoinrecallsaboutwriting“OurDestiny.”“Allofus,wealldid it together.He’s thecandleon thecake.Wewerehis linechef,prepchefs.YouknowwhatImean?Agreatchefhastohavesomereallygoodcooksinhisroominordertomakethatmealanddeliverit.”Thetrackitselfwasaverysparsepieceofmusicthatwaslikelyrecordedwith

only those three in the studio. It is unclear whether Prince recorded the leadvocals for the studioversionof the trackduring the summerof1984,but it isprobable because the song was still being considered for the next Revolutionalbum. It was also mentioned as a likely track for the 1999 Prince and theRevolutionRoadhouseGardenalbum,soitisconceivablethatheaddedthematsomepoint.The songwould be rehearsed by the entire band and performed for Prince’s

birthdayshowatFirstAvenueonJune7,1984.Princewouldsing the leadonthetrackforitsonlyliveperformance.

Status:“OurDestiny”(3:00)remainedunreleasedduringhislifetime,butitwasedited together with “Roadhouse Garden” and included on the Purple RainDeluxe(ExpandedEdition)CDsetin2017.Theeditwasdoneatalaterdate,asboth trackswere recorded separately and considered two distinct songs. TheywereplayedtogetherduringtheirlivedebutatPrince’supcomingbirthdayshow,andthatisprobablywhytheywereeventuallycombined.StringswouldberecordedforthetrackinSeptember1984butwererepurposed

forthebeginningof“TheLadder,”whichwasreleasedonPrince’sAroundtheWorldinaDayalbumin1985.


Q: How did you feel when you heard “Strange Relationship” onPrince’s landmark ’87workSigno’ theTimes, strippedofyoursandLisa’scontributions?WendyMelvoin:Jealousthatournamewasnotonitandthathetookusoff.21

According to Susan Rogers, Prince revisited another track that he’d beenworking on the previous year: “‘Strange Relationship’ was one of those rareexamples ofwhen he had a song, and I remember him playing it back at theFlying Cloud Drive warehouse, and he had that one around for a while.Werecorded it and set it aside,whichwas atypical for him to take something hereallylikedandsetitaside.”Itisunclearhowmuchwasdoneonthissong,butRogersrecallsthatitwouldbeworkedonmultipletimesinthefuturebeforeitwasreleased:“Idon’tknowwhathewasaimingforandIdon’tknowwhyhewas dissatisfiedwith it. It seemed to be a strong song and always one ofmyfavorites.”

Status: “Strange Relationship” ultimately underwent multiple variations,including some that had Prince askingWendyMelvoin and Lisa Coleman toworkonwithouthim.“WegotamastertapethathadPrince’svocals,pianoanddrums,” according toMelvoin. “He said, ‘Take it and finish it.’SoLisa and IwentbacktoLosAngelesandcreatedtheotherpartstoit.ThesitarsoundcamefromasamplefromtheFairlight.”22When “Strange Relationship” was released on Sign o’ the Times (4:01), the

creditsomittedtheircontributions.

Anothertrackrecordedduringthisperiodwas“MostLikely2.”Noadditionalinformationcouldbefoundaboutthissong.

THURSDAY,MAY10,1984*

Iwastotallyfrustratedwitheverything,andithadbeenagreatrunbutIhadgottentoapointinmylifewhereIwasn’treallyhappywiththewayshitwasgoingdown....AndIstartedthinkingtomyselfthatit’sgettingtothetimeformetomoveon.—MorrisDay23

AraresessioninStudio1atSunsetSoundconsistedofafinaltweaktotheIceCream Castle album before it was output and sent to Bernie Grundman formastering. Prince wasn’t present. Neither was Morris Day, although he wasnoted as the producer. Itwould be the last timeDaywas listed on an officialstudiodocumentassociatedwiththeTimeformanyyears.IthasoftenbeenwrittenthatDayhadbasicallycheckedoutandleftthePrince

campin thespring,but therealitywas thatplanswerestillbeingdiscussedbyPrinceandthosearoundhimfortheTime—oratleastMorrisDayasasoloartist—tocontinuerecordingandtouringwithPrinceandpotentiallyperformonthePurple Rain tour. Day had not made up his mind about his plans. “I waitedbecauseIwasreallytryingtobecertain,”heexplainedin1985.“Idon’tliketobeprematureaboutmydecisions.”24“IgavePrince’scamptheopportunitybecausetheyknewIwasheadinginthe

direction of a solo record,” according to Day. “[Prince’s manager] SteveFargnoli came to my house and he’s like, ‘Yeah, you can do a solo record.Prince wants you to do a solo record, but Prince wants to be the executiveproducer.’SoIknowwhatthatmeans.Thatmeansthesameoldshit.SoIwaslike, ‘No thank you.’ I said, ‘I don’twant to do that,’ and so thatwas prettymuchit.”25With Day no longer living in Minneapolis, the confusion was compounded

becausealmostallcommunicationhadstoppedbetweenthetwocamps.“Itcametimeformetobreakawayandbuildmyowncastle,”confessedDayinthemid-eighties.“Ineededsometimetothinkaboutitbymyself.ThephonehadbeenringingsinceMay,butIwouldn’ttalktoanybody.Ineededtocomeupwithmyownconclusions.Idon’twanttosoundnegative.Itjustwasn’tgoodanymore.”26

MorrisDaywasanimportantpartofPurpleRain,butasofnowhenolongerpledgedhisallegiancetotheTime.Themoviehadyettobereleased,andplansforthepromotionofthefilmaswellastheiralbumwereallgoingtochange.Avideo for the title trackhadbeen shot in the spring and therewere two“live”performances in the movie, so half of the tracks on the album had potentialmusicvideostorelease.Withthissupplyofpromotionalmaterial,noonewouldknow that the Time had come and gone—the exception of course being theirobviousabsenceonPrince’stour.“Mostoftheoriginalmembersaregone,”saidDay.“IthinktheTimewillgo

on, but they’ll probably change the name. Right now, I have to look out formyself.”27Prince’stourmanagerAlanLeedsrecalledthefeelingswithinthebandat the

time:“JesseandJellybeanandJeromewantedtocarryonwiththeband,Morrisdidnot,andtherewerealotofinternaldifferencesamongstthemastowhetherornotthebandshouldcontinue.ItwasatthispointthatthefutureoftheTimewasbeingdecided,andithadsomehowendedupinJesseJohnson’slap.”28Ashehaddonethepreviousfall,JesseJohnsontooktheleadwhilerehearsing

the latest version of the band, which now contained most of the new lineupexceptDay. “Morriswas living inL.A. andpromising to comeback to rejoinrehearsalsatanytime,”explainedLeeds,“andheneverdid.PrincelostpatienceandfinallysaidtoJesse,‘Whatshouldwedo?Dowejustdisband?Dowegiveitup?Doweformanewgroup?DowecallittheTimeandgetsomebodynewupfront?Doyoutakeoverandwerenametheband?Whatdowedo?’”29Themembersofthebandremainedonthepayrollandcontinuedtheirroutine.

BandmemberMarkCardenas reveals their confusion: “Wewere still showingupattherehearsalhallandhangingoutandwaitingtoseewhatwasgoingon,andnothingwasgoingonanditwasreallydisheartening,becauseweknewthehypewasout there andwe’re all excited about goingon this tour.HowcomenobodyknowswhereMorrisis?”ThisleftJesseJohnsonasthewildcardwhenitcametocontinuingthebrand

andthebandname.Fornow,hewouldremainthedrivingforcewithinthebanduntilDaymadeuphismind.

WEDNESDAY,MAY16,1984

“When Doves Cry,” the first single from Purple Rain, is released to greatfanfare.TheB-sideis“17Days.”

THURSDAY,MAY17,1984

AtestpressingofPurpleRainismade.“I rememberwhenwe saw the album cover for the first time and I kind of

rememberthescuttlebutt,”reflectedRogers.“Justahandfulofemployees,roadcrew, and technicians and folks like that, talking about the cover, andeverybody’sgotacomplaintandeverybody’sgotanopinion.‘Oh,thoseflowerslook like celery’ or ‘Why this background andnot that?’Wedidn’t recognizewhatwewerelookingat.Wedidn’trecognizewhatthiswasgoingtobe,butIknowwewereallawareofthemomentum.”30

MONDAY,MAY21,1984

Itwasourthing.Itwasourhome.Itwas24hoursaday,sevendaysaweek. Itwas constant creativity, constanthigh. Itwasadventure.Youneverknewwhatwasgoingtohappen.—WendyMelvoin31

DezDickersonwas originally scheduled to perform at theMinneapolisMusicAwards,butheandhisband,theModernaires,wereontourwithBillyIdolandunavailable.Princewasaskedtostepin,andbecausehehadbeenrehearsingtheRevolution for the upcoming birthday show, they were able to use theperformancetostretchtheirmusclesinfrontofanaudience.Tonight was the live debut of all three songs played: the recently released

single “When Doves Cry,” the B-side “17 Days,” and the unreleased“Possessed.”Thereactionfromthecrowdwasincredible,butitwasonlyasmalltasteofhowaudienceswouldrespondoncethemoviewasreleased.Prince was also presented with the awards for Best Producer and Best

SongwriterandwasinductedintotheMinnesotaMusicHallofFame.Althoughhehad justperformed,Princechosenot tospeakandhadsomeoneelseaccepthisawardsinhisplace.

JUNE1984

Itwasmybaby. I knewabout it before it happened, I knewwhat itwasgoingtobe.Thenitwasjustlikelabor,likegivingbirth—in’84,itwassomuchwork.—Prince1

MONDAY,JUNE4,1984

SheilaE.’salbumTheGlamorousLife isreleased,andthecreditsstatethatthealbum was “directed by Sheila E. and the Starr Company.” Prince is notmentionedbyname,butaspecialthanksisgivento“TheBelleofSt.Mark.”“ItwasPrince’sideathathisnamedidn’tappearatall,”accordingtoSheila,“eventhough he’d co-produced the entire album, co-written most of the songs, andperformedonalmostallofthem.”2

TUESDAY,JUNE5,1984*

He’sapuremusicianandartistwhoissomuchmoreprolificthanyouraverage rock star.He’s constantly frustratedby the environmenthe’sin.He’sconstantlytryingtograspatnewideasbecauseit’snotmovingfast enough. There were years when he wrote and recorded fouralbums.Itaddedup,allthatstuff.—SteveFargnoli3

AlthoughPrincehadbeenpreparingforhisupcomingbirthdayconcertatFirstAvenueinMinneapolis,hewasinLosAngelesduringthefinaldaysbeforetheevent. He didn’t attend this editing session at Sunset Sound and sent hismanager,SteveFargnoli,ashissurrogate.Oncetheeditingandcrossfadingwere

complete, acopywasmadeandgiven toPrince.As itmightbeawhilebeforePrince recorded inLosAngelesagain, someofhis studio recordings thatwerestoredatSunsetSoundwereshippedtoMinneapolisviaFedEx.Laterthatevening,hemetupwithJillJonesandletherhearanearlyversionof

“OurDestiny”:“HeplayeditformeonJune6maybearound2inthemorning.Itwasjusthimonapiano.He’dlaiditdowninthestudioandhesaid,‘Iwantyoutohearthis.’I’llbehonestwithyou.Iwassittingtheregoingwhatthehellisthis?Itdidn’tsoundlikethecurrentradiostuff.(laughs)Andhegoes,‘Well,it’s going to be part of the show that I’m trying to do.’” Prince went on toexplainhisnextprojecttoherandherpartintheproduction.“Hewasgoingtouseallofusyetagain.Hewassortofalwayslikethat.LikethosemovieswhereMickeyRooneywouldsay,‘Let’sjustputonashow!’Imeanthatreallyishowhewas.Hehadthesparkofanewidea,andhewantedtofilmit.”PrinceflewbacktoMinneapolisthatdaytomakethefinalpreparationsforthe

upcomingbirthdayshowthatwasscheduledforJune7.

Status: It is likelythat“Let’sGoCrazy”wasediteddowntothesinglerelease(3:44)duringthissession.

Princewasworkinghisbandhardtocreatenewsongsfortheupcomingshow.Notcontenttopresentaliveversionofhiscatalog,heonceagainpushedtofindfresh and hopefully innovativemusic to share, and everyonewas expected toparticipate in his long jam sessions.WendyMelvoin found solace in Prince’sworking methods: “They were like meditations, total meditations. When thegroove hit that one plateau . . . it was incredible. It would be one chordprogressionforhoursonend.Princewouldbepracticingadancesteporcomingupwithlyrics.Hewasgroovingandplayingandsoloing.Onechordandyou’dfindyourplace.Itwaslikeamantra.”4LisaColemanagreed:“Itwasanexerciseinfindingthecogs,especiallywith

funkmusic,where there’s syncopation, soweweren’t playing on top of eachother.Wewere experts at getting in synch, two guitar players, two keyboardplayers.Princewouldcallforcertainpeopletodropoutorcomebackin.‘Lisa,whathaveyougot?’‘Let’ssee,Igotthis.’Whatchords,thingslikethat.Itwasanexercise—bandyoga,relayracing.Itwasgreattraining.WebecameOlympicmusicians.Itwasgreat.”5“AllDay,AllNight”wascreatedduringthisperiod,andPrincewantedittobe

heard even before a studio version was finished. “Pretty much every artist is

mostexcitedabouttheirmostrecentwork,”explainsSusanRogers.“Thatisthehighthatexistsfromrecordingandreleasingmusic,andyoudon’tgethighagainuntilthenextsongthatyouwriteandrecordandthatisthethingyou’dliketoshare.”PrincepreparedthebandtoplayFirstAvenueonceagainandtooverwhelmthe

hometowncrowdonemoretime.Ofcourse,hewouldn’thaveitanyotherway.

THURSDAY,JUNE7,1984

We’vegotsomestuffyou’llrecognizeandsomeyouwon’t.—Prince6

FirstAvenuewill always be associatedwithPrince.The odd thing is that toMinneapolislocals,itisjustanotherclubthathasfeaturedperformancesrangingfromU2toSoulAsylumtoB.B.Kingandcountlessotherperformersofeverygenre ofmusic, but because itwas featured in PurpleRain the nightclubwillforeverbethoughtofasPrince’shouse.ByJune1984he’dplayedthereatleastfive times, but they were all before the career catapult from his film. ThisbirthdayshowwasthelastliveperformanceofPrinceandtheRevolutionbeforethe release of themovie, and thiswas also the firstmajor public event of thesuper-hypeplannedforPurpleRain.He’dplaytheclubonlyahandfuloftimesafterthePurpleRainera,butitwouldrarelyhavetheintimacyofhisearlydays

becausehenolongerbelongedexclusivelytotheTwinCities;hewassharedbytheworld.Therewasavibeonthestreet,andeveryoneknewthatPrincewasonthecuspofsomethingepic.Thenightclubwasdecoratedwithpurplenapkins,anditwasclearthatthiswas

notonlyabirthdaypartybutachancetocelebratetheupcomingsingle,album,andmovierelease.Thesetlist(notincludingtheencore)wasbookendedbythecurrent release(“WhenDovesCry”)and itsB-side(“17Days”). It is likelyhedidn’t want to push any other tracks from the as yet unreleased Purple Rainalbum because he wanted to focus everyone’s attention on his revolutionarysingle.“Our Destiny,” “Roadhouse Garden,” and “All Day, All Night” had been

written and rehearsed during the previous several weeks, so they were freshtracksthatPrincewantedtoshareduringtheshow.Asalways,Princecontinuedlooking fornew influences to add tohismusic, andbecauseof several sharedmusical passions, he trustedWendyMelvoin and Lisa Coleman to add to hislexicon.Colemanrecalledthevarietyofmusictheyenjoyed:“Itwouldbethingsthatyouwouldn’tnecessarilythinkwouldhaveanyinfluence,like[1974album]Symbiosis...”“. . . Which was the Bill Evans record with [German composer] Claus

Ogerman’sorchestrawhichwasabigrecordthatLisaandIwerelisteningto,”addedMelvoin.“WealsoturnedhimontoalotofPeterGabriel.LisaandIwerebigSecuritypeople[PeterGabriel’s1982album]andallthoserecords...”“OrRickiLeeJones,orJoniMitchell,”repliedColeman,“andwewoulddrive

around inmycar,whichhad thebiggestandmostamazingstereosystemin itandwewoulddrive aroundand listen toVaughnWilliamsand [Prince] reallygotturnedontoclassicalmusicandgotintolisteningtoMahleranditwasreallyinteresting.”7Prince respectedwhatMelvoin andColemanwere bringing to him somuch

that the live version of “Our Destiny” began with a short sample from thebeginning of Bill Evans’s “Symbiosis 1st Movement (Moderato, VariousTempi)” that was recorded from the actual Symbiosis LP, including the staticpopsandclicks.Itwasn’tjustthosenewsongswiththeRevolutionthatwereimportant.Nineof

twelvesongsplayedweretracksPrincewantedtopromoteinsomeway.“NoonRendezvous” was being released that same week by Sheila E. It makes totalsensethathe’dbeshowcasingthetrack(and“EroticCity,”whichfeaturedheraswell)topromotehisnewprotégée,whowasalsoinattendancethatnight.Prince

eventually introducedher fromthestage,butshespent time in thecluband intherecordingtruckaswell.Princehadalotridingonthesuccessofheralbumnowthatitappearedthatthe

Timewasn’tgoingtobeafunctioningsideprojectanymore.Duringthisperiod,PrincewasstilltryingtobrokersomethingwithMorrisDaytocontinueworkingtogether,but itwasn’t lookinghopeful.During“Something in theWaterDoesNotCompute,”asonghehadneverpreviouslyperformedlivewithhisfullband,Princestarted jammingon theguitarandsaid,“Jesse,”as ifhe’s showinghimhow it was done. It is unclear if Jesse Johnson was in attendance, but thecommentwasvery timelybecauseJohnsonwouldbefrontingfor theTimeforthefirsttimethefollowingnightattheMinnesotaBlackMusicAwards.Theencorefeaturedthecrowdsinging“HappyBirthday”toPrinceandended

with the livedebutof the recentB-side “IrresistibleBitch”and theunreleased(butpotentialB-side)“Possessed.”ItwasobviousPrincewashappy,basedonhisperformance.Whentherewasa

mistakeonakeyboardpartin“SomethingintheWater,”hedidn’tgetupset.Hesimplysaid,“Eww,thatdon’tcompute.”Healsosmiledhiswaythroughminormistakesin“IrresistibleBitch”and“WhenDovesCry.”Duringthisshow,Prince’sperformancewasn’taboutlookingtoofarforward.

Thiswasn’t aboutPurpleRain, and itwasbarely about 1999.Thenear futurewould overshadow everything he’d ever done, and there is noway hewasn’tawareofthat,buttonightwasaboutthisfertileplacewherehewaslivingatthatverymoment.

Status:Princecombined“OurDestiny”and“RoadhouseGarden”intoonetrackduringtheconcert,althoughtheywererecordedindividually.Theliveversionsofbothsongsremainunreleased.

FRIDAY,JUNE8,1984

People really did sit up and take notice. He was different. He wasuniqueandhewasturningitupsidedownonwhatwasnormalinthisbusiness.Iappreciatedhiminthatway.Heinjectedsomelifeintotheeighties.(laughs)—PeggyMcCreary8

As he’d done with his August 3, 1983, show, Prince listened to the liveperformancesohecoulddecidewhether topursuethetracksasperformedandtweak themtomaintain theirenergyor todiscard themandstart fromscratch.He was likely focusing on the performances of “All Day, All Night,” “OurDestiny,”and“RoadhouseGarden,”comparing them toanystudioversionsashe’d donewith other live experiments in the past. “Therewere songs that thebandwasworkingoutat thewarehouse,”according toRogers.“Wedid it liveandhemixeditwiththelivemixyouheardonthosetapes.”9Itislikelythatheworkedonadditionalmusic,butitisunclearwhattookplace.

The sessions occurred earlier than usual because Prince was expected at thePromCenterforthe3rdAnnualMinnesotaBlackMusicAwards.

Status:Theonly trackPrince seemed topursuebasedon the liveperformancewas“AllDay,AllNight”(5:27),whichwaseventuallyoverdubbedandreleasedby Jill Jones. It is uncertainwhether itwas considered for anyPrince and theRevolutionprojects.

FRIDAY,JUNE8,1984

Itwastimeformetoleave.Thingsweren’trightforme.—MorrisDay10

MorrisDaywasn’tcomingback, so Jesse Johnsoncontinued toworkwith thebandastheguitaristandreplacementsinger.“Idecidedtohangbecausethereisalwaysabusinesssidetoeverythingyouaredoing, too,”Johnsonexplainedinan interview with Donnie Simpson. “And the business side is to continue toworkbecauseyou’vegottolive,andyoutriedtomakethatworkbutMorriswasdefinitelynotintoit.Morrislikedisappeared...becausehedidn’twanttobeapartofitanymore.”11

Princewasprobablystillenjoyingtheexcitementfromthepreviousevening’sbirthdayshowwhenhewasgivenanothertasteofhometownloveandpresentedwith the award for Most Valuable Performer in the R&B category at theMinnesotaBlackMusicAwards.Atthesameevent,thenewversionoftheTimewas going to be tested with Johnson as the lead, even though they weren’tofficiallyscheduledtoplay.“[Jesse]hadbeensinginginrehearsalswithus,sowewerecool,”remembersTimememberJerryHubbard.“Sothisisthefunniestthing that happened. Right when Jesse said, ‘Ya’ll ready to do this?’ and thelightsweredownandpeopleweregoingcrazy,JellybeandrummedtaptaptapandthenextthingIknowPrincerunsuponstage,andwe’relike,‘What’sgoingonhere?’Prince ran upon stage andhe grabbed themic andhe sang ‘I, I’vebeenwatchingyou.’AndhestarteddoingMorris.Itwasthebestthingeverman.Princeturneditout.Itwassogreat.SoPrinceactuallydidthatperformancewithus.”ItisunclearwhetherasecondsongwasperformedandJohnsontookthelead,

but thiswouldbe theironlyshowwithJohnsonpotentially taking theplaceofDay.ThefollowingyearPrincepubliclyvoicedhisdisapprovalofJohnsoninsucha

prominent role: “Jessewanted to be in front all the time.And I just don’tthink God puts everybody in that particular bag. And sometimes I wasblunt enough to say that to people: ‘I don’t think you should be thefrontman.IthinkMorrisshould.’”12Johnsonwouldeventuallygoon tohaveavery successful career leadinghis

owngroup,butatthismomentPrincecouldn’tseehispotential;hetauntedtheremainingmembersoftheTimebackstagebycomplimentingMazarati,anotherlocal groupwho had performed that evening andwas gaining some notoriety.Princeopenlydiscussedtheplanshehadforthemiftheysignedwithhim.“PrincewashypingMazaratiup,”recallsHubbard.“Wewerethinking‘Whyis

hedoingthat?’Youknow,wewanthimhypingtheTimeup.Andsohe’stellingusabouthowMazarati’sgoingtodothis,andtheiralbum’sgoingtobesickandblah,blah,blahandwe’relike,‘Wow.He’sreallyintoMazarati,’andthat’sthefirsttimeweheardaboutthat.Youcouldfeelsometensiongoingonalready,butitwasn’ttothepointwheretheywerefightingorarguing,butJessewasalittlesalty, I think, because hewas trying to keep the Time going.And it felt likePrincewasmaybemovingonandgetting intoMazarati.And so itwasa littletenseinthebackthere.”

“PrinceneededsomeonetotaketheplaceoftheTime,soIthinkMazaratiwasitandhewassoexcited,”recallsMazaratimemberTonyChristian.“WeplayedatthePromCenterwiththeTimeandIguessweblewtheTimeaway.Iguessthere were more Mazarati fans in the audience, and the Time was older andMorrisDaydidn’tshowup.”PrincewasintriguedenoughwithMazaratithathesignedthem,causingeven

morechaoswithintheTime,whichbythispointwasbasicallytheTimeinnameonly.Anylong-termplanswereupintheairbecauseJohnsonwasn’thappyandDaywasn’t there,which confused everyone. The lack of communicationwithDaymadeatourpracticallyimpossible.“IknowtheguyswerewonderingwhyIleft,” reasoned Day, “especially the new band members who weren’t aroundlongenoughtounderstandeverythingthatwasinvolved.IknowIdisappointedthembecause theywere soundinggood in rehearsal.Theywere anxious tohittheroadandhaveagoodtime.”13Itwasn’tjusttheactualbandwhowantedtheTimetotour.Princehadalways

planned on an epic “battle of the bands” tour to promote themovie, and it isunderstandable that he was hurt when the plans changed. “We never got achancetodotherealPurpleRain tour,”Princeconfessedin2004,“becausetheTimebrokeup.”14Perhaps theTimewouldeventuallyget theiract together,butPrincecouldn’t

wait onDay any longer, anddecisionshad tobemade about the statusof theband—andmoreimmediately,theupcomingtour.PrincegatheredtheremainingmembersoftheTimeandexplainedittothem,asHubbardrecalls:“Hecameinandsaid,‘Youguysaren’tgoingtotourwithme,’andthenwewerequestioninghim: ‘What’s going on?’And I remember the excuse that he gave uswaswecouldmakemoremoneyhavingaTimeTourandaPrinceTour thanhavingaPrinceandTimeTour.AllIrememberisjustbeingcrushed.We’renotgoingonthe Purple Rain Tour? We’re in Purple Rain. (laughs) How’s that going towork?”Johnsondecideditwasn’tworkingforhimeither,andwhenhewasoffereda

contractwithA&MRecords,hefollowedDay’slead.Itwasadifficultdecisionbecause Prince and Johnson had been through a lot and Prince respected hisguitarworkandhishonesty.“Jesseistheonlyonewhowentawaywhotoldwhat happened, what really went down with the band,” explained Prince.“Hesaidtherewasfriction,becausehewasinasituationthatdidn’tquitesuithim.”15

WhenhefirstmovedtoMinneapolis,JohnsonlivedinPrince’shouseandtheybecameclose,soJohnsonknewhe’dhavetodiscusshisplanswithPrinceasafriendandasanemployee.Beforeheleft,Princetookhimforadrivetoconsiderpotentiallong-termplanswithanewbandhehopedtocreatethatwouldreplacetheTime: “Prince gaveme the option to stay and be in theFamily . . . and Iremember asking him if I’d be able to get to write and he said, ‘No.’ It wasreally tough forme tounderstandbecause thiswas aftermecowriting ‘JungleLove’withhim,‘IceCreamCastles,’‘IftheKid. . .’andallofthatstuff,soIjustdidn’tunderstandbecauseI’vemore thanprovedthatI’macapablewriternow.AndsoI turneditdown.Ididn’tyellandscreamandcurseandgooff.Ijustsaid,‘Heyman,I’llbringsomebodytomorrowtopickupmystuff.’”16Insteadoffocusingallofhisenergyonhismusic,Princehadspentagreatdeal

of time working on the Time, but he was getting diminishing returns on hisinvestment. The previous May he’d replaced Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, andMonte Moir. One year later Prince’s tight grip was squeezing out additionalmembers,buttherewasnoreplacingMorrisDayandJesseJohnson.TheTimehadfinallyexpired.Theyleftbehindamulti-albumlegacyaswellasanalbum’sworthofmaterial

thatwouldhavetositontheshelf.Combinedwithhisotherprojects,Princewasamassing a vault of material that would either be repurposed or remainunreleased.Heneededanotheroutlet,butevenmore,heneededtoprovetothosewho had left him that he could do it without them.Alan Leeds recalled howquickly the new plansweremade: “All I know is, they came back from theirdrive,Jessegothisthings,gotinhiscarandleft.Princegrabbedthethreeguys[PaulPeterson, JellybeanJohnson,andJeromeBenton]andme, tookus tohishouse,andsatdownandspontaneouslydevelopedanideaforanewband.”17AccordingtoPeterson,“Princesatusdownandsaid,‘Thoseguysaregoneand

thisiswhat’sgoingtohappen.I’mgoingtoformanewband.’Thenhepointedatmeandsaid,‘Paulyou’retheleadsinger’andIjustaboutfelloutofmychair.Hereallydidtakecareofhispeoplebackinthosedays.”Installinghimasthesinger for thenewbandwasn’t entirelyuntested.Peterson (whohad just beengiventhenickname“St.Paul”byPrince)speculatedthatitdatesbacktofilmingPurpleRain:“Hemusthaveheardmesinging.ThedressingroomsfortheTimeand Princewere separated by cloth at FirstAvenue.Before the showsMorrisDayandIwouldhavealittlesingoffandIwouldburyhim.Againnodisrespectto Morris, we were just having fun being boys and Prince must have heardthat.”18

SusannahMelvoinwasalsoaskedtojointhegroup.Hetoldherthat“thesearegreatplayersandtheTimehasdisbandedandIwanttogivethesepeopleaplacetolive.Idon’twantthemoutonthestreet,basically.”Melvoinexplained:ItwasPrince’sconcepttoputustogether.Thereason[theband]wascalled“theFamily”wasbecausewehadallbeenworkingwithinthePrinceorganization:Iwasthestaffsinger;[PaulPeterson]wasthekeyboardplayerfortheTime;[andJellybeanJohnson]wasthedrummerfortheTime.WhentheTimedisbanded,weallfeltbad,becausetheywereabad-assband.ButeverybodywantedtoplayandPrincewantedtohearpeopleplay.Hewasalsoinaplacewherehewasfertilewithmusic.Hesaid,“We’relike a big family here . . . I’m going to get [Peterson], because people don’t realizewhat a bad-asssingerheis.Youguyswillbetheleadsingersintheband.We’regoingtodothis,we’regoingtoplaytogether.Howaboutthat?”19

Once the Time’s lead singer and guitarist were gone, Prince decided not tosimplyre-create thesoundand imageof theTime.Hewas looking to take thefunkinanewdirection,aswitnessedbyPeterson:“Hehadavisionforputtingpeople together and I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. I mean,producers, good producers, do that in the studio, but he not only did it in thestudio—hedidn’thavetoactually,hediditallhimself—buthewasabletodoitvisually.Howdoyou tell a storywith theseparticularpeople?Whowouldberightforthestory?Andmostimportantly,whatisthestory?”20

According tomanyaroundhim,Princewas inspired tooverseemore thanonegrouptofillthespotleftbytheTime.HewasformingtheFamilybutwasalsointerestedinMazarati.

JUNE1984(ESTIMATE)

I think that was a very productive and a very happy time in his life.Unlikemanyyoungpeoplewhomighthavereachedthatstageandjustlostit,hehadthebullbythehorns.Hehadthereinsandhewasgoingto take thisas farashecould take itandgetasmuchoutof itashecould.—SusanRogers21

ItwasfullspeedaheadforPrince,andhepushedtogetasmuchdoneaspossiblebeforetheinevitabletourpreparationsdemandedhisfullattention.Althoughthemoviewasn’tout,therewasavibeineveryrecordingsessionthatthiswasgoingto be his summer. “You did not see fear or trepidation on his part at all,”reflectedSusanRogers.“Hewasconfident;hehadgottenwhathewished for,whichwas tobehuge,and itwascomingandheknew it, andhehadnotoneshredofdoubtinhispersonalitythatitwasso.”22It is unclear exactlywhen “100MPH”was recorded, but it is likely to have

beenstartedaroundthisperiod.Thetrackitselfbeganasadrivingbutrelativelysparse keyboard, guitar, and bass song that was eventually filled in withadditionalguitarandkeyboards.Thetunewasfairlyrepetitiveandsoundslikeitwasbasedaroundakeyboardriff,whichwascommonforPrince.“Weplayalottogether,”WendyMelvoin toldMusician magazine in 1984. “When we jam,we’ll get caught in a groove and, knowing each other’s style sowell,we cancreateasong.That’showalotofstuffgetscreatedandarranged.”23During this period Prince was considering many of his songs for both the

FamilyandMazarati.“Rightafterwesigned,‘100MPH’wasthefirstdemowereceivedfromhim,”

remembers Tony Christian. “I loved the song. I loved that song so much.[Prince]said,‘IwrotethissongespeciallyforMazarati.“100MPH”isperfect.’So,Iwaslike,‘Okay.’Nowwhetherhewroteitbeforehandorifhejusttookitoutofthevaultthinkingitwouldbeperfectforus,whoknows.”PrincemayhavehadtheTimeonhismindwhenworkingonthetrack,asright

after he says, “Cool, cool, cool” (4:09 in the extended version) there is abass/synth-linestraightfromtheTime’s“Cool.”JerryHubbardhadbeenintheTime,butafterthesplithewasaskedtostayon

as thebassplayerfor theFamily,andPrinceplayedafewsongsforhimfromthevault:Oneof thesongsheplayedformeblewmymind.I’llneverforget,myfacewassocontorted,Iwaslike, “OhmyGod.”He played “100MPH,” and he said, “Doyou think thiswould be good for theFamily?”AndIsaid,“ItwouldbegoodfortheFamily.Iwouldlovetohaveit.”(laughs)Iwaslike,“DudethatisthemostfunkythingIeverheard.”Hewaslike,“Yeah,it’sfunky,ain’tit?”Heplayedme“100MPH”andthen“WonderfulAss”andanothertrack.Ithoughthewasgoingtoputtogetherthealbum from tapes from the vault, and then not too long after that someone start telling me, “He’sworkingonawholenewalbum.”AndIwent,“Really?”

“Hehadbroughtacoupleof tracksintoitanditwasjustmisguided,”agreedSusannahMelvoin. “Prince didn’t know at the time once he putme and Eric[Leeds]andPaultogether,whatitwasreallygoingtoturninto.”

Status:“100MPH”(7:23)wasgiventoMazaratifortheir1986debutalbum.“Itwasmainly justvocalworkandagoodmixon it,” recallsBrownMarkaboutworkingon the songwithMazarati, “andwe reallydidn’tdoanythingon thatsong.”Aneditedversion(3:09)wasalsocreatedandreleasedasasingle.

According toSusanRogers,“[‘100MPH’]was recordedwith tempvocalsbyPrinceattheEdenPrairiewarehouse.Idon’trememberthoseexactdates,butitwas done right around theAround the World in a Day time period.”24 Thealbum credits state that it was recorded at Sunset and doesn’t list anycontributions from Rogers, but incomplete credits were common on many ofPrince’salbumsaswellashissideprojects.

FRIDAY,JUNE22,1984

WeallcametogetherandPrincedesignedtherecord.Hedidn’tgiveussongshe had in the vault. Thesewere fresh songs designed for us.—SusannahMelvoin25

Prince wanted each band to have its own individual look and identity (eventhoughmanyofthemweresimplyextensionsofhisownpersonality).Mazaratiwasanestablishedbandwithitsownlookandsound,soPrincespentsometimesearching for a unique look and sound for the Family as well. Today Princerecorded the basic tracks for what would become the Family’s first originalsong,butbytheendofthesessiontherewasnomelody,justarepeatinggroovethat contained a few turns, so it could have gone to any of his potential sideprojects.“Weweresupposedtohavethatoneaswell,”laughsMazaratimemberTonyChristian.“Ithinkweturnedthatonedown,orhetookitback.Somewherealongtheprocessitdidn’tworkout.”Itlikelyconsistedmainlyofdrums,bass,and keyboards, but it had very little distinct personality to it. “‘Mazerati’wasjust an instrumental idea he was fleshing out,” recalled Susan Rogers.

“Originally itwas titled ‘Mazerati,’but itbecameobvious that itwasgoing tosoundalotmoreliketheFamily,soheretitledit.”26Once it was given to the Family, Prince changed the title as a tribute to

SusannahMelvoin,whobythistimewashisgirlfriendaswellasthefemaleleadsingerintheband.EricLeedswascreditedasthecomposerofthistrack,butatthispointonlyPrincewasinvolvedinthetune.Ifthiswasthedirectionoftheband,theywouldn’tstandout.Thesong—andin

fact,thebanditself—neededsomethingtomakeitdifferent,butattheendofthesessionthepathwasstilluncertain.

Status:Itisunclearifitwasatypo,butaccordingtotheWarnerBros.vaultthesongwas loggedas“Mazerati” (3:56)andnotMazarati (theband)orMaserati(thecar).Thetrackwasretitled“BMW”andultimately“Susannah’sPajamas,”featuring Eric Leeds—who drastically changed the song—on sax. It wasreleasedonAugust19,1985,astheseventhtrackontheFamily’slonealbum.ItwouldalsobetheB-sidetotheband’ssecondsingle,“HighFashion.”

MONDAY,JUNE25,1984

There isa correlationbetweenPrince’sprofessional struggleand themovie’sstoryline.It’saverystrongrelationship.—AlbertMagnoli

ThePurpleRain soundtrack is released.The fascinating thingabout themusiconPurpleRainisthat,inretrospect,itseemssoobvious,butPrincecarvedhisown unique niche. “[Purple Rain] was in sync with what was happening inmusic,”reflectedLisaColeman.“Weweretryingtomixuptheblackandwhitething.PurpleRainwasourwayofmarryingthosetwoworlds.IlistentoitnowandIsay‘Nooneplaysmusiclikethatanymore!’Itwasslammin’.”27“Prince worked real hard to create music that appealed to the mainstream

whichhedidwithPurpleRain,”concurredMattFink.“ItwasinclusivetoalltheethnicgroupsinAmerica.Atthetime,MichaelJacksonkindofkickeditoffandthenMTVpickeduponit.Sotherewasn’tthesegregationthatwasprevalentintheindustrybackthen.”28Ofthealbum’sninesongs,morethanhalfwouldbereleasedassingles,twoof

which (“Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry”) reached number 1 on theBillboardHot 100 chart.The title song peaked at number 2, andmany of thealbum tracks stillget radioairplaymore than thirtyyears later.Obviously, themusiconthesoundtrackwascreatedbyPrince,andasthealbum’sproducerhe

hadfinalsayonthetracklist,buthowdidthoseninetracksgetthenod?Eachofthe trackswasvital for themovie,andwhen themusic for the filmwasbeingdecided, Prince conferred with the director, Albert Magnoli, who gave hisapproval forwhatwouldwork in the contextof themovie. “Whenpeople sayPurpleRain, there’s a verygood chance that thePurpleRain albumwouldn’thaveevenhad‘PurpleRain’onthealbum,”explainsMagnoli.“There’saverygoodchancethatnoneofthosesongsinthewaytheywerecomprisedtogetherwould have been there.When I sat downwith Prince, Prince goes, ‘Here’s ahundredsongs.’Hedoesn’tknowwhat themusic isyet.And thenIgo, ‘Icanusesomeofthese,butIdon’tevenknowIneedthatuntilthenarrativeisdone.’Thefilmshapesthehundredsongs.Butthefilmcan’texistunlessthehundredsongsexist.Andthehundredsongsdon’tfindalifeunlessthefilmbringsittolife.Sothequestionis,ifitwasjustanalbumwoulditbethatalbum?Becausethose songs were selected for a narrative. Would that album have had thosesongs?Thereisnowaytoknow,butprobablynot.”The PurpleRain soundtrack doesn’t containmusic that doesn’t fit the story.

During the process, songs like “Electric Intercourse”were eliminated becausethe tone of the story changed.With the exception of the album’s end, whichfeatures “Purple Rain” instead of “IWould Die 4 U”/“Baby I’m a Star,” thereleaseduplicatestheorderofthetracksinthemovieandallowsthestorytobetoldinsong.Thealbumstandsonitsown,butwhenseeninthecontextofthemovie, the links are obvious and it complements instead of confuses themessage.Princehadsharedsomewritingcreditsinthepast,butPurpleRaincontained

his largestpublicly recognizedcollaborationup to thispoint inhiscareer.TheRevolution,aswellasPrince’sfather,JohnNelson,areallgivencreditfortheircontributions. Coleman explained that this was because of theway the trackswerecreated:“Alotofthosesongscameupduringrehearsal.Weallhadahandinwriting.”29Itwasn’tjustthewritingthatwasdifferent,itwashowmanyofhisbandmates

actuallyplayedonthealbum.“Thebandparticipatedinaboutthree-quartersofthesongson thePurpleRain album,”declaredMattFink.“Itwasa lotof fundoingthatalbum.”30Despite the unprecedented help on the soundtrack by the Revolution and

Apollonia (who joinedhim forhis first duet), at the core it is aPrincealbum.PurpleRainisverypersonal,andonatleastfourofthetracksheexpresseshispain throughhis screams.His lyrics are filledwithmanyof thecontradictions

Princeseemedtoenjoynurturing.Hewasstrongandyetvulnerable,hecravedattention andyetwas shy, andhe straddled the fine linebetween raunchyandrestrained.Thereviewswerealmostuniversallypositive.ItseemedlikePrincehadfinally

hithisstride,andwhilethecurtainmaynothavebeenopen,wewereabletogetabriefpeek,andPrincecameoffasaccessibleandevengrateful.Thecreditsforthe album recognize those around him, including finally giving people likePeggyMcCrearyherproperthanks.Prince worked hard on appearing strong, but that image wasmainly for the

stage. When he was doing interviews or other appearances, he came off asextremely vulnerable,which often caused fans to instinctivelywant to protecthimandtakecareofhim.Howmuchof itwasanactandhowmuchwasrealcanbedebatedwithoutanyrealconclusion,butwhenitcametimeforthecriticstorespondtotherecord,hebehavedasifthiswashisdebutalbum.“ApolloniaandI sleptunderahotel tablewaiting for thereviews [of thealbum],”heclaimed. “Wewere so excitedwe couldn’t sleep.Whenwe saw them, theywereallgood.”31Themusical alchemy that came from blending the personalities of the band

withhisvisionpaidoff.Thealbumrocketedtothetopofthechartsandstayedatnumber1fortwenty-fourweeksuntilmid-January,keepingBruceSpringsteen’sBornintheUSAandMadonna’sLikeaVirginbattlingforthenumber2and3spotsformuchoftheyear,andbecameoneofonlyfivealbumstotopthechartin 1984. (The others were Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Huey Lewis and theNews’sSports,theFootloosesoundtrack,andBornintheUSA.)Itwascertifiedas platinum by the end of the summer, selling ninemillion copies in the firstsevenmonthsafteritsrelease.PurpleRainstillfindsitselfnearthetopofmost“Bestof”lists,withRollingStone listing it as the number 2 album of the 1980s. In 2012 the Library ofCongress added the album to the National Recording Registry, which onlyaccepts sound recordings that “are culturally, historically, or aestheticallyimportant,and/orinformorreflectlifeintheUnitedStates.”The influencePrincehadon culture is difficult to quantify.There havebeen

otherswhowereabletostandontherazor’sedgeofmale/femalefashionandbewidelyaccepted.DavidBowieandLittleRicharddidit,butthereareveryfewwhocarriedthequalityofmusicandthecrossoversexappeal.Thealbumwasacareer-changingtriumph,butcouldthemovieduplicatethat

success?

WEDNESDAY,JUNE27,1984

PrincewasinvolvedwithSusannahatthistimeandhewrotenewbasictracksvery,veryfast.—SusanRogers32

Onanemotionallevel,Princewasinadifficultspotandtheweightoftheworldwasonhisshoulders.ItiseasytoforgetthatPrincehadjustturnedtwenty-six,andmultimillion-dollar planswere being drafted based on his talent, or,moreaccurately,basedonhowthepublicwouldreacttohistalent.Hisdebutmovie,PurpleRain,wasscheduledtoopeninamonth,andthesoundtrackalbumhadjustbeenreleasedtoexcellentreviews.Thefirstsingle,“WhenDovesCry,”hadenteredthechartonJune2andwasatnumber3ontheHot100chartsfortheweek of June 30, just behind Duran Duran’s “The Reflex” and BruceSpringsteen’s “Dancing in theDark.”By July7 itwould rise twomore spots,givingPrincehisfirstnumber1song,whereitremainedforfiveweeks.Arrangementswerebeingmadeforanepictourtostartinthefall,butonlyif

the movie was a success. If the movie tanked, it could destroy the upwardmomentumofhiscareerpath,andamuchmoremodesttourwouldtakeplace.Asapersonwhoneededtocontroleverythinginhislife,theprospectwaslikelybothscaryandintriguingtoPrince.Thelastyearhadbeenoneofmajorchangesin his staff andhis friendships, and the tighter his grip, themore peopleweresqueezedout.AmongthecasualtieswereJimmyJam,TerryLewis,MonteMoir,Dez Dickerson, Don Batts, Vanity, and, most recently,Morris Day and JesseJohnson.AsexcitedasPrincewasabouttheprospectsofhismovie,therewasapartofhimthatwasangryatthosehefelttriedtodestroyhiskingdom,andthiswouldonceagainbe reflected inhismusic.He’dalready lost theTimeas theexpected opening band for his upcoming tour, and he was in the middle ofreadjusting his long-term and short-term plans. The short-term plans includedrecordingasongthatreflectedhisneedtotakebackhissideprojectanddevoteevenmore passion to the new bands, proving that he could do it without the

Time.“ItwasanoutgrowthofthefactthattheTimewasbreakingup,”reflectedAlan Leeds. “Prince finally threw up his hands and said, ‘I’ll show thosemotherfuckers.’”33TheprocessofhowandwhyPrincewrotesomeofhismusicisoftenhidden:“I

don’tliketotalkaboutmysongs.Letpeoplemakeuptheirownminds.”34Leedsagreed:“There’ssomethingabouthismusic that is sopersonal thathe

justdoesn’tsharewithothers,meaningthemeaningofcertainsongs.Andit’sallbasedonwhat itmeans tohim,howthesongmakeshimfeel,what it remindshimof.”35And then there are songs that can be easily understood when looked at in

context. “Mutiny” isanexampleof this, andhepouredhis frustration into thetrack.Borrowinga repeatedgroove fromPrince’s1981song“Controversy” (which

he had already revisited in the song “1999”), “Mutiny” was a pointed jab atMorris Day’s departure from Prince’s circle of influence. Many of the lyricsincluded references to the problems with Day over the last few months,including “Maybe you should have called,” and he claimed ownership of thenewbandwiththechant“Mutiny!IsaidI’mtakin’over...”36afterexplainingthatnoonegetsawaywithdoinghimwrong.PrincewasthrowinginsultsatDayandJohnsonbyproxy,usingthevoiceofPaulPeterson,areplacementmemberoftheTimeandnowthefaceoftheFamily.Inessence,whatPrincewashavingPeterson say was that Day’s time was over because the new man had takencontrol of that ship.To sharpen thepoint,Prince (usinghisMorrisDay/JamieStarrvoice)callsoutJohnson’snameat1:58ontheoriginalrecordingandthentauntsDayby referencinghisonstage insult fromtheTime’sOctober4,1983,show.Duringthatconcert,DayaskedPrince,“Youtook,butdidyougive?”andinresponse,Princeasked,“Morris?Didyougive?”During this session Prince used the phrase twice more, on “High Fashion”:

“Donation...doyoutakeordoyougive?”37andattheendwithathrowaway“Doyoutake?”38ItwasobviousthatPrincewashurtbywhathefeltwasDay’sbetrayal,andasusual,musicwashisweaponofchoicetostrikeback.“The relationshipwith these guyswas competitive, and in [Prince’s]mind it

was like, ‘There isnocompetitionhere,bro,because, I’m thebad,badassonerightnow,’”reflectsSusannahMelvoin.“PartofitwouldhavebeenacomebacktoMorris.”“HighFashion”(or“HiFashion,”asitissometimeswritteninthenotes)was

notonlythenameofasong, itwasalsotheconceptfor thebandandfor their

style,anditwouldbestronglyconsideredasanameforthealbum.IftheTimewaswearing1950s-styleclothing,theFamilywasgoingtosport1920sstyleineveryway.Classy,clean,andfunky,butallwithhighfashionsense.Itwasn’tacoincidencethatboth“Mutiny”and“HighFashion”usedthephrase“allthewayvogue.” “The Time was more street urban,” explained Jellybean Johnson. “Ithinkhewantedthistobemoreofaclassy,jazzytypeofgroup.HewantedittobedifferentthantheTime.Hewantedtofeatureagreatsaxplayer,anddojazzinstrumentals,andfeaturepopsongswithPaul,whohadtheperfectlookatthetime.Hereallydid.”39“He really is a genius when it comes to putting people together and

conceptualizing looks,” agreedPeterson. “Look at theTime, look atVanity 6,lookattheFamily—thoseareallfigmentsofhisimagination,andwebringthosecharacters to life. Very classy, very film noir, and I think it was a brilliantidea.”40“Princewentinandwastheauthorofthisbook,”agreedMelvoin.“Wewere

thecharactersthatplayedouttheseparts.”41Petersonmayhavebeenthefaceoftheband,andtothoseoutsideitlookedlike

hewascallingtheshots,butasalways,therealitywasthatonlyonepersonwasincontrol,asPetersonexplainedin2012:“IhadtheguywhowasTheKing....Hewasn’tPrince,hewasKing,atthattime.SoIwasn’tinanyposition,nordidI want to be any position, to try to make any musical statement other thantranslatinghisstuff,becauseanythinghetouchedwasgold.Musicallyspeaking,itwasa10.Businessspeaking,notsomuch.”42Much like many of the tracks being recorded by Prince at that time, “High

Fashion”wasasparse,drivingfunktrackthatwasbasicallydrums,guitar,bass,andkeyboards, playedas if thebandwas jamming,but asoften the casewithPrince,hedidn’trequiremuchinputfromanyoneelse.SusanRogersexplained:“ItwasPrincewhodidallthetracksbyhimself.Hehadanewkeyboardatthetime,theYamahaDX7andyoucantell. . . .Princeneverboughtit togetintoprogramming;healwaysjustusedthepreset.ThewholerecordisbuiltaroundtheDX7.Wediddothemveryquicklyatthewarehouse,andPrinceputontheguidevocalsoneachone.”43Prince’smindwasracingandhewasalreadyplanninghisnextmovie,which

was a variation on Purple Rain with the Family replacing the Time. Rogersremembershearing itdiscussedduring thesessions:“Paulwasgoing tobe theprettywhitekidfromtheothersideofthetracks,whowasgoingtobePrince’s

rival in a futuremovie. Hewas going to be the kid who had everything thatPrincewanted.Unfortunately,Paulwasn’tnearlyassexyasPrince.”44Mazarati’sTonyChristianrecallsbeingtoldaslightvariationofthestoryfor

the potentialmovie plans: “It was going to be a knockoff ofWest Side StorywheretheFamilywereliketheJetsandMazaratiwereliketheSharks.AndhetoldmeattheendofthemovieI’mgoingtodie.(laughs)Isaid,‘Okay,atleastyouwaited’tiltheendofthemovie.’”In the demo for “High Fashion” Prince sang a duet with Peterson, which

indicatesthatforatleastpartofthemovie,thetwoofthemwerelikelyfriends.Princewasonceagaininspired,andwhenhewasinspired,everythingelsewas

pushedaside.“Whatwassobrilliantaboutitwasthattherecordwascomingoutof Prince in such an immediate way,” explained Melvoin. “He was writingsomethingthatwasgoingtolast.Wewereluckyenoughtobewithhiminthatperiodwherehewasprolific.”45ThiswasanincrediblyproductivedaybecausePrincewasabletocreateathird

song.“Desire”(atthetimeitwasstillcalled“Ecstasy”)wasabitdifferentfrom“High Fashion” and “Mutiny” in that it wasn’t a groove vamp, but almost aballad-type track. Built over a simple percussive beat and synth/bass groove,Prince’s original version had a snare drum on the two and four that waseventuallyremoved,givingthereleasedversionamorelaid-backvibe.Itslyricsaresomewhatpoetic in thesense theyponder theconceptofdesirerather thantalkingofdesireforanotherperson.“Those warehouses were incredible breeding grounds for creativity,”

rememberedWendyMelvoin. “Prince was in the midst of doing The Familyrecord. Hewas really driven, and hismoods started gettingmore serious. Hedidn’thavealotoftimeforfun,excepthewouldgooutsideandplaybasketball—inthe[high]heels.Withhisheelson,hecouldrunfasterthanme,andIwaswearingtennies.”46In1987Princewouldtaketheconceptofhisownrecordingstudiotothenext

logicalstepwhenheopenedPaisleyParkStudios,butfornowtheFlyingCloudDrive warehouse was the perfect place, staffed with Susan Rogers as hisengineerandprovidingspacetorecordtheentirebandinoneroomandrehearsein another.With all the music that was being created and the influx of bandmembers, singers, and friends, Rogers recalls that Prince also needed a quietplacetoworkonhismusic:“AroundthistimePrincehadaskedtohaveabedinone of the rooms in the warehouse. A bed was brought in—it had a hideousspotted bedspread over it—and he put up some posters on the walls. Hewas

happyaboutit,becauseitwasaplacetogoawayandwritelyricsin.Herarelycameinwithasongthatwasfinished,lyricallyandmelodically,inhishead;I’dsaymaybeoneoutoffourorfivetimeshe’dwalkinwiththelyricsdone.Oftenitwasstartedwithagroove.I’dgetthedrumtrackdown,he’drecordthebasicinstrumentalpartandthenhe’dgooffandwritethelyrics.”47By the end of this session Prince had laid the groundwork for The Family

album.Within the next few days, new inspiration would arise and his visionwould changeonce again, radicallymodifying the band’s sound in a directionfewaroundhimhadconsidered.

Status:Alterationsweremade to “HighFashion” (5:08), “Mutiny” (3:47), and“Desire” (5:11), including Paul Peterson and Susannah Melvoin replacingPrince’s vocals and Eric Leeds contributing on saxophone. Composer ClareFischer also added strings to “High Fashion” and “Desire” before they werereleasedonTheFamilyalbum.ThiswasFischer’sfirstarrangementforaPrincecompositionandthestartofapartnershipthatwouldlastuntilFischer’spassingin2012.Thealbumversionof“HighFashion”(5:07)wasedited(3:05)forreleaseasa

single,anditpeakedatnumber34ontheBillboardBlackSingleschart. Itdidnot chart on the Hot 100 or other US charts. A 12-inch version (7:07) wascreatedbutremainsunreleased.Elementsfromthealbumversionwereincludedin SheilaE.’s 1987 song “HonE.Man,” specifically the chant “moneyman,”whichcanbefoundat4:16onthealbumversionof“HighFashion”andaroundthe5-minutemarkontheunreleased12-inch.In1993,componentsof“Desire”showeduponthetrack“Aguadilla”onEric

Leeds’s Things Left Unsaid album, causing Leeds to co-credit Prince for thesongalthoughhehadnothingtodowith“Aguadilla.”“Mutiny” (3:53)and“Desire” (4:55)were releasedonTheFamily albumbut

werenotissuedassingles.

It is possible that “Slow Love” was also recorded during this period (butprobably not during this session). The songwas later released onSigno’ theTimesin1987.

THURSDAY,JUNE28,1984(ESTIMATE)

At first it was an instrumental called “Ecstasy.” Then he came backandfinisheditsothetitledwaschangedto“Desire.”—SusanRogers48

Princewasfreetopushtheboundariesofhisnewestprotégéproject,andhewaslikelyinspiredbythenewflexibilitythisbandbroughthimaswellashisinterestin doing something bigger than the Time. “He wanted to sell records and hebelieved this band was going to be the way to do it,” Susannah Melvoinexplained.“Itwasn’tafly-by-nightproject.Ithadweighttohimandtous.”49Prince wrote the lyrics and recorded the vocals for the recently tracked

instrumental“Ecstasy,”changingthetitleto“Desire.”

Status:Thedateforthisvocalsessionisuncertain,butitmorethanlikelytookplacebetweenJune28andJuly1.

FRIDAY,JUNE29,1984

PrinceattendedtheopeningnightofBruceSpringsteenandtheEStreetBand’sBornintheUSAtourattheCivicCenterinSt.Paul.“Oneofmyfavoritebandleaders isBruceSpringsteen,”Princeexplained in2012.“AndI’vewatchedhim formany years, and I was backstage one night and I saw him turnaroundandgiveacueandthebandswitchedonadime.IusedtoseeJamesBrowndothatalottoo.Youlearnfromthebest.”50Prince had briefly used saxophone months earlier on “G-Spot” and “The

Glamorous Life,” but he hadn’t revisited the instrument for further sessions.After spending time with Springsteen and his saxophone player, ClarenceClemons, Prince’s concept of how to expand his sound grew: “ClarenceClemonsdon’tplayfunk.There’snothingaboutClarencethat’sfunky.Heplaysold’50ssaxophonethatwasonthosetypesofrecords,FrankieValliand that typeof stuff.”51Despite the difference inmusical styles, Prince hadimmense respect for the “Big Man,” referring to Clemons as “[o]ne of thegreatestsidemeninhistory”anda“[b]eautifuldude”withahugeaura.“Youcan’tcopyBruce. IwouldnevermesswithsomebodywhomIrespectandwhowasactuallygiggingatthesametime.”52

IfPrincewasgoingtoaddsaxtohismusic,he’dhavetogoinaverydifferentdirection than Springsteen. He wasn’t seeking out a rock sideman; he waslooking for someone to add funky sax to theMinneapolis sound. Prince veryquickly put out the word that he was looking for a saxophone player for analbumhewasrecordingfor theFamily,andfortunately, theperfectplayerwascloserthanalmostanyoneknew.

Springsteen’s time in Minneapolis was historic because it was the debut ofguitaristNilsLofgrenaswellasSpringsteen’s futurewifePattiScialfa. Itwasalso where he shot the music video for “Dancing in the Dark” with futureFriendsstarCourteneyCox.

JULY1984

MONDAY,JULY2,1984

Princewanteda vehicle thatwasnot something thatwasgoing tobebrandedas“Prince”butwouldstillbeamusicalforumforhimtodomoreovertlyR&B-influencedmusic.YouhadanR&B-influencedbandthatwasgoingtobefrontedbyawhiteguyandawhitegirl.Thatwassomethingthatwasabitoutoftheordinaryforthattime.Princesaid,“Wecanbe funky,andwecanbeR&B,but let’sgoget someof thatDuranDuranmoney.”—EricLeeds1

WhenPrincebeganseekingasaxophoneplayer,AlanLeedssuggestedthathisbrotherEricwouldbeagreatfitandsharedexamplesofhismusicwithPrince.EricLeedswasquicklyinvitedtoflyinfromAtlanta,Georgia,toworkonafewtracks:Iwalkedinthatdaywithhorninhand,andPrincewastheresittinginthelittlemakeshiftrecordingareaofthisrehearsalhall,andAlanintroducedmetohim,andPrinceaskedmeifIwantedtomaybejusttakearoughcassetteofthetunesandlistentothemforadayortwo,togetfamiliarwiththematerialorwhatever,ordidwewanttojustrecord?Iwasalittlecocky,andIsaid,“No,I’mhere,let’splay,let’srecord.”Apparentlyhelikedthat.Hejustkindofsmiledatmefunny,andI’dnevermetPrince—IwasnotaparticularfanofPrince’s—soIdidnotcomeinwithastarry-eyedthing.Icertainlyrespectedhim,butIdidnotcomeinherethinkingthiswasgoingtobethemostexcitingdayofmylife.IfiguredthiswasanopportunitythatI’mcertainlygoingtotakeeveryadvantageofthatIcan.Let’splay!Let’splaysomemusic!2

ThefirsttrackthatinvolvedLeedswas“Desire”:“BasicallyIwasjustsoloing.He was constructing solos with me, very much producing and very much

looking for a certain kind of vibe. The horn lines, any written lines, I prettymuchrememberwerehis.Ithinkhewasnotreallycompletelysurewhathewaslookingforyet.BecauseIwasplayinganinstrumentthathedidn’tplay...Ihadtheopportunitytokindofhelpdefinewhatmyrolewouldbealongwithhim.”3“HighFashion”wasthesecondtrack,anditgaveLeedsthechancetoexpand

the sound of the band: “My saxophone solo on ‘High Fashion’ is probablyhands-downmyfavoritesoloI’veeverplayedonaPrincesong,whichdoesn’tsaymuchforme!Ihaven’treachedthatpeakyet.Idon’tknow.Itjusthappenstobemyfavorite.”4Whentheywererecording“Mutiny,”Princehadanideaforthemainsaxline.

Leedsremembered:“Heranovertothepianoforaminuteandjustkindofcameupwithalineandsaid,‘Playthat,’andIsaid,‘Okay,fine,’andwedoubledthat.But thesolos,whichwerebasicallywhat Iwasdoing—itwasmoresolos thananything—thatwasuptome,andsometimeswe’dpiecesolostogether.ImightstartasoloandgetsixteenbarsintoitandmaybeI’dgetintosomethingIdidn’tlikeorhedidn’tlike,anditwouldstopthereandI’dsay,‘Okay,thefirsteightbarsarecool,let’spickitupfromthere.’”5The final song of the day was the track that would eventually become

“Susannah’sPajamas”:“Susannah’sPajamas”hadnomelodicideaatall,sowhatbasicallyendedupbeingwhatyoucouldcallthemelodylinewasjustme.Hesaid,“Well,here”. . .hejustplayedthetrackandIjustwentforit.Therewasapointintimeononeofthesongs,I’mnotsurewhichone,whereIsaid,“Well,I’mnotsureexactly where I’m going with this.” I hadn’t heard the songs! I didn’t hear any one of the songscompletely throughbeforewerecorded.Literallyhe justhit therecordbutton,andIwas justplayingalongwithit,soifatunechangedkeysandwenttoabridgeatapoint,Ididn’tknowwhetheritwascomingup.SoIstoppedhimandsaid,“MaybeIcouldgetalittlebetterideaofwhatI’mgoingforhereifIgetabettersenseofthestructureofthesong.”Andhelaughedandhesays,“No,you’renotgoingtogetthatchance!”SoIsaid,“Oh,okay!That’sthespiritofthething.”Sothat’swhatwedidthefirstday.6

“He had used Eric on a couple of things and really liked him right away,”recalledSusanRogers,“andknewthatthiswasgoingtobeavaluableadditiontothismusic.”7“I found it very, very easy toworkwith him, found it very challenging and

veryenjoyable,”Leedssaid.“Iactuallyhadaballthatday.Hewasaguywhowasseriousandknewwhathewanted,andIfeedoffofthat.Andfortunately,Iwasgivinghimsomethingbackthathewasdigging.”8A roughmix of the sessionwas completed and recorded to cassettes,which

weresenttovariousbandmembers,includingsingerPaulPeterson.“Basically,I

wouldget tapesatmymom’shouseand I’dhave to learnhis roughvocals asbest I could, becoming familiar with them,” explained Peterson. “And thenDavidZwouldproducethem.”9“PrinceaskedDavidZ,BobbyZ’sbrother,tobetheengineerandproducerfor

the record,” explained Susannah Melvoin. “Prince would be the executiveproducer, but Prince said, ‘It’s really up to you guys to get this record done.’ThatmadeitevenmoreenticingbecausePrincewas like, ‘Here’ssomesongs.Youguysgo!’”10DavidZwouldpackupalloftheboxesoftapesandflybackandforthbetween

LosAngeles andMinneapolis to oversee the recording of all the replacementvocals.“DavidZwasanoldfriend,somebodywhohadatalentforgettingthevocal

performancestogetherandhewouldsittherewithasingeralldayandgettheirvocalsright,”recalledRogers.“Paulwasmusicallyextremelygifted,buthehadnever been a lead singer. It’s not the same as doing background singing.Youhavetohavethatsomethingextraandthattakesyearsandyearstodevelop.SoobviouslyPaulneededsomeoneextremelyexperienced.”11“Atthatpoint[Prince]wantedtodelegatesomeauthority,”rememberedDavid

Z:SothenhewantedmetodoPaulandmakeitsoundlikePrincesinging,sothat’swhatIdid.Hegaveaguidevocal;wehadacopyof it tomakehimsing like that,whichwasverydifficult.Paul isaverygoodsinger,butitisveryhardtoimitateanothersingerevenifyouareagreatsinger.Andallthetwistsand turns that go into thevocals. . . . I remember the first daywe recordedvocals,Paul phonedhisgirlfriendaboutanhourintothesessionandsaidthathe’dbehomeinaboutthreehours.Twelvehourslaterwewereonlyaboutthreelinesintothesong.Hewaslikeameltedpoolofbutterinfrontofthemicrophoneandhisgirlfriendkeptcalling:“Whereareyou?”12

“He had a definite concept, and [Prince]would put down rough vocals, andthenIwasactuallyhardlyeverinthestudiowithhim,”accordingtoPeterson.“ItwasmostlyDavidZandmyself.We’dgoinafterPrincehadwrittenasongandputthebasictracksdownandaddedaroughvocal,andweusedthatguidetrackforattitudeandphrasinganddifferentthingslikethat,forsure.Atthatpointintimeweweredefinitelystillplayinghischaracters.”13“Princemakeshismusicasifhe’samoviedirectorandeveryonehasaroleto

play,”revealedEricLeeds.“Princedefinesthescriptandeveryaspectofitandhechoosesthepeople.Thoseweretherules,thatwasit.Heknewhewastakingthe chance on having Paul be the front person, whichwas a calculatedmovefromamarketingdesign.Hewanted thisband tobeanR&Bband thatwould

serveforhimthesamepurposethattheTimedid,buttohavetheaddedbenefit,hopefully,ofbeingabletocrossovertoawidermarket.”14“Theybilledmeastheleaderofthegroup,”recalledPeterson,“butItellyou,I

certainlywasn’t.IwastoldeverymovetomakebyPrince.”15“Basically,whathedidwasbringPaulPeterson in tomimichim,”explained

Leeds.“Anditcertainlyworked,toPaul’scredit.Princewantedtomakeuslookliketheselittlerichkidswhocanbefunky.Thefirstdaywedidaphotoshoot,Ilookedatmyselfinthemirrorandsaid,‘Oh,myGod,thisisnotwhatIwenttomusicschoolfor.’Butitwasfun.”16ThemajorityofTheFamilyalbumwasrecordedoverthecourseofthesummer

bySusanRogersandDavidZ.Becauseofthelayoutofthewarehouse,differentmethodsofrecordingthetrackswererequired,accordingtoDavidZ:Wehadtorecorddrumswithheadphonesbecausetherewasnocontrolroom,justaboardinthemiddleoftheroom.Itwasrough,butitcameoutprettydifferent.Itwashardtodobecauseyoucouldn’ttellwhatitwasgoingtosoundlikeuntilyouplayeditbackonthesystem.Wecouldn’tplaythespeakerswhilewewererecording.Wehadtorecordwithheadphonesandhadtojudgeitthatwayandthenkindofthrowthecardsupintheairandseehowtheydropped,butrecordsshouldn’tsoundalllikethey’redoneinastudio,becausethentheyallstarttosoundthesame.Mytheoryisthatifyouusesomeplacethat’sdifferent,liketheoneRedHotChiliPeppersdidinahouse,it’sgoingtosounddifferentthanifyoudiditinthesameroomassomebodyelsedidtheirdrumsinwiththesamemicrophonetechnique,sothat’soneofthereasonswhyitdidsounddifferent.That,andthewaythatweusedanorchestra.17

SATURDAY,JULY7,1984

“WhenDovesCry”reachesnumber1ontheBillboardTop100chart,markingthefirsttimethatPrince’smusicsatatthehighestposition.TheB-sidewas“17Days.”“WhenDovesCry”wouldstayatnumber1foramonth,becomingthebest-sellingsingleof1984.

SUNDAY,JULY8,1984*

Ithinkhewasreallyaheadofwhatthe’80swereabouttobecome.—BobbyZ18

Five hours were spent creating the 12-inch dance version of “Erotic City.”AlthoughPrincewas listed as the engineer, it is unlikely that he attended thissession.Ifhewasn’tpresent,theengineerdidtheworkforhimbasedonwritteninstructionsoroverthephonewhilePrincewasinMinneapolis.

Status:Theeditedversion(3:53)wasreleasedontheB-sideof“Let’sGoCrazy”onJuly18,1984,andtheextendedversion(7:24)wasreleasedastheB-sideforthefull-length“Let’sGoCrazy”onAugust29,1984.

MONDAY,JULY9,1984

TheTime’sIceCreamCastlealbumisreleased.Foranalbumthatwasrecordedduringsuchturmoil, ithassomesurprisingly

solidcontent.Songslike“TheBird,”“JungleLove,”and“MyDrawers”fitwellintotheirmusicallexicon,andanyfuturegreatesthitscompilationwouldlikelyfeature half of this album. But at the same time, the other half of the albumincludes “If the Kid Can’t Make You Come,” which is their obligatory (butweak)slowersong;“IceCreamCastles,”whichsoundsdrasticallyoutofplaceintheircatalog;and“ChiliSauce,”whichisbasicallyfillerandmighthavebeenbetterservedasaB-side.Multiplesongswere leftontheshelf including,“MySummertimeThang”and“Chocolate,”bothofwhichwouldcomeouton theirreunionalbumseveralyearslater.Thereviewsweregenerallypositive(RollingStonegaveit3outof4stars19),

and Ice Cream Castle rode the purple wave enough to expand the Time’saudience.Itwastheirbest-sellingalbumtodate,butitlackedtheunifiedsoundoftheirfirsttwoefforts.Princeseemstohavefeltthealbumwas“goodenough”and overlooked several flaws, in part because he may have been emotionallydisconnected from it, but also it was likely that Prince just ran out of timebecause of his hectic schedule. Few realized that the Time had broken up.TensionsweresobadthatPrincedidn’textendaninvitationtoMorrisDayfortheupcomingpremiereofPurpleRain.

MID-JULY1984

Irememberwedideditingathishouseonalakeandhehadthisstudioin thebasement, and thatdaywas like100degrees inMinneapolis. IuncharacteristicallyworeaHawaiianshirt.Andthemachine isunderthespeakers,andI’mrockingitbackandforthtohearwherethekickdrum is tocut. I said,“Ican’t reallyhear thekickdrumrighthere,”andhesays,“That’sbecauseyourshirt’stooloud.”—DavidZ

DavidZandPrincespentthedayremixing“EroticCity”intoadanceversion.“Iwasn’tabigremixer.Hejustwantedmetoworkonit.”PrinceknewandtrustedDavidZ;they’dhadalongworkingrelationshipstartingwiththedemosPrincecreatedforhisfirstalbum,andPrincefeltcomfortableenoughwithhimtorelax.“[Prince]canbedefinitelyconversationallyaccessible,”heexplained.“Hecanbescreamingandyellinginthestudioandlaughingwhenhestandsonacouchandyellingoutthingsandjokes,andtalkingandtalkingandtalking.Youhavetoturnaroundtoseeifthereisanybodyelseinthere.Whothehellishetalkingto sometimes? Yes, it just depends on what he wants. Later, when he gotsuccessful,hegothitonbyalotofpeopleespeciallywantingtousehisnametoescalate theircareer,sohegotreallyparanoidabout that.Andhewouldrarelytalktopeople,becausethat’spartofhisthing,andhelearned,Ithink,earlieronthateveninhisownfamilyyoucan’ttrusteverybody.”20

Status: The long version of “Erotic City” (7:24)was released as “Erotic City(‘MakeLoveNotWarEroticCityComeAlive’)”on theB-side for“Let’sGoCrazy.”

SATURDAY,JULY14,1984

PrinceattendedtheJacksons’VictoryTourshowatCowboysStadiuminDallas,Texas.A private planewas chartered for Prince,Alan Leeds, JeromeBenton,RoyBennett,andseveralmembersofPrince’ssecurityteam.Theywatchedtheshowfromthecenterofthefieldatthesoundboardtower.

SUNDAY,JULY15,1984

Iusuallychangedirectionswitheachrecord,which isaproblem insomerespects,butrewardingandfulfillingforme.—Prince21

WorkresumedonmusicfortheFamily.WithonlyhisengineerSusanRogersinattendance,herecordedoneofhismostemotionaltracks,“NothingCompares2U.”Rogersremembered:Iwasamazedhowbeautiful itwas.Hetookhisnotebookandhewentoff to thebedroom,wrote thelyricsveryquickly,camebackoutandsangitandIwasveryimpressedwithit.Iwaswonderingifitwas inspired somewhat by Sandy Scipioni. That was his housekeeper who had worked for him foryears, and she dealtwith the personal side of his life. Shewas basicallymaintaining his house.Herfatherhadjustdiedverysuddenly,andheneverusedtogetveryclosetohisemployees,butIknowhemusthavebeenfeelingsomethingforher.Obviously,theyweren’tinaromanticrelationship,farfromthat,butIthinkthathewasmissingherandIjustsortofassumedthatthatlyricmayhavecomefrommissing her.When you provide a service for someone like she did, that is love and care. I sort ofassumedthatitmighthavebeeninspiredbyherabsence.22

JeromeBentonhastoldadifferentandverypersonalstoryabouttheoriginofthesong:“IwasengagedtogetmarriedtoagirlinLosAngeles.Shewantedmetoquitmusic.Iwashurtingwhenwebrokeup.IusedtogotoPrincewithallmyproblems,soPrincewrote‘NothingCompares2U’aboutthewayIfelt.”23StillotherssayitwasalovesongwrittenforPrince’sgirlfriend,SusannahMelvoin.Melvoinhasneverbeencertainof thesong’soriginandhasavoidedtoomuchspeculation on it. In 2011 shewas asked about this and replied: “Maybe . . .yeah,butit’snotlikehesaid:‘Babe,Iwrotethissongforyou.’(laughs)”24Sincethen, some insiders have quietly suggested that Melvoin was an importantinspirationforthetrack.Regardless of the original motivation (or, more likely, motivations), many

peoplegivethesonggreatpraise,includingthemanwhosangitonthealbum,“St.Paul”Peterson:“It’saclassicsong,andIthinkalotofthesongwritingonthatrecordmaybesomeofPrince’sbestwork.Honestly,thewholerecordwasthatimportant.Wedidn’tknow,andnordoyoueverknow,whatsong’sgoingtotakeoffsoyouput thesameamountof love intoeverysingle track.Weknewthatthemeaningandthepoetrybehinditwasspecial.”25

Although thealbum listsPetersonas the song’sauthor,hehadnothing todowith the writing: “On the record, it said I wrote ‘Nothing Compares 2 U.’ Ididn’twritethatsong.IhadtosignstuffwithPrincethatsaidyouwroteitbutwedidn’tgetpaidforit.That’sfine;Ididn’texpecttogetpaidforsomethingIdidn’tdo.Igotpaid$250aweek.”26“WithPrinceyouneverreallyhavecreativecontrol,”reflectedPeterson.27DavidZ recallswhywriting creditswere distributed so randomly: “He said,

we’regoingtodothisgroupandthatgroupanddoitonlyonpaper.However,hesaid,‘It’sbetterifthere’salotofpeopledoingthesamestyle,becausethatwayitlookslikeamovement.’Thatitdidn’tjustlooklikejusthim.Hewascreatingthewave,buthemadeitseemliketherewasalotofpeopledoingthatthinginMinneapolis,soit’samovement,whichwasbrilliant.Hesaid,‘Iwanttohaveanarmygoingforwardthatwaynoonecandenyit.’”“He would never say, ‘I’m doing this project.’ It was ‘We are doing this

project,’”remembersMelvoin.“Ineverythingheeverdid,always.Idon’tknowwhy he did it, because it wasn’t always ‘We.’ As a matter of fact, it almostalwayswasn’ta‘We’doingit;itwasan‘I.’”Bytheendoftoday’ssession, thesongstillcontainedPrince’svocalsandno

saxophone.ThisversionfeaturedalivedrumbeatandabasicYamahaDX7partonthechordsusingpatch#21Vibe1andprobablypatch#22Marimba,aswellas another DX7 string patch (#05 Strings 2), a bass guitar, and a few guitarembellishments.

Status: “Nothing Compares 2U” (4:33)went through severalmixes before itwasreleasedontheFamily’slonealbum.Princecondensedthebeginningofthesong, removingalmostall the instruments, including thedrums,butpreservingthe moody DX7 synth tones. This sparse mix made the vocals much moreheartfelt and haunting, showcasing Peterson and Melvoin’s intimateperformance.ClareFischer’sorchestrapartswereeventuallyoverdubbedtothetrack,mostnotablyat1:34,aftertheline:“It’sbeensolonelywithoutyouhere.”28

Withinthenextfewdaysofthissession,EricLeedsaddedhissaxophonetothetrack.

The Family never issued “Nothing Compares 2 U” as a single, and it wentlargely unnoticed outside of fans of the Family until 1990,when a coverwasreleasedby Irish singerSinéadO’Connor, scoringher anumber1hit inmore

thanadozencountries.IntheUnitedStatesherversionspentfourweeksatthetopoftheBillboardTop100.Princeapparentlyenjoyedthetrackaswell,releasingliveversionsofthesong

in1993and2003. It alsobecamea stapleonmanyofhis live shows, startingwithhis1990NudeTour.

MONDAY,JULY16,1984

Wedidanotherinstrumentalthatdidnotgoonthealbum.Itwasaveryhard,aggressive, justruckus,hard-funkinstrumental thingthat tothisdayisoneofmyfavoritethingsweeverdid.—EricLeeds29

Princebeganworkingonasongcalled“Feline.”AlthoughPrincerecordedmostoftheinstruments,heinvitedBobbyZandJellybeanJohnsontooverdubsometom-tomson the track and sent forEricLeeds to add some sax. “Hewas stillfinishinguprecordingit,anditwaslikewatchingamanpossessed,becausehewasdeepintothis,”rememberedLeeds:Itwas reallygreat to just sitbackandwatch someoneget lost in something like this. Itwasagreat,greattrack.Atthatpointhejustfinishedit,andhesaid,“Here,yougotit.”AndIwasreallysurprisedbecauseI figured that thiswouldbe justacontinuationofwhatwe’ddone,wherewe’dsit thereandbasicallycomeupwithsomething.Helookedatmeandsaid,“Yougotit!”SoIsaid,“Well,okay!”SoIcameupwithafewlines,andhesatbackforaminute,justkindofcurioustoseewhereI’dgowithitonmyown,andafteraboutfifteenortwentyminutes,hesaid,“You’vegotit!”andheleft,whichjustletmetakeitandjustrollwithit,whichIdid.Andapparentlyhereallydugthefinalresult.Thesongnevermadethealbum,becauseIthinkitwasjusttooaggressive.30

During a future (undocumented) session, Prince would add his own guidevocals to the track; these would eventually be replaced by Peterson. Princewould also make some changes to the mix, including replacing the loudelectronic snare/clap on the 2 and 4 with what sounds like a hard-hit hi-hat,making the vocal version less frantic and edgy. Prince would also add a raparound the2:50mark,creating the template forPeterson tocopy,even thoughthe lyrics didn’t sit well with Peterson: “I did record vocals for ‘Feline,’ andcouldactuallysing(rap)thatsongtothisday.Ithoughtitwassuperfunky,raw,

and a little overly sexual forwhat Iwould have done . . . (MamaPwouldn’thaveapproved).”31SusanRogersexplained:PaulPeterson’sbiggestconcern,Ithink,inbeingtheleadsingeroftheFamilywasthatPaul’smotherdidn’twanthimtobewithPrince.Whenitbecameapparent thatPaulwasgoing tobe involved toagreaterdegree,singinghissongs,hismotherwasn’thappyabout itatall.Especiallythenastierstuff.Therefore,PaulwasobligatedtotellPrince,“Idon’tthinkIcansingthis;Ithinkmymotherisgoingtoprotest.”SincePrince is a respectfulguy,he respectspeople’s religiousbeliefs, he respectsmothers,andherespectsfamilylifeeventhoughhedidn’thavesuchagoodoneonhisown,sohesetthesongaside.AndIthinkthat’satestamenttoPrince’srespectforreligiousbeliefsandhischaracteringeneral.Obviously,hisbeliefsarevery...mostpeoplewouldsayconfused,buttheyareverydeepandtheyareabigpartofhisworldviewandhisphilosophy,andPrinceisgoingtobe thefirstoneto listenwhensomeonesays,“Myreligiondoesn’tallowmetodothis.”Thosewordscarryalotofweightforhim.32

The lyrics inquestion involved the sizeofPeterson’spenis,givingawomanknockout pills, and having sex with one hundred different women. The songitself isoneof the funkiest andmostaggressive tracksPrince recorded for theFamily,buttheover-the-toprapattheendmadethesongstandoutfromtherestoftheproject,soitisunderstandablethatitdidn’tmakethefinalcut.Comparedto the subtle sensuality of most of the album, the raw and unrefined sexualbravado of “Feline” made it almost impossible to include on the record.“[Prince]nevertalkedtomeaboutwhattheplanwas[forthatsong],”explainedPeterson.“HeandIdidn’tcommunicateonthatlevel.Thatwashisbaby.So,Ican’tsayforsure.”33“It was pretty much Prince’s choice,” according to David Z. “He just said,

‘These are the songs we’re going to do.’ And that was it. We wereexperimenting the whole time we were doing it. Everything about it was anexperiment.”34Because of this, Prince gave Jellybean Johnson a chance to break out of his

routinebehindthedrums:“Heevenletmeplayalittlebackwardsguitarontheendof it.Yeah, backwardsguitar.Youplay it, and thenyou flip the tape.Hedoesthisshit;hediditallthetime.Andhedidthesameshittome,too.Man,Ihadthislittlecheesysolo,hejustsaid,‘Playontheendofthis.’Justkindofasajoke,andshit, itactuallysoundedprettygood.ButwhenI thinkback, itmightnothavefitwithwhatwehadonthere.Butyeah,itwassomefunkyshit.”35

Status: Both the instrumental version (4:11) and the vocal version (3:55) of“Feline”remainunreleased,butseverallinesfromtheFelinerapweregiventoSheilaE.forher1985song“HollyRock.”

“Feline”wasalsotakenoutof thevaultandrevisitedforaMadhouseprojectbyEricLeeds.Thesongdidn’tmakeitontothatalbumeither,leavingitasoneofthemoreimpressiveandelusiveouttakesfromPrince’svault.When the Family reformed almost three decades later as fDeluxe (Prince

refused to allow them to use the band’s original name), Peterson occasionallysangafewlinesfrom“Feline”during“Mutiny.”

ThereisapossibilitythatthissessionoccurredonFriday,July20.

WEDNESDAY,JULY18,1984

Iwasoneofthefirstringersthathebroughtin.Iplayedaninstrumentthat he didn’t play, which of course changed the entire relationshipbetweenhimandIversustherelationshipwithotherpeople,becausehecouldn’tpickupasaxophoneandhumiliatemebysaying,“Thisishowitshouldbedone.”—EricLeeds36

Princewasonfire.Rehearsalsfor thePurpleRain tourweregoingstrong,andthemovie was scheduled to open in just over a week. During this incrediblybusytime,hecontinuedtofocusonmusicfor theFamily.Luckily,EricLeedswas staying inMinneapolis for a longer period, and Prince had SusanRogersprepare“NothingCompares2U”forsaxoverdubs,butwhenhetriedtoguideLeeds, it didn’t go over well: “I remember Prince asking me for a ClarenceClemonskindofsolo,which immediatelyputmeinabadmood.Norockandrollhere!SoIgavehimanEricLeedssolo,andhedugit.”37Althoughthesongwaswelllikedbymanyintheband,Leedsholdsadifferent

view: “‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ was my absolute least favorite song on thealbum, and to this day it’s not one ofmy favorite songs of his.A littlemorerock-and-roll-ish,alittlemorepop-ishthantheotherstuff.”38Princewasalwaysmostinterestedinhislatestsongs,sohewasexcitedabout

the track and seemed very eager to lock it down, according to SusannahMelvoin:“ItwasnewlywrittenwhenPrincewasinMinneapolis,andhecalled

Paulintodothevocalafterhefinishedthatnightanditwasonaplanetomethenextday.”With theadditionofLeeds’s sax, theFamilyhad takenaverybigstepaway

fromthesoundof theTime. It isobvious thatPrincewas trying toreplace theTime,butnotwithasound-alikebandplayingsongsthatcouldhavebeensungby Morris Day. Instead he boldly relied on sax to distance the two bands.Interestingly,whentheTimereformedafewyearslater,PrincerecruitedCandyDulfertoaddsaxophonetotheirsound.DespitealltheattentionPrincewasgivingtheFamilyproject,noonewassure

aboutwhatwouldhappen to thegroup.Prince leftmanyprojects inhiswake,andhewassomeonewhowasgenerallyfocusedonhiscurrentmusic,sobythetimethiswasreleased,itwouldprobablybeconsideredoutdatedmusicbyhim.“Idon’tthinkhehadevenreallycometotermsyetwithwhathewasgoingtodowiththegroup,”explainedLeeds:Heknewbasicallywhothepeopleinvolvedweregoingtobe.IthinkIwaskindofalastelement,alastthingtobekindofpluggedintoit.Iknewthattherewasgoingtobeawaitingperiod,becauseweweredoingtheserecordingsinJulyof’84.HewasalreadyinrehearsalsforthePurpleRaintour,andIknewthathewouldnotbecomingofftheroaduntilmid-’85attheearliest,andonlythenwouldthisalbumevenbereadytobereleased.SoIknowthatthiswasthekindofthinglike,“Okay,I’mgoingtohavetobeabletopacemyself,becauseifIgettoogeekedaboutthis,I’vegotayearbeforeme,andanythingcanhappeninayear.”Hemightdecidewithinayear thatmaybethis isaproject thathe’snolongerexcitedabout,andthewholethingmightjustdisappear.SoItriedtojusttakeitadayatatime.39

THURSDAY,JULY19,1984

Iusedtogothereearlyeverydayandjustjam.Andhewouldcomeinwewouldbejustgroovingforthreehours,andhewouldyelltoSusantohit the tapemachine.So Imean,he’sgot tonsand tonsofgroovesand stuff that Lisa and Wendy are sort of grooving on, he sort ofjumpedontopof.—BrownMark

Prince was spending a great deal of time with his band preparing for theupcomingfalltour.“Princewasontopofhisgame24/7forthe12yearsIwashiskeyboardplayer,” saidMattFink,“but theamountofdisciplineheputoutthereheexpectedfromeveryoneelseandifyoucouldn’tkeepupwithhim,he’dletyouknowthathewasnotpleasedwiththat.”40“Most of us liked to get our sleep,”Fink continued, “but hewasn’t sleeping

much. Maybe he was doing four hours a night average and when he wasn’tsleepinghewaseitherrehearsingthebandorwritingmusicorrecordingitinthestudio.”41“Hewasjustaforce,”recallsSusannahMelvoin.“Whenyougettothatsweet

spot, you know, when something is running so smoothly and you’re so opencreatively,youdon’tgettired,andhehadagreat,longperiodtherewheresleepwasunnecessarybecausetheadrenalineofhiscreativeselfkepthimgoing.”Now that he’d witnessed what Eric Leeds could add, Prince invited him to

several rehearsals, including today’s session.According toLeeds,“Thereweredaysthathe’djustcomeintorehearsal,dispensewithanypleasantriesatallandhe’d justgo right towork,andhe’dhavesomethingonhismindandwe’dalljustgoonthistripwithhim.Andmaybetwoorthreehourslaterwe’dallcomeupforairandrealizethathe’dcomeupwithsomethingreallyremarkable.Butonanothergivendayhemightcomeinwiththesameattitude,andafterseveralhourshe’d juststopandsay, ‘Boy, this is justabunchof junk.’Andhe’d justlaughandsay,‘Seeyoutomorrow.’Andhe’djustleave.”42During today’s rehearsal, Prince played guitar and ran the band through

multiple jams, includingan impromptugroovecontainingpartsof at least twoJamesBrownsongs,“ICan’tStandMyself(WhenYouTouchMe)”(1967)and“It’s Too Funky inHere” (1979).References to hairdresser Earl Jones, “HighFashion”fromtheFamily’smusic,andarifffromtheliveversionof“BabyI’maStar”wereapparentduringthejam.Itwas common forPrince to over-rehearse his band, preparing them for any

tangent he might decide to follow during a show. The extended jam during“BabyI’maStar”wouldgivePrinceachancetostretchoutagroove,andmanyofthesewerebasedonthegroundworkhe’dlaidandthetrusthe’dcreatedwiththeRevolution,rememberedBobbyZ:“‘BabyI’maStar’usedtogo35minutesat theendof thePurpleRain tour, justbeforea30-minute‘PurpleRain,’withSheila E. and herwhole band out there, and ‘stop-and-go’s’ thatwouldmakeJamesBrown’sbandsleepy.Stoppingontheone,giveme10,giveme25horn

punches—I still can’t sleep at night sometimes, playing SimonSayswith thatsong.Butitwasepicfortheaudience,forsure.”43With thatmuchrehearsal, thebandknewwhatwasgoing tohappen,soeven

manyofthejamsthatseemedimpromptuhadprobablybeenworkedoninsomeformaheadoftime.“Heisamasterofmakingpeoplethinkit’sspontaneousonstage,whenthey’rewatchingtheshow,butitisn’t,”revealsJillJones.“Itissorehearsed thathemakes the audience feel thathe justdid this split ordid thissuch-and-such just because he felt like it. But he has this discipline. He is apersonwhohastohaveutter,total,completecontrolonstage.Completely.Andifonehairisoutofplace,itcanthrowhim.”DuringthisrehearsalPrincealsoplayedabluessongthathasbeenreferredto

aseither“Sleazy”or“BluesinG,”butisactuallyacoverofB.B.King’s“HelpIDon’tNeed,”whichisaboutamanfindingoutthathisloverwasfoolingaroundwithavarietyofmen.PrincetweakedthelyricstomakethesongaboutBrownMarkandBobbyZ.Thetrackwasprobablyneverrevisitedinthestudio.Additionaltimewasspentworkingonliveversionsof“17Days,”“Irresistible

Bitch,”and“WhenDovesCry”fortheupcomingmoviepremiere.Over the course of his career, when Prince rehearsed the band he was

completely focused and in control, but even he had to take some downtime.“Therewasalwaysabasketballhoopwithin10feetofthefrontdoor,”recalledRobert “Cubby”Colby,whowas an audio tech/livemixer/engineer for Princefrom1980to1988.“Hisfavoritethingduringrehearsalsbackthenwas,he’dtellthebandtostopontheone—theoldJamesBrownthing—andhe’dsayonthemicrophone, right in the middle of the afternoon, usually on a Friday, ‘Whowants to play basketball?’ The music would stop, everybody would put theirhandup,andhe’ddisappear intoanother roomandcomebackwithbasketballshoeson.Onceyouwereoutside,allbetswereoff.”44Evenwhen it seemed like hewas taking a break, Princewas still incredibly

competitiveandworkedhardtomaintainhiscontrol.AccordingtoColby,“Hewasrough.Hewouldpush—‘that’sallyou’vegot,RobColby?’Yougaveittohimandhetookitandstilloutplayedeverybody,always.We’dgobackin,he’dcomeoutahalf-hourlater,allfresh,maybeinanewsuit,we’drunthesetonemoretime.Ifhewasgoingsomewherehe’dsay,‘SeeyouMonday.’Otherwise,he’dsay,‘Seeyoutomorrowat10.’”45

Status:Nodocumentationexistsofanythingfromthisjambeingrecordedinthestudio.

Not all rehearsals are documented.Only the ones that have been verified arelistedhere.

MONDAY,JULY23,1984

I’m really proud of that song. It’s a perfect representation of PrinceandtheRevolution.—WendyMelvoin46

WhenPrincejammedwithothersitoftenledtonewmusicaldiscoveries,whichhelped feed the machine he’d created. While he wasn’t always interested inrelyingonothersinthestudio,hewasopentohearingwhereacommunaljamwouldtakeasong.Duringsessionslikethese,Princetookadvantageofthedeepwelloftalentinthemusicianswhosurroundedhimtohelpexpandthescopeandrangeofhismusic.BrownMark remembers that“‘America’wasoneof thosesongswe jammed

oncontinuously.Hebasicallydishedoutourpartsandhekindofgaveusanideaofwhatheneededittosoundlike.Itevolved,butIknowthatwasasongthathe,himself,cametouswiththat.Hehadwrittenthatone.”Thesonghadbeenintroducedseveraldaysearlierduringarehearsalinwhich

the entire Revolution locked in on a groove that they played for five hours.Princeflesheditoutandbroughtitbacktothebandonthisdate.“Princecameinanddid that ‘America’ soloandstarted singingand it turned into the songweknow,”recalledWendyMelvoin.“Tothisday,wecanputthattrackonandfeelthatband’senergyand feelwhatwewere likeatourbest together—afuckingfreighttrain.”47Prince would refer to America as “straightforwardly patriotic”48 in an

interviewonMTV,andSusanRogersagreedwithhisassessmentaboutthesongand about Prince: “He is very patriotic. He is much more conservative thananybodywouldguess.Likeanybodywhoishugelysuccessfulinthiscountry,heappreciates his country. You appreciate the mechanism that allows that tohappen.Hewas nodifferent. . . .He is patriotic andhe is appreciative of thecountryinwhichhelivesandheisafirmbelieverindoingwellinschooland

avoidingdrugs.Althoughheisnotpreachybynature,thisissomethingthatheisnotembarrassedtosay.”49Princeincludedalmosteveryoneintheroominthechorusofsound,including

hisdrumtech,BradMarsh:“Whentheystarted,Iwassittingbehindtheconsole,behindSusanRogersandhejustthrewmeatambourine.AndIstartedplaying,like,‘Well, it’llbe twominutes.’Buthalfanhourgoesbyandmyhand’s justaboutfallingoff.(laughs)”Thesonglastedfortwenty-oneminutesbecauseofthegreatenergyeveryone

was feeling.According toRogers, “Theonly reasonwhy itwasn’t longerwasbecausethetaperanout.It’sjustoneofthosesongsthatwassogoodtoplay.Itsoundedgreat, thebandrehearsed itandwewereready togo.Weputup tapeandpressedrecord,theyplayedit,hesangitandtheyjustkeptplayingituntilthetaperanout.Ithinkwewereactuallygoingtoincludethesoundofthetaperunning out, but we ended up not doing it, but he decided to just put on alltwenty-one minutes of it, because he thought, ‘If it feels this good to play,maybeitwillfeeljustasgoodtolistento.’”50During the spoken part of the song, Prince said, “Why won’t you pledge

allegiance?,”51 which was likely an allusion to “The Bird” and the fact thatMorrisDayhadleftinsteadofsigningonfortheupcomingtour.PrincehadbeenmakingreferenceslikethisoverthelastfewweeksinsongsbytheFamily,soitisn’tfar-fetchedthatPrincecontinuedtopokeatDay.Duringthemix,theintroofthesongwasmadetosoundlikeaturntablebeing

slowed down, similar to the scratching sounds being used by artists likeGrandmaster Flash and Malcolm McLaren. Herbie Hancock had alsodemonstratedanothervariationofthesoundatthe1984GrammyAwardsearlierin theyear.On“America” theeffectwascreatedwhen the tapewasmanuallyslowed down by hand as it passed over the tape heads, while another deckrecordedtheresults.

Status: The long take of “America” (21:46) was released on the 12-inch. Aneditedversion(3:42)wasplacedonPrince’sAroundtheWorldinaDayalbum.Itwas the fourth (third inNorthAmerica) and final single released from thatalbum,andpeakedatnumber46ontheBillboardHot100chartandnumber35ontheBillboardR&Bchart.

THURSDAY,JULY26,1984

Therewere times thathewassopersonable,andhe’dsend forme tocometoapartyinMinneapolis,andthenusuallywhatwouldhappenis,I’d get to be a personnow, but usually about twodays before I’d begetting ready to go, he’d get his roadmanager, Alan, to tellme thattherewould be a [recording] truck there, so I did not usually get toparticipateinmanyofthepartiesbecauseIwasusuallystuckinatruckrecordingtheevent,whichhappensIguess.Forexample,Ididn’tgettogo to thePurpleRain premiere party because I was stuck in a truckwithmyhusband[DavidLeonard].Princelikedtohaveeverythinglikethatrecorded.—PeggyMcCreary

WiththereleaseofPurpleRain,Princehadhittheculturalsweetspot.AsMTVwasgaining inpopularityand influence,Princesuppliedamovie that inmanywayswasaseriesofmusicvideosheldtogetherbyacompellingstory.AlmosteverysongreleasedbyPrince,theTime,andApollonia6fromthisprojecthadamusicvideoreadyforair;MTVwashungryforcontent,so thesinglesfed thenetwork’s appetite, which promoted the movie, which promoted the album,which promoted the upcoming tour, which ultimately promoted the network.Thissortofmovie/soundtrack/toursynergywasrare,anditwouldbeusedastheblueprintforalmosteveryrock-and-rollmoviereleaseforyearstofollow.Mostofthemwouldfail,butalmostallofthemwouldbecomparedtoPurpleRaininthesamewayPurpleRainwascomparedtotheBeatles’AHardDay’sNight.The crowd was filled with celebrities, including Christopher Reeve, Eddie

Murphy, Little Richard, Lionel Richie,members ofDevo and TalkingHeads,PeeWeeHerman,andStevenSpielberg.Tomost people,Prince looked likehewas in control—and inmost caseshe

was—butonthedrivetothepremiereashesatquietlyinhislimo,clutchingasingleflower,hewasn’tsurewhattoexpect.AlanLeeds,whosatnexttohim,rememberedthemood:WeallknewthiswaseithergoingtoturnPrinceintoamajorstarorbeoneofthemostembarrassingflopsofalltime.Wehadcarefullyplottedacaravanoflimostoorchestratethearrivalsofthevariousfigures in the movie. We had pre-arranged a spot a block behind the theatre where we wouldtemporarilyparkandwaitforthecuetopullaroundandmakethe“grandentrance.”Whenwereachedthe appointed spot and parked, [Prince’s bodyguard] Chick turned on the walkie-talkie as Prince

anxiously askedhim, “What’s goingon there?Canwegoyet?”Chick turned around towardus andreported,“Theguyssaythere’satrafficjamtwoblockslong,morefansthanthepolicecanhandleandmorecamerasthanaphotographystore!”AtthatpointPrincesuddenlylostit.Justforaflash,butlikeanymortal humanbeing, he lost it.He suddenly grippedmyhand in a desperate vise and his voicebrokeashestrainedtowhisperinatonethatsoundedlikeapetrifiedten-year-old,“Whhh..aa..ttttd-diidhesaayy?”Iwasstunnedtoo,butinstincttookoverandIhungontohishandfirmlyandsaidcalmly,“Hesaidwe’regoingtohaveadaytobeproudofandit’sgoingtobefun.NowletmegettothetheaterandI’llmeetyouthere.”Itwastouchingandrevealing—probablytheonlymomentthroughthewhole,tediousmakingofthemoviethatheshowedanydoubtorvulnerability.Andjustasquickly,hecaughthimself...probablyfrustratedthathehadlethisguarddown...andsaid,“Yeah,hurryupoverthere.Anddon’tletthemmessthisup!”52

JonathanTakiffof thePhiladelphiaDailyNews calledPrince the“best thinggoing in pop today” and a “master of a multi-format, mulatto music that’sartisticallysatisfying,sexuallystimulating,andculturallysavvy.”53TheNewYorker’sPaulineKaelcomparedPrincetoJamesDean,whileRoger

Ebert calledApollonia “electrifying” and said themoviewas “one of the bestcombinationsI’veseenofmusicanddrama”andthatitwas“thebestrockfilmsincePinkFloyd’sTheWall.”54Althoughthereweresomereviewers,suchastheNewYorkTimesandLeonardMaltin,whodidn’tenjoyitasmuch,mostreviewswerefairlypositive.Despite the celebration, Princewas still battlingMorrisDay, as theirmutual

friendPepéWillieremembered:ItwasaveryhardtimeforMorrisDay.HecalledmeupandtoldmethatPrincewastryingtodestroyhimandheneededhelp.SoIflewtoCaliforniatogivehimmysupportandhelphimoutasmuchasIcould.WewenttoWarnerBros.andspoketoMoOstinandsaidthatPrincewastryingtodestroyhim.Wedidn’thaveticketsforthepremiereofPurpleRain,whichwasjustabouttobereleasedandMorrishadnomoney.MoOstinhelpedusoutalot.HegaveusticketstothepremiereofPurpleRainsothatwecouldbe thereandgaveussupportmoneyso thatwecouldget limosandbodyguardsso thatwecouldgoinstyle,justlikePrincewasgoingtothepremiereinstyle.Princewasveryshockedwhenhesawus,becausehedidn’tthinkthatMorrishadanymoneyoranysupportfromanyone.55

WithMorrisDayandtheTimenolongeraviableproduct,PrincedecidedthatSheila E. should perform at the premiere party. Her band played “ShortberryStrawcake,”“TheBelleofSt.Mark,” “NextTimeWipe theLipstickoffYourCollar,”and“TheGlamorousLife.”PrinceandtheRevolutiontookthestagetoplay“17Days,”“IrresistibleBitch,”and“WhenDovesCry.”

FRIDAY,JULY27,1984

There’sabigpartofmethatdoesn’twanttoseeit.PrinceandIweresoclose.Iknowtheeffecthestillhasonme.Ithurts.Whatrelationship

haveyoueverbeeninthatdidn’thurt?There’salotofusinthatmovie.—Denise“Vanity”Matthews56

PurpleRain isreleasedtotheaters.Becauseofthepositiveword-of-mouthandpreviews,themovieopenedin917theatersonitsfirstweekend.Thefilmwassosuccessfulthatanadditional105theaterswereaddedthefollowingweekend.Itwould eventually become the eleventh-highest-grossing movie of the year,earningmorethan$68millionandendinguponmultiple“Bestof”movielistsfor1984.Princehadthenumber1movie,thenumber1single,andthenumber1album,

placinghiminthecategoryofrockroyalty.SusanRogerssummedupPrince’sachievementbest: “Very rarelyhas an artistworn the triple crownwhere theyhavebeen inahit inall threespheres:where thepublic loves them,where thecriticspraisethem,andwhereothermusiciansadmirethehelloutofthem.”57Prince—who’sgoneon record about feeling rejectedby those closest tohim

whenhewasyoung—wasfinallygettingunconditionalaffectionandacceptanceasanartist,bothofwhichcouldderailhiscreativeedgeifhegotcomplacent.

Los Angeles was hosting the 1984 Summer Olympics, which would begin thefollowingdayandlastuntilmid-August,somanypeopleweretryingtostayoutof the area. Because Prince didn’t attend any sessions at Sunset Sound untilAugust 22, it is likely that he traveled to Minneapolis to avoid the predictedtraffic.

IthasbeenspeculatedthatPrincemayhavebeenintroducedtojazzforthefirsttimeduringthisera.ItisimportanttonotethatPrince’sfatherwasamusicianinajazzbandsoitislikelythatPrincewasveryfamiliarwiththatformofmusic.Therecentsessionsmayhaveinspiredhimtowriteandrecordinthatgenre,buttheydidnotintroducehimtojazz.

AUGUST1984

Once itwas clear that PurpleRain (both themovie and the soundtrack)werelaunching Prince into the stratosphere, decisions had to be made about theupcoming schedule. BecauseMorris Day had broken off ties with Prince, theTime(orevenDayasasoloartist)wouldnotbeperformingonthetour,sotheoriginalconceptofhavingthethreebandsfromthemovietouringtogetherwasscrapped.PrincedroppedApollonia6 from thebill aswell,despite theenergytheyhadspentpreparingforthetour.InSeptemberApollonia6woulddoabriefseriesoftelevisionperformancesoutsidethecountrytopromotetheiralbum,butthe trio would never participate in a full tour. One possible reason was thatPrincewantedtomovebeyondsomeoftheelementsofPurpleRain,butanevenmore likelyexplanationcanbe found in theperformerwhohe invited toopenthetourforhim.TheFamilyalbumwasn’tfinishedandthebandwasn’treadyforaliveshow,

let alone a major tour, and an album for Mazarati was only in the planningstages,soSheilaE.wasinvitedtoopenforPrinceonwhatwouldbeoneofthebiggest toursof theyear.Shehadplayedat thepremiereof themovie inJuly,andheralbumwasdoingwell,remainingontheBillboard200Albumchartforforty-sixweeks(startingJuly7,1984)andtheBillboardSoulLPchartforforty-twoweeks(startingJune30,1984).ThepublicityfromtouringwithPrincecouldhelpincreasethesalesofhermusic,sotogetready,SheilawouldventureoutinSeptemberandOctober todo somepromotion forheralbumand road-testhernewbandtopreparethemfortheupcomingPurpleRaintour.


Asafetycopy(abackupcopyofatape)wasmadeof“SexShooter,”possiblyforediting for the 12-inch, whichwould likely take place inMinneapolis. Princewasnot involved in the session, andno actual recordingwas done.This copywouldbeshippedtoPrince.

THURSDAY,AUGUST2,1984(ESTIMATE)

When he came home, we did [“Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian”]. Iremember he wrote the lyrics very quickly, and he played all theinstruments.—SusanRogers

AlthoughPrincehadbeenrehearsingandfocusingonhisnewprojectslately,healso needed to put the finishing touches on theApollonia 6 album,which bymany accounts had become an obligation instead of an inspiration. He hadalreadydecidednot to haveApollonia 6 performon thePurpleRain tour andhadremovedmanyoftheirbestsongs,themostpainfulexamplebeing“ManicMonday,”whichwaseventuallygiventotheBanglesandreleasedin1986.WendyMelvoinrecalledwhatinfluencedPrincetoworkwiththem:“Prince’s

ear was pricked up by The Bangles because he thought Susanna [Hoffs] wascute.”1Noteveryonewasashappywiththedecision.“Itreallydisappointedmethatit

wasn’tonthealbum,”BrendaBennettdiscloses.“It’sagreatTop40songandIthinkitwouldhavebeengreatontheApollonia6album.”Bennett’s husband,Roy, fills in the story: “Brendawasn’t one for bitingher

tongue. She’d speak her mind, and she wasn’t afraid to tell Prince what shethoughtofhim,andthesamethingwithSusan[Moonsie].Shewoulddoitinasweeterway,butIthinkonethingthatalwaysattractedPrincetoSusanwasthat—not only was she a very beautiful girl, she had a cute personality and shespokehermind.Insomecases,hedoesn’tlikethat,butwithheritwasokay.Shecoulddoitinareallysweetway.”It is interesting to note that “ManicMonday”was a harpsichord-based song,

and it probably wasn’t a coincidence that “Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian,”

whichreplaced“ManicMonday,”containedharpsichordaswell.Infact,itistheonlynumberonthealbumthatusedtheYamahaDX7patch#19Harpsich1.

Status:When“HappyBirthday,Mr.Christian”(7:09)replaced“ManicMonday”ontheApollonia6album,itbecametheleadtrack,probablybecauseitwasthenewestsong,andPrinceusuallyenjoyedplacinghisnewestmusicinprominentplaces.TheRevolutioniscreditedwithrecordingthemusic,butitislikelyasolotrack

byPrince.

SATURDAY,AUGUST4,1984(ESTIMATE)

I remember Apollonia speaking about all the little things that Princewas trying to get out of her, vocal-wise.With inflections, intonations,andlittlethingslikenotjustsinging,butall theotherlittlethingslikethe“oohs”and“ahs”andthelittlead-libs,andIrememberhertalkingabouthowshe felt embarrassedby itat firstandhowshe felt kindoffunnyaboutit,andhowitwasdifficultforhertogetthatpartbecauseshecouldn’tdo it,andhewasgoodabout itbecausehehadhis littlewaystogethertobeherself,whetheritwastotickleherormakeherlaughoroneofthosekindofthings.—BrendaBennett

Prince invited Apollonia up to Minneapolis for the weekend of her birthday.Prince, dressed in his pajamas and boots, picked her up, drove her to thewarehouse, and played her a version of the track that contained his scratchvocals. AlthoughApolloniawasn’t presentwhen themusicwas recorded, herstampwasallover the songbecause the lyricswerebasedonadescriptionoftwopeoplewhohadworkedather schoolwhenshewasyounger.Prince tooktheinnocentinformationandembellisheditforasong.Once again, Prince had found inspiration from someone close to him giving

him the sparknecessary to create the number, andhe asked for her help fine-tuningthelyrics.BrendaBennetthelpedonthebackgroundvocalsandaddedpartoftheMarilyn

Monroe–esque“Happybirthday,Mr.Christian”at5:54inthesong.PrincealsohadApolloniasayitinthesamebreathytone.“HehadthisbiginfatuationwithMarilynMonroe,”Bennett relates.“Andhewasreally in the thickof itat thattime,andheoriginallywantedmetodomyhairjustlikeher...thesamecolor.Hewantedmetodyeitplatinumandwearitkindoflikethat.Anyway,that’smedoingmybestMarilynMonroeattheend.”SusannahMelvoinwas eventually called in to sing aswell: “It wasme and

BrendaandPrince(laughs),butitwasmostlymeandBrenda.Shewasagoodsinger.Shewasreallyoneofthegreatwomen,andshewasmarriedtoanothergreatman,Roy, and theywere all part of thatwhole thing.Purple Rain isn’tPurpleRainwithoutRoyandBrenda.”JillJoneswouldeventuallyalsoaddhervocalsonalaterdateatSunsetSound.Acloselistentothephrasingofthelyricsrevealsthatthisbirthdaygiftcould

easily have been called “Happy Birthday, Apollonia” instead of “HappyBirthday,Mr.Christian.”ThiswasprobablythelastofficialvocalsessionApolloniarecordedforPrince.

WiththemoviereleasedandtheApollonia6albumcomplete,therewasnoneedforhertospendasmuchtimeinMinneapolis.

SUNDAY,AUGUST5,1984

Hewasalwaysopentosongwritersandsongs,buttheyhadtobegood.—BobbyZ2

UntilPurpleRain,Princewasverystrictaboutwritingalmostallhisownsongs,but on his side projects he welcomed the occasional contribution frombandmates.“Ifwecametogetherwithamusicalidea,hewasopentolisteningtoit,” related Matt Fink, who had cowritten several songs with Prince over hiscareer.“Althoughafterlisteningtoit,thenhewouldrejectitifhedidn’twanttodo anythingwith itwhichwasmore often than not. (laughs)He had his own

vision for his ownpart ofwhat hewanted to domusically but hewas alwaysopentootherpeople’sideas,I’llputitthatway.”3WhenitcametofillinginTheFamilyalbum,hespoketohisdrummer,Bobby

Z, about a song he had recorded in late 1983 called “River Run Dry.” HisoriginaldemohadaGaryNumanflavor,whichcontinuedintothenewversionslightlytemperedbyPrince.BobbyZplayeddrums,Finkplayedkeyboards,andPrinceplayed the remaining instruments in this earlymix.The songcontinuesthe bass/keyboard leads from Bobby Z’s demo. No saxophone would berecordedforthisversionofthetrack.Princealsorecorded“Lisa,”aninstrumentalthatsharedthetitleofoneofhis

unreleased tracks from 1980, but the new song contained nothing else incommonwiththepreviousnumber.Oncehefinishedrecordingthebasicrhythmtracksduringtoday’ssessionitwasplacedontheshelfuntilearlyOctober,whenWendyMelvoinwouldaddguitarandEricLeedswouldoverdubsax.Thetrackwouldberenamed“Yes.”“Princewasvery,verygoodatbeingabletotapintothespecificthingsthatindividuallywecouldcontribute,”explainedLeeds.“Heknewnottocometometoplayoncertainkindsofsongs,becauseheknewthatthat just wasn’t my thing. If there was some specific thing that he wanted, Iwould come in and do that, and he knew he could get thatwell done, but heknewbasicallythekindofsongsthatIwasgoingtowanttosinkmyteethinto.”4Itisalsopossiblethat“JerkOut,”whichwasoriginallyintendedfortheTime,

was taken out of the vault and considered for the Family. During this periodPrincereportedlyconsidered“IDon’tWannaStop”and“Rough”(alsoknownas“Too Rough” and “2 Rough”) for either the Family or Mazarati projects. Itseems these were only reviewed and not actually updated for either group.“‘Rough’wasanoldtrackthatwebroughtoutofthevault,”accordingtoSusanRogers. “I remember it was just kind of one of those macho funk things.Somethingthathedidn’tspendthatmuchtimeon,Iguess.Itwasn’toneofhisbetterideas.”5

Status: Bobby Z’s demo of “River RunDry” remains unreleased. Eventually,Paul Peterson and SusannahMelvoin added their vocals to the version (5:08)thatwasworked on during this session, butmost of itwould also be shelvedoncePrincedecidedtorerecordthemusiclaterinthefall.TheupdatedversionofthetrackwasplacedontheFamily’sonlyalbum.The longer version of “Lisa”/“Yes” (6:48) remains unreleased, but it was

eventuallyedited(4:25)andincludedonTheFamilyalbum.Anothershorteredit

(3:22)wascreated (probably for releaseona singleor aB-side),but that alsoremainsunreleased.“Rough”(5:34)wouldbeofferedtoJoyceKennedyaswellasJillJones(who

wouldrecordleadvocalsonthetrackin1986),butitremainsunreleased.

SUNDAY,AUGUST5,1984*

Hehadadesireandmaybeaneedtohavecontinuousprojectsthathecould express himself musically, but through the persona of differentpeople.—EricLeeds6

Princerequestedthateveryupcomingsinglefromthefourmostrecentprojects(Purple Rain, aswell as albums by the Time,Apollonia 6, and Sheila E.) becollected, and had David Leonard and Coke Johnson edit and mix them forrelease.“Iwouldmakeacopyof themaster,”according to Johnson,“thenwewouldtakethatandprettymuchdestroyitbycuttingittolittlepieces.Weweredoing crossfades between three different machines. That’s why we ended upblowingthroughsomuchtapedownthere.Wewentthrougheightreelsofhalfinch.Weweremakingtheextendedversions.”Princerarelybroughtnewpeopleintoassistonhissessions.Luckily,Johnson

wasa familiar facearoundSunset, and theykneweachother fromoutside theactualstudio:Theway Igot toknowhimwas fromplayingbasketball andping-pongwithhim.Therewere timeswhenI firststarted there,whenIwasassisting, that Ididn’thave tospendall the timein thecontrolroom.SoIwouldhavetimetoshootbasketswithhimandhethoughtCokewasacrazynametohave,andIthoughtPrincewasaridiculousnametohave.Sowecalledeachother“cuddin”/“cousin.”Wegot

to be comfortable around each other in another environment,which isweird because Prince doesn’thaveanotherenvironmentbesidesthestudio.Helivesit,andbreathesit.That’sallhedoes.

ThreeC-60tapesweremadefromthissession.

Status: It is interesting tonote thatPrincewasalreadyworkingon the12-inchversion of “America” at this stage. It is unclear whether that was beingconsideredasaB-sideforanupcomingsinglerelease,orifhejustwantedtogetthelongerversionfinishedbeforehewentontour.He’djustrecordeditamonthearlierandprobablyhadn’tplaced itonaprojectyet.This longversionof thesong(21:46)wasreleasedinOctober1985.Theeditedsingleof“Let’sGoCrazy”(3:46)hadbeenoutsinceJuly18,1984,

andpeaked at number 1 on theBillboard 100.A “SpecialDanceMix” (7:37)wasfinessedonthisdatetocapitalizeonthesuccessofthetrack.Amixofthistrackhadlikelybeencreatedpreviously,assectionsofthelongerversionwereusedintheopeningsceneofthemovie.The“SpecialDanceMix”wasreleasedonAugust29,1984.A“DanceRemix”of “TheBelleofSt.Mark” (7:42)wasconstructedduring

this session and released on November 16, 1984, in the Netherlands. It wasreleased in theUnitedStates inDecember1984and in theUnitedKingdominJanuary1985.Aneditforthe7-inch(3:38)mayhavealsobeenfashionedonthisdateforreleaselaterin1984.A“DanceVersion”of“SexShooter”(6:52)wasmixedforreleaseonAugust

31,1984.Noremixof“JungleLove”hasbeenreleased,soit ispossiblethattheedited

version (3:24) was made on this date. The single was released in December1984.Noremixof“HappyBirthday,Mr.Christian”waseverreleased,andthesong

wasneverissuedasasingle,soPrincemayhavejustwantedtohaveapotentialthirdsingleifneeded.ItisverypossiblethatthislongerversionendedupontheApollonia6album(7:09).

TUESDAY,AUGUST7,1984

Wewouldjamallnightandthenhewouldbelike,“SusanRogers,rolltape.”—BrownMark7

Prince continued to prepare the Revolution for the tour, but as they werepracticing, he would experiment with new sounds, potentially for performingduringthetourorforfindinganewrifftoexpandintoasong.ManyofPrince’stracksarebasedonfindingagrooveandridingit.“IthinkPrince’sgeniuswasthathewasabletotakeafunkgroupandmakepopsongsoutofit,”notesSusanRogers.“Ihaveneverconsideredhimasagreatlyricist;Idon’tthinkhehaseverreally approached,with the same depth, the universal truth that perhapsBrianWilsondid,orJohnLennon,PaulMcCartneyorStevieWonder.Iwouldn’tratehimon that level. I thinkhisgenius is in recordmakingand in rhythm,dancegrooves.IthinkheisfunkierthananyoneIknowandheisageniuswithrhythm.Hehasawonderfulsenseofmelody.”Duringthisrehearsalthebandworkedonvarioustracksforthetour,including

riffingduringthe“workout”partof“ComputerBlue”andadditionalworkontheliveversionof“DarlingNikki.”ItisunclearwhetherEricLeedswasinvitedtoparticipateintoday’srehearsal,butaccordingtoAlanLeeds,itwasgettingmorecommontoincludehim:HeactuallysatinatthetailendofacoupleofrehearsalswhenthebandwasrehearsingforthePurpleRain tour,muchlikehedidonthetour,afterawhile.At theendofrehearsal, they’dbejammingon“America” in thewarehouse, the band, Prince and theRevolution.AndEricwould be convenientlyhangingaroundandPrincewouldsay,“Doyouhaveyourhorn?”Andhe’dsay,“Sure,”andhe’dgetaten-minute solo on a rehearsal version of “America,”much to the confusion of themembers of theRevolution,whowerelike,“Whyarewerehearsingforthebiggesttourinourlives,andwe’vegotthispoacher,thisinvader,withthishorninstrumenthangingoutwithus?Why?”Imean,theywerejustalittleconfused,Ithink,becauseitwasunusual.IthinkEricwasconfused,too.8


Youcouldn’tgetradioplayasablackartistonmainstreamrockradioinAmerica—MattFink9

With the incrediblesuccessof thealbumand themovie,multiplesingles fromthePurple Rain soundtrack albumwere prepped for an upcoming release. Inretrospect,“PurpleRain”wasanobviouschoiceforasingle,butitwouldn’tbeeasytoconvincerock-and-rollradiostationstoplayaseven-minutetrackfromablack artist known for funkmusic, so the songwas edited.With a successfulmovie and soundtrack raising awareness of Prince, “Purple Rain” ended upbeingaperfectcrossoversuccessforhim.“Thesong‘PurpleRain’formewashis masterpiece in terms of marrying commerciality and emotion,” said DezDickerson.“It’soneofthosesongsthatyourememberwhereyouwerethefirsttimeyouheardit.Itcausesyourendorphinsandtheserotonintobereleasedinyourbrain.Anditwasarealstepforwardforhimintermsofhisevolutionasacommercial artist, but yet a distinct artist. You know that it’s him, but at thesametime it’saclassicsong.You’llhear it twentyyearsfromnowand itwillstillbeclassic.”10Thiswasn’tthefirsttimethesonghadbeenedited.Oneversethatreferenced

buyingsomeone’slovehadbeeneliminatedbeforethemoviewasshotbecauseit stood out from the rest of the track. “The funny thing,” explained LisaColeman, “is the third verse that he took out,when you listen to it you don’tunderstandwhat the song is about, but you understand that that verse doesn’tfit.”11

Status: Multiple versions of “Purple Rain” were created, including an edit(4:02), a radio edit (4:19), a 7-inch edit (4:30), a long radio edit (5:37), and alongversion(7:05).Thesewereallreleasedinsomeformwhenthesinglehitthemarketandthetrackpeakedatnumber2ontheBillboard100.

FRIDAY,AUGUST10,1984

Thisonesong,“MissUnderstood,”thatIdidforhimwassupposedtobeon that firstFamilyrecord. I justcouldnothavehimput iton therecord.Ihatethefuckingsong.—SusannahMelvoin

PrincewasstilladdingnewsongstoTheFamilyalbum.Sofar they’dallbeen

tracks that would eventually contain Paul Peterson’s lead vocals, so today herecorded“MissUnderstood,”asongthatwouldfavorSusannahMelvoin.“MissUnderstood”wasapopsongthatcouldhavebeenofferedtoanyofhisprotégéesand seemed completely out of place when placed next to the other numbersplannedforthisproject.Thebasictrackswererecordedatthewarehouseonthisdate, including Prince’s vocals. Soon afterward (on an undocumented date),PrincebroughtthetapewithhimtoLosAngelestorecordMelvoin’svocals.“Wehad themultitrackoutatSunsetSound inLosAngeles,” recalledSusan

Rogers:Susannahwas there, itwas time to rehearse it, and she just didn’t like the song. She didn’t like thelyrics.Shedidn’tliketosaythosewords.Shedidn’tlikeit.Shewashisgirlfriendatthetime,sotheyhadanargumentaboutit.Irememberwefoundherinthecourtyardandshewassaying:“Ihateit!Ijustdon’tlikeit.It’snotme!”[Susannah]wasstrong-willedmusicallybecauseshewasraisedinamusicalfamilyandshewentback

inand toldhimthatshedidn’t like it.Shedidn’twant todo it.Shedidn’t think thatsheshouldsingthosewords.Andhejustsaid,“Look,thisisyourvehicletomakemoneyandI’mprovidingyouthisvehicleandifyouarenotgoingtosingit,I’llgetsomeoneelsewhowill,butthisisasongthatIwroteforyou.”12

MelvoinexplainshowsheconfrontedPrince:“HeflewouttoL.A.,cametothestudio, and I said, ‘Can I talk to you for aminute?’Andwewent out to thecourtyardandIsaid,‘Idon’treallyfeelgreatabouttellingyouthis,butIcan’tdothissong.Ican’tlivewithit.I’mjustterribleonit.Icouldn’tstandmyvocal,itwas toocontrived,andIcan’thaveyouput thison therecord,’andhesaid,‘Okay.’Hesaid,“We’llworkonitforthenextrecord.Iwantyoutosingmoreleadsonthenextrecordanyway.’”Melvoinwas correct. The song seemedmore like an outtake fromVanity 6

thanthenewsoundPrincewasdebutingwiththeFamily.“I think we all got a taste of that song, every single one of us,” recalls Jill

Jones. “And it was slated to be on my record too. I think something washappening because psychologically, the relationships that were going on withPrince interpersonallywouldaffect the song. If hegaveyoua song,youwerelike, ‘Ugh, really? Is thiswhatyou think awoman shouldbe singingabout atthis point?’ I even thought he had Wendy sing on it at one point because Iremembertherewasatrackatthebeginningwhereitwashervoice.”

Status: “Miss Understood” (5:23) was offered to several other artists, but itremainsunreleased.

Itispossiblethat“Yes”(aka“Lisa”)wasoriginallytrackedonthisdayinsteadofAugust5.

TUESDAY,AUGUST14,1984

Prince and the Revolution played their second show of the summer at FirstAvenue, but this time theyweredebuting twomoreof the tracks fromPurpleRain, outlining an early version of a typical Purple Rain tour set list:“Controversy,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Delirious,” “1999,” “Little Red Corvette,”“ComputerBlue,”“DarlingNikki,”“TheBeautifulOnes,”“WhenDovesCry,”“Baby I’maStar,”and“PurpleRain.”Partsof the“Baby I’maStar” jamarevery similar to the recently recorded “America,” specifically around the 11-minutemark,whichcontainselementsofthe“America”12-inch.

WEDNESDAY,AUGUST15,1984(ESTIMATE)

ItwasdoneattheFlyingCloudDrivewarehouse.WhenwefirststarteditIthoughtitmightbeforMazarati.—SusanRogers13

The scramble to get ready for yesterday’s First Avenue show had everyoneworking overtime, so today amore casual daywas scheduled for the crew aswell as the band. Because of the pending tour, there were crew membersworking around the warehouse, but the atmosphere was a little slower thanusual.Princedecidedtotakeafreshpassat“She’sAlwaysinMyHair,”atrackhe’doriginallyrecordedin lateDecember1983.AccordingtoRogers,“Hegotthisincredibleguitartone,playedtheleadlineandweallflippedforit.Whenhewouldreallydiginonguitarandreallygetagreatrocksoundandplayagreatlineit’samazing.Thebandwasn’tin,justheandIrecording.”14

UnlikemanyofthetracksforPurpleRain,whichtookdaysandevenweekstocomplete,Princeonceagainseemedtowanttogethisideastotapeimmediately.This is probably because he had a very limited amount of time to finish hiscurrent projects before the bigger rehearsals and staging for his tour woulddemand all his time. “He was recording day and night during that period,”Rogers explained to author Jake Brown, “and songs tended to get done veryquickly. ‘NothingCompares2U,’ ‘America,’ ‘Conditionof theHeart,’ ‘God,’and‘She’sAlwaysinMyHair’wererecordedthen.Wewouldsometimesstartthematthewarehouseandfinishtheminhishomestudio.”15BobbyZremembered“She’sAlwaysinMyHair”beingrecordedcompletely

atPrince’shome,butRogersrecallsitdifferently:“IcantellyouthatwemixeditatthewarehouseonFlyingCloudDrive,andthereasonIknowthatisbecausehe and Iwere sitting there andPrincewaswearing a scarf over his head.Wewerebothtired,andIfinallysaidtohim,‘Canyouhearanyhighendwiththatscarf over your head? I mean, what are we doing?’ We were so tired andworkingsohard,andIthinkitsufferedbecauseofthat.”

Status:Princedecidedhepreferredtheoriginalversionof“She’sAlwaysinMyHair,”andtoday’srecordingremainsunreleased.


We’reprettymuchaunitnow.Princehasallowedallofustoexpressourselveswithourinstruments.Hehasn’ttriedtotameusdownatalland he’s more willing to accept ideas from each of us.—WendyMelvoin16

Although“AroundtheWorldinaDay”wastrackedonthisdate,thesongcanbetracedbacktoabirthdaygiftPrincegavetoLisaColeman’sbrotherDavid,whoremembers:“HismanagementcompanycalledmeinearlyJuneandsaid,‘We’recallingrepresentingPrince.Andhe’scallingtowishyouahappybirthdayand

he’sgivingyoutwodaysof“lock-out”[twenty-four-houradayaccess]atSunsetSound.’”David Coleman recruitedWendyMelvoin’s brother Jonathan to help on the

tracks—including a song Jonathan wrote called “B.B.,” which contained abeautifuljazzsolobyhisfather,MikeMelvoin—butthesongthatstoodoutwas“AroundtheWorldinaDay.”“Weworkeditupasanicekindofdemothing,”recallsengineerBillJackson.“TheyrediditforPrince’snextrecord,anditwasasongthatDavidhadwrittenanditwasalmostexactlythesameasthereleasedversion.”Prince kept the music but decided to rewrite the words, retaining only the

“aroundtheworldinaday”refrain.According toDavid, thesongwas inspiredbysomeoneveryclose tohim:“I

wrotethesongbasedonaclosefriendofmine,buttomeshewasahighschoolsweetheart, a young girl fromBeirut, Lebanon, namedChristineMaalouf.Wewereverygoodfriendsandwejustlosttouch.”Princehadexplainedthatthesessionswereagiftandhedidn’texpectanything

inreturn,butDavidwantedtosharewhatheandJonathanhadcreated,andtheygaveacopytotheirsisters.LisaColemanremembers:“DavidandJonathanhadsentusacassetteoftwonewsongs.Ihadmypink[salmon]MercuryMontclairwithabadassstereocassettedeck,andtomakealongstoryshort,WendyandIloved the new songs andwe pulled into the parking lot playing the tape.WecalledPrinceouttocomelisten.Whenitgottothechorusof‘AroundtheWorldinaDay,’Princegotalookonhisfacelikehe’dseenaghost.ThesongendedandIthinkheejectedthetapeandtookit,saying,‘Canyourbrothercomeouthere?’”“Hewasflooredbyit,”accordingtoWendyMelvoin.“That’show[thealbum]

kindofkick-started.”17SusannahMelvoinalsorecallsPrince’senthusiasmforthetrack:“Itwasreally

excitingtohearhimsay,‘IwanttodothissongofDavidandJonathan’s.Let’sdothisandhaveDavidgooutthereandplayonit’anditwasthebeginningofthat.Itwasbeautiful.”Hearing this song altered Prince’s plans for the next Revolution project,

pointing him in a different direction. After the August 14 concert, PrinceconveyedtoDavidhowmuchheenjoyedhissong—but,asmentionedearlierinthe book, it wasn’t going to be his next project: “He must have changed hismind,andmanagementor somethingcalledmeandsaid thatPrincewanted toworkon‘AroundtheWorldinaDay.’”Almostimmediately,Princescheduled

time to record the track with the Revolution, but also with the members ofWendyandLisa’sextendedfamilywhoworkedonthedemo.“Princewasveryexcitedaboutthesong,”accordingtoSusanRogers.“Atthistime,theColemansandtheMelvoinswereabigpartofhislife.”18HeaskedJonathanandDavidtobring their instruments and join him in the studio. In addition to tracking thesongduringthissession,thebandspenttimerehearsing,whichhelpedthetrackevolve.Earlyintheprocess,thesongbeganwithjustthesoundofdrumsprogrammed

by Bobby Z. A ten-minute rhythm track was recorded, with David playingdarbuka while Prince pointed at Jonathan to play a tambourine pattern.Additional elements were added, including a police whistle, cello, fingercymbals, and an oud. Prince expressed interest in adding some of these newsoundstohismusic.Hemayhavehadthesonginhishead,buthewaswillingtotrytobuilditwithelementsfromoutsideinfluences.“Thatwasanothermomentthathewassocharmingandunassuming,”Davidexplains.“Hewasstandinguponthedrumsethittingthecymbalwithapolicewhistleinhismouthgoingdee-dee-dee-dee. He never used that track, but that’s just a moment I rememberfondly.”Princeexpressedhisdesireforthechorustosoundlikethedemo,sohehadthe

ColemansandMelvoins replicate their singingascloselyaspossible.“Hewasgoing to call my eldest sister [Cole Ynda] out,” remembers David. “But Icouldn’tgetaholdofher.TheRevolutionincludedinthevocalswereMattandBobby, and Lisa with Susannah and Jonathan. I’m a little happier with hisversion of the background vocals. My demo background vocals are a littledarkishandhisarealittlemoreflowery,soitwasforthegood.”WendyconfirmedthatthefinalcallwasalwaysPrince’swhenitcametowho

was invited to participate in the session: “Our involvement was obviouslyimportant,butyouhavetorememberthatwhenhehiresyou,hehiresyouaspartof a band, not as a solo artist.Whatever Prince saw as the direction to go in,we’dfollowhimandhopefullybeabletocontributesomethingasitevolved.”19“Formethatwassoexciting,”addedRogers,“becauseitjustseemedlikethere

wasn’t anything that couldn’t be done. We could do everything! He’s got apositiontoseewhateverthereisoutthereforhimtosee.Itwastheright,right,rightsituationforallofus.Noneofushadanymoney,buthehadmadealotofmoney,soanythinghewantedtodohecouldaffordtodo.”20WendysawhowthingswerechangingforPrinceandrecognized the levelof

comfortthatsheandLisabroughttohim:

I believe that it was a sense of freedom and a complete tolerance and acceptance that we had foreverything that he stood for andwanted in his life, and it became hismomentwhere he didn’t feelslightlyapologeticforwhathewantedinlife.Andprior tothathehada“punk”attitudeaboutit.Hewaslike,“Idon’tcareifIshocktheshitoutofyou.I’mgoingtobecauseIwantit,”butoncewewerethere,hesolidifiedintothisless,“Fuckyou,I’mgoingtofuckyoubecausethisiswhoIamandI’mnotgoingtoapologizeforit,”anditbecame,“OhmyGod,Ifeelgoodaboutbeingvulnerableandwantingwhat I want because I’m surrounded by people who accept it.” And I think that’s what made himbecometheflowerthathebecameatthatverymoment.

Several versions of the song were recorded, ranging from three and a halfminutes to six minutes in length. The multiple performances shared mostelements,themainchangebeingtheadditionofthesynthfluteatthebeginningof the track. “The flute soundsutilizedon that songspecificallywereallDX7flutes,”accordingtoMattFink.“Headdedthedelayinthestudio.Thereweren’tany synthesizers that had on-board effects in those days, you had to haveoutboard pieces running on them, so we would use standard boss pedals forthose effects.”21 The basswould also be very prominent in at least one of theversions,butnotinthereleasedmixofthesong,whereitwasmuted,muchlikeitwasdonefor“WhenDovesCry.”AquickmixwasdoneattheendofthesessionwithRogers,whosaysthereis

amisconceptionabouttheworkanengineerputsintocreatinghismixesafteritisrecorded:“IhaveheardfromsomanypeopleinthemusicindustrythatPrincedoesithimself.Hedidn’tdoithimself.Iwasthere,andthestuffthathemixedwithmesoundsdefinitelydifferentthanthestuffhemixedwithanybodyelse.”22Prince likelyunderstood the impact this trackwouldhaveonhis next album

andhadtheopeninglyricsreproducedinhisPurpleRaintourbook,whichwasbeingdesignedduringthisperiod.ThisadditiontothetourbookwastypicalofPrince,whohadahabitofpresentingenigmaticriddlesandthendecidingifandwhen the meaning would eventually be revealed. When he did this, Princeseemedtobewritinghiscareerasamysterynovelandinvitingotherstolookforthe answers in cryptic clues that would hopefully make sense when viewedbackward.SusanRogersfeltthatPrincesawthesongas“acornerstoneforhisrecord.”23

HeseemedsotakenwiththisnewsoundanddirectionthathewouldeventuallyremixitwithherandduringseparatesessionswithDavidLeonard.

Status:“AroundtheWorldinaDay”(3:29)wasthetitletrackforPrince’snextalbum.Thealternateversionsremainunreleased.

Various sources have contradicted the actual recording date for “Around theWorldinaDay,”butAugust16,1984,seemsthemostlikelybasedoninterviewsandpersonalnotesfromthoseinvolved.TheotherpossibledateisSeptember16,1984.


This is a guy who sits in a recording studio, and his creative musehappens so fast that the only way that he can do it and get what hewantsdone is just todo it himself, and sincehe can,whynot?—EricLeeds24

Prince was everywhere, and everyone wanted to know more about the manbehind themusic.Newspapers,magazines, and television showswerepraisingPurpleRainasamasterpiece,andinvitationswerecomingfromeverywheretotalkaboutthemovieandthealbum,butPrinceseemedtobemoreinterestedinsurrounding himself with people he trusted, creating new music instead ofreflectingonwhathe’dalreadyrecorded.ManyofthesongsonPurpleRainhadbeenaroundforyears,sowhatwas“new”musictothepublichadgrownstaletohim, andhe seemedeager to show theworld thatPurpleRainwasn’t a fluke.Princehadtheworld’sear,andhewasmakingplanstotakeadvantageofthat.“The Dance Electric” was another in a series of tracks that was created by

PrinceandtheRevolutionplayingoverarepetitivegroove.PartsofithadbeenworkedonwhilepreparingfortheAugust14show.“Wejammedallthetimeatsoundchecks,”saysMattFink.“Andatrehearsalstherewasalwaysawarm-upperiodwherethebandwouldjustflowwithideasandstuff.Andeveryonceinawhilesomethingwould justhitPrince,andhe’d take itanddosomethingwithit.”BassplayerBrownMarkrecallsitaswell:“Irememberjammingonthat,and

thenIthinkwhathappenedwashetookthereelintothestudioandeditedit,andaddedtoitandmadeitwhatitwas.That’showalotofthatstuffcameabout.”

Thetrackitselfisanotherapocalypticsongabouttheendoftimes—inthespiritof“1999”—abouthowwe’vegot togetourselves inbalanceas theenddrawsnear.Thereisevenareferencetotheyear1999whenPrincesings,“We’vegotfourteenyears. . .”25(ifthetrackwastobereleasedin1985).Princehadbeendroppingreferencestoarebirthoverthelastyear,bothinthemovieandonthesoundtrack album, with the phrase “MayU live 2 see the dawn,” which alsoappearedonthesleevefor“17Days(TheRainWillComeDown,ThenUWillHave2ChooseIfUBelieve.Look2TheDawnAndUShallNeverLose”).26Prince didn’t just revisit concepts, he had a habit of reusing phrases in his

songs,whichsometimeshelpedchroniclehismoodorhisattitudeaboutatopicduring certain focused periods in the studio. For example, on “The DanceElectric” Prince started the song with “Good morning children.”27 The daybefore,duringtherecordingof“AroundtheWorldinaDay,”hesang,“Allthelittle babies sing around the world.”28 It is as if he were putting himself in apositiontoinstructthosehefeltwerelookingtolearn.Theentirebandworkedon themusic for the song,but it appears thatPrince

mayhavedonethestudioworkbyhimselfandtheninvitedWendyMelvoinandLisaColemanaswellasJillJonestoaddtheirdistinctbackgroundvocalstothetrack. It isunclearwhether theentirebandparticipated in theactual recording,buttheRevolutionwereactivelyinvolvedincreatingthegroove.Coleman (who celebrated her twenty-fourth birthday on this date) posted on

WendyandLisa.com that the song was “one of my favs,”29 and Eric Leedsglowingly told his brother Alan how impressed he was when he’d heard thetrack:“[Eric]camehomefromthesessionravingabout thisnewjamtheyhaddone....‘Man,thisistheshit!’AndheplayedmethetuneandIwent,‘What?Oh,myGod!’Inretrospect,maybeitwasn’tthegreatesttunetheyeverdid,butatthetime,itwassmoking!”30Within a few days, Alan Leeds was talking to Prince about how this song

would show everyone how funky he could be when it was finally released.Prince responded, “I can’t do that song.” Leedswas in shock, andwhen heasked about it, Prince confided, “That’s not forme. I can’t do a song likethat.”“Tothisday,”Leedsconfessed,“Idon’tunderstandwhathemeant.”31Although Prince had decided it wouldn’t fit on one of his own albums, he

apparentlyliked“TheDanceElectric”somuchthathefoundaspotforelementsofitduringthePurpleRaintour.Aseguecontainingmaterialliftedfrom“TheDance Electric” was created to bridge “Darling Nikki” and “The Beautiful

http://WendyandLisa.com

Ones.”WendyMelvoin’ssingingonthechoruswasplayedbackwardandthenoverdubbedwith Prince saying, “I’m so confused.Don’t be confused, there’sonlyonelord,Jesus..I’msoconfused...I’msorry.I’llbegoodI–Ipromise...If you believe, he’ll forgive you . . . I’m so confused, so confused. . . . / thebeautifulonesyoualwaysseemtolose.(2x)”32

Status:An approximately twelve-minute version of “TheDanceElectric”wasgiven to Prince’s childhood friendAndréCymone, and theyworked on it thefollowingyearforreleaseonCymone’sA.C.album.Itwasediteddown(5:44),but otherwise the track basically stayed the same, with Cymone adding hisvocalsatOceanWayStudiosinHollywood.Several versions of the song were mixed. Some were released—the single

version (3:59), long version (5:31), and extended version (10:24)—whilemultipleversionswerecreated(11:32,11:41,and12:03)thatremainunreleased.The song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Black Singles chart and

number8ontheBillboardHotDance/DiscoClubPlaychartforAndréCymone.ItdidnotchartontheBillboardHot100.Anearlyversionof“TheDanceElectric”withPrince’sleadvocals(11:30)was

alsoreleasedonthePurpleRainDeluxe(ExpandedEdition)CDsetin2017.

Prince would continue to write about the approach of the year 1999 in hismusic, including his 1991 song “HornyPony,”which proclaimed itself as “anewdanceforthenext8years.”33


Prince wrote some of his best funky/pop stuff and his lyrics on“ScreamsofPassion”;they’rebeautifulpoetry.That’shisstuff.Ithinkthat’s where he was best. Some of his best Prince songs are on theFamilyrecord.—PaulPeterson34

The Family project was a chance to showcase Prince’s new sound, but when“ScreamsofPassion”was recorded, itwasoneofonly two trackson the finalversion of the album that didn’t feature Eric Leeds on sax (the other being“River Run Dry”).When Prince recorded alone in the studio his routine wasfairlysimple,andoftenitstartedbycontactingSusanRogers:“Hewouldcallmeinthemorningofthedayweweregoingtorecordandsaywhatheneededsetup,whetheritwaslivedrumsordrummachine,whetherhewantedallhisstuffin thecontrol roomorout in thestudio,andsometimeshewould justcallandsay,‘Canwerecord?’”35Inthefirstversionofthetrack,Princedidn’thaveanendingforthesong,sohe

stoppeditwithhiscomment,“Ohbaby,don’tdothat!,”whichPetersonwouldeventuallyduplicatewhilereplacingthevocals.Whenthesongwasmixed(atalaterundocumentedsession),itwasfadedearlier,eliminatingthatsection.ItislikelythatthistrackwasstartedduringtheeveningofAugust18,butthe

sessionwentpastmidnightsoitwasprobablyfinishedsometimeinthemorningonAugust19.Additional overdubs were likely done to “The Dance Electric” during this

session with others, including Jill Jones and possibly SusanMoonsie, addingbackgroundvocals.

Status:“TheScreamsofPassion”(5:26)waseditedforreleaseasasingle(3:10)in1985.ClareFischerwroteanorchestralpartforthetracklaterinthefall.Anextended version (6:45) was created as well, and Fischer’s additions can beheardatthebeginningofthetrack.Thereleasedversionpeakedatnumber63ontheBillboardHot100chart.

SUNDAY,AUGUST19,1984

Therewerecertain songs that I rememberwere saved forSundaysorinspiredonSundays...and“God”wasoneofthoseSundaysongs.—SusanRogers36

Prince set the mood for today’s session by lighting a candle and turning thelightsoffinthewarehouse.Hesatatthepianoreadytoplay,butunfortunately,every time he began the equipment would fail. Susan Rogers described themood:“Itwasreally,reallydifficultandhewasgettingveryfrustrated.Hewasinoneofhisuncommunicativemoodswherehe justwasn’t speaking tomeatall. I don’t think he was mad at anything, other than that technically theequipmentwasn’tworkingrightanditwasmyresponsibilitytogetitfixed,butIwasdoingthebestIcould,andhereallywantedtorecordthissong.”37Itwasaftermidnightbefore shewasable toget theequipmentworking, and

this timewhen she pressed “record” the tapemachine kept recording and thetapekeptrolling.Hetrackedthepianoandvocalsfor“God”inonetake,closedthelidonthepiano,andwalkedoutwithoutaword,endingthesession.“Ihadnoideawhatwasgoingoninhishead,”confessesRogers.“Itwasjust

oneofthosedays—andwehadplentyofdayslikethat—whenhewouldcomeinto thestudio inacertainmood,whenyouknewhewouldsomuchratherbealonebutheneededsomebodythere,andIwouldtrytomakemyselfasinvisibleaspossiblejusttofacilitategettingwhateveritwasdownontape.”Rogers laterexplainedtoMinnesotaPublicRadiothatat timeslikethis“[h]e

could be really difficult toworkwith because hewas under a lot of pressure.Unlike a lot of celebrities or other artists, he didn’t relieve that pressure bytakingdrugsorengaginginbadbehavior.Hewasabletotakethatpressureandlet itbe releasedslowlyover time, rather thanone impulsive,angryburst,andwehadtojustletitpass.Whenitdidpass,hewascheerfulandfunnyandinhisheartofheartshewasawarmandlovinghumanbeing.Thatwasalwaysthere.Wecouldrelyonthat.”38Formostofhiscareer,Princemixedboth theprofoundandperverse intohis

own views, which often confused even those closest to him. “I felt it wasshowbiz forme,”WendyMelvoin admitted to authorMattThorne. “I did notrelatepersonally.ButpartofthebeautyofitbackthenisthattherewereJews,Mexicans,blacks,whites,gaysandstraightsinhisband.Everyonehadtheirownopinionsandtheyweretoleratedandembraced.”39

Status:ThisisthesecondtimePrincerecordedasongwiththetitle“God.”Thisversion(4:03)istechnicallythesamenumberbutsoundsverydifferentthantheinstrumental track thatwas recorded onFebruary 7, 1984.Both songs containidenticalchords/chordprogression(Fsus2 ||G/F ||Em7 ||Am7/E ||Em7/sus4 ||Gsus4/D||C).

Inthelyricsfortoday’sversionof“God,”Princesays,“Wakeupchildren...dance thedance electric”40 (at 3:34 in the releasedversion), a reference to thetrack he’d recorded earlier that week. The vocal version of “God” would bereleased as the B-side of “Purple Rain” in all territories except the UnitedKingdom,whichcontainedboththeinstrumentalandvocalversionsof“God.”


InspirationcomesfromGod.That’stheoriginalsource.Andsotouseyour gift in a creative fashion, that’s the best thing you can do.—Prince41

Itappearsthatplanswereinplaceforthenextsingle,andPrincetraveledbacktoLos Angeles and scheduled some work at Sunset Sound to complete “God.”“AfterPurpleRainhegota lotmoreelaboratewith the thingshewouldbringdown to thestudio,” remembersengineerTerryChristian.“After themoviehewould fill the roomwithall sortsof things; therewereMardiGrasmasksandstuff hanging around, candles. He got really into bringing his home to thestudio.”WiththeassistanceofChristian,Princeaddedsoundeffects,keyboards,andsomeadditionalvocalstothetrackthatwasrecordedonAugust19.TwoC-60cassetteswerecreatedfromthissession.Terry Christian cites a story regarding Prince’s spirituality: “I was working

withaChristianartistnamedSteveCamp,andStevetoldmeheranintoPrinceat the Westwood Marquis, where they were both staying. And I remember[hearing about] Steve getting into an elevator with Prince, and Steve toldmeabout the conversation. Steve said, ‘Hey, I’m familiarwith yourwork.We’reworkingoutofthesamestudio,’andPrincesaid,‘Ohreally?Whatkindofstuffdoyoudo?’Stevesaid,‘I’macontemporaryChristianartist,’andPrincepausedforamomentandsaid,‘I’mintoGod.’Andthatisallhesaid,‘I’mintoGod.’”

According to SusanRogers, people asked her about Prince’s spirituality andbeliefsonoccasion:IrememberanincidentwhenPrincehadfinishedatSunsetSoundandhewasflyinghome,andIhadstayedbehindanextradaytopackupallhistapes.ThenextclientwhowascomingintoStudio3wasaChristianact,andtheywereinthelobbyandtheysawtapeswithsongtitleslike“God”and“WeCanFuck,”whichthrewthemforaloopandlaunchedaconversation.IwasalwaysverykindwhenIwastalkingtothesepeople,andItriedtoemphasizetothemthatwhatPrincewasdoingwasnodifferentthanwhattheyweredoing,respectinghisbeliefsandlivingthebestlifethathethoughthecouldandbeingrespectfulofotherpeopleandbeingtruetoabeliefsystemthathehadengrainedinhim,andthatinvolved discipline, self-sacrifice, doubt, and questions just like theirs did, and I saw no difference.Theykeptdrillingmeandwantingtoknow,“Well,whatwouldyourparentsthinkaboutyouworkingforthisman?”AndIsaid,“Naturally,they’reveryproud.”42

TapesweresenttoBernieGrundmanformastering.TheelementsfortheUK12-inchof“PurpleRain”werecollectedduringthissession.

Status:ThisUK12-inchwasreleasedonSeptember10,1984,andcontainedanexclusively edited version of “Purple Rain (Long Version)” (7:05), theinstrumentalof“God”(7:54),and therecentvocalversionof“God”(3:59). IntheUnitedStates, an editedversionof “PurpleRain” (4:05)was released as asingle on September 26, with the vocal take of “God” (3:59). It peaked atnumber 2 on theBillboard Hot 100 and at number 4 on theBillboard BlackSingleschart.


Those first couple of years with Prince felt to me like the kind ofphysicalandmentaltrainingthatanOlympicathletemusthavetoputherselfthrough.—SheilaE.43

Sheila E. recorded “Too Sexy” during this session. Prince’s participation isunlikely. There has been a lot of speculation about his involvement in therecordingofthetrack,andtherearemanywhofeelthiswasaPrincesongthat

hesimplygavetoSheilatomix,buttherealityisthattheremayhavebeenveryminimal,ifany,involvementbyPrince.Althoughpartsof thissongsoundlikeafasterversionofPrince’s1981track

“Controversy,” it is listed as being composed by Sheila E., Michael (Miko)Weaver,Stephan(Steph)Birnbaum,andBenjamin(Benny)Rietveld.Birnbaumplayedguitar,Rietveld playedbass,Weaverwas on rhythmguitar, andSheilawasondrumsandpercussion.Weaver came up with the title of the song (if Prince had been involved, it

wouldhavelikelybeennamed“2Sexy”).Ratherthanbeingfeaturedononeofheralbums,thetrackwouldberelegatedtoaB-sideforSheilaE.;thisisanotherindicationthatPrincehadverylittletodowiththenumber.AnysalesfromtheA-sidewouldbemirroredontheflipside,soifPrincewasn’t involved,all thesales for this compositionwent directly to those involved inwriting the track.ThiswasawaythatPrincekeptthosearoundhimmakingalittleextramoney.“TooSexy”isbasicallyaninstrumentalthatfeaturesSheilarepeatingthetitle

phrase in the most seductive way possible. It also contains several stabs andmulti-hit sequences that were common for Prince, so the track was likelyinspiredbyrehearsalsforjamsonsongslike“BabyI’maStar”whilepreppingforthePurpleRaintour.Thesongendswiththesoundoftherecordstuckintherun-outgrooveattheendofavinyl45.ThisissimilartoadiscardedendingthatPrincehadconsidered for the12-inchof “America”amonthearlier, except inthat case itwould have been the sound of the tape running out instead of therecord.

Status:“TooSexy”(5:07)wasreleasedastheB-sideof“TheBelleofSt.Mark.”

THURSDAY,AUGUST30,1984*

I consider myself a musician much more than I consider myself afemalepopvocalistorwhateveritistheycallme.—SheilaE.44

It isunclearwhetherPrinceattended thissession.Hisname/signature isabsenton the daily work order for this mixing session, and there has been noverification that heparticipated, although anymix for oneof his artistswouldeventuallyhavetobeapprovedbyhim,soevenifhedidn’tattendthesession,hewouldhavebeengivenacassettetapeforreviewandforhisnotes.SheilaE.was listed as producer, and she signed her name at the bottom of the sheetexercisinganotherofhertalentsbywritinghersignaturebackwardasifshewassigninghernameinthereflectionofamirror.TwoC-60tapeswerecreatedfromthesession.

PeggyMcCreary was married earlier in the month and is credited as PeggyMcCreary, Peggy Mac, and Peggy Leonard interchangeably on studiodocuments.Theyareallthesameengineer.


“SexShooter”isreleasedasthefirstsinglefromtheApollonia6album.Itwouldpeakatnumber85ontheBillboard100chartandnumber19ontheBillboardBlackSingleschart.

SEPTEMBER1984


Princeisaniceguy.Hejustknowswhathewantsandthat’sthewayhewantsit.Ifhehiresyouforsomething,heexpectsyoutodeliver.Oneofthemain things I’ve learned fromhim is thatyouhave to followyourheartmusically.Youcan’tjustdowhateveryoneelsedoes.Followyourheart.—SheilaE.1

Althoughthetrackhadbeenremixedamonthearlier,anadditionaleightandahalfhoursweresetasidetomixthe12-inchof“TheBelleofSt.Mark”duringthis session. Prince’s involvement is unclear, but it was probably only withsuggestionsoverthephoneorafterreviewingacassettetape,ashehaddoneinthepast.AnychangesthatPrincenotedafterreviewingacassetteof“TooSexy”were

likelymadeduringthissession.

Status: A remix of “The Belle of St. Mark” (7:42) was released (with “TooSexy”astheB-side)laterintheyear.The7-inchsinglewasreleasedintheUnitedStatesonDecember7,1984.

WEDNESDAY,SEPTEMBER5,1984

Prince joined Sheila E. onstage at the Agora in Cleveland, Ohio, where theyperformedadueton“EroticCity.”Healsoperformed“TheBird”withJeromeBentonandendedtheshowwith“WhenDovesCry.”

FRIDAY,SEPTEMBER7,1984

Sheena Easton’s album A Private Heaven is released, containing the Prince-penned“SugarWalls,”whichwouldbereleasedasasinglelaterintheyear.

FRIDAY,SEPTEMBER7,1984(ESTIMATE)

Oneof the little-known facts is that thissongwaswrittenwhile Iwasstill in theband,andIhavevery,veryclearmemoriesofbeingin thebackofthetourbuswithguitarsandtheseportablelittleguitaramps,workingthechordchangesandthevocalsandtheelementsofthatsongwhile we were touring. So that song, for me, had a special placebecause I was there in its early stages. I was there in its prototypestage, and tohear the final versionand to see it beoneof thosehitsthat’sverymuchconnectedwithhimasan icon, that’skindofacoolthing.—DezDickerson2

“Raspberry Beret” was originally recorded on April 27, 1982, in Studio 2 atSunsetSound.However,onthisdatePrincebegancreatinganewversionfromscratch, ignoring theversionhehad recordedmore than twoyearsearlier.Thehistoryofthesongisshroudedinmystery,butconsideringhowPrinceworked,thatisn’tasurprise.“ThisisthefirstI’veheardoftherebeingapriorversion,”recalledSusanRogers.“Thereisnotapethatexistedthatwascalled‘RaspberryBeret.’IknowbecauseIsawhimdoit.Isawhimwritingthelyricsforthat,soIknowthattherewasnolyricbefore.Iknowthatthelyricsto‘RaspberryBeret’weredonewhenhewassittingthere.AndIalsoknowthatwhenIcametoworkforhim,oneofthefirstthingsIdidwastogatherupallthetapes,andtherewasnothingcalled‘RaspberryBeret.’”3

“It could bemaybe a song that hewrote down inApril of ’82 and called it‘RaspberryBeret,’”Rogerscontinued,“andthenlaterchangedthetitletoitlateronthetapebox.Itmaysaysomethingelse.That’sreallyamystery.”4AccordingtoSunsetSoundstudiodocuments,thereissomeevidencethatthe

songexistedatthetime,butitisunclearhowcompleteitwasandhowdifferentanylyricsmayhavebeen;nomatterhowcompleteitwas,itwasplacedontheshelf along withmany other songs that were written but deemed unready forrelease. “He would pull stuff out from the vaults that would fit his album,”relatesengineerPeggyLeonard.“Forexample,‘RaspberryBeret’wasold,old,old.Thatwasoneofhissongsfromalongtimeago.Hehasvaultsofmaterial.”Thefullcontentsofthevaultarenotpubliclydocumented,andanentirebook

could be created focusing solely on what it contains. “There are over 1,000songs in the vault,” proclaimed Prince in 1996. “They’re fully realized,thoughsomearen’tready.Thetime’snotrightforthemtocomeoutyet.”5“Princewasalwaystalkingabouthowhewascapableofcreatingmusicfaster

thantheindustrycouldabsorbit.It’salwaysbeenabigissue,”explainsAlbertMagnoli.“ThisgoestotheheartofPrince.”Sensing how well “Raspberry Beret” would fit in with the vibe of the new

albumhe’dbeencreating,PrincegatheredseveralmembersoftheRevolutiontohelphimrerecordthetrack.Afterafewrehearsalstoworkoutanyissues,Princeasked Rogers if she was ready to record, and Prince and the band began thesong.During a concert in 2016, Prince explained a bit about how the song got its

signatureopening line: “I’dwritemusicandI’d let themboth [WendyandLisa]inthestudioandjustmessaroundandseewhatthey’dcomeupwith,andLisawrotethisharpsichordpart.(playstheopeningriff)It’sthewholesong,right?”6AcluetoPrince’scrypticlyrics(suchas“shewalkedinthroughtheoutdoor”7)

canbefoundinthemusichemayhavebeenlisteningtoatthattime:InThroughtheOutDoorwasthetitleofLedZeppelin’s1979album.“IrememberplayingaLed Zeppelin record, and he was saying, ‘Oh, this is terrible, this is awful,”SusannahMelvoin toldauthorMattThorne,“andI justkindofrolledmyeyesandthought,‘Oneday.’Hejustcouldn’tstanditatthetime.Hethoughtitwascrap.”8“Prince’s lyrics were often autobiographical,” observed Rogers. “They often

came about as an encounter with somebody or if he had a specific person inmind.‘RaspberryBeret’ispurestorytelling;therewasnoonewitharaspberry

beret. Itwasastory thathewas telling. I thinka lotof timeshis listenersandfans could be confused as to what was real and what was imaginary. It wassomething that he made up, and I think the imagery is amazing. I think ‘thehorseswonderwhoyouare’9isvisualandsobeautiful.Ithinksomeofhisbestlyricwritingisstuffthatisnotautobiographical,stuffthatwasnarrativewherehewasstorytelling.Whenhedidthathefrequentlywrotebettersongs.”10Thelyricsinthatsectiondiscussedmakingloveinabarn,whichwasbasedon

a deleted scene from Purple Rain that included Prince making love withApollonia. The farm was owned by “old man Johnson,” which was a subtleswipe at Jesse Johnson, the former guitarist for the Time who had quit fourmonthsearlier. “Prince toldme thishimself, so Iknow it’s true,” rememberedRogers.“Hesaidthat‘downbyoldmanJohnson’sfarm,’thatwasastabatJesseJohnson.HewasmadthatJessehadleft....IrememberPrincelaughingaboutit:‘Ha,haI’llgetbackatJesse—oldmanJohnson.’”11IfPrincedidwritethelyricslateintherecording,asSusanRogersrecalls,the

references toLedZeppelin and Jesse Johnsonmakecomplete sense.But thereareotherelementsherecordedthatseemtomakenosenseatall.PeggyLeonardexplainswhatmayhavehappenedduringoverdubsona laterdate:“Ihavenoideawhy he is coughing during the beginning of the song. I do remember heusedtotellmetoneverstopthetapeandIremember,Ithinkitwasthissong,Istoppeditandhejustflippedoutatmebecausehewantedcertainthingsonthetape,sowewouldhavetogobackandfixthings.HealwayshadVickscoughdropsaroundbecausehisthroatwouldgetkindoffunky.”AstheAroundtheWorldinaDayalbumprogressed,Princespentmoretime

workingeitheronhisownorwiththehelpofWendyandLisa.Dayslikethis,whenheused the entire band,werebecomingmore rare, and theunity they’dhadrecordingPurpleRainwasdissolving.

Status:Aneditedversionof“RaspberryBeret”(3:33)wasincludedonAroundtheWorldinaDay.InMay1985,fourweeksafteritappearedonthealbum,itwas released in the United States as the album’s first single. In many otherterritories “Paisley Park” was released first (also in May), with “RaspberryBeret”followingamonthlaterasthesecondsingle.Itpeakedatnumber2intheBillboardHot100.Thefull-lengthversionof“RaspberryBeret”(6:36)wouldbereleasedona12-

inch.

MONDAY,SEPTEMBER10,1984(ESTIMATE)

MONDAY,SEPTEMBER10,1984(ESTIMATE)

PaisleyParkistheplaceoneshouldfindinoneself;whereonecangowhen one is alone. It’s a feeling someone knows when they get it.That’sallIcanreallysay.—Prince12

TheconceptforthenewalbumwasclearlybeginningtocoalesceforPrince,andhe was revealing it to those around him. The tour was scheduled to start inNovemberandrehearsalswereinfullswing,butPrincewasstilllookingfornewmusicandcontinuedtosteamrolleveryoneonhisquest.“Thecloseryougettothatspecificgigortour,thentherehearsalsmightgotomidnight.He’dwanttojamallnight.Thenallofasuddenhe’dstartplaying‘BodyHeat’andvamponitfor likeanhour.Everybodywason retainer,”AlanLeedsexplainedduringaninterviewwith Questlove, “so they knew better than tomake plans. You justdidn’tdaremakeplans.”13“We reallydidn’thaveapersonal life.Personal lifewasPrinceand thatwas

it,”explainsdrumtechBradMarsh.“Hereweare,eleveno’clockandwe’restilljamming on those same three fucking chords we started at four o’clock thisafternoon,andyou’resittingtherethinking,‘God.WishIcouldfuckingleave.Icouldreallystandtousethetimetoworkonthisorthat.’He’sjustgotallthismusic and all these ideas that he wanted to use or experiment with. Like‘RaspberryBeret’turninguponanalbum,andalltheseothersongsstartedoutasjamsonasoundcheck.”“Ican’tsayitwasfunallthetime,”revealsSusannahMelvoin,“becauseitwas

grueling.Butweallknewthattheworkethicthatwehaveisbecauseofhim.Soweallknew,evenatthetime,asdifficultasitwasandwehadnooutsidelives,perse,itwasjustpartofthegig.”Susan Rogers remembered how Prince’s vision was unfolding during this

particular session: “I think ‘Around theWorld in aDay’ gave him a sense ofdirection.Ithinkif‘AroundtheWorldinaDay’wastheheadoftheproject,Ithink ‘Paisley Park’ was the tail of the project. I think ‘Paisley Park’ was asummaryofwhatheintendedtosay.”14

TakingthetitleofaninstrumentalhehadrecordedatSunsetSoundinMarch,Prince recruitedWendyMelvoin and Lisa Coleman to help create a new andunrelatedsong.“AroundtheWorldinaDaywasalotofthethreeofussittingdownandsaying,‘Let’swritethis,’”observedMelvoin.“He’dhavethetwoofus go in and do arrangements—string arrangements, vocal arrangements—andtheguitar andkeyboardparts.That’swhere it really started—ourwritinga lottogether.”15“Weweretheretohelpcreateandfacilitateandputtherightframearoundor

givehimtherightchoicesormakehimfeelgoodabouthischoices,”sheadds.“He got it whenwewere there. It was like, ‘Okay, we’re here to help. Let’sgo!’”Eric Leeds addressed Prince’s shiftingmusical focus: “I think Prince got an

ideaearlyonthatAroundtheWorldinaDaywasnotgoingtoappealtoasmanypeople.Idon’tthinkthatparticularlyconcernedhim.Itwasgoingtobewhatitwas going to be.”16 Prince agreed: “I sorta had anF-you attitude,meaningthatIwasmakingsomethingformyselfandmyfans.Andthepeoplewhosupportedme through theyears—Iwanted togive themsomethingand itwaslikemymentalletter.”17Susan Rogers was with him for the entire fall and sheds some light on this

statement: “I think that a ‘fuckyou’ attitude soundsway tooharsh. I thinkhewasat thehappiest time inhis life, and I think thatwas important.Hewas inpower.Hewasdetermined thathewasn’tgoing tomake“PurpleRain II.”Hewasinapositionwherehecouldtesthiscreativestrength.Hewassmartenoughto know what he had to do; Around the World in a Day was the record heabsolutelyhadtomake.”18“Prince just couldn’t wait to get Around the World in a Day out,” insisted

BobbyZ.“HewasfedupwithPurpleRain.Youmakethealbum,yourecordit,youmix it, you promote it and tourwith it—you are sick of themusic. It’s atediousprocess.”19Princecontinued feeling that themusicofPurpleRainwasdated and he unrelentingly recorded asmuch newmusic as timewould allowandpushedtohaveitreleasedasquicklyaspossible.“PaisleyPark”wasaninfectiouswaytointroduceanideathatPrincewantedto

share with everyone. “I’ve heard some people say I’m not talking aboutanythingonthisrecord,”PrincetoldRollingStone in1985.“AndwhatalotofotherpeoplegetwrongabouttherecordisthatI’mnottryingtobethisgreat visionarywizard. Paisley Park is in everybody’s heart. It’s not justsomething that I have the keys to. I was trying to say something about

looking inside oneself to find perfection.”20 This conceptwas placed over anearly flawless pop song that reflected a good time at a park. The song evenincludedacalliopesound,normallyfoundinparksandcircuses,slightlyburiedinthemix.“Forsongswherethebandwasusedtorecordthebasictracks,heusuallyhad

thelyricsandmelodybeforeworkingoutpartswiththeRevolution,”explainedRogers.“Therewasneveranypre-productionasitistypicallydefined—aroughaudio sketch of what the finished product might sound like. Prince wasremarkableinhisabilitytomaketheappropriateartisticdecisionswhileasongwastakingshape.Iamnotsayingthatheneversecondguessedorrevisitedhisprocess,becausehedid.Hewaslikeanygreatproducer:critical,skeptical,andhonest.”21“Thebasictrackwasdonewiththebandatthewarehouse,”sherecalled.“But

itwasheavilyoverdubbedbyPrince,whomayhavereplacedsomeofthepartsthatthebandmembersplayed.Idon’trememberspecificallywhichones,buthetookalongtimewiththat.”22LisaColeman,WendyMelvoin,andSusannahMelvoinaddedtheirvocalson

thetrack,butnoteveryoneintheRevolutionfelttheywerebeingincludedwithsongs recordedduring this era. “Iwasperturbed about that record,” saysMattFink, “because he didmost of it, and utilizedWendy and Lisa a lot. Hewastotallyfavoringthem.Hejuststartedvibingoffofthem,theirwritingandtheirproductionworkandeverythingelse.Iwasgoingtogetmarried,andhedidn’tlikeitwhenyouwerecommittedtoawoman;hewantedyoucommittedtohim.Soyou’dkindofgetcutoutofthepicturewhenthathappens.IcouldhavebeenaroundalotmoreifI’dhungout,butIwashangingoutwithmygirlfriendandthatisprobablywhyIwasn’tbeingutilizedcreatively.”Ina1997interviewwithMojomagazine,Wendy agreedwith Fink’s perception that Prince favored thegirls in thebandover themen:“Wehadaveryprivate,verydeeprelationshipwithhimthatnooneelsehadatthetime.”23

Althoughthisdatehascomeupmultipletimesintheresearch,thereisasmallpossibility“PaisleyPark”wasrecordedinMay1984.ItisalsoworthnotingthattheFlyingCloudDrivewarehousewasreferredtoas “Paisley Park” on his Around the World in a Day album, even thoughPaisleyParkStudiosdidn’topenuntilSeptember1987.JimmyJamhasgoneonrecordstatingthatthetracksoundslikearetreadoftheslowversionoftheBeatlessong“Revolution.”


PrincesaidtoLisa,“Thisisyourbaby;youwritethestringpart,youhirethestringplayers,youdoit.”Andshewasdelightedbecausethat’ssomething that shedidwell.Soshewroteapart for twocellosandaviola.—SusanRogers24

Prince seemed to understand that Lisa Coleman could bring something to thetracks that expanded his sound, and three days were scheduled for the stringarrangements on his most recent songs, including “Raspberry Beret” and“PaisleyPark.”Princeonceagainallowedhertoconductthestringswithgreatautonomy.“Lisasatdownatthepianoandplayedusournotes,”remembersherbrotherDavidColeman.“LisawouldcomeupwiththearrangementsandPrincewouldorwouldnothaveinputandcasuallyplaysomethingandI’dlearnitandsometimes I’d write my own line in what we were all doing. But Lisa wasmainlythestringarranger.”Susan Rogers oversaw the string sessions for both songs: “We recorded the

stringsasanoverdub in thewarehouse,usingno isolationbetween thecontrolroomandrecordingspace.Prince’shomestudiowastoosmalltoaccommodatealotofmusiciansatonce.”25Although the personal memories of those involved place the string sessions

fromSeptember12–14attheFlyingCloudDrivewarehouseinEdenPrairie,theofficial paperwork for the American Federation of Musicians lists them ashavingtakenplaceatSunsetSound.Thisislikelyanaccidentaloversightontheunionpaperwork.

THURSDAY,SEPTEMBER13,1984

“RaspberryBeret”(strings,vocals)FlyingCloudDriveWarehouse(EdenPrairie,Minnesota)|9:00a.m.–4:00p.m.Producers: Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman | Artist: the Revolution/Prince | Engineer: SusanRogers

Hewasn’tafraid togrow,hewasn’tafraid tomature,hedidn’t insistonremainingtruetohisrootsorsinginglikeateenagerwhenhewasno longer a teenager, or singing about teenage things. He allowedhimself togrowupandmaturepublicly;I thinkSusannahwashelpfultowardsthat,becauseshewasmature,butIdon’tthinkthatshewastheonly one.Lisawas someonewhoprobably contributed to that just asmuch as anyone, Prince was like a sponge; he was absorbing fromSteveFargnoli,fromAlanLeeds—anybodywhohadbeenaround—thequalities that he wanted to nurture in himself, and a lot of thosequalities were the qualities of a little bit more worldliness andsophistication, and I think a better understanding of art and politicsandreligionandthingslikethat.—SusanRogers26

“RaspberryBeret” had such an emotional connection to theRevolution that itwasoneofsevensongsplayedintheir2003reunionshowforSheilaE.’sFamilyJamm. “Mostly we wanted to pick songs that were ‘band-oriented,’” LisaColemanexplainedat the timetoUptownmagazine.“Theyweresongsfromaperiodwhenwewroteintherehearsalhallandthensometimesdidstringstherewith my brother David (cello), Suzie (cello), and Novi (viola) on ‘RaspberryBeret.’Sowefeltveryconnectedtothem.”27Princedidn’tattendthesession,andthevibewasoftenverydifferentwhenhe

wasn’taround.Rogersremembers:I remember how stilted our behaviors could be in his presence because he was so controlling andbecauseofhowconstrainedyouroptionsare.You’vegotPrincewatchingyou,andyoumustmeethisstandards.Andwhatthatforcesyoutodoisthrowyourstandardout.Idon’twanttosayyoubecomeapuppet, but part of your psyche does. Like you have to compromise your notion of what is theappropriate way of singing or dancing or playing or acting or behaving or even talking to what isacceptable.Wasitdifferentwithhimnotthere?Yeahitwasdifferent!CasualFridaywhenhewasn’tthere. It was more relaxed. But at the same time his being there applied a kind of pressure to thesituationthatbroughtoutthebestinus.

According to Rogers,Wendy and Lisa recorded their background vocals onthis same day. Although Prince didn’t attend the sessions, he was reportedly“delighted”withtheresults.28



Princecameonstageandweplayedsidebyside.Thecrowdwasgoingwild.Youcouldn’tsqueezeaflyintothatroom.Itfeltlike120degrees,andeveryonewassoakedfromthefunkinessandtheheat.—SheilaE.29

PrinceflewtoNewYorkCitytoperformwithSheilaE.attheRitz,aclubhe’dplayedin1980and1981,joiningherfor“EroticCity”and“WhenDovesCry.”Sheila was on the road promoting her album The Glamorous Life, and she

would soon join Prince for the upcoming Purple Rain tour. After the show,Prince flew back toMinneapolis to continue rehearsing and working on newmusic.

FRIDAY,SEPTEMBER14,1984

PrinceandIwerelisteningtoabunchofRufusrecordsbackintheday—andthiswasbeforewethoughtaboutdoingstringson[TheFamilyalbum].Weweretalkingabouthowbrilliantthestringswereonthosealbums. Ihadalsobeen listening toa lotofClausOgermanandBillEvans.There’sonerecordtheydidcalledSymbiosisandit’sjustoneofthemostbeautifullyarrangedrecords.Ogerman’sstringarrangement,andEvansplayingthepianooverit,issomeofthemostbeautifulmusicIhaveeverheard.—SusannahMelvoin30

ThissessionwasthefirstattempttoaddstringstoasongbytheFamily.PrincehadbeenveryhappywiththestringsLisaColemanwasoverseeingforhisowntracks, so Suzie Katayama and Novi Novog were brought back in for the

recording. The results are unclear, but further work was required for thisparticulartrack.Itislikelyhemayhavebeenlookingforanother,moreuniquesound signature for theFamily, andafterhearing the resultsof this sessionhespoke toSusannahMelvoinabout finding somethingcompletelydifferent thanhe’deverdone.Sheremembers:“Wehadbeenlistening,andlisteningtoalotofClareFischerstuff. I toldhimthatmyfavoritestringarrangementswereClareFischerbecausewehadbeenlisteningtoallof theRufusized record[byRufusfeaturingChakaKhan].AndIsaidtohim,‘Youknow,myfatherknowsClare,letmeask.Whatdoyouthink?’Andhewaslike,‘Yes.’That’showClarecameintothepicture.”“One of the good features at the beginning was that [Prince] allowed me

freedomandspacetomakevaluejudgments,”recalledFischer,whowouldworkwithPrince for severaldecades. “He leftmecompletely free. It is awisemanwhoafterhehiressomeone,doesnotinterferewithhisproduct.Princewasveryopeninthisarea.”31Itwasdecided to sendseveral tracks toFischer forhis scoring (startingwith

“RiverRunDry”),andbyOctober,ClareaddedstringstofiveofthesongsfortheFamily.

SUNDAY,SEPTEMBER16,1984

“Around theWorld in aDay”was going to be his new statement, inotherwords:“Nolongerpurple,nolonger‘PurpleRain.’We’vegotanewlooknow.We’vegotanewvision.”—SusanRogers32

Princemayhavedecidedtoleave“purple”behind,buthehadn’tcompletelyletgo.Thelyricsto“AroundtheWorldinaDay”mentionthecolor(“theformerisred,white andblue.The latter/ladder ispurple, comeonandclimb”),33 butheseemed to be trying to create an overall vibe thatwas very different from thePurple Rain album. Because of his upcoming tour and other commitments topromotethatproject,Princecouldn’tcompletelyletgoofPurpleRainyet,butasthenewalbumbegantogelitwasgettingmoreofhisattention.

According to many of his engineers, Prince preferred to mix songs whilerecordingthem,andthenhe’dspendalittletimeonabriefmixattheendofasessionforanyfinaltweaks.Occasionally,whenthesongwasextraimportanttohim,he’dtakeitbackoutforamixatalatertime.OnthisdatePrincedecidedtohavesomeadditionalmixingdoneon“AroundtheWorldinaDay”withDavidLeonard. “Prince had him come in and do amix on ‘Around theWorld in aDay,’”rememberedSusanRogers,“whichforDavidLeonardwasverydifficultbecausehewasinthemiddleofthiswarehousewithnoisolation.Hewasn’tinthestudioenvironment.”34“Daviddida coupleofmixes,” continuedRogers. “Itwasadifficult song to

mix because it was long and pretty orchestral. He did a couple of beautifulmixes,probablybetterthantheonewedid,becausePrincejustlikegrabbedtheknobs and cranked them. Technically David was a much better, moreexperiencedmixer,sohismixwouldhavehadmorepolish.Princedoesn’tliketoomuchpolish.Heusedtoalwayssaythathedidn’twanttosoundlike‘thoseengineersoutinL.A.’Hewantedtohavehisownsound.Hedidn’tcareifitwasworseaslongasitwashissound.That’swhatexcitedhim.Sowedidn’tgoforhighfidelity,wewentforlowfidelity.”35One of the mixes contained a male voice (likely David Coleman) detailing

people traveling fromcountries likeAfghanistan,Tibet, Iraq,Egypt, andotherareas of the world who were all going to a small village to meet a certainwoman.Thisspeechwasplayedbackwardandburiedinthemix,butitwasnoton the released version. This monologue is likely from Coleman’s originalversionofthesong.Becauseofthelayoutofthewarehouse,anengineercreatingamixwasstuck

workinginthemiddleofalargerehearsalspace,whichexposedmanyflawsintheprocessbecause the roomwasn’t built for this typeofwork.According toRogers,Princesoonrealizedhewasn’tgoingtouseanyofLeonard’smixes;hewouldtakethetrackbackoutinOctoberforfollow-upwork.Nowthattherewasatitletracktohisnextproject,theAroundtheWorldinaDayalbumwastakingshape.Upuntilnow,hehadbeenthinkingoftheprojectas“PaisleyPark,”butthenewsongbroughtinarenewedenergy,andanyotherplanswerescrapped.

Status:Themixesof“AroundtheWorldinaDay”fromtoday’ssessionremainunreleased.

This song was supposedly originally tracked on August 16, 1984, but it ispossiblethatitwasactuallyrecordedduringtoday’ssession.

SUNDAY,SEPTEMBER23,1984

Princewasrecordingthebulkofhisnextalbum,buthisfocuswasalsoonafiremuchcloser: thepending tour.For the first timePrincewouldbe touringas asuperstar,andeverymovewouldbewatched.Insteadofwaitinguntilthetour’spremiereinNovember,hescheduledadressrehearsaloftheshowinfrontofanaudience at Bogart’s in Cincinnati, Ohio, a small club he’d played four yearsearlier.Theywerediscreetlybilledas“Red,WhiteandBlue”(likelyinspiredbylyrics from the recently recorded “Around the World in a Day”), but wordquickly spread and the show sold out immediately. Prince and theRevolutionperformed eight of the nine songs on the album and the reactionwas exactlywhatwas expected, providing a harsh reality check for Prince that shaped theremainder of the year for him: “In some ways, [Purple Rain] was moredetrimentalthangood.People’sperceptionofmechangedafterthat,anditpigeonholedme.Isawkidscomingtoconcertswhoscreamedjustbecausethat’swheretheaudiencescreamedinthemovie.That’swhyIdidAroundtheWorldinaDay,tototallychangethat.Iwantednottobepigeonholed.”36Additional shows were scheduled for Denver and Chicago, but they were

canceledwhenwordleakedout.


“PurpleRain”isreleasedasasinglewith“God”(vocalversion)astheB-side.


If you like “Tamborine” onAround theWorld in a Day, that’s himwritingonthedrums.—BobbyZ37

ThebandhadafewdowndaysaftertheCincinnatishow.WendyandLisawerein Los Angeles, and Prince decided to record a track by himself in thewarehouse.Thepreviousyear,CyndiLauperhadreleasedacoverofthePrince-penned“WhenYouWereMine,”andPrinceseemedtotakeinspirationfromherrecentsingleaboutmasturbation,“SheBop.”SusanRogersrecalledPrince’smood:“ItwasjustPrinceandmeanditwasthe

firsttimethatIhadeverrecordedhimplayingdrums.Heprobablydidn’tintendtobeadrummer,butheissocompetitive.WhenhefirststartedtohangoutwithSheilaandsawhowsheplayeddrums,Iknowthatthatfiredhimup.HewantedtoplaydrumsaswellasSheila,andsohebeganplayingdrumsalotmore.Heplayedthedrumson‘Tamborine’withsuchexuberance.”38“Princewasreallygoodondrums,”affirmsdrumtechBradMarsh.“He’snot

trained.He’sjustnaturallyfunky.Heoncesaid,‘Bradyougottoknowwheretoleavetheholes.Leavetheemptyspaces.It’snotallsupposedtobeonebarrageofmusic.’He drew from everything. In sound checks,whatever, he’d be justnoodling around and he’d go into an Aerosmith something or other, or LedZeppelin.”Thetrackcametogetherveryquicklyand,accordingtoRogers,Princeseemed

ecstaticwiththeoutcome:“Asaproduceryoucantellorremindthebandthatwhentheyareabouttoplayasonginthestudio,thattothelisteneritisgoingtosound likewhat it felt like to play it. Princewas gleeful that day; itwas justhappydaysforhim.Helovedthesong,hewasinagreatmood,hepoundedthehelloutofthedrums,andthat’swhatitsoundslike.Youcanhearhisjoyandhisenthusiasmonthatsong.Technicallyitisn’tperfect,buttomeitsoundsgreat.Itisapleasuretolistentoit.”39Theenergyandthe lyricsmake thissongstandout.Princeplayfullyuses the

ideaofreferencingatambourineasasexualmetaphor,anditisimpossiblenottosmile as he continues to find ways to sing about pleasuring himself withoutactuallyspellingitout.Itwouldn’tbethefirsttimehesangaboutmasturbation,

norwoulditbethelast,butitwasoneofhismostjoyfulsongsaboutthetopic.ThedifferencesinPrince’sattitudecanbeunderstoodwhenlisteningtoasonghe recorded several years later called “MeTouchMyself,”which, as the titleimplies,doesn’tbothertohideitatall.Perhapsbythentheartofteasingaboutthe topic seemed to have lost its importance. “Me Touch Myself” remainsunreleased.Interestingly, this was another song about masturbation that Prince played

alone in the studio. He had also performed solo on “Darling Nikki,” anothertrackthatcontainedlyricsaboutmasturbation.Maybetherewasapatternwhenitcametothistopic.

Status: Some additional work was done on the track during the fall, and“Tamborine”(2:48)wasreleasedonPrince’sAroundtheWorldinaDayalbumin1985.Itwasneverplayedregularlyonanytour.


Itgottothepointwherehe’dbesomewhereelseontheplanetandhe’dsay,“HereisthemasteroftheideaIhave;finishthetrack.”—WendyMelvoin

Prince often referred toWendyMelvoin andLisaColeman as “the girls” in away that showed how happy he was with their contributions and with theirrelationship to him. “Prince has traditionally been more comfortable withwomen,” revealedAlan Leeds. “Themajority of his collaborations have beenwith female artists. That’s what inspires him. His creative juices—that’s aninterestingchoiceofwords!—Hiscreativejuicesflowbetterwithwomen.”40WhilePrincewasrecordinginMinneapolis,heaskedthegirlstoaddlayersto

“OurDestiny,”atrackperformedliveforhis1984birthdayshowanddemoedin

Minneapolis. Because Melvoin and Coleman were very involved with therecording,itwasnaturaltohavethemfinishthesong.“Thiswasoneofthefirsttimes I had worked with Wendy and Lisa,” remembers Coke Johnson, whoassistedduring these sessions. “On ‘OurDestiny’Princewasn’t there at all, itwasstrictlyWendyandLisa.”AccordingtoJohnson,thesessionconsistedofworkon“threetunesonthat24-

trackreeltheybrought.Noneofthem,Ithink,weredancetunes,moreacousticguitaroriented,melodictunes.”It is unclear what the other songs were, but it is likely that they were

“RoadhouseGarden”fromhisbirthdayshowandpossiblyeither“AllDay,AllNight”or“WonderfulAss.”Melvoin and Coleman would lend their voices to the track, with Coleman

takinglead.SusannahMelvoinrecallstheirmoodaboutthetrack,specificallyapartthatrequiredColemantocomplimentthesong’sloveinterestinawaythatwas awkward for anyone but Prince: “I rememberwhen shewas finished andWendyandLisacameback,andtheywerelike,‘IcannotbelievewhatIhadtosing.’ I think that atonepoint the lyric says, ‘You’re the finest specimen I’veeverseen.’(laughs)It’scompletelynotLisa.It’scompletelyanathematoLisa’spersonality.Andshehadtosingit.Soitwasreallyinteresting.Thissortofleadvocalwassonother.”Itshouldbenotedthat“theRevolution”waslistedas theartist,whichshows

therespectPrincehadforMelvoinandColeman,allowingthemtorepresenttheRevolutioninthestudioevenwithoutPrinceinattendance.“WonderfulAss”hadoriginallybeenrecordedinearly1983.Itisprobablethat

Melvoin andColeman added their vocals, and possibly additional overdubs tothe original track sometime during this three-day period at Sunset Sound.Consideringthesessionwascreditedto“theRevolution,”itmakessensetohearMelvoinandColemanchanting“theRevolutionwillbeheard.”

Status:Theupdatedversionof“WonderfulAss”(6:24)fromthesesessionswasincludedonthePurpleRainDeluxe(ExpandedEdition)CDsetin2017.


Idon’t feel likewe’rejusthiredmusicianstakingorders.He’salwaysaskingforourideas.—LisaColeman41

“TheRevolution”wasonceagainlistedastheartistforthissession,whichwasrunbyWendyMelvoinandLisaColemanwithoutPrinceoranyothermembersof theband.Today’s focuswasbringing inoutsideplayers for“OurDestiny.”The first batch included Suzie Katayama (violin), Sid Page (violin), MarcyDicterow (violin), Denyse Buffum (viola), David Coleman (cello), Tim Barr(double bass), Annette Atkinson (double bass), and Laury Woods (viola). “Irememberitwasn’treallywellstructured,”recallsWoods.“Itwasareallyloosesession.Suzie [Katayama]wasdoinga lotof takingdown thearrangementsatthesessions.Princewasn’t thereasI recall.Suziewasrunningthesessionandthethreeofthem[Wendy,Lisa,andSuzie]wereworkingtogether.Therewerenoegosinvolvedinthesession.”Wewerethinkingintermsofwhatwouldsuithim,whatwouldfitinwithwhat

hewasdoing,”explainedMelvoin.“Everythingwasfocusedonwhathewouldwant.Wecouldn’tjustthrowinaukulele.”42Unlike some of the other efforts with arranging the orchestration, it was

decidedtohavethestringsfollowthevocals,creatingaduetwiththeleadvoice.After six hours working on the strings, the union musicians were released.According to the union session notes, four horn players were brought in,including John James Liotine (trumpet), who was the leader, Brad Warnaar(frenchhorn),StevenMadaio(trumpet),andDickMitchell(altosax,tenorsax,or flute) who would record from 7:00 p.m. until the end of the shift. If theyactually played on this track, their contributionswere drasticallymuted in thefinalmix.According to theuniondocuments,noother songswere recordedduring this

session.

Thenewly recorded string intro to“OurDestiny” replaced the sampleofBillEvans’s “Symbiosis,” which was briefly played during the June 7, 1984,birthdayshow.


Sex is always themost interesting thing towrite about. It’s the onesubject people can’t talk about without losing their cool. Have youever noticed people can talk about Iran, they can talk about JFKbeing shot, but as soon as you bring up their sex life, they startstuttering?Myfamily,myfatherandmymother, lifeanddeath,arefarmorepersonaltomethansex.—Prince43

CokeJohnsonbriefly left the session inStudio2 sohecouldmakeaquick2-trackeditof“SexShooter.”AcopywassenttoPrince.

Status: “Sex Shooter” had already been edited as a single (3:39) for a promocopytoradiostations(3:00),andbothhadbeenreleasedinAugust,soneitheroftheseweredonetoday.It isunclearwhythiseditwasscheduledamonthaftertheywereonthemarket,butitispossiblethattoday’sversionwascreatedasanadditionalradio/promoedit,orasaneditofthe“DanceVersion”ifneeded.Noeditof“SexShooter(DanceVersion)”hasbeenreleased.


Wewere really young. Iwas twenty or twenty-one then andwewerelike, is this selling millions or not? We didn’t really care. We justthoughtitwassellingtotherightpeople.—WendyMelvoin44

OnceagainPrince(orperhapsWarnerBros.)listed“theRevolution”astheartiston thedailystudio log,so itwasn’taone-timemistake.WendyandLisawererepresentingthebandinPrince’sabsence.JillJonesrecordedtheleadvocalsduringthissession.WhenPrincehadplayed

heraversionof the trackseveralmonthsearlier, itwasamuchmorestripped-down demo. “When he sang it originally, it was just him and a piano,”remembersJones.“Hehadaconceptofaplayatonepoint,sowhenIwentintodo that song itwaswith Lisa on that session and I kind of did a very stageyperformance, likemusical theatre. Then at one point Princewanted it formyalbum,andthenitwaslike,Idon’tthinkit’sgoingtogointhedirectionforanalbum.Thankfully,SteveFargnoliintervenedonthatone,sayingtoPrince,‘Uh,whatkindofrecordareyoutryingtomakewithJill?’”Lyrically,themaindifferenceJonesbroughttothesongwasthatshedropped

partofthespokenwordsection.Apartfromthat—andthetwodifferentvoices—anymusicaldifferenceswere trivial.Once thevocalswerecomplete,Melvoin,Coleman, and PeggyLeonardmixed the track.Aswith the previous sessions,Princehadnodirectinvolvement.

Status:JillJones’sversionof“OurDestiny”(3:04)remainsunreleased.

OCTOBER1984

OCTOBER1,1984

TheApollonia6albumisreleased.ThereviewsreflectedthebeginningofaPrincebacklash,andmanypointedout

that Prince didn’t seem interested in the project.While some claimed that thealbum wasn’t deep, it has many moments of fun that were overlooked andovershadowed by Purple Rain. Unfortunately, because of Prince’s decision toremove songs like “ManicMonday”and“TakeMewithU,” the albumdidn’tmake a huge mark, and by the end of the year it had fallen off the chartscompletely.BecauseMTVhadsuchahugeimpactonmusic,avideoalbumwasplanned

butnevercompleted,asBrendaBennettexplained:“TheprojectwasaconceptofdoinganextendedEP,onlyinavideoformatasopposedtoanaudioEP:takeoneofthesongsfromthealbum(‘HappyBirthday,Mr.Christian’),writeastorylinearoundthesubjectofthatsongandincorporateothersongsfromthealbuminto thestory tocreateaminimovie.Theprojectwasdubbed‘Mr.Christian’sBirthday.’”1RickyNelsonwascastasMr.Christianinwhatwasoneofhislastroles, as he was killed in a plane crash twomonths later. Bennett continued,“Unfortunately,Princenever liked the ‘Mr.Christian’ project and it never gotany further than the first edits. Such a waste of time and money. The otherprojectwe didwas a semi-nude photo session using live doves.Therewere adozenormorecagesofallthesewhitedovesthatweresetfreeoncewegotonthesetandbegantostartposing.Thephotosessionwas toproduceaposter. Ineversawthefinishedproduct,butIdoknowitgotouttherefinally.”2Apollonia 6 had kept a media presence through the early fall, especially in

Europe,butsoonafterthealbumwasreleasedtheentireprojectended.AlthoughApollonia was not officially slated to perform on the Purple Rain tour, shewould occasionally guest onstage and evenmade an appearance in thePrinceandtheRevolution:LiveconcertvideothatwastapedonMarch30,1985.ShewouldremainfriendswithPrinceuntilhispassingin2016.“PrinceandIhadplannedonworkingonasolorecord—aprojectawayfrom

what IwasdoingwithApollonia6,” recalledBennett,“but itneverseemed to

getofftheground.Therewassomuchgoingonatthattime:TheFamilycomingout;Princeworkingonmorefilmprojects;Apolloniaresumingheractingcareer.Withall thechangesgoingon, I started looking indifferentdirections todoasoloprojectonmyown.”3SusanMoonsie alsopartedwayswithPrince.According to Jill Jones,Prince

hadconsideredextendingthegroupwithoutApollonia,creatingarevolving-dooropportunityforathirdleadsingerinthegroup.Thenextversionwastobecalled“Pandora 6,” but Prince didn’t cast the role of Pandora and the project nevermaterialized.

Status:Apollonia6peakedatnumber62ontheBillboard200Chart.Itwastheironlyalbum.


Hetotallycared.Hecaredsomuchthathesecondguessedhimselfallthetime.Wedidtwosongsadayforalong,longtime.AlotoftimesI’dsaid,“Prince,that’sahit,”andhegoes,“Wellthat‘swhattheyexpectfromme.I’mnotgoingtogiveittothem.”“Butit’sagreatsong!”Andhe’dsay,“I’mgoingtodosomethingelse.”—DavidZ

Prince had askedPeggyLeonard tomix “TheDanceElectric,” but the resultsweren’twhathe’dhoped:“Princejusthandedit tomeandtoldmetomixit. Iused every track he recorded, but Prince didn’t like what I had done with it.WendyandIdidamixtogether,butwehadahardtimeagreeingaboutwhatweliked.”Althoughmanyin thePrincecampenjoyed the track,PeggyLeonardfelt the

songwas“kindofboring”andthatitwas“obviousthathisheartwasn’tinit.”Susan Rogers agreed and was also unimpressed by the song: “‘The DanceElectric’wasakindoffunk-jamthathecouldturnaroundinhissleep.Asgoodasotherpeoplemightthinkitis(that’swhytheBlackAlbumcameabout),those

kindsoffunk-jamswerethesortofthingsthathedidsoeasilyandwell.Hediditforfunandhediditbecauseheenjoyedit.Thebandenjoyedplayingit.”4ItisunlikelythatPrinceattendedthissession,anditisunclearwhetheranyof

thesemixesof“TheDanceElectric”wereeverreleased.

THURSDAY,OCTOBER4,1984

Irememberthefirstdaywewentinforfull-onproduction,andthatwasastonishing to see it. That’s when I realized it, “Holy shit, this ismassive. We’re in a stadium right now in production rehearsals.” Iknow itdoesn’t sound likemuch rightnow,butback then itwas like,“Oh,myGod.”—WendyMelvoin5

Most of October was spent shaping the Purple Rain tour. Demand for theconcertswasunlikeanythingPrincehadeverexperienced.Multiple-nightshowsincitieslikeWashington,DC,weresellingoutwithintwohoursandadditionalperformancesweresellingoutevenfaster.Basicbandrehearsalshadbeengoingon at thewarehouse since the summer, but onOctober 4, full stage rehearsalsshiftedtotheMetCenterinMinneapolis.Prince took great pride in creating a tight band. As someone who not only

loved music but also loved performing, he worked hard so there were nomistakes, andhedrilled it into the soundcrew, the lightingcrew,and into thebandwith his famous all-day rehearsals. “We’d jam somuch,” bassistBrownMark declared in 2015. “We’d jam from 10 o’clock in the morning until 10o’clockatnight.AndIremembertimesthatIwaseatinglunchwhileIwasstillplaying.Iwalkedtothelunchroomwithmybass,onawirelessrig,andI’dgointherefrigeratorandgrabfoodandcomebackandstillbeplayingonehandedwhileeating.That’showintensewewere.Itwasaveryinterestingtimeperiod,but I think a lot of his music, came from that type of grooving, jammingtogether.”6“He’dhaveusnotmoveforfourhours,andhe’dbepracticingdancemoves,”

rememberedWendyMelvoin.“Hebecamematureandhefeltverycomfortableinhisbody,andthebandthatwasbehindhimwasrelentlesslyintunetoevery

movehemade,andthatwasthecountlesshoursofnotmovingandgivinghimasmuchconfidenceandsafetyinthatenvironmenttoperfectthatthing.”7When he wasn’t front and center, Prince directed the show from the

soundboardandhadchangesforthestagingandlightingaswellasfortheband.It was run like a tight ship, remembers SusannahMelvoin: “If youwere fiveminuteslate,hewouldsay,‘Yourpayhasbeendocked.’Youcouldnotbelate.Ifhewastherebeforeyou,youwerelate.”MattFinkexplainedthattherehearsalssoundedfun,buttheysometimesgota

littlestressful:Theywere tense if you showedup anddidn’t knowyour stuffwhenyougot there,whichhappenedrarely,buttherewereafewmomentsthatIrecallwhenIwasunprepared,whetheritwasduetosomelackoftimebecausesomethinggotintheway,andthathappenedacoupleoftimes,andwhenitdid,hewas not a happy camper. And then you would get in trouble, and he would scold you in front ofeverybody, he’d say, “Okay everybody, take a break, Fink has got to learn his parts.” And theneverybodywouldtakeabreak,Iwouldfeelsheepishandembarrassed,andIwouldhavetositthereandworkonmystuff,andthathappenedtoseveralpeopleovertheyears.[Prince]usuallyknewhisstuff,becauseitwashismusic,hewasusuallyverywellprepared.Buthe

mademistakes, he evenmademistakes during shows on rare occasions. Yeah, hemade a few, butnothingseverewheretheaudiencewouldknoworsayhereallyscrewedthatup,nothingtothatextent.8

“IrememberwhenPrinceusedtoforgethiswordsonstage,itwasthefunniestthingbecausehewouldstart scratchinghishead,andhewouldpacebackandforth,”recalledBrownMarkonhispodcastin2016.“AndthenmeandBobby,wouldlookateachotherandsay,‘Heforgotthewords,’andthensureenough,he’dwalkuptothemicrophoneandsay,‘Youknowthewords,sing!’”9

FRIDAY,OCTOBER5,1984



WhatPrincewasreallygoodatwaspushingpeoplebeyondtheirlimits.Hesawthat theycoulddoitandhewouldforceitoutof them.—RoyBennett

Prince was scheduled to leave town, but rehearsals for everyone else wouldcontinue in his absence. “When Prince wasn’t around, we’d go in and playwithout him,” remembered Bobby Z. “Then he’d come back and changeeverything.RehearsaltoPrinceisnot‘work.’Helivestoplayandplaystolive.Ienjoyed the process,where you just got totally focused on playing. Itwas anexciting,excitingtime.”10Eventhoughhewaspreppingforthebiggesttourofhislife,Princecontinued

torecordnewmusic.Whilehewasaway,videotapesoftherehearsalshemissedweremadeforhimtoreview.


Princehadrecorded therhythmtracks for[“Yes”]andactually—thiswasn’t credited on the album, but if I remember correctly, Wendy

Melvoin was the guitar player on the song—and once the track wasdone.IgotacallfromPrincetocomeinandlistentoit.—EricLeeds11

Prince decided that the unfinished track (likely recorded inAugust)would fitwell onTheFamily album if given the proper treatment, so he contactedEricLeeds,withwhomhe’d rapidly built a very trustingmusical relationship: “Hejust said, ‘Here’s the track.You got it. Sendme a tapewhen you’re done.’ Ispentaneveninginthestudiomessingaroundwithit,andthat’skindofwhatIcameupwith.”12Prince left for LosAngeles, allowing Leeds to create themelody by adding

flute andoverdubbingmultiple sax lines: “Once again I had anopportunity tojusttakesomethingthathehaddoneandgoinandjustcompletelydowhateverIwanted to dowith it, and fortunately, he really dug it. So thatwas the endofthat.”13Unfortunately, when the final mix was complete, some of Leeds’s

contributionswerehiddenorcompletelyremoved,andLeedswasn’thappywiththeresult:“Tobehonest,Inevercaredforthemixortheedit,asitdidn’tmakemuchsensetomemusically.Also,severaloftheharmonylineswere,shallwesay,underrepresented.Sothefinalmixdoesn’treallyreflectwhatIhadinmindwhenIrecordedit.ObviouslyPrincehearditabitdifferently.”14ThedateonthissessionwaslistedintheWarnerBros.archivesasOctober8,

but Eric Leeds recalls listening to the World Series (which was played onOctober9),whichindicatesthateitheritwasatwo-daysessionoritoccurredonTuesday.

ItispossiblethatWendy’sguitarpartwasrecordedinAugustduringtheinitialtrackingsession.

OCTOBER1984(ESTIMATE)

ThefirstPrincesessionwedid,actually,wasn’t forPrince, itwasfortheFamily,andwedidfivesongs:“TheScreamsofPassion,”“RiverRun Dry,” “Nothing Compares 2 U,” “High Fashion,” and a songcalled“Desire.”—ArneFrager

For the first time, Prince allowed someone to add an element to his musicwithout overseeing any of his work. “One of the problems in the recordingstudio is themoney topaymusicians,”explainedcomposerandarrangerClareFischer,“sopeoplearegivensuchlowbudgetsthatyoucan’thirealargestringsection. Prince spends money and so I was able to write string sections asopposedtowritingforasmallstringensemble.”15“Whenwehad the stringdate andwent inwithClareFischer,Princewasn’t

actuallythere—itwasallofusasabandand[DavidZ],”accordingtoSusannahMelvoin.“Itfeltreallygreatandweknewthatweweredoingsomethingreallyspecial,butnoonereallyknewwhatwasgoingtohappenwithit.Eric[Leeds]saidthatPrincewantedtowriteahit record, thatwashis intentionperiod.ButPaulandIwerenotawareofanyofthat.Wewerejustdoingit.”16Once thesessionwasover, tapeswereshipped toPrince to review,butArne

Fragermixed them in away thatwouldn’t sound like the final product: “Thepointofthesemixesisnottomixthemthewaythesongwillbemixedfortherecord,butforPrincetohearClare’sorchestrations.”“Weweresoexcitedtoputupthemultitrackat thewarehouse,”remembered

RogersabouttheirfirstlistenonceitwasdeliveredtoMinneapolis.“WelistenedtothestringsandIsaidIthoughtitsoundedasifsomeonehadlefttheTVoninthenextroom.Tomethestringssoundeddisjointed,butthemoreIlistenedtoitthe more I realized it was the perfect complement to Prince. It had so muchmovement and somuchmelody, and itwas sounpredictable. I thought itwasincredible, andPrince really enjoyed it.Hewasdelighted.He just couldn’t be

happier. Thiswas his first experience of really letting one of his babies go tosomebodyelseandhaveitcomebackwithsomethingrecordedonit.”17“WhenPrince first started sendingme songs,” recalledFischer afterworking

withPrinceonmultipletracksthefollowingyear,“IthoughtmaybethatbythetimeIhaddonefourarrangementsthatIwouldhavestartedgettingsomesortofarepetitivesomethingorother.Ihavebeenextremelysurprisedtofindthateachoneisasdifferentfromthelastasthenextoneisgoingtobedifferent.”18AlthoughPrinceandFischereventuallyworked togetherondozensof songs,

theyhadneverattendedanysessionswitheachother,whichimpressedFischer:“Princeisaverysmartman.AndnowwhenIsaysmart,ittakesaman—Idon’tcarehowbigsomebody’segois—amanwhocancometoarealizationlikethatandknow that his egowill get in thewayof somebody else’s doingwell andstaysoutof it for thatreason, that isasmartman.That’s justoneof themanywaysthatIthinkheisasmartman.”NotonlydidPrinceneverattendarecordingsessionwithFischer, theynever

metinpersonandthroughouttheiryearsworkingtogether(Fischerpassedawayin2012),PrincehadnoideawhatFischer lookedlike,althoughhedidhaveatleastoneclosecall:“Isenthimthisalbumthathadapictureonthecoverofme,withmysevensingersaroundme.I’veheardfromsomebodythatwasthereatthe time that he held the album away from his eyes so hewould not see thepictureonthefront,tookthediskout,andplayedit.Andhiscomment?‘Idon’twant to see what he looks like, I have this image and this has beenworkingbeautifully.’”“Ijustsendhimatape,wetalkonthephoneandhesendsmethefinished

orchestra tracks. I wouldn’t want to jinx it by meeting him,” explainedPrincein1999.19AccordingtoPaulPeterson,thesenewadditionswouldcausePrincetoremix

the songs: “Prince pulled instruments out andmade [the orchestration] such aprominent feature of that record.” Once the new mixes were complete, theFamily had a sound that was unlike anything Prince had ever attempted.Peterson summed up the secret behind their brand: “So you have the classyorchestration of Clare with the nasty, one-chord funk underneath and thebeautifulpoetryofPrince,andthatwastheconcept.Withawhitekidsingingupfront.”20

PrinceandFischerhadonemorecloseencounterwhentheybothworkedonthe2004GrammyAwardsshow.Theypracticallystoodnexttoeachother,butthe

only person who recognized the situation was Fischer’s son Brent, and hedecided itwas best to respectPrince’swishes and not reach out to introducethem,especiallysincePrinceandBrentFischerweregettingready toperformthateveningwithBeyoncé.

TUESDAY,OCTOBER9,1984*

If you listen to that album [Around the World in a Day], it’sexperimental sounding tome.Prettycomplicated, technically.Hewasliterally playing exactly what he heard in his head in one take, likeMozartusedtowritesymphoniesdownthathehadinhisheadandhe’djustwriteitoutonpaper.—MattFink21

Prince no longer maintained a studio in his home now that he’d sold hisSoundcraft console to former Time guitarist Jesse Johnson, sowhile the bandcontinued to rehearse in Minneapolis, Prince spent a few days alone in LosAngeles recording at Sunset Sound. It is unclear why he didn’t record at hiswarehouse, but itmayhavebeen in use by theFamilyorMazarati, or he justmayhavewantedtospendalittletimeinLosAngelesbeforethetour.AlthoughPrincewasable toworkonhisown,hecontinued to seekoutnew inspirationfromothersforhismusic,butbecauseofhisprivatenature,theoriginsareoftenlost or simply never understood. Then there are songs like “Condition of theHeart,”whichwas a direct result of his continued relationshipwith SusannahMelvoin. “I can say with some assurance that I think it was inspired bySusannah,”revealedSusanRogers.“HewroteitwhenitwasunsurewhetherornotheandSusannahwouldbeacouple.Whenhesaysinthelyrics:‘TherewasawomanwhomadefunnyfacesjustlikeClaraBow,’22IknowheisreferringtoWendy,becauseheusedtotalkabouthowWendyremindedhimofClaraBow.Thenextlineinthesongis:‘HowwasItoknowthatshewouldwearthesamecologneasyouanddothesamegigglethatyoudo.’23Hehadnoideathatthis

personheadmiredsomuch,Wendy,wouldhaveatwinsisterandthathewouldbeabsolutelyinlove.”24“I think what attracted Prince to Susannah largely would have been the

personality,” continuedRogers. “The twowomen,WendyandSusannah . . . Ithink the vivaciousness, the intelligence, the worldliness, coupled with beingdown-to-earth. Both girls loved a good laugh, and because they straddled theworlds of the everyday with the world of celebrityhood, I think that madeSusannahveryappealing.Shewasaverynormalgirlinsomanyways,andyethadthestarqualitythatPrincehimselfhad.”25The trackwas started on this date during a relatively short session at Sunset

Sound.Princerecordedthebasicpianoandsomeofthevocals,butitisunclearhowmuch furtherhegotbeforeheended the sessionunusuallyearly.Nomixwasdoneandnocassettesweremadeofthenumber.Although the songwould be credited to Prince and theRevolution, no other

members of the band were involved; this was typical of Prince, who had theability to play almost anything in the studio. “I don’t thinkyouknowhowheoperates,because ifyoucoulddoeverythingyourself,youwouldbedoing it,”declaresAlbertMagnoli. “Doyouknowhoweasy it is todo it yourself?Youjustgetupinthemorninganddoit.Sohedoesn’thavetotalktoanybody.”

Status:“ConditionoftheHeart”(6:48)wasreleasedonApril22,1985,whenitwasincludedonPrince’sAroundtheWorldinaDayalbum.Thesongwasneverissuedasasingle,but itdidmakeits livedebutduringaconcert inRosemont,Illinois,onDecember9,1984.Onlyapartof thesongwasplayed,and itwasneveraregularfeatureonthePurpleRaintour.

WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER10,1984*

I would love to listen to him on the piano, but he fancied himself abetter guitar player. I think he was also great on the bass and the

guitar,butit’stooeasytojustgoofoffontheguitar,andIalwaysfeltthatheplayedthepianobeautifully.—PeggyLeonard

“Conditionof theHeart”wasn’tcomplete,andPrincecontinuedworkingon itduring this session. During the eleven and a half hours he spent overdubbingwith light guitar, finger cymbals, keyboards, and synth strings (although it ispossiblethatmuchofthiswasactuallyfromtheDX7),Princebegansearchingfor an instrument that would mimic a human heartbeat, so he asked SunsetSoundstaffmemberStephenSheltontofindakettledrum.AccordingtoShelton,oncethedrumarrivedinStudio2,Princerecordeditveryquickly.In many ways “Condition of the Heart” was similar to “God,” which he’d

recorded in Minneapolis in mid-August. Both tracks prominently featurePrince’svocalgymnasticsanddistinctpianoplaying,withavarietyofetherealoverdubs. Each of these tracks is also best heard while sitting in a darkenedroom,whichisthewayherecordedthem.“‘ConditionofTheHeart’wasdonesimilarto‘God’—inthedarkwithonecandleonthepiano,”rememberedSusanRogers.“Mostof theworkon thatone isdoneatnight. I remember justbeingwacked out by the lyrics. I really thought it was great and I think it reallyrepresentedavulnerabilityinhimthathedidn’tgetclosetotoooften.Tomeitis a similar song to ‘TheBeautifulOnes,’ but it’s even better. It’s one of hismasterpieces.”26

THURSDAY,OCTOBER11,1984*

I’ve been recording almost every day ofmy life, working on a vastnumberofstyles.—Prince27

By this timePrincewas very specific about the sound hewas seeking for hispost–Purple Rain career, and “Paisley Park” was given another mix, whichlikely expanded the prominence of the work of the women around him.“Sometimes it would be Wendy and Lisa, or he would have Susannah and

Wendysingtogethertocreateasound,”explainedBobbyZ.“Youcanheartheway the separation is.He liked to keep thempretty clear, not double themoranything. So you can hearWendy andLisa over there, then there’s Susannahmixedinthere.Iftherewasanything,it’shismusicandtheirsinging.”28Itispossiblethatanothermixwasdonefor“ConditionoftheHeart”aswell.Asthefallwenton,Princespentmoretimeworkingonthenextphaseofhis

career.Becauseofthenewlyexpandedfanbaseanditsanticipation,thePurpleRaintourwouldbehisbiggest,itssizeandscopedwarfingalmostanythingelseontheroadthatyear.Asthefinaltourrehearsalsweretakingplace,Princefoundhimself surrounded by a small army of people, and both his status and careerpathwerechanging.“Inthebeginningitwasgreat,becausethereusuallywasn’tanyone around, because people didn’t seem to give two shits about him,”remembersPeggyLeonard,whohadbeenrecordingwithhimsince1981.“Butas soon as he started selling, people came around like flies and everythingchanged.Hechanged.Hehadahardtimebeingdiplomatic,andsometimestherewouldbethreeorfourengineersaroundandyoudon’tneedthat.Susan[Rogers]andIworkedtogetherfine,buttherewereoccasionalproblemswithsomeoftheotherengineersbeingcompetitivewitheachother.Andthatwas thebeginningoftheend.Therewerenoclearlydefinedrolesanymoreandnobodyknewwhatwasgoingon,andhekepteveryoneguessing.”Prince pushed himself hard.Hewas racing against the clock before the tour

began, but hewas also filledwith the energy of youth focused on creating asmuch newmusic as possible, refusing to fall into the stereotypical role of therock star who needed to get away from the pressure. “I never saw him doanything,”saysDavidZ.“Imean,maybeaglassofwineoradrink,butthat’sit.Ineversawhimtakeadrug.Ever.Hiseyeswerealwaysclear.IfyouworkedforPrince you had to be on point, dressed and ready to go at all times.And youcouldn’tbedrunk.”SusanRogersalsorecalledthatPrincerefusedtodoanythingthatwoulddull

hisedge:“Hedidn’tgetintodrugs.Hedidn’tgetintoscandalouslifestyles.Hewassmartenoughtoknow,‘I’mgoingtodomyworkandI’mgoingtoapproachthisaswork,’and that’swhathedid, likeagreat filmmakeroragreatpainterwoulddo.Hecreatedhisart.Worksthatwouldsurvivehim.”29This was Prince’s last session at Sunset Sound in 1984. He returned to

MinneapolistocontinueworkingwiththeRevolutionforthefinalrehearsalsofthetour.



Wespentmoretimeinrehearsalthanwehadeverdonebefore.Itwasalmost like we did a tour of Minneapolis because we kept changingvenuesonceaweek,oronceaweekandhalf.—RoyBennett30

Aftertoday,everythingwasmovedtotheSt.PaulCivicCenter.Threedifferentvenueswouldbeusedfordressrehearsalsthismonth(MinneapolisAuditoriumbeing the third) as everypart of the showwas testedover andover, includingverifying that breaking down the elaborate stage, loading up and moving thetrucks, and setting everything back upwent smoothly. “Therewas a lot to dowithloadingitinandloadingitout,”explainsRoyBennett,whowasonceagaindesigning the stage and lights. “It was a very complex show. It was the firstsuper-theatrical show thatwe had done, so it just took time to put together. Ithink he was overwhelmed a bit. Just because of the magnitude of what thisthingwas.Therewaspressureonhim,andwedelivered.”



According to Eric Lindbom, writing for the Twin Cities Nightbeat, PrinceperformedaquicksetatFirstAvenue/7thStreetEntryonthisevening.Lindbomwrote that Prince “graced 7th Street Entry’s intimate confineswith amini-setperformedbeforea‘captive’audience,whichwaslockedintothetinyroom.Alengthy, almost heavymetal treatment of ‘WhenDovesCry’was the reportedhighlight.”31Therehasnotbeenanyindependentverificationofthisshow,soeitheritwas

anunscheduledsurprisegigortheinformationisincorrect.


SUNDAY,OCTOBER14,1984(ESTIMATE)

As Iwas coming intomyownpersonaandunderstandingofwho Iwas, I never talked down tomyaudience.Andwhen youdon’t talkdowntoyouraudience,theycangrowwithyou,andIgivethemalotof credit to be able to hang with me this long, because I’ve gonethroughalotofchanges,butthey’veallowedmetogrow,andthuswecan tackle some serious subjects and try to just be better humanbeings,allofus.—Prince32

Princecontinuedtoplaceagreatdealofenergyintoartisticgrowth,andpartofthatwasgettinghisnextalbumdoneproperly.Hecontinuedtoworkonmixingthetitletrackforhisnextalbum,workinghardtomakeittheanti–PurpleRainandhopefullykeeppeopleguessingaboutwherehe’dgonext.“Ithinktherewas

a part of him that was beginning to fear that his artistic integrity would becompromised,”explainedAlanLeeds:Andsomecriticswereevenbeginningtosay,“Heyman,you’vegotanentouragenow,you’reuptherewithElvis. I supposewe’veheard the endof your art,Mr.RockStar.”So itwas hiswayof tellingpeople, “I’m not turningmy back on themusic; I didn’t sell out. I’m going to do something that Iconsiderartisticallyhonest, that isnotcontrived to fita format. I’mnotwriting foramovie, I’mnotwritingtotrytoduplicateahitsongandsayIwantanothersonglike“PurpleRain,”oranothersonglike“LittleRedCorvette.”I’mjustgoingtoletthemusicflow,betotallyhonest,andifit’sthisweirdrecord,hopefullythefansI’veassembledinthelasttwoyearswithPurpleRainand1999willfollowmeonthisweirdlittlepathwhilewegoexplorethesecrazylittlesongsthatstruckmyfancy.”AndIdon’treallythinkit’sanymorethanthat.33

OnceagainPrincehadSusanRogerssetupforanadditionalmixfor“Aroundthe World in a Day.” “That was the mix that ended up on the record,” sheexplained.“Becausewewereusedtosittinginthewarehouseandgoingquicklyand flying by the seat of our pants.When I saywemixed it together, I’ll bespecific.Princewouldoftensay,‘I’mgoingtomixsuchandsuch;getitstartedfor me and I’ll come in.’ Which meant that I would EQ the individualinstruments, I would do processing on them, any limiters, any gates. I’ll getsoundson thebasic instruments,whichhemayormaynot change later,but Iwouldgetthebasicsounds.Hewouldcomeinanddotheblend.”34Prince seemed very happy with the newmix, but not everyone around him

sharedthesentiment.Onceagain,saxplayerEricLeedsdisagreedwiththenewsound:“IsaidthatIalwaysmissedthefactthattherhythmsectionwasn’tthereonthereleasedversion.AndIkindofsaidit inachallengingway,andhejustsaid,‘Hey,that’showIheardthesongthen.’AndIknowhowthatis.”35

Noofficialdocumentationhassurfacedtoverifywhenthissessionoccurred,butit has been referenced by other sources as a probable date for mixing of“Around theWorld inaDay.”There is apossibility that itwasmixedon theafternoonofSaturday,October20.


Tuesday,October16,1984




Someofthefunniestmomentswehadwereatrehearsal.Duringsomebreakswewouldjokearoundandmakeupskitsandsillysongs.LisaistheperfectOliveOyltomyPopeye.Whilewewereontourwewouldallgoout todinner together, take inanoccasionalmovieorgo toafter-showparties.Bytheway,Princenevercookedandserveduspancakesafterplayingbasketballwithhim.—MattFink36

Afterthisrehearsal,theentirePurpleRainstagewastakendown,loadedonthetrucks, and moved from Saint Paul Civic Center back to the Met Center inBloomington.





After almost threeweekswithout adayoff, theRevolutionwasnot scheduledfor rehearsal. The crew, however, did not have the day off, and moved theequipmenttotheMinneapolisAuditorium.Therehearsalsbeganshifting to theevenings to reflect theupcomingconcert

schedule.



I think that my greatest memories of my musical career are ofrehearsalsthatwerespectacular,notshows.Itwasanexciting,excitingtime.—BobbyZ37

Thiswasaverybusyday.According to those around him, Prince wasn’t going to leave anything to

chance. The twenty-six-year-old discovered that the tour would sell outregardlessofitsquality,butbecausethiswasthefirsttimemanyfanswouldseehimplaylive,hedecidedtogivethemeverythingtheywanted—andwhattheywantedwas to revisit themovie.Toaccommodate that, itwasdecided toplayevery track from the soundtrack album. (Although “TakeMewithU”wasn’tregularlyplayedbythebanduntilJanuary1985,itwasinrotationaspartofthepiano set beginning two weeks into the tour.) Purple Rain had created asteamroller that had the potential to crush everything in its path—includingPrince ifhe stood still for too long.Bybuying into the ideaof re-creating themovieand takingon thepersonaof its leadcharacter,hewas takingagamblethatcouldderailhisimageasamusicalrebel,andPrincerealizedthathismajorsuccesscouldalsobringmajorconsequences,whichcausedhimtoactivelyworkagainst the direction of the purple tidal wave. In 1984 Prince had achieved alevelof famethat fewentertainerswouldmatch,but thatsuccess threatened topermanentlybrandhimas“theKid”fromPurpleRainandcouldhaunttherest

ofhis career.Years later, he’d admit: “Myowncompetition ismyself in thepast.”38PrinceworkedveryhardtomaketheentirePurpleRainprojectasuccess,but

hehadspentthefallworkingjustashardtodistancehimselffromit.Healwayswanted to releaseasmuchnewmusicaspossible,butPurpleRainwasstillatthe topof thecharts, andWarnerBros.was trying toget asmuchoutof theirinvestment in thealbumaspossible.Princeneeded tobepartof thatmachine,buthewantedtodoitonhisterms.Oneverysingle,he’dreleaseda“new”B-side,but theextendedversionsofhis trackswereonlyvariationsonthealbumversions, whichwas arguably frustrating him, so he continued to createmorenewmusic.“MusicisapartofmyDNA,”Princewouldlaterreflect.“Andtheweirdthingis:ifIdon’tgetthethingsIcomeupwithoutofmyhead,I’munabletofunction.”39NotonlydidPrincewanttogetthemoutofhishead,hewantedhiscreationsto

beheardbyothers.“WithsomeonewithamindthatisasfertileandcreativeasPrince,hewouldhavebeenbored,”reflectsSusanRogers.“Hisfertilebrainwasconstantlywantingtorecordnewmaterial.”“Hehasavaultofshit.Andheprobablywantedtoputitout,andthey’relike,

‘Shit. Slow down,’” laughed Jellybean Johnson. “But [what] you’ve got torealizeis,hewritesallthefuckingtime.Anythingcomestohim,he’sgoingtodoit.Andthat’showhewasbackthen.”40SeveralWarnerBros.Recordsexecutiveswerefrustratedbythis.“Hisattitude

was,‘IhavealottosaymusicallyandIwanttosayitrightnow,’”rememberedseniorPRexecBobMerlis.“Whilewewereworkingon[promoting]thesecondsinglefromthecurrentalbum,he’dalreadyrecordedthenextalbumandwantedustoputitout.”41AlanLeedssawthisupcloseashemanagedthePurpleRaintour:Hedidn’treallycareabouttheneedsofarecordlabeltomountthecampaigntosuccessfullyandfullyexploitanalbum.Hewassomeonewhosawhis songs likenewspapers.Theywere timely things, sothat if he went into the studio tonight andmade a new record, in hismind it was something to belistened toquicklybecause itwasof themoment. If therewereawayforhimto releaseanewsongeveryday,hewoulddothat.Muchlikeyou’dgotothestoopandgetthenewspaper,you’dstartyourdaywithaPrincesong-of-the-day.Bythetimearecordgotreleased, itwasalloldnewstohim,andhe’dwritten—andinsomecasesevenperformed—dozensanddozensanddozensofnewersongsthatweremorerelevanttowhohewasatthatparticulartime.Hedidn’tchoosetounderstandtheconceptofspacing out singles and gradually retaining interest in an album so it could continue to sell, andmeanwhile the label is justupandrunningworkingon that latestalbumandwonderingwhyhe isn’ttheretosupportit,soitwasarecipefordisaster.42

InmanywaysPrincewaslookingtosatisfyhisfansaswellashiscritics,whomayhaveseenhissuccessasafluke.Whenthetimecametoreleaseanextendedversion of “IWouldDie 4U,” Prince decided to forgo a simple remix of thetrack aswell as the actual liveversion from theAugust 3, 1983, show,whichwasonlyslightlylonger.Insteadhe’dchosentorecordanewversionthatwasanexpansion of how it would be played on the Purple Rain tour, which wasscheduledtostartinjustoveraweek.Thisupdatedrenditionwasonlyplayedinlate November at the Capital Center in Landover,Maryland, when theywererecordingthevideosfor“IWouldDie4U”and“BabyI’maStar.”Takingaquickbreakfromthetour’sfinaldressrehearsals,Princegatheredthe

Revolution andSheilaE.’s band andput their long jam to tape.SusanRogersrecalledthatperiodandthemethodforgettingitdoneproperly:“Thiswasonemonthofrentingtheseplacesout.BytheendofthismonththePurpleRaintourwasprettymuchreadytogo—allthebugshadbeenworkedout—andthebandwouldjamforafewhours,andthat’swhenwerecordedthelongversionof‘IWouldDie4U.’ Itwasrecordedon24-tracksremote in themobile truck,andthat’showitwasdone.”43Thesongincludedallthemembersofbothbands,withWendyMelvoin,Lisa

Coleman,Eddie“EddieM.”Mininfield,MikoWeaver,andotherscalledoutbyname.Veryfewofthelyricswereactuallyused,andbecauseitwassuchaloosejam,Princeactuallyhadtosay“verse”and“song”toletthemknowwhenhe’dstartsinging.ItwasobviousthatPrincewasstillworkingoutdetailsofthejam,mostofwhichwouldbeeditedout.The track was brought back to the warehouse for additional overdubs. The

beginningofthetapeincludedPrince’sinstructionstohisengineers:“Youguysmix this down to a cassette or a 2-track or something so I can listen to thecassette.Okay,let’sjam.”

Status: The lengthy performance of “I Would Die 4 U” (30:55) that wasrecorded todaywas eventually editeddown (10:20) and released as the song’s12-inch.Theuneditedversionremainsunreleased.


Oh,he’saworkaholic,noquestion.We’llendupgoingtoaclubandplayingforanotherthreehours.It’sthatmuchfun.—SheilaE.44

Afterrecordingthelongversionof“IWouldDie4U,”SheilaE.performedherfinal pre-tour concert at FirstAvenue,wherePrince joinedher onstage duringher secondencore toplayguitaron“TooSexy.”Subsequently,Prince,BrownMark, andBobbyZ borrowed some instruments and took over the stage nextdoor at the 7th Street Entry. “All the rehearsals made us a tight machine,”remembers Brown Mark. “We would walk into anybody’s bar, get on theequipment, andwewould throwdown.Wechallengedeverybody;weweren’tafraid. We all kind of developed very unique techniques. We mixed all thattogether, especially thebackendwith thedrumsand thebass. Itwas rocking!Andpeoplehadn’teverseenanythinglikethatbefore.Itwasmassive.Wecouldhitjazz....Itdidn’tmatterwhat.Wehititall.”Thepower trioperformeda five-song impromptu jamfeaturingPrince’sown

songs(“Mutiny”and“EroticCity”)andcompositionsbySly&theFamilyStone(“AfricaTalks toYou”and“TheAsphaltJungle”)andJamesBrown(“GiveItUporTurnitALoose”).Princealsoincludedatrackheintroducedas“BluesinG,”butitwasactuallytheB.B.King/DaveClarksong“IGotSomeHelpThatIDon’tNeed,”whichhadbeen rehearsedbyPrince and theRevolution inmid-July.Itwasfairlyobviousthatthissetwasnotaformalshowbutmorelikeanunrehearsedfree-formjamtoblowoffsomesteam,withPrincecueingtheotherswithvarioussongs’keys.Theshowwrappedaround1:00a.m.Arehearsal,ajamrecordedforrelease,aguestappearancewithSheilaE.,and

atwenty-five-minuteconcertperformance.ItwasabigdayandproofthatPrincehadmoreenergythanalmostanyone.“Inthepast,alotof[friends]saidIwasamaniac,aworkaholic,”Princewouldreflectin1997.“ButItakethatasacompliment.Coltraneplayedsax12hoursaday.Canyouimagineaspiritthatwoulddriveabodythathard?Iwannaplay15hoursatatime!”45


PrincerehearsedthebandattheMinneapolisAuditoriumforthreemoredaysthen switched once again to the St. Paul Civic Center for the last batch ofrehearsalsuntilNovember1,whenthetrucksleftforDetroit,Michigan,tobeginthetour.Prince had also wanted to play at 7th Street Entry on October 30, but the

HoodooGuruswerescheduledtoperformandrefusedtogiveuptheirslot.


Hewasinandoutofthestudioconstantly,anditseemedlikemorethananyother time inhis career,brilliantmusicwas justpassing throughhim.Itwasasifthishugeflowerhadjustblossomed.—AlanLeeds46

As the opening of the Purple Rain tour got closer, the band was functioningbeautifully. Everyone knew their parts, and once Prince locked in on that, heexpanded the way the band performed together. Part of his trust with theRevolutionwenttocreatingnewmusicbasedonfindingagroovethatfeltright.BrownMark sheds some light into how thisworked: “Our rehearsalsweren’treallyrehearsingtheshow.We’ddoalotofjammingandcreatingasound,andthat’swherealotofthatcamefrom.Andhewouldhavethetapesrolling.”Ashe’ddoneinthepast,Princeranthrough“StrangeRelationship,”butitwas

abandonedyetagain.On“TheLadder,”Princeshowedthevariousmembersofthebandwhatheexpectedthemtoplay.Someweremorecomplicatedandsome

weremorebasic,includingthemusicforMattFink:“Iplayedonthat,butitwasaprettyeasypart.Somethinghejusthandedtome:‘Here’sthechords,playitontheorgan.’Prettysimple.Nothingchallenging.”Sheila E.’s saxophone player EddieMininfield (aka EddieM.) takes up the

story:“WewereinproductiongettingreadytogoonthePurpleRaintour,andwewereinMinneapolisandhehadamobilerecordingunitsetup,andIhadnoidea that Iwas going to be on the record.Theywere callingme to be on thestageandplay, and Iplayed. Iwas sogreen. Ididn’tknowwhat Iwasdoing.Thenext thingyouknow,JeromeBentonsaid, ‘Eddie,comeherecomehere,’andhedragsmeouttothemobilerecordingunit,andIwaslike,‘Whatisthis?’(laughs)And they played it back and Iwas like, ‘Ohmy goodness, I’m on arecord!’”Several takes of the songwere attempted beforePrince seemed contentwith

theresults.Duringthefirstverseononeofthefinaltakes,EddieM.addedsomeimprovisationalhornlinesthatwereultimatelyomittedfromthefinalmix.ThesongendswithanothersaxsolofollowedbyPrincesingingthechorus,bothofwhichwerealsoeliminated.“Webroughtitbacktothewarehouseafterwards,”SusanRogerscontinuesthe

story,“andWendyandLisadidthevocalswithTajaSevelle[creditedas“Taj,”butherrealnameisNancyRichardson].Princebroughtherinbecauseshewasaroundatthetimeandhewascuriousaboutworkingwithherinthefuture,soshe joined us.” Susannah Melvoin also joined them for the vocal overdubs.Princereplacedsomeofhisleadvocalsaswell.“Hewasreallyhappywiththatsong,”recalledMelvoin.“Helovedit.I think

hehadfullyrealizedaconceptthathehadbeenspirituallyfeeling.Ithinkitwasoneofthosesongsthathecouldsay,‘Inailedit.ThisiswhatIwantedtodo,thisiswhatIwantedtosayandthisishowIsaidit,andallthemusicisrightandI’mrightonitandI’mfullyrealizedonthistrack.’Idobelievethat.”

Status: “The Ladder” (7:10) was edited down (5:29) for release on Prince’sAround theWorld inaDay album.Today’s attempt at “StrangeRelationship”alsoremainsunreleased.

“IthinkitwasattheCivicCenterinpreproductionforthetourforfourtofivedays,”emphasizesEddieM.“Wehadn’ttakenoffyet.Idon’tknowwhatdayitwas on, but itwas kind of themiddle of that rehearsal, andwe took off rightafter that. But that definitely went down in preproduction, we weren’t on theroadyet.”

NOVEMBER1984

Prince’s studio work was temporarily put on hold as he focused on the firstmonthofthePurpleRain tour.Asthetourprogressedhefoundwaystospendtimeinthestudio,butforthenextfewweekshisprioritywasmakingsurethetour went smoothly. To offset themonotony of the live shows, Prince wouldholdlongrehearsaljamswiththeRevolution,oftenreworkingatrackenoughtogivePrinceroomto improvisewhen itwasplayed live,but that requiredstrictattention from the band,Matt Fink explained: “You had to watch him like ahawk...youhadtowatchthehandsignalsforthecuesthatwereworkedoutinadvancetogotothosesectionsbecauseifPrincewasatacertainsectiononstageandyouhadabadangleonhishandyoucouldmissacue.Italmostbecamearunning joke during the shows that if youmissed the horn punches or didn’tcount them right andyouwereoffPrince couldhear that, especially ifBobbymissedone.AsajokePrincewouldkickyouoffyourinstrumentandtakeoverlike, ‘Okay. That’s it . . . you screwed up. You are done.’ It happened toeverybodyinthebandatonetimeoranother.”1Everyonewasreadyforthetour.

SUNDAY,NOVEMBER4,1984

Detroit!MynameisPrinceandI’vecometoplaywithyou.—Prince2

“Thetensionthefirstnightwasastronomical,”rememberedLisaColeman.“Butafter the firstchord,everythingwasokay.”3Ashehadwithhis last two tours,Princedecided to launch it inNovember,and this timehestacked thecards inhis favor and premiered with a seven-night series at the Joe Louis Arena inDetroit. To give some perspective, Prince had played the same venue thepreviousyearandsoldoutasingleperformance.Princehadalwayshadaverypersonal relationship with Detroit, on occasion referring to it as a “second

home.”4 The showwas a tremendous success, overshadowing everything he’ddonesofarinhiscareer.“Whentheyturnedthelightsoffandyou’dstandbythesideofthestageand

hear,‘Ladiesandgentlemen...,’itwasdeafening,”detailedWendyMelvoin.“Tothisday,Ihaveneverheardanythinglikethat.Itwassoloudthatmyearsbecamedistortedatonepoint.”5“Opening night in Detroit. It was chaos!” declares lighting director Roy

Bennett.“Iremember‘Let’sGoCrazy,’ thefirstsong,anddroppingthousandsandthousandsandthousandsofdollars’worthofliveflowersalongwithallthesilk flowers. It seemed like it rained flowers foranhour. It seemed like it justdidn’t stop coming down. It was unbelievable. The audience was just goingberserk. Itwasseriouslyahair-raising feeling,where thehair just stooduponyourarms.Itwasjustaconstantlevelofexcitementaroundeverywhere.”Theflowersmadesuchamessthattheconcepthadtobechanged:insteadof

realflowersrainingdownfromthestage,flowersmadeoutoffabricwereused.Everyoneonthecrewwasbusyworkingonthesechanges,includingdrumtechBradMarsh:“Fromthenonwecarriedaroundhalfatruckoffakeflowersandhalf a truck of purple tambourines, becausewe used to hand out one hundredpurpletambourinesanight.Andbeforewegotthepurpletambourinesactuallypurple, I’d have to go and get some cans of purple spray paint every fuckingnightandspraypaintonehundred tambourines insomedistant roomwhatevervenuewewereat.(laughs)”Thefanswereenjoyingtheshowandthereviewsweregenerallyflattering,but

many exposed a painful flaw in the show. TheUSA Today review started bysaying, “The biggest surprise about Prince’sPurple Rain sellout show,whichopened Sunday, is that there aren’t any big surprises.”6 The tour was highlychoreographed,withasonglistthatwouldeventuallycontaineverytrackoffthePurpleRainalbumaswellasseveralofthePurpleRain–eraB-sides,including“17 Days,” “God,” and “Another Lonely Christmas,” as well as Sheila E.performing “Erotic City.”Ultimately Prince seemed to focus on his 1999–eraandhisB-sidesmorethananymusicfromhisfirstfouralbums,likelyindicatinghispreferencetomorerecentmusic.A review of the Detroit shows by Nelson George notes that Prince was

“obedient to the imagesofPurpleRain,”7whichisveryaccurateandprobablywasn’tlostonPrince.Princewasa forward thinkerand loved tocreatenewart,buthewasalsoan

amazingperformerandrechargedhis internalbatteries fromtheenergyfroma

cheeringcrowd.Thehugecontradictionwas thatat theendof theday,astageshowisatitscorearetrospectivepackage,soalthoughPrincedidasmuchashecould toaddnewelements to theshow,because theshowwassostructured itleft Prince unable to be as spontaneous as he might enjoy. The lights, theconfetti, and the length of the show all had to fallwithin a certain parameter,whichendedup limitinghim. In2012Princeadmittedhowdifficult itwas forhim:“InearlyhadanervousbreakdownonthePurpleRaintour[in1984]because itwas the sameeverynight. It’swork toplay the same songs thesamewayfor70shows.”8Inanother interviewPrinceconfided thathepreferreda lessstructuredshow:

“Ithinkthat’scoolforthecircus.Thetrapezeartisthastocatchthepersonright on cue, but music is not like that. It should be organic andunexpected.”9ThesizeofthespectaclealsoaffectedPrince.“Itwassobig,Princedidn’tlike

it,” Fink recalled. “He said, ‘This isn’t intimate enough. It’s too large for theband.’Everybodywasspreadoutfromeachothertoomuch,sohehadthemreinitin.”10Although this was the peak of Prince’s popularity, this feeling of creative

claustrophobiawouldhaunt thePurpleRain tour.The ironywas that althoughPrincehadexposedmoreabouthimselfwiththemovie,heseemedtorunintheotherdirectiononapersonal level,erectingadditionalbarriersaroundhimself,even to those who were in his inner circle. “I think because he became sopopular,hestartedputtingwallsaroundhimselfbecauseactuallygoingoutwasreallyaproblem,”suggestsJillJones.“Theamountofsecurityatthattimewasoverthetop,”agreesRoyBennett:Itwasembarrassingandunnecessary.Thiswasthebeginningofthenegativeside,becauseuptothatpoint therewas always this interrelationshipbetween theband and the crew.Although theband stillassociated, itwas justbetweenPrinceandeverybody,allofasuddenawallcameup. Itwas just thesecuritywasover the top.It justslowedmedowngettingin toseehimsometimes.Iwouldgooninthere,butsuddenlyyoufeltlikeyouhadtomakeanappointmentwiththeking,anditwasneverlikethatbefore.Itwasstillmeanditwasstillhim,soitchanged.Heretreatedquicklybecausehesawwhatwashappening.Itwaseverythingagainstwhathebelievedin.Youknow,thestardomandallthatstuff.He’sacomplexman.

Thelistofnon–PurpleRainalbumsongsregularlyfeaturedonthetourincluded“IrresistibleBitch”and“Possessed,”whichwerenotplayedatthebeginningofthetourbutwereperformedinDecemberandinto1985quiteregularly.Asthetour progressed, additional tracks were also added, including “Let’s PretendWe’reMarried,”whichwasdonebriefly;acodaof“InternationalLover”;and

“DoMe,Baby,”whichpredated1999.“Free”and“HowComeUDon’tCallMeAnymore?”(both1999–eratracks)wereoftenplayedaspartofhispianoset.


Idon’tknowmanyartistswhohavethepatiencetositthereandwatcheverythingunlesstheyhaveagoal—andhisgoalwasalwaystomodify.Modify,modify,modify.—JillJones

Afterpracticallyeveryperformance,Princewouldgathervariousbandmembersandothers in thecrewtowatchavideotapeof theevening’sshow.“I thinkhegetsbored,”explainsJillJones.“He’saGemini.Ithinkhegotboredjustsingingitallthetime,andthat’sprobablywherethatobsessioncomeswithwatchingashowafteryou’vecompletedit.”Princewouldalter theshowduring thepianosolo. Itgavehim thechance to

stretchoutandplaysomesongsthatwereinspiringhimatthatmoment.Duringthetourhe’dusethissectionoftheconcerttodebutsongsfromfutureprojectsanddipintohismoreobscurecatalogtoplaysomeofhisnon-LPB-sides.The three members of Apollonia 6 (Brenda Bennett, Apollonia, and Susan

Moonsie)guestedonstageduringthisperformance.


THURSDAY,NOVEMBER8,1984

FRIDAY,NOVEMBER9,1984





AlanLeedsinvitedhisbrotherErictoattendthisshowandbringhishorn.PrincelentEriconeofhisfurcoatstowearonstageandinvitedhimtoplayon“BabyI’maStar.”Ericremembered:Iaskedhimwhatkeyitwasin,anditwasagoodthingIdid,becauseasmanyyearsasI’dbeenplayingclubs, this was one of the first experiences I’d ever had in that kind of a situation, and just theimmensity of the sound. It was just one big wash conglomerate. This huge glob of sound that wascoming out of the sidefills and I would not even have been able to determine what key it was in,becauseitwasjusttoomuchinformationtotrytofigureitout.SoIknewwewereinD,so,hesaid,“Yougotit!”Andofcourse,hegavememytrialbyfire,becausehecompletelycutthewholebandoffatonepointandjustleftmehanging,completelyinfrontoffifteenthousandpeople,entirelyacapella,andIlovedit.Itwasgreat!11


A show in Richmond, Virginia, was canceled to add this extra show inGreensboro.



TUESDAY,NOVEMBER20,1984

“IWouldDie4U”wasscheduled tobereleasedasasingle,soapromotionalvideohadtobecreated.BecausePrincewasontourandhadlittletimetocreateanewvideo,itwasdecidedtotapepartofhisliveshowattheCapitalCentre.ThisworkedwellbecauseWarnerBros.hadshiftedfrompromotingthefilmtopromoting the album (which had been at number 1 on the charts for fifteenweekssinceenteringatthetopoftheBillboard listingsonAugust4),thetour,andthePurpleRainhomevideo,whichhadbeenreleasedthepreviousdayonVHSandBetamax.AmusicvideofeaturingPrince’sliveperformancecoveredall of those bases. The song had been played the previous night but the bandmissed several cues. The recording from this evening was used to create themusicvideo.


During the sound check for this concert, Prince spent some time teaching theband how he wanted to add a spoken section in which he discussed sexualtemptation.Thespokenpartsofthiswereeventuallyincludedin“Temptation,”atrackhewouldrecordinDecember.The spoken section would be performed during this concert before “Let’s

PretendWe’reMarried.”


SATURDAY,NOVEMBER24,1984


Thetourheadedback toWashington,DC—Landover is justoutside thecity—forfourmoresold-outshows.


“I Would Die 4 U” is released as a single, backed with “Another LonelyChristmas.”Itwouldpeakatnumber8ontheBillboardcharts.


THURSDAY,NOVEMBER29,1984(MORNING)

Oneofthestudentstherehadmadeacutoutcardboardguitarforhim.IheardthatwhenPrinceleft,hewasreducedtotears.—BradMarsh

A surprise concert was scheduled for themorning at Gallaudet College (nowGallaudetUniversity),aschoolforthedeafandhardofhearinginWashington,DC.Duringtheshow,Prince’slyricswereinterpretedviasignlanguagefromthestage. “I remember we went to Gallaudet, the school for the deaf [inWashington, DC] and did the entire show in their auditorium, and it wasincredible,”reflectedWendyMelvoin.“Therewerehugemonitorsonthefloorin the audience so the kids could feel the bottom end. I remember at least 25signersintheaudiencewhowerewatchingusandsigningallthewordstoeverysong.Thekidslovedit.”12Throughouthis lifetimePrincewasalwaysdedicated tocharity.On this tour,

special $50 “Purple Circle” seats were made available for practically everyshow,with themoneyearmarked for theMarvaCollinsPreparatorySchool. IthasbeenreportedthatPrincedonated$500,000totheschool,inadditiontothemoneycollectedforthePurpleCircletickets.Thiswassomethinghe’ddoforhisentirecareer,oftenwithoutanyfanfareorrecognition.ItwasinPrince’snaturetohelp thosehefelt trulyneededthehelp,andhegavehismoneyand timetocharityworkataratefarbeyondwhathasbeenreported.Today’sshowwasfreeforthestudents,butPrincepaideveryoneonthecrew

$100eachtoputontheprivateperformance.Theshowmeantalottoeveryoneinvolved, especiallyPrince; itwasoneof the few timeshe signed autographs.Once theshowwasover,everyonewentback to theCapitalCentre topreparefortheeveningconcert.

THURSDAY,NOVEMBER29,1984(EVENING)


Myfavoritetimeframe?Withhim,workingwithhim,I’dsaythePurpleRainera,justbecauseitwasthemostcollaborativepointwiththebandandIenjoyedthatsideofit.Andthenofcoursethemassivesuccessofitall,butthereweretrade-offsatthatpoint,becauseyoubecameveryfamous but at the same time you couldn’t go in publicwithout beingrecognized all the time, and people maybe bugging you in publicplaces,sothere’satrade-offthen.—MattFink13

Prince and the Revolution began this show by playing his 1981 track“Controversy”frombehindthecurtain.Becauseitdidn’trequirechoreographedlightsoreffects,thiswaslikelyPrince’swaytostretchoutsidethestraitjacketofthemeticulouslydesignedtour,anditwasoftenthefinalsongforhisafternoonjamsession/soundchecks.Itwasalsooneoftherareinstancesthatthefullbandplayedsomethingfromearlierthan1983.In the firstmonthof the tour,Prince and theRevolutionhad soldmore than

363,000 tickets but had played in only four cities. The tour was incrediblysuccessful,butitwasmovingveryslowlythroughthecountry.

DECEMBER1984

SUNDAY,DECEMBER2,1984

Itwasalwayshisdecisiontomakeshowchanges,andthenifsomethinghadtochange,wewouldrehearseit.—MattFink1

PrinceplayedthefirstoftwoshowsatMapleLeafGardensinToronto,Ontario.Thiswasthefirsttimehe’dperformedoutsidetheUnitedStatessince1981,andthesewere the only dates he performed outside the country during thePurpleRaintour.Duringtheconcert,hedippedintohisarchivebyonceagain,addingsongslike“IWannaBeYourLover”and“DirtyMind”tohissolopianoset,buthealsolookedaheadtothefuturewhenheperformedaninstrumentalportionoftheasyetunreleased“UndertheCherryMoon.”

MONDAY,DECEMBER3,1984

WEDNESDAY,DECEMBER5,1984

This was the first of two performances in Richfield, Ohio, just outside ofCleveland.

THURSDAY,DECEMBER6,1984

[Prince] would write a song a day and we would record just aboutevery day.Whenwewere on the road,whenwewere playing placesthatwe’dstayforaweekatatime.Thefirstdaywe’dsetup,andtheneveryotherdaywe’drecordthesoundcheck.Wehadarecordingtruckwithusallthetime.—DavidTickle

With the tour in its secondmonth,Princewasonce again focusedon creatingnewmusic,andthesoundcheckswerefertilegroundforhim,asSusanRogersrecalled:“Ifwewere in thesamecity, recordingwasalwayshispriority.He’dcomeonstageattwoo’clockintheafternoonassoonasthelineswerepluggedin.Before they had finished hanging the lighting and all that stuff and testingeverything,he’dbeonstageandhe’dberehearsingwiththeband.”2“He’dgiveeveryoneparts and startplayingandwe’d record stuff,” adds the

tour’ssoundengineerDavidTickle.“Thenit’dbetimetodotheshow.We’dgetreadytodotheshow,andaftertheshowwe’dgobackintothestudiotorecordthevocalsonwhateverwerecordedin theafternoonandthenbasicallymix it.I’d be going to bed at like, eleven in the morning, back up by two in theafternoon.Itwasthatkindofintensity.”Forafewweeks,Princehadbeenteasingtheaudiencewithtalkabout“sexual

temptation”atthebeginningof“Let’sPretendWe’reMarried,”andhedecidedto fold thosenonmusical comments into anewsongcalled“Temptation.”Thefullsongwasrehearsedandrecordedwiththebandonthisafternoon,butPrincegot frustrated and changed his mind after hearing it filtered through others.“Originally he was planning to have the Revolution record it because herehearsed itatasoundcheck inOhio,”observesSheilaE.’ssaxophoneplayer,EddieM., “but after the soundcheck,AlanLeeds comesup and says, ‘Eddie,packyourbags.We’re leavingafter theshowtonight.’PrincehadachangeofheartIguess,becausewewenttoL.A.andhejusttrackedeverythingthere.”

“You’redealingwithasituationwhere theguycanplayall the instruments,”explainedBobbyZ.“Hecandoit fast.Hehears it inhishead.Ifhecanteachyou a part and you have a feel to it that he didn’t have, then he’ll use it.Otherwise,hecancompletetheentireworkwithoutsayingawordtoanybody.It’sconvenience.”3AshowinBuffalo,NewYork,originallyscheduledforthefollowingday,had

been rescheduled for December 17, leaving a small gap in Prince’s itinerary.Becauseofthecomplexityandstressofatour,thebandusuallyenjoyedthedaysoff thatwere scheduled so they could recharge.Princewas fed bymusic, andcreatingnewmusicwassomethingthatrenewedhim.“That’smylife,”Princetold Tavis Smiley in 1998. “I got into themusic business because I lovedplayingsomuch.Youdon’treallygetintothebusinesstobeastar;atleastI didn’t. I didn’t get into it tomake a whole bunch ofmoney ormeet awhole bunch of women. Just so happens those are the things that camealongwithit.ButIwasalwaysplayingalot.”4

Status: Today’s faster version of “Temptation” was never completed andremainsunreleased.



IfeelifIcanpleasemyselfmusically,thenIcanpleaseothers,too.—Prince5

December 7 and 8 were days off scheduled for rest and travel, but Princededicated them to creating newmusic. It appears hewanted to finish his nextalbum—which would let the world know that Purple Rain wasn’t his onlyartisticstatement—beforetheendoftheyear.ManytimesPrinceusedtheRevolutiontohelpfleshoutsongs.Mostofthem

werejam-basedtracksthatwerebuiltbyhavingeveryonecontributeapartandnotingwhatworkedandwhatdidn’t.TherewerealsotimesPrincepreferredtorecordbyhimself.When asked in1995what traitPrincemost deplored abouthimself,hereplied:“Myinabilitytocommunicatemymusic.Ihearit,butithas to go through someone else.ThatpersonmayhavehadabaddayormaynotthinkthesamewayIdo.”6“Hewashavingsomeexistentialcrisisgoingonatthistime,”recallsSusannah

Melvoin.“Hewantedarecordthatrepresentedabiggerpartofhim,butIthinkhe was frustrated because he couldn’t access it well, and all of that becamefrustrating.He’dgetbelligerent,he’dbedismissive,hecouldbe really, really,reallytough.Andyoucouldtellbywhenhewasinthestudioandwhathewasdoing.”Withthisinmind,Princetook“Temptation”intothestudioandrecordediton

his own—or at least mostly on his own. Eddie M. explains: “We recorded‘Temptation’ because he had some really deep thoughts going on. He had aseriousconceptinhisbrainandIthinkthatiswhyhedidn’twanttheRevolutiontorecordit.”Becauseofthegapintheschedule,PrincewasabletotraveltoLosAngeles.

HewantedtoseeoneofthefinalshowsoftheJacksons’VictoryTouratDodgerStadium, and he brought Sheila E., Jerome Benton, and Eddie M., whoremembersthereactionofPrince’sunannouncedarrivalat theJacksons’show:“Thecrowdwasgoingcrazybecause[Prince]waswalkingdownthemiddleandeveryone’s noticing him! It was kind of a tricky thing because I think PrincewantedtogoandhavehispresencejustrileMichael’sfans.”The session began much earlier than usual so that Prince could attend the

concert,andforthefirsttimeinseveralyears,PrincebookedafacilityotherthanSunset Sound in Los Angeles. He requested David Leonard to engineer thesessionatCapitalStudios.Since the basics for “Temptation” had been developed during the previous

day’ssoundcheck,Princeeasilyrecordedtheentiresong,withtwoexceptions:the final conversation betweenGod and Prince, and EddieM.’s sax work: “Icameinattheendofthedayandputsaxophoneonitandthenwenthome.He

hadalotofideas:IthinkincertainpartsofthesonghehadmestartrecordingfromthebackoftheroomandrecordingwhileIwaswalkingtothemic,andhehadmejustplaysomethingreallywildandcrazy.Itwasjust likeamusical.ItwasreallyinterestingbecausewhenIfinallysawitcometogether,Iwaslike...‘Dude,Idon’tknowwhatyouarethinking!’(laughs)ItwasinterestingbecauseIwentfromthiswildplayer inthebeginningof thesong,andendinggivingitclosure.”Eddierecordedhispartsfrom2:00p.m.to4:00p.m.“IwasgladIwasabletoplaysomethingthathewasn’tabletoplay,”continues

Eddie.“Hewasalwayswillingtohelpandgivepeopleopportunities,butnooneknowsthemusicbetterthanhim.Hewastheonewhotaughtmethatthereareno such thing asmistakes. Don’t fearmistakes, don’t worry about bad notes.Andthatwasa lessonwell taughtbecauseyoualwaysgrowupnotwantingtosqueakhereandyoudon’twantthat,andthatisn’thowherecords,andIreallyadmired that.Thatbecomespartof thesong, like theold jazzcatsorMotownstuff.Itkeepsitclosetowhatitreallyis.Hejustputsitdown.Toomuchtimeforhimisnotgood.”Thethirty-minuteversionof“IWouldDie4U”waslikelyediteddownforthe

12-inchreleaseduringthissessionbyDavidLeonardwhilePrinceattendedtheJacksons’concert,andvocaloverdubswereprobablyaddeduponhisreturn.

Status:“Temptation”(8:19)wasreleasedasthefinalsongonAroundtheWorldin a Day in 1985. An acetate for the 12-inch version of “IWould Die 4 U”(10:20)wascompletedbyBernieGrundmanMasteringonDecember10,andtheextendedversionwasreleasedonDecember19,1984,intheUnitedStates.

AfterhistimeatCapitolStudios,PrinceleftLosAngelestorejointhetour.Heshared “Temptation”with theRevolution during their five-day stay in Illinoisand explained to the band that once the albumwas released, hewas going toretirefortwoyearsandspendhistime“lookingfortheladder.”SomemembersoftheRevolutionweren’thappywiththisdecision.“Wecould

have kept touringwith PurpleRain for another sixmonths inAmerica, reallymilked it,” reasonedMatt Fink. “We just did a six-month tour.We didn’t doEuropeor JapanorAustralia, becausePrincedidn’twant to go.He said, ‘I’mtiredoftheroad—that’sitguys,we’retakingtwoyearsoff.’Hesaidwe’dbeonthepayroll,don’tworry,youcanalldowhateveryouwant.”7Despitethesuccessofthetour,Princesawthattherewereproblems.Ina1999

interviewheopenedupabouthis internalconflictandwhyheknewhehad to

changedirection:“WelookedaroundandIknewwewerelost.Therewasnoplacetogobutdown.Youcanneversatisfytheneedafterthat.”8InaFrenchdocumentary,WendyMelvoinsharedherthoughtsabouttheway

the world saw Prince, and more importantly, the way success had changedPrince: “We knew now that Prince wasn’t only a musician, he was also anentertainmentphenomenon,astar.Wecouldn’tjusthangouttogetheranymore....Soitstartedtochangethen.”9“Things got a little more separate,” agreed Fink. “We became more of an

employeerelationshiptotheboss.Thefriendshipthatwehadmaybeearlieroninthebandsortofchangedabit.”10Princewasnowasuperstar,withconstantheadlinesaboutthetour;thealbum

stillnumber1onthecharts;thefourthsingle,“IWouldDie4U,”abouttostartitswaytowardthetop10;andthemovieamongthehighestgrossingfilmsoftheyear.Princewasinaplacehe’dneverbeenbefore,andeveryonewantedapieceof him. He was constantly bombarded with requests for interviews, and heturnedthemalldown.“Inordertowritethatmuch,andbethatprolific,youmustprotectyourpsyche,

becauseyougotothisdangerousplace,reallyeasilyandoften,”explainedSusanRogers.“Youputupawall,andyou tellyourmanagement, ‘Don’t letanyoneapproachme. I’vegotmy system.Here’s the system that allowsme to create.These are my people who I’m familiar with. These are my places. This is asystemwhere,within thiscircle, I cancreate.’Thatallowsyou tohaveaverylongcareer,becauseyou’vefiguredoutanarmortoprotectyourself.Princewassmartenough,asayoungman,toknowwhathe’dneedtodothatifhewantedtohavealongcareer,sohedidit.But,totheoutsideworld,heappearedasabigenigma.”11Princelimitedaccesstoanyonehopingtosolvethemystery.Hewasamaster

ofillusion,andanylightshinedonhimasapersoncouldpotentiallyexposethesecretshe’dhidden.Itworkedperfectly,butinhisquestforsecrecyandcontrol,variousmembersofhisinnercirclegothurt.“Hejustkindofshuthimselfoff,”recallsRoyBennett:He became a different person at that point. His whole personality, as far as being approachable,changed.Prior to that, hewas pretty insular only to people outside, but hewould always talk to us.Suddenlyhebecamealotmoreclosedoff,althoughIcan’tsay,itjustseemeditwasthebeginningsofit.At thatpoint, I’dbeup in themiddleof thenightbecause Iknew thathe’dcallmeat four in themorningtocomeandsitupinhisroomwithhimtowatchsomevideos[ofthatevening’sshow]andstuff. It still was the interaction, but it started kind of drifting away a lot more. And I’m sure thepressuresuddenlydroppedonhimalotmore.Assoonasyougettothetopthere’salotmorepressuretoperformandcomeupwithmorestuff.

[The band] all started to feel the distancewhen he started to break away from us. The differencebetween1999andPurpleRainwashisego.

Princewasstillworkingwithhisbandonnew—orat leastunreleased—music.During thesoundchecks inChicago,hehad theRevolution jamonsongs like“Feline,”whichwasnowofficiallyremovedfromTheFamilyalbum.Hewouldlaterreuseelementsofitin“HollyRock,”releasedbySheilaE.in1986.

Prince’sfocushadchanged,andwiththenewalbumhewasgettingclosertoalight at the end of the tunnel. He was obviously ecstatic about the upcomingproject, and he began playing sections of “Condition of theHeart” during hispianosetonthefirstnightinChicago.Therestofthetourwouldfeaturetastesandteasesofthenextchapterinhismusicalcareer.


ThiswasthestartoffiveconcertsinRosemont,Illinois,justoutsideofChicago.


TUESDAY,DECEMBER11,1984



This datewasoriginally scheduled for a performance in Indianapolis, Indiana,butthepopularityofthetourcreatedademandforafifthshowattheRosemontHorizon.TheIndianapolisconcertwaspostponeduntilApril1,1985.

SATURDAY,DECEMBER15,1984


This show in Buffalo had been originally slated for December 7, but waspostponed until this evening as the tour schedule shifted to accommodate thehigh ticket demand. December 17 and 18 were originally scheduled forperformancesatthePittsburghCivicArenainPittsburgh,Pennsylvania,butduetothisrescheduling,bothwerecanceled.Duringtheconcert,avariationof“IceCreamCastles”wasaddedtothe“Baby

I’maStar”jam.Thechantedlyricswere“weareyoung/we’renotoldandwearefunky,”possiblyaplayfulvariationoftheoriginallyricsfromJesseJohnson

andMorrisDay’s“OldandIgnant,”onwhichthesong“IceCreamCastles”wasbased.

TUESDAY,DECEMBER18,1984


The12-inchsingleof“IWouldDie4U”(10:15)isreleased,backedbyalongversionof“AnotherLonelyChristmas”(6:47).The12-inchwouldchartontheBillboardHotDance/Discolist,peakingatnumber50onFebruary9,1985.




Princewasbackhome,playinginthearenathathadhousedthefinalrehearsalsforthetour.Theperformancewasasold-outseriesofconcertsforthosewho’dknownhim longest and the number of tickets sold in this unprecedented five-nightrunofshowsintheTwinCitiesdwarfedthatofanyotherartist.

MONDAY,DECEMBER24,1984(MATINEESHOW)

An important insight about this era involves Prince’s choice of which songsmadethesetlist.ForthemostpartPrinceshowcasedmusicthatlargelyignoredhispastbeyond the last twoyears.Withonlyminor exceptions,Princeplayedsongs thathadbeen in thespotlightsinceJanuary1983,and to thenewer fanstherewas little indication thathe’d releasedanymusicbefore the1999/PurpleRainera.Itwasalmostasifhe’ddrawnalineinthesandafterControversyandwanted everyone to focus on his currentmusic only. “The interesting thing iswhen you have a massive hit record you get to start over,” explained SusanRogers. “This iswhat artists do. Sowhen you have a record that totally saysyou’vearrived,afteryouarrive,yougettostartanewjourney.YoucanthinkofPurpleRainasbeingasingularpoint,theapexofwherePrincewas.Sonowthathe’s shown the depth of what he can do, that he’s hugely talented and verycreative, now he has to show the breadth of it and how far he can gostylistically.”12Inotherwords,Princeseemedtounderstand thathiscareerwouldbeseen in

two very distinct phases—the era leading up to1999/PurpleRain and the erathatwas created by the releases of1999/PurpleRain—and the path hewouldforgewasnowcompletelyuncharted.PurpleRainwashismostintimateprojectandhismostsuccessful,anditisnocoincidencethatheneverrevealedasmuchabout himself again; by seeking shelter, he never reached the same level ofpopularity. The price of exposing himself was very high and he was makingplanstopullthecurtainclosedtoregaincontrol.


Whenyou’retryingtochange,youhavetodivorceyourselffromthepast.—Prince13

ThematineeshowwasscheduledforChristmasEvesoitwouldn’tinterferewithanyone’sChristmas plans—at least just about anyone’s. For Prince and SusanRogers,theconcertwasjustthepreludetoaverylongday.As usual, Prince recorded the show with the mobile unit. After the concert

Prince asked Rogers to prepare for the final session for the album. She wentbacktothewarehouse,gatheredallthereels,andtookthemtoherhotelroom:“Iwas sitting alone with all those tapes, looking at all those boxes and I wasthinking, ‘There it is. I’msitting in this roomwith thenextPrincerecord.Thelastonesoldelevenmillion;Ihavenoideahowthiswillbereceived—maybeitwill be the biggest-selling record he has ever had,maybe peoplewill hate it,maybehisfanswillbedisappointed,maybethey’llloveitandthinkit’sgenius.I’msittinghere lookingat it.’Tomeitwassuchaprofoundmoment,becausethereitwas.Thesemetalreelswithoxidedustonitwerehisnextrecord.Yourealizedhowmanyhopes,thoughts,genius,inspirationhadgoneintothat.”14During this period Prince didn’t maintain his home studio. He’d sold his

console to Jesse Johnsonandhad to recordoutsideofhishome.Prince calledRogers to his house, andwhen she arrived themobile unitwaswaiting in hisdriveway.Hejoinedherinthetruck,andtheybeganthesessionwithsomevoicework: “Wedid the very end of the record on ‘Temptation,’where he has thisconversationwithGod.Justthetwoofus.Wesetupamicinthemobiletruckandrecordedthatlittlebit.”15Although it is impossible toget insidePrince’smind, it is insightful that the

final speech he recorded for his next projectwas a conversationwithGod, inwhichhehumblysaid,“Goodbye.”Itwasasifhewasexpressinghowtiredhewasandhowoverwhelmedhefelt,putting thewordshe’d toldhisband intoasong.Onceagainhismusicwasreflectinghismood.Minor overdubs, including vocals and probably a few finger cymbals, were

addedtoothersongs,including“Tamborine,”untilPrincedecidedthatthetrackswerecomplete.Nowhehadtostructurethealbum.Rogerswascuttingthetape

with a razor, shuffling the numbers so that therewas a flow to the album. In1984,CDswerejuststartingtogainpopularity,sotheultimatemediumforsalewas still the cassetteor vinyl record.Compiling for thosewas adifferent taskbecause,unliketoday,thealbum/cassettehadtwosidesandneededtobuildandcrescendoonsideone,thenlaunchwithabigsongonsidetwoandbuildagaintothefinaltrack.At some point during the compilation stage, the string interlude from “Our

Destiny” was lifted and used prior to “The Ladder.” The distant drums from“Our Destiny” can still be heard bleeding through when listening to “TheLadder”onagoodpairofheadphones.“IthinkwefinishedaroundfourorfiveinthemorningonChristmasmorning,”

recalled Rogers. “I know that Prince had a Christmas tree inside, but he hadnobodyoverthereatChristmas.Hehadsomepresentsunderthetreethatpeoplehadgivenhim,butIdon’t thinkhewastoointerestedinthem.Hewasmainlyinterestedingettinghisrecordcuttogether.”16The finished albumwas recorded to cassettes, and Rogers went back to her

hotel room. This was the final documented recording session of the year.Because of the urgency to create this album and the speed in which it cametogether, it is theperfectsnapshotofwherePrincewasat thisverymoment inhis life.Likethealbumitself,heseemedfilledwith joy,withregret,withnewlove,andwithconflictsbothexternalandinternal.Onceagain,hismusicspokeforhim.ThetourwouldresumeonthedayafterChristmas.

Princeexplained toEricLeeds (after seeing the facesof some industrypeoplewhoweren’t happywith the album):“Well, sometimes you know right awaythatmaybeitjustdoesn’treachsomepeople,butthat’sokay.ItstillwaswhereIwasatatthetime.ItwaswhatIwantedtodoandthisisthewayIwanttohearthemusic.”17


Prince performed “Another Lonely Christmas” at the December 26 show. Itwould be the only time it was ever played live, and its inclusion probablyconveyedmoreaboutPrince’sstateofmindthananyoneunderstoodatthetime.




ThetourshiftedtoDallas,Texas,forathree-nightstay.


Iamenergizedbymusic.Musicismyreasonforexistence.Writingit,playingit,listeningtoit.—Prince18

To the casual observer,Prince seemedhappy tohave achieved all his dreams,butasanartist—atleastaccordingtothoseclosetohim—hispassionforPurpleRain had diminished. “Hewas bored,”WendyMelvoin later revealed toAlanLight. “Hegave it everythingonstage, andhewas always in that.But hewasgone,hewasuninterested,andhehadmovedon.”19Foramanwhoseentirelifeappearedtobefocusedoncreatingnewmusic,the

prospect of having to repeat the same songs over and over for the rest of hiscareermusthavebeenlikeaprisonsentence.Prince seemed to be concentrating on his next move and how it would be

received, andhewas focusedon advancingbeyondPurpleRain as quickly aspossible. “I’m about the present and moving forward. New joke, newanecdote,new lesson tobediscovered,”Prince toldEntertainmentWeekly in2004.“YouknowthatoldladyinSunsetBoulevard,trappedinhermansionandpastglories?Gettingreadyforherclose-up?Idon’trunwith that.”20Hewouldhavetocutthecordtothiseraatsomepoint.Hecouldeitherallowtheindustrytopressurehimintochangingordoitonhisownterms,sohemadethechoice to control his own destiny.History has shown that Prince preferred tomake his ownmistakes rather than follow anyone else’s advice. “He toldmewhenIfirstjoinedtheband,‘Don’teverarguewithme,’”recalledBrownMark.“‘EvenifI’mwrong,I’mright.’Thosewerehisexactwords.”21Having achieved what he desired with Purple Rain, Prince was growing

impatient now that his next projectwas complete.The “three-year obligation”he’doriginallypresentedtomembersoftheRevolutionwasbeingcutalmostinhalf.Itwasobvioustopracticallyanyonearoundhimthathewantedtogetthenew album out quickly, but he had to finish his responsibilities, so hebegrudginglycontinued.Princeseemedeagertoput“theKid”asideandreleasemoremusicfromPrince.BeforethisshowPrinceplayedthecompletedAroundtheWorld in aDayalbum to his band and to those close enough to be in hisinner circle, confirming that he was wrapping up this phase andmoving pastPurpleRainafterhefulfilledhiscurrentobligations.Princehadopenedhisheartandhismindtotheinfluenceofothersinawayhe

neverhadbefore,andAround theWorld inaDaywas theproductof that.Noone expected this seismic shift when he started working in the direction thatDavidColemanhadpresented tohim.LisaColemanexplainshowherbrotheraltered thedirectionofPrince’scareer:“Princewas inspiredbyDavidand thecreativeflowweallhadtogether,andthatwaswhythePurpleRaintourendedafteronlysixmonths.”

OverthelasttwoyearsPrincehadappearedonstageatleast118timesandsoldmorethan11millionalbums,notincludingmorethan1.5millioninsalesforhisassociateartists.He’dwrittenandrecordedbetween100and150songs,manyofwhichwouldbedividedamongalbumsbySheilaE.,theFamily,theTime,andApollonia6,andsinglesfortheBangles,StevieNicksandSheenaEaston.Themusiche recordedduring this time found itswayonto two fullPrince albums(andtracksforvariousfuturealbums)andmultipleB-sides,andincludedmorethan an album’s worth of unreleased songs. Each of these projects had beeninfluenced by someone or something around him. Prince was the musicalarchitect, but hewas always somewhat dependent on theworld being filteredthroughthoseclosesttohim.“Ithinkeveryonecontributedtothesoundandtothe feeling in the music,” explains Peggy Leonard, who participated in themajorityoftrackshe’drecordedoverthelasttwoyears.“Hecouldn’thavedoneitalone.Notentirely.Therewerealotofgoodpeopleinvolved.”“I think it was the combination of who andwhat Prince is as a unique and

once-in-a-lifetime artist,with the particular time period, and the bands that hesurrounded himself with through that period,” noted Dez Dickerson. “I don’tknowifanyonewilleverreproducethat.”22Along the road from cult hero to international superstar, he had selectively

invited a small circle of people into his lifewho shared his vision andhelpedhimachievehisgoals,butmorethanafewwereleftbehindinthewakeofhisnewsuccess.Manyofthemhadknownhimasfarbackashighschoolandfeltable tovoice theiropinions tohim,butashis famegrewhedistancedhimselffromseveralofthosewhowereinfluentialtohim,includingVanity,MorrisDay,Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis,MonteMoir, Jesse Johnson, DezDickerson, AndréCymone,andDonBatts.SusanMoonsie,BrendaBennett, andApolloniawereallontheirwayoutaswell,andhewouldbedrawnclosertotheshrinkinggroupof people he had chosen to know him intimately—not just physically butemotionally,whichwasthehardestthingforhimtoshare.Princehasstated,“Imissnothingandnoone.Attachmentisstagnation.”23

The reality was that once those who had been close to him were gone andcontactbetweenPrinceandtheoutsideworldbecamelimited,hewouldhavetobe even more selective about those who helped him create his songs. “Hebecamealittlemoreparanoidwithnewerpeoplecomingin,”acknowledgesJillJones.“Hedidn’treallyunderstandwhotoreallytrust.Andasitprogressedon,Ithinkhehadahardertime.Hewantedyoutobetherebecauseyoulovedhim.Even themen. Hewanted them to love him, not just because he couldmake

themmoney.Andashegotmoresuccessful,Ithinkhestartedtorealizepeoplewerecomingbecausehecouldmakethemmoney.”“He was incredibly suspicious and paranoid,” explains Susannah Melvoin.

“Always.That’swhy he never paid you.Hewouldn’t pay you.Because if hedidn’t payyou andyou stuck around, youwere loyal. If hepaidyou andyouthreatened,inanyway,it’dbelikethispersonisonlyhereforthemoney.”WhatPrince didn’t seem to comprehendwas that those aroundhimdid love

him.Almostwithoutexception,eachofthoseinhisinnercircleblockedforhim,shieldedhimfromharm,andpreservedhislegacyandhisimage,andtheystilldo to this day. Thosewhowere close enough to him to call him their friendcould separate the superstar image from the insecure artist who neededreassurance, findingways tomake sure hewas safe and protected from thosewhowouldtakeadvantageofhim.Once those friends and coworkerswere gone, hewould rely on newpeople,

newinfluences,newstories,andnewexperiencestofeedhisinsatiabledemandfornewmusic,andasalways,thosearoundhimwouldbereflectedinhissongs.“Ithinkifyoulistentohisrecordsyoulearnalotabouthim,”explainedJimmyJamina2003BBCdocumentary.“Thathe’saverycomplexguywithalotofdifferent sides, asmany people are.But I think that he is able to express thatthroughhismusic,andthat’stheonethingthathe’salwaysbeenabletodo.”24AsPrincehimselfsaid,“Allmylifeisinmyrecords.”25

EPILOGUE

His competitionat that timewasMichael Jackson,BruceSpringsteenand Madonna. Now there have been other artists since that haveseeminglydoneitallinthestudio,buttheydon’treallydoitall.Theyare not writing, producing and arranging all of their material, andplayingeveryinstrumentandwritingmusicformoviesatthesametimeandwriting forotherartists.Princewasdoingall this anddesigningeveryaspectofhisliveshow.Heevendesignedhisownclothes.Todoallthisandbeontopforaslongashewasandtohavethatmanyhitrecordsandexercisingthatmuchcontrolandpower...overthatmanyaspectsofyourmusic,there’snoprecedentforthat.—SusanRogers1

Thenextfewmonthsof1985wouldincludethereleaseofhisrecentlyfinishedAroundtheWorldinaDayalbum,therecordingofasecondalbumforSheilaE.(Romance1600)duringthecurrenttour,andthedebutofthelonealbumbytheFamily.The only common link between these projects—besides being createdandoverseenbyPrince—wasthatnoneoftheminvolvedPurpleRain.Hewouldreceive many awards in the spring for Purple Rain, including an AcademyAward for Best Original Song Score, but he was quickly moving away fromalmosteverything thatanchoredhimto thisera. In fact,hewouldonlydoonemore tourwith theRevolution before permanently disbanding them.After the1984–1985tour,PrinceshelvedmostofthePurpleRain–erasongsfromhisliveperformancesforyears:“TakeMewithU”and“BabyI’maStar”forfiveyears,“TheBeautifulOnes”foreightyears,“DarlingNikki”and“IWouldDie4U”for twelveyears,and“ComputerBlue”forfifteenyears,althoughitwasneverperformed as a full-blown song again after 1985. Itwas reduced to a coda in“WhenDovesCry”whenhetouredin2000–2001.“IthinkhehadfearsofbeingtypecastasMr.PurpleRain,”suggestedAlanLeeds.“Bythetimethattourwasover,hewassosickofthatmusicandthatwholeconcept.”2Purple Rainwas Prince’s greatest success, but it set the bar so high that he

seemed resigned not to attempt to duplicate it. “In some ways Purple Rainscared me,” he explained to the Electrifying Mojo in 1986. “It was toosuccessful,andnomatterwhatIdo,I’llnevertopit.”Headmittedthat“it’ll

behangingaroundmyneckaslongasI’mmakingmusic.”3Inretrospect,itiseasytoseethesignsthathewasfeelingcareerstagnation,andhisreflexwastohastilyproceedbeyondPurpleRain.“Fromthemoment Imethim towhenIstoppedworkingwithhim,henever

really changed, except that he became a powerfulmogul,whichwasprobablyhardforhim,”confidesengineerPeggyLeonard.“Hewasalittlebitnicerwhenhecamehereanddidn’thaveacar,andthenwhenherentedlimoshisattitudecertainlychanged,buthewasalwaysPrince.Heknewwhohewasandheknewwherehewasgoing.”Inthetwoyearsdetailedinthisbook,Princewentfromadarlingofthecritics

tooneofthebiggestrockstarsontheplanet.Hehadachievedalmosteverythinghe’d wanted, but the price he was being asked to pay was higher than heimagined.Hewasamanwhoseemedtoenjoybeingabletosayanythingandtryanything because hewas under the radar, but once his ability to blend into acrowd was destroyed by the harsh spotlight Purple Rain shined on him, hewouldneveragainenjoythefreedomofbeingtheunderdog;fromthatpointon,everything he did and everything he saidwould be dissected and studied, andwiththat,hiscareerpathwasindangerofbeinghijacked.Unfortunately, what started as a revolution had turned into routine. Prince’s

eccentricitywasnotonlyaccepted, itwasexpected,as ifeveryonehadfiguredhimout.Hehadbuiltacareeroutofmysteryandremainingonestepaheadofhisfansandthecritics.Heseemedtorevelinthecontroversyregardingwhetherhewas black orwhite, straight or gay.And now,with PurpleRain, everyonewas putting the clues together. He became accessible in a way he’d neverexperienced,andherantheriskofbecomingboring.Popmusicislitteredwiththeforgottencareersofone-trickponies,becauseveryfewartistscansurvivethepublic’sextremeadorationbecauseinmostcasesthefansburnoutandmigrateto the next rising star. Prince probably sensed that the knives were beingsharpened,evenfromthosewhopraisedhimearlier.He was “the Kid” to many of his new fans, and because they’d seen his

(supposedlyautobiographical)movie,manyofthemfelttheyknewhimandthattherewerenomoresecrets toberevealed,but therealitywastheKidwasjustanothercharacterhe’dcreated.It’snocoincidencethathewastheonlymusicianin themoviewhodidn’t use his actual name.TheKidwas nomore real thanJamieStarr,AlexanderNevermind,oranyof theotheralternate identitieshe’dmanufactured,andnowhewasreadytoshedthatcharacterandmoveontothenext.

FewothersinpopularmusichaveexperiencedtheepicheightsPrincereachedduring1984.Nowthathewas lovedby themasses,hehadtochoose toeithercontinue to serve them, responding to what they wanted while enjoying theundeniable riches, or turn his back on what he’d created and trust himself torebuild itagainbyhisownrules.Thissynchronicityofproductandpopularitymadehimfinanciallywealthy,and italsomadea largedeposit intohisartisticbank,givinghim the freedom todecidehispath.Princeprobably instinctivelyknewthatifhedecidedtoallowhiscareertosimplycoast,itwoulddestroyhimcreatively. As usual, he looked for a new direction. Externally, he wouldcontinue this tour, but as it neared the end in the coming months, he wouldchangehisiconichairandthestyleofhisclothing.Internally,Princewasgoingthrougha“greatspiritualrevelation.”4In1995heexplainedtoQmagazinethatthissortofthinghappenedoccasionallyinhislife,clarifyingthatitwassimilartothespiritualchangeshewentthroughwhencreatinghis1988albumLovesexyaswellaswhenhechangedhisnametoasymbolin1993.

OnNewYear’sEveexactlytwoyearsearlier,Princeplayedtoasold-outcrowdfor one night at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas, but a second show thefollowingnightwascanceled forunknownreasons.At that timehis1999 tourwassellingmodestly,butwiththealbumalreadyslidingbackdownthecharts,amonthofftheroadwasscheduledtoallowhimtimetoregroup.Onthisnightin1984PrinceandtheRevolutionhadthenumber1albumonthecharts,andtheywereinthemiddleofasold-outthree-nightstandattheverysameDallasarena.ThatstageinDallasmayhavebeenthesame,but thestageofhiscareerwas

completelydifferent.AsPrincestoodthereandthelastchordsof“PurpleRain”and“AuldLangSyne”echoedinthehalls,hewassayinggood-byetomorethanthepreviousyear;hewascelebratingthepassingofsomethinghe’dcreated.ThelastofthepurpleconfettiwasstillintheairwhenPrinceleftthestage,andthecrowdwas cheering formore, as if it would never end.Although few peopleoutsidehiscircleknewwhatwashappeningatthetime,Princewastrustinghisgut and resetting his internal compass, having faith that theworldwould findhim and join him again. He voluntarily lit the match that would burn downpracticallyeverythinghe’dspentthelasttwoyearsbuilding.OnceagainPrince,thetwenty-six-year-oldmusicalgenius,wasatacrossroads

...butthat’sastoryforanotherbook.

NOTEONRESEARCH

This book has been a gigantic, meticulous puzzle, and to understand it, it isimportant to explain how the researchwas done. Sunset Sound supplied theirdaily work orders for Prince’s studio sessions (as well as those for all of hisprotégéprojects).Thereareafewsessionsthataremissing,butwhentherewasdoubt, I’ve tried to fill in theblankswith the information suppliedbyWarnerBros.about thecontentsof theirvault,andmanyof thedates thatare listedas“assumed” are based on their dating system. When there is no specific datementioned in the research from those sources, I’ve relied on data from theLibrary of Congress, personal logs of those who worked on the music,newspaper articles, session notes from multiple unions, and various othersources.For those sessions that couldn’tbe confirmed, I listed themost likelydateasanestimate.Ididthesamewhentherewasnoindicationofwhoworkedon the sessions behind the scenes; I referred to them as assumed if theinformation was likely. Personal details were filled in using quotes from thepeoplewhowereintherecordingstudiowithPrinceduringthesessions.I’ve gone to great lengths to confirm the running times to any tracks

mentioned.The timing for the released songswere relatively easy to confirm,buttheunreleasedtracksandalternateversionsaremoreproblematic.SomeoftheseareballparkfiguressupportedbyinformationfromtheWarnerBros.vaultorstudionotes,butmanyofthemwereverifiedbyactuallylisteningtothesongswheneverpossible.Pleaseunderstandthatanysourcesthatexistarethirtyyearsold, and tape speed, drift, andwearmay cause the timing to be off by a fewseconds.TherearelikelyadditionaleditsandmixesthatIwasnotabletolocate.Thequotesusedinthisbookwereobtainedbyme,unlessotherwisenoted.My personal research involvedmore than three hundred hours of interviews

with thepeople involved. Iameternallygrateful to thosewhohaveopeneduptheirmemoriestome.I’vetriedmybesttohonoreachandeveryoneofthembyfact-checkingandverifyingasmuchasIcould.Myintenthasbeentocreateafairandnuancedaccountofeveryone’sinvolvementinPrince’shistory,andI’verelied on the information thoughtfully provided by each of them. I alsoconductedbrieffollow-upinterviewstocheckthefactsasadditionalinformationwas unearthed.When the subjectsweren’t available, I relied on the extensive

library of interviews in the public record, including more than two thousandarticles,multiple books, and numerous podcasts and radio shows from aroundtheworld.For the interviews I conducted for this project, I generally refer to the

conversations in the present tense (“She remembers”), and quotes I use fromoutsidesourcesarereferredtointhepasttense(“Sheremembered”).

NOTES

PREFACE1. Spike Lee, “The Artist,” Interview, May 1997, accessed March 5, 2017,

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/new-again-prince.2.BobbyZRivkin,inMarcWeingarten,“Prince:ThePurpleGang,”Mojo,February1997,48.3.EricLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,October15,

1993.4.Princeon3RDEYEGIRLTwitteraccount,November22,2013.Accountnowdeleted.5.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,October15,1993.6.WillHodgkinson,“AlltheCriticsLoveUIn...London!?”Mojo,April2014,84.

JANUARY1983

1.Prince,interviewbyLarryKing,LarryKingLive,CNN,December10,1999,accessedApril21,2016,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8mg7CxAYUM.2.AlanLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,Minneapolis,MN,January20,

1994.3.BrianRaftery,“Prince:TheOralHistoryofPurpleRain,”Spin,July2009,59.4.MichaelGoldberg,“PurpleRainStarMorrisDayGoesItAlone,”RollingStone,September13,1984,

41.5. “Jesse Johnson on Video Soul,” 1986, accessed March 8, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=gIy6eB0C350.6.RoninRo,Prince:InsidetheMusicandtheMasks(NewYork:St.Martin’s,2011).7.PamelaLittlejohn,reviewof1999,LosAngelesSentinel,January20,1983.8.MikeRagogna,“ChattingwithCobraStarship’sRylandBlackinton,PlusJimmyJamandJasonReeves,

and theRealTuesdayWeldVideoExclusive,”HuffingtonPost,November 15, 2011, accessedMarch5,2017,http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ragogna/chatting-with-cobra-stars_b_1094086.html.9.MonteMoir,interviewbyLeoSidran,TheThirdStoryPodcastwithLeoSidran,podcastaudio,May5,

2016,accessedAugust6,2016,http://www.third-story.com/listen/on-prince.10.AnthonyDeCurtis,“BurningDowntheHouse,”RollingStone,May27,2004,58.11.RobertHilburn,“MixedEmotions:PrinceontheMusic,”Musician,September1983,58.12. Priya Elan, “Purple Reign,” Guardian, September 20, 2008, accessed March 6, 2017,

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/sep/20/1.13.JakeBrown,PrinceintheStudio(1975–1995)(Phoenix:AmberCommunicationsGroup,2010).14. Prince, interview by Stephen Fargnoli, MTV, November 15, 1985, accessed August 18, 2016,

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x49h7vy.15.DeanVanNguyen,“BigTimeMorrisDay,”WaxPoetics,winter2012,50.16. Jimmy Jam, “Soul Corner,” P3 Soul, date unknown, accessed June 23, 2017,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OScQ3unXnWY&feature=youtu.be.

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2016, https://www.facebook.com/notes/housequake/prince-hits-n-runs-n-talks-ebony-interview-dec-22-2015/916986788385046.19. “Jesse Johnson on the Power of Penetration,” Ebony, August 8, 2011, accessedMarch 11, 2017,

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23,2017,https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=t7ceI27JPSI.21.MichaelA.Gonzales,“RockStarJesseJohnson,”WaxPoetics,winter2012,44.22. Morris Day, in The Original 7ven, directed by Lee Librado (Los Angeles, CA: Chronology

EntertainmentandFlyteTymeProductions,2011),DVD.23.MargenaA.Christian,“TheTime,”Ebony,July2012,126.24.MorrisDay,interviewbyAmyScott,VH1Classic,June19,2004.25.ChazLipp,“AnInterviewwithJimmyJamofTheOriginal7ven,”MortonReport,April13,2012,

accessed March 4, 2017, http://www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/music/an-interview-with-jimmy-jam-of-the-original-7ven.26.Christian,“TheTime,”127.27.DaveHill,Prince:APopLife(NewYork:HarmonyBooks,1989),102.28.“JeromeBentonof theFunkgroup‘TheTIME’intervieww/TheFunkcenter,”FunkChronicleswithDr. Turk Logan, April 16, 2015, accessed September 27, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yfnvX8yF9o.29. Morris Day, in Michael PatrickWelch, “Interview with Morris Day of the Time (OffBeat, Sept.

2012),” michaelpatrickwelch.org, October, 2, 2012, accessed March 1, 2017,https://michaelpatrickwelch.org/2012/10/02/interview-with-morris-day-of-the-time-offbeat-sept-2012.30.DebbyMiller,“TheSecretLifeofAmerica’sSexiestOne-ManBand,”RollingStone,April28,1983,

23.31.JamesHunter,“SoulSurvivors,”Vibe,April1995,61.32. Morris Day, in The Original 7ven, directed by Lee Librado (Los Angeles, CA: Chronology

EntertainmentandFlyteTymeProductions,2011),DVD.33.StevePerry,“Prince:ThePurpleDecade,”Musician,November1988,85.34.“Jellybean!TheTime’sJellybeanJohnsonTalksaboutPrince,theMinneapolisSoundandtheBlues

(Part 1),” Beldon’s Blues Point (blog), March 11, 2013, accessed March 3, 2017,http://beldonsbluespoint.blogspot.com/2013/03/in-2007-or-2008-i-saw-jellybean-johnson.html.35.Prince, interviewby theElectrifyingMojo,TheElectrifyingMojo,WHYT, June 7, 1986, accessed

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February16,1995.37.Moir,interviewwithLeoSidran.38.Hill,Prince,119.39.Hill,Prince,118.40.Prince,interviewbytheElectrifyingMojo.41.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,January20,1994.42.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,January20,1994.43.LynnVanMatre,“‘I’mOutandEverythingIsCool,’SaysMorrisDay,”ChicagoTribune,September

9,1984.44.MobeenAzhar,Hunting forPrince’sVault,BBCRadio,March21,2015,accessedMarch5,2016,

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46.Aloe,“ClothesofPassionVanity,”29.47.JellybeanJohnson,interviewbyFreed,February16,1995.48.GeoffreyHimes,“PrinceSustainsDramaticOpeningwithMusicThatObliteratesRules,”BaltimoreEveningSun,March7,1983.49.PeteBishop,“WasPrinceWorthWaitingFor?”PittsburghPress,March1,1983.50.Miller,“TheSecretLifeofAmerica’sSexiestOne-ManBand,”73.51.JellybeanJohnson,interviewbyFreed,February2,1995.52.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.53.“Vanity6LivesOutDaringFantasiesonStage,”Jet,January1983,60.54.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,March26,

1995.55.JonBreamandChrisRiemenschneider,“Prince:AnOralHistory,”MinneapolisStarTribune,March

14,2004.56.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,March26,1995.57.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.58. ElysaGardner, “Prince: ‘If I Knew the Things IKnowNowBefore, IWouldn’t Be in theMusic

Industry,’” Los Angeles Times, July 14, 1996, accessed March 7, 2017,http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-prince-archive-19960714-story.html.59.JellybeanJohnson,interviewbyFreed,February16,1995.60.Prince,lyricsto“TheDanceElectric,”performedbyPrinceandtheRevolution,PurpleRainDeluxe

(ExpandedEdition),NPGRecords/WarnerBros.,547374-2,2017,compactdisc.61.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,December

1994.62.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,December1994.63.Prince,lyricsto“TheDanceElectric.”64. Dez Dickerson, interview by Joe Kelley,Upper Room with Joe Kelley,WVOF,March 19, 2004,

accessedMarch1,2017,http://www.upperroomwithjoekelley.com/mpls.html.65.Ro,Prince.66. Dez Dickerson, interview, WTVF, April 21, 2016, accessed March 1, 2017,

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2,1985,11.68.Townsend,“PuppetMasterPrince,”11.69.Townsend,“PuppetMasterPrince,”11.70.DezDickerson, interviewwithMichaelDean,ThePrincePodcast,podcastaudio, January2,2013,

accessedJune25,2017,http://podcastjuice.net/30-days-of-podcasting-day-9-dez-dickerson.71.Dickerson,UpperRoomwithJoeKelley.72.Hill,Prince,122.73. Jim Maloney, “Wendy & Lisa: After the Revolution Comes the Challenge,”Music Connection,

February22–March6,1987,13.74.LisaColeman, interviewby JimDeRogatis andGregKot,SoundOpinions,WBEZ, July24, 2009,

accessedMarch5,2016,http://www.soundopinions.org/topic/wendyandlisa.75.Elan,“PurpleReign.”76.JemAswad,“TheRevolutionRemembersTheirLastMomentswithPrince—andtheFirstTimeThey

Heard Purple Rain,” Billboard, December 12, 2016, accessed March 6, 2017,http://www.billboard.com/articles/events/year-in-music-2016/7604454/the-revolution-prince-final-moments.77. CraigMarks and Rob Tannenbaum, I Want MyMTV: The Uncensored Story of theMusic VideoRevolution(NewYork:Dutton,2011).78.Moir,interviewwithLeoSidran.

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FEBRUARY1983

1.MargenaA.Christian,“TheTime,”Ebony,July2012,127.2. Jellybean Johnson, interview by Alan Freed for Uptown magazine/Per Nilsen, Minneapolis, MN,

February16,1995.3. “Jesse Johnson on Video Soul,” 1986, accessed March 8, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=gIy6eB0C350.4. Mark Brown, interview by Questlove,Questlove Supreme, Pandora, September 28, 2016, accessed

October4,2016,https://www.pandora.com/station/play/3642532478040643917.5.KarenGlover,“MorrisDay,”BlackBeat,April1985,43.6.TimothyWhite,RockLives:Profiles&Interviews(London:Ombibus,1991),622.7. Rya Backer, “Stevie Nicks Wants to Work with Timbaland, Opens Up about Collaborating with

Prince,” MTV News, April 2, 2009, accessed February 14, 2016,http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1608437/20090402/fleetwood_mac.jhtm.8.Backer,“StevieNicks.”9.JonBream,“StevieNicks’NewWhirl,”MinneapolisStarTribune,August23,2011,accessedMarch7,

2017,http://www.startribune.com/stevie-nicks-new-whirl/128097743.10.Prince, interviewwithCubby andCindy,WKTU,December 13, 2010, accessed January 17, 2012,

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http://www.buckinghamnicks.info/words-wildheart.14. StevieNicks, interview,Mark and Brian Radio Show, KLOS, LosAngeles, CA,December 1994,

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MARCH1983

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Malden, Surrey, UK: Chrome Dreams Media, April 2004), DVD; also available athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRNYiFxR2Ps,accessedJune17,2017.3. Jellybean Johnson, interview by Alan Freed for Uptown magazine/Per Nilsen, Minneapolis, MN,

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2016,accessedJune20,2016,http://www.third-story.com/listen/on-prince.9. Denise “Vanity” Matthews, interview, Omega Man Radio Show, April 3, 2013,

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March12,2017,http://activate.metroactive.com/2012/08/summer-fest-preview-morris-day-the-time.12.StevePerry,“Prince:ThePurpleDecade,”Musician,November1988,85.13.JellybeanJohnson,interviewbyFreed,February16,1995.14. Jimmy Jam, in The Original 7ven, directed by Lee Librado (Los Angeles, CA: Chronology

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14,2004.24.MichaelA.Gonzales,“RockStarJesseJohnson,”WaxPoetics,winter2012,44.25. Prince, interview on AOL Live, July 22, 1997, accessed February 17, 2014,

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bits of Beethoven, the Beatles and James Brown,” Salon, April 24, 2017, accessed June 18, 2017,http://www.salon.com/2017/04/24/princes-genius-through-the-revolutions-ears-he-took-the-best-bits-of-beethoven-the-beatles-and-james-brown/.12.DezDickerson,MyTimewithPrince(Nashville,TN:PavilionPress,2003),238.

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2,1995.3.AlanLight,Let’sGoCrazy:PrinceandtheMakingofPurpleRain(NewYork:AtriaBooks,2014).4.CharleyCrespo,“MinneapolisUpdate:JesseJohnson,”Rock&Soul,February1985,32.5.MonteMoir,interviewbyMikeMauren,“MikeInterviewsMonteMoirofTheTime#2,”January23,

2017,accessedFebruary2,2017,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWccue24_H0.6.JellybeanJohnson,interviewbyFreed,March2,1995.7. Andrea Swensson, “fDeluxe’s St. Paul Peterson Talks about theMinneapolis Sound,Workingwith

Prince, and the Rebirth of the Family,” City Pages, September 14, 2011, accessed March 12, 2017,http://www.citypages.com/music/fdeluxes-st-paul-peterson-talks-about-the-minneapolis-sound-working-with-prince-and-the-rebirth-of-the-family-6628206.8. K Nicola Dyes, “Every Day Is aWinding Road: St. Paul Peterson Talks 2 Beautiful Nights,” TheBeautiful Nights (blog), August 18, 2013, accessed August 18, 2013,http://beautifulnightschitown.blogspot.com/2013/08/everyday-is-winding-road-st-paul.html.9. Eddie “Stats” Houghton, “A Death in the Family: St. Paul of the Family Remembers Prince, the

Teacher,”Okayplayer, June 7, 2016, accessedMarch 11, 2017, http://www.okayplayer.com/news/prince-the-family-st-paul-prince-day-interview.html/2.10. Jesse Johnson, interview byDonnie Simpson, “TheTime InterviewwithDonnie SimpsonPart 1,”

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1.DebbyMiller,“TheSecretLifeofAmerica’sSexiestOne-ManBand,”RollingStone,April28,1983,23.2.JonBream,“‘Purple’Afterglow:25YearsAgo,FilmandSoundtrackTurnedPrinceintoaMegastar,”Pantagraph, August 1, 2009, accessed March 12, 2017,http://www.pantagraph.com/entertainment/movies/purple-afterglow-years-ago-film-and-soundtrack-turned-prince-into/article_d1b4d342-7e05-11de-acec-001cc4c03286.html.3.AlanLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,Minneapolis,MN,January20,

1994.4.MattFinkinterviewbyJulieNelsonandproducerTacyMangan,“‘PurpleRain’HighlightsInfluence

on Local Music Scene,” KARE, May 20, 2014, accessed June 17, 2017,http://www.kare11.com/entertainment/movies/purple-rain-highlights-influence-on-local-music-scene/107185711.5.Prince,interviewbyLarryKing,LarryKingLive,CNN,December10,1999,accessedApril21,2016,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8mg7CxAYUM.6. Matt Fink, interview by Girl Bros.,Girl Bros. Network, podcast audio, September 2006, accessed

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1984,compactdisc.9. Robert Hilburn, “From FellowArtists, a Case of Respect,”Los Angeles Times, February 27, 2005,

accessedJune17,2017,http://articles.latimes.com/2005/feb/27/entertainment/ca-joni27;reprintedfromthelinernotesfromtheCDJoniMitchell:SongsChosenbyHerFriends&FellowMusicians.10. Ethan Brown, “Influences: Joni Mitchell,” New York, May 9, 2005, accessed March 13, 2017,

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Track-by-Track,”Vibe,June25,2014,accessedJune17,2017,http://www.vibe.com/2014/06/purple-rain-turns-30-revolutions-dr-fink-breaks-down-princes-classic-track-track/dr-fink-breaks-down-prince-purple-rain-track-by-track-8.12.MarcWeingarten,“Prince:ThePurpleGang,”Mojo,February1997,45.13. Susan Rogers, interview by Alan Freed for Uptown Magazine/Per Nilsen, Los Angeles, CA,

December1994.14.JakeBrown,PrinceintheStudio(1975–1995)(Phoenix:AmberCommunicationsGroup,2010).15.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,December1994.16.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.17.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.18.RobertI.Doerschuk,“PortraitoftheArtist,”Musician,April1997,32–33.19.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.20. JonBream,“DezDickersonandAndréCymone:WhyTheseEarlyPrinceCollaborators Joined the

Revolution’s Tribute Concerts,”Minneapolis Star Tribune, August 26, 2016, accessedMarch 11, 2017,

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‘Purple Rain,’” Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 17, 2017, accessed June 18, 2017,http://startribune.com/revolution-keyboardist-shares-untold-stories-from-princes-soon-to-be-reissued-purple-rain/428738003.23.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.24. KeithMurphy, “Purple Rain Turns 30: The Revolution’s Dr. Fink Breaks Down Prince’s Classic

Track-by-Track,”Vibe,June25,2014,accessedJune20,2017,http://www.vibe.com/2014/06/purple-rain-turns-30-revolutions-dr-fink-breaks-down-princes-classic-track-track/dr-fink-breaks-down-prince-purple-rain-track-by-track-10.25. Matt Fink, interview by Michael Dean, The Prince Podcast, podcast audio, July 20, 2015,

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1995.27.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,March25,1995.28.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,March25,1995.29.Weingarten,“Prince:ThePurpleGang,”45.30. Evan Sawdey, “Inside Prince’s Revolution,” PopMatters, June 4, 2009, accessed March 7, 2017,

http://www.popmatters.com/feature/94061-inside-the-revolution/P0.31. Prince, interview by Stephen Fargnoli, MTV, November 15, 1985, accessed June 19, 2017,

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21,1995.33.WendyMelvoinin“Wendy&Lisa,”BAM,October23,1998,reprintedinPrinceFamilyNewsletter,

Vol.6,no.23,138.34.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,January20,1994.35.Sawdey,“InsidePrince’sRevolution.”36.RoninRo,Prince:InsidetheMusicandtheMasks(NewYork:St.Martin’s,2011),Kindle.37. Denise “Vanity” Matthews, interview, Omega Man Radio Show, April 3, 2013,

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/omegamanradio/2013/04/03/episode-957-fasting-will-dynamite-the-kingdom-of-darkness--denise-matthews.38. Lynn Van Matre, “‘I Don’t Have Any Regrets about Leaving,’ Says Vanity,” Chicago Tribune,

September 9, 1984, accessed June 17, 2017,http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1984/09/09/page/293/article/i-dont-have-regrets-about-leaving-says-vanity.39.Rogers,interviewbyAlanFreed,December21,1995.40.DennisWilen,“PrinceExplainsHisRoyalSecrets,”LosAngelesHerald-Examiner,March27,1981,

accessedMay21,2017,http://voidmstr.blogspot.com/2010/07/prince-explains-his-royal-secrets.html.41.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,March25,1995.42.MattThorne,Prince(London:Faber&Faber,2012).43.Thorne,Prince.44.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,March25,1995.45.KNicolaDyes,“TheVoice:BrendaBennettTalks2BeautifulNights,”TheBeautifulNights(blog),

April 5, 2014, accessed March 12, 2017, http://beautifulnightschitown.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-voice-brenda-bennett-talks-2.html.46. Bobby Z, inPurple Rain: Backstage Pass, produced byNewWave Entertainment (Burbank, CA:

WarnerHomeVideo,2004),DVD.47.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.

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48.ScottIsler,“PrinceinExile,”Musician,October1984,46.49.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.50.Isler,“PrinceinExile,”46.51. Jim Maloney, “Wendy & Lisa: After the Revolution Comes the Challenge,”Music Connection,

February22–March6,1987,16.52.JillJones,inPrince,APurpleReign,producedbyBBC,documentary,2011,accessedJune15,2017,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlTwe9LxZ8w.53.JorgeHernandez,“GaryNuman,StillElectricafterAllTheseYears,”Vibe,March20,1014,accessed

June15,2017,http://www.vibe.com/2014/03/gary-numan-still-electric-after-all-these-years.54. Lisa Coleman andWendyMelvoin, interview by Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot, Sound Opinions,

WBEZ,July24,2009,accessedApril10,2011,http://www.soundopinions.org/topic/wendyandlisa.55.ErnieRideout,“ProducedbyPrince,”Keyboard,December1999,40.56. Handwritten lyric sheet, Prince, John L. Nelson, Lisa Coleman, and Wendy Melvoin, lyrics to

“ComputerBlue,”performedbyPrinceandtheRevolution,PurpleRainDeluxe(ExpandedEdition),NPGRecords/WarnerBros.,547374-2,2017,compactdisc.57.DialogueofWendyMelvoinandLisaColemanon“ComputerBlue,”PurpleRainDeluxe(Expanded

Edition),NPGRecords/WarnerBros.,547374-2,2017,compactdisc.58.BrianRaftery,“Prince:TheOralHistoryofPurpleRain,”Spin,July2009,58.59.Raftery,“Prince,”58.60.Raftery,“Prince,”58.61.BarryWalters,“TheRevolutionWillBeHarmonized,”Out,April16,2009,accessedMarch11,2017,

http://www.out.com/entertainment/2009/04/16/revolution-will-be-harmonized.62.NoviNovog,inPrince:TheGloryYears,producedbyRobJohnstoneforPrismEntertainment(New

Malden, Surrey, UK: Chrome Dreams Media, April 2004), DVD; also available athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRNYiFxR2Ps,accessedJune17,2017.63.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,March26,1995.64.Rideout,“ProducedbyPrince,”37.65. Serge Simonart, “The Artist,” Guitar World, October 1998, accessed March 4, 2017,

http://princetext.tripod.com/i_gw98.html.66.Prince,interviewwithFargnoli,November15,1985.67. James Brown with Bruce Tucker, James Brown: The Godfather of Soul (New York: Macmillan,

1986),264.68. Prince, interview by Chris Rock, January 11, 1997, accessed March 13, 2017,

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2017,http://player.fm/series/the-soul-brother-show/for-love-a-conversation-with-jill-jones.70.AlanLight,Let’sGoCrazy:PrinceandtheMakingofPurpleRain(NewYork:AtriaBooks,2014).71.Prince, interviewby theElectrifyingMojo,TheElectrifyingMojo,WHYT, June 7, 1986, accessed

February14,2016,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJZCoxZ5COY.72. Jon Pareles, “A Re-Inventor of His World and Himself,”New York Times, November 17, 1996,

accessed March 4, 2017, http://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/17/arts/a-re-inventor-of-his-world-and-himself.html.73.Murphy,“PurpleRainTurns30.”74. Prince, interview by Sway Calloway, MTV, 2004, accessed May 19, 2017,

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SEPTEMBER1983

1.“TheTime,Voted#8inRock&Soul’sReader’sPoll,”Rock&SoulSpecial,spring1985,32.


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2.Andrea Swensson, “fDeluxe’s St. Paul Peterson Talks about theMinneapolis Sound,WorkingwithPrince, and the Rebirth of the Family,” City Pages, September 14, 2011, accessed March 12, 2017,http://www.citypages.com/music/fdeluxes-st-paul-peterson-talks-about-the-minneapolis-sound-working-with-prince-and-the-rebirth-of-the-family-6628206.3. Pepé Willie, interview by Kristie Lazenberry forUptown magazine/Per Nilsen, Minneapolis, MN,

Summer1995.4.CharleyCrespo,“MinneapolisUpdate:MorrisDay,”Rock&Soul,February1985,31.5.Crespo,“MinneapolisUpdate:JesseJohnson,”32.6.BrianRaftery,“Prince:TheOralHistoryofPurpleRain,”Spin,July2009,57.7.SimonWitterandtheNewPowerGenerationFanClub,“SexonaStick,”Sky,July1990,12.8.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,March26,

1995.9.RobertHilburn,“MixedEmotions:PrinceontheMusic,”Musician,September1983,58.10.WitterandtheNewPowerGenerationFanClub,“SexonaStick,”12.11.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,March26,1995.12.JoshuaLevine,“PrinceSpeaks,”Forbes,September23,1996,180.13.ScottIsler,“PrinceinExile,”Musician,October1984,42.14. Prince, lyrics to “Baby I’m a Star,” performed by Prince and the Revolution,Warner Bros.,W2-

25110,1984,compactdisc.15.Prince,lyricsto“BabyI’maStar.”16.G.Brown,“PopStarDoingAwaywithMiddleman,”DenverPost,October4,1997,accessedMarch

12,2017,https://sites.google.com/site/prninterviews/home/denver-post-4-october-1997.17.NealKarlen,“PrinceTalks,”RollingStone,October18,1990,59.18.AndréCymone, interviewwithMichaelDean,ThePrincePodcast, podcast audio,April 23, 2016,

http://podcastjuice.net/andre-cymone-interview.19. Prince, interviewwith Tavis Smiley,Tavis Smiley Show, PBS, July 19, 2009, accessedMarch 12,

2017,http://www.pbs.org/video/1189739252.20.RobertI.Doerschuk,“PortraitoftheArtist,”Musician,April1997,75.21. David Stubbs, “Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis: The SuperProducers That Shaped Modern Pop,”Guardian, March 22, 2016, accessed March 6, 2017,https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/mar/22/janet-jackson-superproducers-jimmy-jam-and-terry-lewis.22. Susan Rogers, Red Bull Music Academy lecture, hosted by Torsten Schmidt, Montreal, QC,

December 8, 2016, accessed June 19, 2017, http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/lectures/susan-rogers-lecture.23.WendyMelvoin,inDr.Prince&Mr.Jackson,directedbyPhilipPriestley(Paris:ArteFrance,2009),

broadcastJuly9,2009.24. Jim Maloney, “Wendy & Lisa: After the Revolution Comes the Challenge,”Music Connection,

February22–March6,1987,25.25.LisaColeman, linernotesforPurpleRainDeluxe(ExpandedEdition),NPGRecords/WarnerBros.,

547374-2,2017.26.Maloney,“Wendy&Lisa,”25.27.JakeBrown,PrinceintheStudio(1975–1995)(Phoenix:AmberCommunicationsGroup,2010).28.Hilburn,“MixedEmotions,”58.29.NealKarlen,“PrinceTalks,”RollingStone,September12,1985,86.30.JoeGore,“Prince’sGuitaristsPast+Present,”GuitarPlayer,February1992,36.31.Isler,“PrinceinExile,”42.32.RoninRo,Prince:InsidetheMusicandtheMasks(NewYork:St.Martin’s,2011).33.AlexHahn,Possessed(NewYork:BillboardsBooks,2003),60.34.ErnieRideout,“ProducedbyPrince,”Keyboard,December1999,40.

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35.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.36.MarcWeingarten,“Shoot-outattheFantasyFactory,”Mojo,February1997,42.37. Matt Fink, interview on Real Rube Radio, pocast audio, May 20, 2006,

https://archive.org/details/SteelersDrummer38_0/Real_Rube_Radio_Matt_Fink_Part_1.mp3.38.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.39. Joni Mitchell, interview on Dutch National TV, May 28, 1988, accessed March 13, 2017,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBfXuiv9XOg.40. Prince, interview by Stephen Fargnoli, MTV, November 15, 1985, accessed June 17, 2017,

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x49h7vy.41.Isler,“PrinceinExile,”46.42.Hilburn,“MixedEmotions,”58.43.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.44.DebbyMiller,“TheSecretLifeofAmerica’sSexiestOne-ManBand,”RollingStone,April28,1983,

20.45.TomMann,“AnOralHistoryofPrince’s ‘PurpleRain,’”FasterLouder,August21,2014,accessed

March7,2017,http://fasterlouder.junkee.com/an-oral-history-of-princes-purple-rain/839367.46. Evan Sawdey, “Inside Prince’s Revolution,” PopMatters, June 4, 2009, accessed March 7, 2017,

http://www.popmatters.com/feature/94061-inside-the-revolution/P0.47.StevePerry,“Prince:ThePurpleDecade,”Musician,November1988,84–85.48. Jon Bream, “A Star Is Reborn: With His Musicology Tour, Prince Again Proves He’s the Most

Complete Rock Star,” Cleveland Free Times, March 2004, accessed June 20, 2017,https://web.archive.org/web/20040820100051/http://www.freetimes.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1324.49.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.50.AlanLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,Minneapolis,MN,November

1993.51.AndreaSwensson,“BobbyZSharesHisPurpleRainMemoriesontheAlbum’s30thAnniversary,”TheCurrent,June25,2014,accessedJune18,2017,http://blog.thecurrent.org/2014/06/bobby-z-shares-his-purple-rain-memories-on-the-albums-30th-anniversary.52.MarcWeingarten,“Prince:ThePurpleGang,”Mojo,February1997,46.53. Parts of this quote have been used in other books and incorrectly credited toDavidLeonard. It is

originallyfromaninterviewconductedbytheauthorwithPeggyMcCrearyinFebruary1996.54. “HeHasNoName, andNotMuch of a Credit Rating Either,”Philadelphia Inquirer, February 7,

1995,50.55.LinernotesfromPrince,CrystalBall,NPGRecords,B000006CHF,1998,CD.56.BillyAmendola,“MorrisDay,FunkyTimeonDrums,”ModernDrummer,January2005,43.57.Prince,lyricsto“Let’sPretendWe’reMarried,”performedbyPrince,WarnerBros.,923720-2,1982,

compactdisc.58.HaroldLewis,TonyMelodia,andStefanvanPoucke,“TakeThisBeat:AnExclusiveInterviewwith

BobbyZRivkin—Part2,”Uptown43(fall2000):19.59.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.60.Bream,“AStarIsReborn.”61. Jim Bickal, “The Revolution Reunites to Benefit Heart Health,” MPR News, February 19, 2012,

accessedJune18,2017,https://www.mprnews.org/story/2012/02/16/revolution_reunion.62. Prince, inPurpleReign: The Story ofPrince, part 2, documentary,BBCRadio, January 25, 2003,

accessedJune29,2004,http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00svtj7.63.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.64.SusanRogers, inPurpleReign:TheStoryofPrince,part2,documentary,BBCRadio, January25,

2003,accessedJune29,2004,http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00svtj7.65. Larry Crane, “Susan Rogers: From Prince to Ph.D.,” Tape Op, January/February 2017, accessed

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February20,2017,http://tapeop.com/interviews/117/susan-rogers.66. Prince, interviewed by Love4OneAnother.com, November 17, 1997, accessed June 18, 2017,

https://sites.google.com/site/prninterviews/home/love4oneanother-com-17-november-1997.67.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,March26,1995.68.MattThorne,Prince(London:Faber&Faber,2012).69.MilesMarshallLewis,“PrinceHitsNRunsNTalks!”Ebony,December22,2015,accessedJune18,

2017, https://www.facebook.com/notes/housequake/prince-hits-n-runs-n-talks-ebony-interview-dec-22-2015/916986788385046.70.Swensson,“BobbyZSharesHisPurpleRainMemoriesontheAlbum’s30thAnniversary.”71. KeithMurphy, “Purple Rain Turns 30: The Revolution’s Dr. Fink Breaks Down Prince’s Classic

Track-by-Track,”Vibe,June25,2014,accessedJune18,2017,http://www.vibe.com/2014/06/purple-rain-turns-30-revolutions-dr-fink-breaks-down-princes-classic-track-track/dr-fink-breaks-down-prince-purple-rain-track-by-track-7.72.WendyMelvoin,inPurpleRain:BackstagePass,producedbyNewWaveEntertainment(Burbank,

CA:WarnerHomeVideo,2004),DVD.73.KeithMurphy, “PurpleRainTurns 30:Prince’sEngineerSharesMajestic (andMaddening)Studio

Stories,” Vibe, June 25, 2014, accessed June 22, 2017,https://web.archive.org/web/20151101151644/http://www.vibe.com/2014/06/purple-rain-turns-30-princes-engineer-shares-majestic-and-maddening-studio-stories/susan-rogers-talks-prince-purple-rain-2.74.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.

OCTOBER1983

1.MargenaA.Christian,“TheTime,”Ebony,July2012,127.2.MorrisDay,interviewbyAmyScott,VH1Classic,June19,2004.3.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,December

1994.4.JakeBrown,PrinceintheStudio(1975–1995)(Phoenix:AmberCommunicationsGroup,2010).5.LynnNorment,“EbonyInterviewwithPrince,”Ebony,July1986,30.6.CharleyCrespo,“BehindtheScenesatPurpleRain,”Rock&Soul,November1984,29.7.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,December1994.8. Susan Rogers, interview on Housequake.com, May 9, 2006, accessed March 6, 2016,

https://web.archive.org/web/20060624184248/http://www.housequake.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65388.9.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,December1994.10.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,December1994.11.Prince,lyricsto“Wednesday,”performedbyPrinceandJillJones,unreleased.12.Prince,lyricsto“Wednesday.”13. Denise “Vanity” Matthews, diary from October 25, 1983, posted on eBay,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VANITY-DENISE-MATTHEWS-PERSONAL-JOURNAL-RARE-RARE-Prince-Barry-Gordy-1983-/281941999298?hash=item41a50d7ec2%3Ag%3AcHsAAOSwe7BWyjHg,accessed March 1, 2016, and Prince.org, http://prince.org/msg/5/421861/RIP-Vanity-Denise-Matthews?&pg=16,accessedMay20,2016.14. Evan Sawdey, “Inside Prince’s Revolution,” PopMatters, June 4, 2009, accessed March 7, 2017,

http://www.popmatters.com/feature/94061-inside-the-revolution/P1.15. Jon Bream, “Revolution Keyboardist Shares Untold Stories from Prince’s Soon-to-Be-Reissued

‘Purple Rain,’” Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 17, 2017, accessed June 18, 2017,http://startribune.com/revolution-keyboardist-shares-untold-stories-from-princes-soon-to-be-reissued-purple-rain/428738003.

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NOVEMBER1983

1.CharleyCrespo,“BehindtheScenesatPurpleRain,”Rock&Soul,November1984,29.2.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,December

26,1994.3.MarcWeingarten,“Prince:ThePurpleGang,”Mojo,February1997,45.4.AkbarCojoe, “BrendaBennett ofVanity 6Talks Prince&HerNewCD,”Examiner.com,May 18,

2011,accessedMarch5,2017,http://prince.org/msg/5/358836.5. SusanRogers, interviewbyTroyL. Foreman,PCPrinciplePodcast, podcast audio,May 18, 2016,

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APRIL1984

1.SheilaE.,TheBeatofMyOwnDrum:AMemoirbySheilaE.(NewYork:AtriaBooks,2014).2.“WhoIstheRealSheilaE.?,”BlackBeat,October1984,52.3.SheilaE.,TheBeatofMyOwnDrum.4.WillHodgkinson,“I’mAGiver...”Mojo,April2014,85.5.Prince,lyricsto“EroticCity,”performedbyPrinceandtheRevolution,PurpleRainDeluxe(Expanded

Edition),NPGRecords/WarnerBros.,547374-2,2017,compactdisc.6.JonPareles,“ForPrince,aResurgenceAccompaniedbySpirituality,”NewYorkTimes,July12,2004,

accessed March 4, 2017, http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/12/arts/for-prince-a-resurgence-accompanied-by-spirituality.html.7. Jesse Johnson, interview by Tomi Jenkins, February 1, 2014, accessed June 23, 2017,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suk5yjlmJoQ&feature=youtu.be.8.Prince,lyricsto“IftheKidCan’tMakeYouCome,”performedbytheTime,unreleasedsection.9. Jellybean Johnson, interview by Alan Freed for Uptown magazine/Per Nilsen, Minneapolis, MN,

February16,1995.10.AkbarCojoe,“BrendaBennettofVanity6TalksPrince&HerNewCD,”Examiner.com,May18,

2011,accessedMarch5,2017,http://prince.org/msg/5/358836.11.KeithMurphy, “PurpleRainTurns 30:Prince’sEngineerSharesMajestic (andMaddening)Studio

Stories,”Vibe,June25,2014,accessedJuly10,2014,http://www.vibe.com/2014/06/purple-rain-turns-30-princes-engineer-shares-majestic-and-maddening-studio-stories/susan-rogers-talks-prince-purple-rain-2;archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20151101151644/http://www.vibe.com/2014/06/purple-rain-turns-30-princes-engineer-shares-majestic-and-maddening-studio-stories/susan-rogers-talks-prince-purple-rain-2/.

MAY1984

1.DebbyMiller,reviewof“TheGlamorousLife,”RollingStone,September13,1984,50.2. Joseph Stannard, “Prince’sAround theWorld in a Day: A Reappraisal,”Red Bull Music AcademyDaily, May 28, 2015, accessed June 19, 2017, http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2015/05/prince-around-the-world-in-a-day.

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3. Prince, interviewed on The View, ABC, September 17, 2012, accessed June 19, 2017,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW_S6PuePKM.4.AlanLight,Let’sGoCrazy:PrinceandtheMakingofPurpleRain(NewYork:AtriaBooks,2014).5.NealKarlen,“PrinceTalks,”RollingStone,September12,1985,30.6.MattThorne,Prince(London:Faber&Faber,2012).7.“TheFiveCount’sSixthAnnualPrincemasCelebration—AnEveningwithPrince&theRevolution’s

Brown Mark,” The Five Count, January 31, 2015, accessed March 8, 2017,http://thefivecount.com/interviews/thefive-counts-sixth-annual-princemas-celebration-an-evening-with-prince-the-revolutions-brown-mark.8. Matt Fink, interview by Michael Dean, The Prince Podcast, podcast audio, July 20, 2015,

http://podcastjuice.net/the-prince-podcast-dr-fink-interview.9.AnnieZaleski,“Prince’sGenius,throughtheRevolution’sEars:“HeTooktheBestBitsofBeethoven,

the Beatles and James Brown,” Salon, April 24, 2017, accessed June 18, 2017,http://www.salon.com/2017/04/24/princes-genius-through-the-revolutions-ears-he-took-the-best-bits-of-beethoven-the-beatles-and-james-brown.10.WendyMelvoin,interviewbyJimDeRogatisandGregKot,SoundOpinions,WBEZ,July24,2009,

accessedJune19,2017,http://www.soundopinions.org/topic/wendyandlisa.11.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,February

1995.12.Prince,lyricsto“RoadhouseGarden,”performedbyPrinceandtheRevolution,PurpleRainDeluxe

(ExpandedEdition),NPGRecords/WarnerBros.,547374-2,2017,compactdisc.13. Jon Bream, “Revolution Keyboardist Shares Untold Stories from Prince’s Soon-to-Be-Reissued

‘Purple Rain,’” Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 17, 2017, accessed June 18, 2017,http://startribune.com/revolution-keyboardist-shares-untold-stories-from-princes-soon-to-be-reissued-purple-rain/428738003.14.Fink,interviewbyDean,July20,2015.15.AlanLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,Minneapolis,MN,November

1993.16.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.17.SheilaE.,astoldtoEricRennerBrown,“LateGreats:StarsPayTributetoThoseWeLostin2016,”EntertainmentWeekly, December 28, 2016, http://ew.com/news/late-greats-stars-we-lost-2016/sheilae-on-prince.18. Chris Nelson, “Exclusive: The Artist PortraysMusic’s Future,” SonicNet Online,March 3, 1999,

accessedMarch12,2017,https://sites.google.com/site/prninterviews/home/sonicnet-3-march-1999.19. Prince, interview by Love4OneAnother.com, January 19, 1999, accessed June 19, 2017,

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February22–March6,1987,13.21. “The Revolution Duo on Prince’s Lost Dream,” Vibe, March 2009, accessed June 7, 2009,

http://www.vibe.com/news/online_exclusives/2009/03/what_had_happened_was_lisa_coleman_and_wendy_melvoin22.“TheRevolutionDuoonPrince’sLostDream.”23. Morris Day, The Original 7ven, directed by Lee Librado (Los Angeles, CA: Chronology

EntertainmentandFlyteTymeProductions,2011),DVD.24.AprilEugene,“MorrisDayGoesSolo,”BlackBeat,January1985,43.25.Day,inTheOriginal7ven.26.CharleyCrespo,“MinneapolisUpdate:MorrisDay,”Rock&Soul,February1985,30.27.Eugene,“MorrisDayGoesSolo,”44.28.AlanLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,Minneapolis,MN,November

1993.29.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,November1993.

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JUNE1984

1.AlanLight,“Body&Soul,”Tracks,September2004,76.2.SheilaE.,TheBeatofMyOwnDrum:AMemoirbySheilaE.(NewYork:AtriaBooks,2014).3. Bruce Orwall, “Purple Drain,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, January 15, 1995, accessed June 19, 2017,

http://princetext.tripod.com/n_1995.html.4.MattThorne,Prince(London:Faber&Faber,2012).5.Thorne,Prince.6. Prince, remarks in concert, FirstAvenue,Minneapolis,MN, June 7, 1984, accessed June 19, 2017,

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WBEZ,July24,2009,accessedJune19,2017,http://www.soundopinions.org/topic/wendyandlisa.8. PeggyMcCreary, inPrince: TheGlory Years, produced byRob Johnstone for PrismEntertainment

(New Malden, Surrey, UK: Chrome Dreams Media, April 2004), DVD; also available athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRNYiFxR2Ps,accessedJune17,2017.9.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,March25,

1995.10.AprilEugene,“MorrisDayGoesSolo,”BlackBeat,January1985,43.11. “Jesse Johnson on Video Soul,” 1986, accessed June 19, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=gIy6eB0C350.12.NealKarlen,“PrinceTalks,”RollingStone,September12,1985,86.13.“TheTime,Voted#8inRock&Soul’sReader’sPoll,”Rock&SoulSpecial,spring1985,32.14.Light,“Body&Soul,”76.15.Karlen,“PrinceTalks,”86.16. Jesse Johnson, interviewwithTeddyBear,LOTLRadio, podcast audio,March 20, 2012, accessed

June 1, 2017, http://www.blogtalkradio.com/reginaldford/2013/01/01/lotl-welcomes-jesse-johnson-orig-aired-march-19th-2012.17.AlanLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,Minneapolis,MN,November

1993.18.KeithValcourt, “fDeluxe:TheFamilyReunion,”Rockerzine.com,May5,2013, accessedMarch7,

2017,https://www.rockerzine.com/2013/05/fdeluxe-the-family-reunion.19.KNicolaDyes, “MissUnderstood:An In-Depth InterviewwithSusannahMelvoin,”TheBeautifulNights (blog), April 18, 2013, accessed April 19, 2013,http://beautifulnightschitown.blogspot.com/2013/04/miss-understood-in-depth-interview-with.html.20.PaulPeterson,interviewbyLeoSidran,TheThirdStoryPodcastwithLeoSidran,podcastaudio,May

5,2016,http://www.third-story.com/listen/on-prince.21.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,March25,1995.22.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,March25,1995.23.ScottIsler,“PrinceinExile,”Musician,October1984,46.24.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,March25,1995.25. Charles Waring, “Family Values . . . fDeluxe’s Susannah Melvoin talks to SJF,”Soulandjazzandfunk.com, November 9, 2011, accessed March 10, 2017,http://soulandjazzandfunk.com/interviews/1541-family-values-fdeluxes-susannah-melvoin-talks-to-sjf-.html?showall=1.


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26.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,December1994.27.“BestSellingAlbumsofAllTime,”EntertainmentWeekly,May3,1996,reprintedinPrinceFamilyNewsletter,May11,1996,56.28. “InterviewwithMatt Fink of theWorld’s Greatest Prince Tribute: THE PURPLEXPERIENCE,”MotorCityBlog (blog), July 21, 2014, accessed March 12, 2017,http://motorcityblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/interview-with-matt-fink-of-worlds.html.29.Isler,“PrinceinExile,”46.30.RobertL.Doerschuk,“TheViewfromGraffitiBridge,”Keyboard,January1991,96.31. Beth Coleman, “Prince and the Revelation,” Paper, April 21, 2016, accessed June 17, 2017,

http://www.papermag.com/prince-1999-cover-story-1744672669.html.32.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,December1994.33.MilesMarshallLewis,“PrinceandReedManEricLeedsTeamedUptoCreateTwoAlbumsunder

the Monkier Madhouse,” Wax Poetics, winter 2012, accessed June 19, 2017,http://www.waxpoetics.com/blog/features/articles/prince-madhouse-jazz-band-eric-leeds.34. Mick Brown, “Prince Interview: ‘I Didn’t Let Fame Rule Me,’” Telegraph, December 6, 2004,

accessed March 4, 2017, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/interviews/prince-interview-the-act-didnt-finish-when-he-stepped-off-stage.35.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,November1993.36. Prince, lyrics to “Mutiny,” performed by the Family,Warner Bros. Records, 7599-25322-2, 1985,

compactdisc.37. Prince, lyrics to “High Fashion,” performed by the Family,Warner Bros. Records, 7599-25322-2,

1985,compactdisc.38.Prince,lyricsto“HighFashion.”39. Jellybean Johnson, interview by Alan Freed forUptown magazine/Per Nilsen, Los Angeles, CA,

March2,1995.40. Rico “Superbizzee”Washington, “fDeluxe 2011 Soulmusic.com Interview—Pt. 1: Paul Peterson,”SoulMusic.com, September 26, 2011, accessed March 17, 2012, http://www.soulmusic.info/index.asp?S=80&T=80&ART=702.41. Rico “Superbizzee” Washington, “fDeluxe 2011 Soulmusic.com Interview—Pt. 2: Susannah

Melvoin,” SoulMusic.com, September 26, 2011, accessed March 4, 2017,http://www.soulmusic.info/index.asp?S=80&T=80&ART=703.42. Rohan Williams, “fDeluxe: The Prince and I,” Scene, June 7, 2012, accessed June 19, 2017,

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Funky Music,” Washington Times, May 5, 2015, accessed May 17, 2015,http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/may/5/interview-with-fdeluxe-the-family-behind-princema.46.JonBreamandChrisRiemenschneider,“Prince:AnOralHistory,”MinneapolisStarTribune,March

14,2004.47.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,December1994.48.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,December1994.49.Dyes,“MissUnderstood.”50. Prince, interviewed on The View, ABC, September 17, 2012, accessed June 19, 2017,

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JULY1984

1.KennethPartridge,“PrinceProtégés theFamilyReturnas fDeluxe,TalkPurpleOne’sPeculiarities,”Spinner.com,November18,2011,accessedJune19,2017,http://prince.org/msg/5/371066.2.EricLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,October15,

1993.3.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,October15,1993.4.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,October15,1993.5.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,October15,1993.6.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,October15,1993.7.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,December

1994.8.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,October15,1993.9.PaulPeterson,interviewbyLeoSidran,TheThirdStoryPodcastwithLeoSidran,podcastaudio,May

5,2016,http://www.third-story.com/listen/on-prince.10.KeithValcourt, “fDeluxe:TheFamilyReunion,”Rockerzine.com,May5,2013, accessedMarch7,

2017,https://www.rockerzine.com/2013/05/fdeluxe-the-family-reunion.11.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,December1994.12. David Z Rivkin, interview by Alan Freed for Uptown magazine/Per Nilsen, May 13, 1995, via

telephone.13. Rico “Superbizzee”Washington, “fDeluxe 2011 Soulmusic.com Interview—Pt. 1: Paul Peterson,”SoulMusic.com, September 26, 2011, accessed March 17, 2012, http://www.soulmusic.info/index.asp?S=80&T=80&ART=702.14.EricLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,November

11,1994.15.DaveHill,Prince:APopLife(NewYork:HarmonyBooks,1989),182.16.JonBreamandChrisRiemenschneider,“Prince:AnOralHistory,”MinneapolisStarTribune,March

14,2004.17.DavidZ,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,March4,1995.18.AndreaSwensson,“BobbyZSharesHisPurpleRainMemoriesontheAlbum’s30thAnniversary,”TheCurrent,June25,2014,accessedJune18,2017,http://blog.thecurrent.org/2014/06/bobby-z-shares-his-purple-rain-memories-on-the-albums-30th-anniversary.19.ChristopherConnelly,“IceCreamCastle:TheTime(review),”RollingStone,August30,1984,43.20.DavidZ,interviewbyFreed,March4,1995.21.RobertHilburn,“MixedEmotions:PrinceontheMusic,”Musician,September1983,58.22.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,February

1995.23.CharleyCrespo,“Prince:IntimateRelations,”Rock&Soul,August1986,18.24. Charles Waring, “Family Values . . . fDeluxe’s Susannah Melvoin talks to SJF,”Soulandjazzandfunk.com, November 9, 2011, accessed March 10, 2017,http://soulandjazzandfunk.com/interviews/1541-family-values-fdeluxes-susannah-melvoin-talks-to-sjf-.html?showall=1.25.Washington,“fDeluxe2011Soulmusic.comInterview—Pt.1:PaulPeterson.”26.BreamandRiemenschneider,“Prince.”27.LizJones,SlavetotheRhythm(London:Little,Brown,1997),81.28.Prince, lyrics to “NothingCompares2U,”performedby theFamily,WarnerBros.Records,7599-

25322-2,1985,compactdisc.29.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,October15,1993.

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30.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,October15,1993.31.PaulPeterson,e-mailtotheauthor,July2,2014.32.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.33.KNicolaDyes, “EveryDay is aWindingRoad: St. Paul PetersonTalks 2BeautifulNights,”TheBeautiful Nights (blog), August 18, 2013, accessed August 18, 2013,http://beautifulnightschitown.blogspot.com/2013/08/everyday-is-winding-road-st-paul.html.34.DavidZRivkin,interviewbyFreed,March4,1995.35. Jellybean Johnson, interview by Alan Freed forUptown magazine/Per Nilsen, Los Angeles, CA,

March2,1995.36.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,October15,1993.37.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,October15,1993.38.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,October15,1993.39.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,October15,1993.40. “The Five Count’s Fourth Annual Princemas Celebration—An Evening with Prince & the

Revolution’s Doctor Fink,” The Five Count, January 26, 2013, accessed March 7, 2017,http://thefivecount.com/interviews/thefive-counts-fourth-annual-princemas-celebration-an-evening-with-prince-the-revolutions-doctor-fink.41.“TheFiveCount’sFourthAnnualPrincemasCelebration.”42.EricLeeds,interviewedinPurpleReign:TheStoryofPrince,BBCRadio,documentary,January18,

2003,accessedJune29,2004,http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00snwb4.43.Swensson,“BobbyZShareshisPurpleRainMemories.”44. Steve Harvey with Strother Bullins, “Remembering Prince: Engineer ‘Cubby’ Colby,” ProSoundNetwork, April 28, 2017, accessed June 19, 2017,http://www.prosoundnetwork.com/business/remembering-prince-engineer-cubby-colby/46040.45.HarveywithBullins,“RememberingPrince.”46.MattThorne,Prince(London:Faber&Faber,2012).47.Thorne,Prince.48. Prince, interview by Stephen Fargnoli, MTV, November 15, 1985, accessed June 19, 2017,

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x49h7vy.49.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.50.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.51.Prince, lyrics to “America,” performedbyPrince and theRevolution,Around theWorld in aDay,

PaisleyParkRecords/WarnerBros.,25286,1985,compactdisc.52. “Alan Leeds: The Questions, the Answers & More Besides,” Prince.org, December 24, 2005,

accessed March 13, 2017, http://prince.org/msg/7/171968/ALAN-LEEDS-THE-QUESTIONS-THE-ANSWERS-MORE-BESIDES.53.JonathanTakiff,“TheFlamboyantPrinceofPop,”PhiladelphiaDailyNews,July31,1984.54. Roger Ebert, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, accessed June 26, 2017,

http://www.mediaite.com/online/roger-ebert-loved-purple-rain-as-for-princes-other-movies.55. PepéWillie, interview by Kristie Lazenberry forUptown magazine/Per Nilsen,Minneapolis,MN,

[1995].56.MaryAloe,“ClothesofPassionVanity,”Rock,February1985,29.57.MobeenAzhar,Hunting forPrince’sVault,BBCRadio,March21,2015,accessedMarch5,2016,

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1.MattThorne,Prince(London:Faber&Faber,2012).

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2. Bobby Z Rivkin, interview by Joe Kelley,Upper Room with Joe Kelley, WVOF, February 2012,http://www.upperroomwithjoekelley.com/mpls.html.3. TomMann, “AnOralHistory of Prince’s ‘PurpleRain,’”FasterLouder,August 21, 2014, accessed

March7,2017,http://fasterlouder.junkee.com/an-oral-history-of-princes-purple-rain/839367.4.EricLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,November11,

1994.5.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,March25,

1995.6.MobeenAzhar,Hunting for Prince’s Vault, BBCRadio,March 21, 2015, accessedMarch 5, 2016,

https://www.mixcloud.com/Emancipatio/hunting-for-princes-vault-bbc-documentary-by-mobeen-azhar-march-2015.7.Mark Brown, interview by Questlove, Questlove Supreme, Pandora, September 28, 2016, accessed

October4,2016,https://www.pandora.com/station/play/3642532478040643917.8.AlanLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,Minneapolis,MN,January20,

1994.9.Mann,“AnOralHistoryofPrince’s‘PurpleRain.’”10. Dez Dickerson, inPrince: The Glory Years, produced by Rob Johnstone for Prism Entertainment

(New Malden, Surrey, UK: Chrome Dreams Media, April 2004), DVD; also available athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRNYiFxR2Ps,accessedJune17,2017.11.JemAswad,“TheRevolutionRemembersTheirLastMomentswithPrince—andtheFirstTimeThey

Heard ‘Purple Rain,’” Billboard, December 12, 2016, accessed March 6, 2017,http://www.billboard.com/articles/events/year-in-music-2016/7604454/the-revolution-prince-final-moments.12.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,February

1995.13.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.14.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.15.JakeBrown,PrinceintheStudio(1975–1995)(Phoenix:AmberCommunicationsGroup,2010).16.ScottIsler,“PrinceinExile,”Musician,October1984,42.17.JonBreamandChrisRiemenschneider,“Prince:AnOralHistory,”MinneapolisStarTribune,March

14,2004.18.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.19.PaulMathur,“RevoltintoStyle,”MelodyMaker,August15,1987,21.20.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.21.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.22.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.23.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.24.EricLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,October15,

1993.25.Prince,lyricsto“TheDanceElectric,”performedbyPrinceandtheRevolution,PurpleRainDeluxe

(ExpandedEdition),NPGRecords/WarnerBros.,547374-2,2017,compactdisc.26. Title on sleeve for “17 Days,” performed by Prince and the Revolution, B-side to “Purple Rain,”

WarnerBros.,0-20228,1984,vinylrecord.27.Prince,lyricsto“TheDanceElectric.”28.Prince,lyricsto“AroundtheWorldinaDay,”performedbyPrinceandtheRevolution,AroundtheWorldinaDay,PaisleyParkRecords/WarnerBros.,25286,1985,compactdisc.29. Lisa Coleman, “Questions forWendy&Lisa,”WendyandLisa.com, November 25, 2009, accessed

January17,2010,http://www.wendyandlisa.com/forum/qa-wendy-lisa/hello-ladies-i-have-question-yall.30.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,January20,1994.31.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,January20,1994.

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32.Prince,onthePurpleRaintour,November4,1984,Detroit,MI.33.Prince,lyricsto“HornyPony,”performedbyPrinceandtheNewPowerGeneration,DiamondsandPearls,PaisleyParkRecords/WarnerBros.,25379-2,1991,compactdisc.34.PaulPeterson,interviewbyLeoSidran,TheThirdStoryPodcastwithLeoSidran,podcastaudio,May

5,2016,http://www.third-story.com/listen/on-prince.35.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,August4,

1997.36.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,August4,1997.37.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,August4,1997.38.CathyWurzer,“PrinceSoundEngineerReflectsonRecordingSomeofHisBiggestHits,”MPRNews,

April22,2016,http://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/04/22/sound-engineer-on-working-with-prince.39.Thorne,Prince.40. Prince, lyrics to “God,” performed by Prince and the Revolution,Purple Rain Deluxe (Expanded

Edition),NPGRecords/WarnerBros.,547374-2,2017,compactdisc.41.Prince,interviewbyLarryKing,LarryKingLive,CNN,December10,1999,accessedApril21,2016,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8mg7CxAYUM.42.DuaneTudahl,“SunsetinMyHeart,”Uptown27(spring1997):21.43.SheilaE.,TheBeatofMyOwnDrum:AMemoirbySheilaE.(NewYork:AtriaBooks,2014).44. Robert Santelli, “Sheila E.,” Modern Drummer, July 1991, 21, accessed March 8, 2017,

https://moderndrummer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/md140.pdf.

SEPTEMBER1984

1.BrandonTurner,“SheilaE.,”BlackBeat,April1985,58.2.DezDickerson, inPrince: TheGlory Years,DVD, produced byRog Johnstone (East London,UK:

PrismFilms, 2007); also available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRNYiFxR2Ps, accessedMarch6,2017.3.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,February

1995.4.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.5.JimWalsh,“FormerPrince’sComingOutBashIsUnforgettable,”St.PaulPioneerPress,November

14,1996;basedonapressconferenceatStudioBinPaisleyParkonNovember13,1996.6.Prince,remarksinconcert,Piano&AMicrophoneshow,PaisleyPark,Chanhassen,MN,January21,

2016.7.Prince, lyrics to“RaspberryBeret,”performedbyPrinceand theRevolution,Around theWorld inaDay,PaisleyParkRecords/WarnerBros.,25286,1985,compactdisc.8.MattThorne,Prince(London:Faber&Faber,2012).9.Prince,lyricsto“RaspberryBeret.”10.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.11.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.12.NealKarlen,“PrinceTalks,”RollingStone,September12,1985,30.13. Alan Leeds, interview by Questlove, Questlove Supreme, Pandora, October 11, 2016, accessed

October16,2016,https://www.pandora.com/station/play/3642532478040643917.14.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,August4,

1997.15. Jim Maloney, “Wendy & Lisa: After the Revolution Comes the Challenge,”Music Connection,

February22–March6,1987,13.16.EricLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,November

11,1994.


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17.Prince, interviewby theElectrifyingMojo,TheElectrifyingMojo,WHYT, June 7, 1986, accessedMarch2,2017,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJZCoxZ5COY.18.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.19.LizJones,SlavetotheRhythm(London:Little,Brown,1997),79.20.Karlen,“PrinceTalks,”30.21.JakeBrown,PrinceintheStudio(1975–1995)(Phoenix:AmberCommunicationsGroup,2010).22.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.23.MarcWeingarten,“SistersoftheRevolution,”Mojo,February1997,47.24.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,February1995.25.Brown,PrinceintheStudio.26.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,August4,1997.27.DuaneTudahl,“TheRevolutionWillBeHeard,”Uptown60(March2004):103.28.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,August4,1997.29.SheilaE.,TheBeatofMyOwnDrum:AMemoirbySheilaE.(NewYork:AtriaBooks,2014).30.KNicolaDyes, “MissUnderstood:An In-Depth InterviewwithSusannahMelvoin,”TheBeautifulNights (blog), April 18, 2013, accessed April 19, 2013,http://beautifulnightschitown.blogspot.com/2013/04/miss-understood-in-depth-interview-with.html.31. Clare Fischer, interview on Housequake.com, April 2006, accessed March 12, 2107,

http://web.archive.org/web/20060526102515/http://www.housequake.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=63884.32.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,August4,1997.33.Prince, lyrics to“TheLadder,”performedbyPrinceand theRevolution,PaisleyPark/WarnerBros.

Records,25286,1985,compactdisc.34.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,August4,1997.35.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,August4,1997.36. “Interview with The Artist,” Entertainment Weekly, May 28, 1999, accessed March 11, 2017,

https://sites.google.com/site/themusicinterviewarchive/prince/prince-1999-entertainment-weekly-interview.37.HaroldLewis,TonyMelodia,andStefanvanPoucke,“TakeThisBeat:AnExclusiveInterviewwith

BobbyZRivkin—Part2,”Uptown43(fall2000):22.38.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,August4,1997.39.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,August4,1997.40.AlanLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,Minneapolis,MN,November

1993.41.NealKarlen,“LadiesinWaiting,”RollingStone,April24,1986,44.42.DuaneTudahl,“DaughtersoftheRevolution,”Uptown,summer1998,24.43.EdOchs,“Mom’sFavoriteFreak,”Rock&Soul,June1981,35.44.Jones,SlavetotheRhythm,84.

OCTOBER1984

1.KNicolaDyes,“TheVoice:BrendaBennettTalks2BeautifulNights,”TheBeautifulNights (blog),April 5, 2014, accessed March 12, 2017, http://beautifulnightschitown.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-voice-brenda-bennett-talks-2.html.2. RickBellaire, “HoldMeCloser: The Story of BrendaBennett,” Rhode IslandMusicHall of FameHistorical Archive, 2015, accessed March 10, 2017, http://www.ripopmusic.org/musical-artists/musicians/brenda-bennettbrenda-mosher.3.Dyes,“TheVoice.”4.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,January19,

1996.


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5.DavidBrowne, “Prince’sEpic ‘PurpleRain’Tour:AnOralHistory,”Rolling Stone, June 22, 2017,accessed June27, 2017, http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/princes-epic-purple-rain-tour-an-oral-history-w476429.6.“TheFiveCount’sSixthAnnualPrincemasCelebration—AnEveningwithPrince&theRevolution’s

Brown Mark,” The Five Count, January 31, 2015, accessed March 8, 2017,http://thefivecount.com/interviews/thefive-counts-sixth-annual-princemas-celebration-an-evening-with-prince-the-revolutions-brown-mark.7.WendyMelvoin,interviewbyQuestlove,QuestloveSupreme,Pandora,September28,2016,accessed

October4,2016,https://www.pandora.com/station/play/3642532478040643917.8. Matt Fink, interview with Michael Dean, The Prince Podcast, podcast audio, July 20, 2015,

http://podcastjuice.net/the-prince-podcast-dr-fink-interview.9. Mark Brown (aka BrownMark), “BrownMark Made Prince Pancakes,” The BrownMark Podcast,

podcastaudio,September2016,http://thebrownmarkshow.libsyn.com/2016/09.10.HaroldLewis,TonyMelodia,andStefanvanPoucke,“TakeThisBeat:AnExclusiveInterviewwith

BobbyZRivkin—Part2,”Uptown43(fall2000):19.11.EricLeeds,interviewwithGary“G-Spot”Baca,KPFA,January31,1998,PrinceFamilyNewsletter

6,no.5(February28,1998):27.12.Leeds,interviewwithBaca.13.EricLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,October15,

1993.14.MilesMarshallLewis,“PrinceandReedManEricLeedsTeamedUptoCreateTwoAlbumsunder

the Moniker Madhouse,” Wax Poetics, winter 2012, accessed June 17, 2017,http://www.waxpoetics.com/blog/features/articles/prince-madhouse-jazz-band-eric-leeds.15. Clare Fischer, interview on Housequake.com, April 2006, accessed March 12, 2107,

http://web.archive.org/web/20060526102515/http://www.housequake.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=63884.16. Charles Waring, “Family Values . . . fDeluxe’s Susannah Melvoin talks to SJF,”

Soulandjazzandfunk.com, November 9, 2011, accessed March 10, 2017,http://soulandjazzandfunk.com/interviews/1541-family-values-fdeluxes-susannah-melvoin-talks-to-sjf-.html?showall=1.17.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,August4,

1997.18. Clare Fischer, interview by Ben Sidran, circa 1985, as quoted in Talking Jazz with Ben Sidran,

Volume1:TheRhythmSection(Shoreditch,EastLondon,UK:UnlimitedMedia,2014),accessedMarch12,2017,https://books.google.com/books?id=O3hZDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT456#v=onepage&q&f=false.19.ErnieRideout,“ProducedbyPrince,”Keyboard,December1999,40.20. Rico “Superbizzee”Washington, “fDeluxe 2011 Soulmusic.com Interview—Pt. 1: Paul Peterson,”SoulMusic.com, September 26, 2011, accessed March 17, 2012, http://www.soulmusic.info/index.asp?S=80&T=80&ART=702.21.MattFink,inPrince,APurpleReign,producedbyBBC,documentary,2011,accessedJune15,2017,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlTwe9LxZ8w.22.Prince,lyricsto“ConditionoftheHeart,”performedbyPrinceandtheRevolution,AroundtheWorldinaDay,PaisleyParkRecords/WarnerBros.,25286,1985,compactdisc.23.Prince,lyricsto“ConditionoftheHeart.”24.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,August4,1997.25.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,August4,1997.26.Rogers,interviewedbyFreed,August4,1997.27.AnthonyDeCurtis,“IntheStudio:PrinceRecords3Hoursof‘Emancipation,’”RollingStone,October

1996, accessed March 12, 2017, https://sites.google.com/site/prninterviews/home/rollingstone-745-17-october-1996.

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28.Lewis,Melodia,andvanPoucke,“TakeThisBeat,”20.29.SusanRogers,interviewwithTroyL.Foreman,PCPrinciplePodcast,podcastaudio,May18,2016,

http://thepcprinciple.com/?p=9145.30.Browne,“Prince’sEpic‘PurpleRain’Tour:AnOralHistory.”31.EricLindbom,“SheilaE.:ActualTalent,”TwinCitiesNightbeat,October29,1984.32.Prince, interviewbyTavisSmiley,TavisSmileyShow,PBS,February20,2004, transcriptaccessed

June17,2017,http://prince.org/msg/12/81402.33.AlanLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,Minneapolis,MN,November

11,1994.34.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,December

1994.35.Leeds,interviewbyFreed,November11,1994.36. Matt Fink, interview by Girl Bros., Girl Bros. Network, podcast audio, September 2006,

http://www.myspace.com/girlbrosnetwork.37.AlexHahn,Possessed(NewYork:BillboardsBooks,2003),99.38.RobertI.Doerschuk,“PortraitoftheArtist,”Musician,April1997,89.39.HansMaartenPost,“Prince‘IkWordsteedsbeter,’”HetNieuwsblad(Antwerpen,Belgium),June24,

2010,9.40. Jellybean Johnson, interview by Alan Freed forUptown magazine/Per Nilsen, Minneapolis, MN,

February2,1995.41. Cynthia Littleton, “Warner Bros. Records Exec on Prince: ‘It Was Not in Our Interest to Be

Confrontational with Him,’” Variety, April 21, 2016, accessed March 10, 2017,http://variety.com/2016/music/news/prince-dead-warner-bros-records-bob-merlis-1201758543.42.AlanLeeds,inPurpleReign:TheStoryofPrince,part2,documentary,BBCRadio,January25,2003,

accessedJune29,2004,http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00svtj7.43.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,August4,1997.44.SteveDougherty,“SexandGodandRockandRoll,”People,November14,1988,accessedMarch12,

2017,http://people.com/archive/sex-and-god-and-rock-and-roll-vol-30-no-20.45.EkowEshun,“PurplePain,”Face,March1997,92.46.Alan Leeds, inPrince, A Purple Reign, produced byBBC, documentary, 2011, accessed June 15,

2017,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlTwe9LxZ8w.

NOVEMBER1984

1.KeithMurphy,“PurpleRainTurns30:TheRevolution’sDr.FinkBreaksDownPrince’sClassicTrack-by-Track,”Vibe, June25,2014, accessed June17,2017,http://www.vibe.com/2014/06/purple-rain-turns-30-revolutions-dr-fink-breaks-down-princes-classic-track-track/dr-fink-breaks-down-prince-purple-rain-track-by-track-1.2.Prince,onthePurpleRaintour,November4,1984,Detroit,MI.3.TimBlanks,“LisaColemanandWendy:Prince’sRevolutionaries,”Graffiti1,no.2(February1985).4. Prince, interview by the ElectrifyingMojo,The ElectrifyingMojo,WHYT, June 7, 1986, accessed

March2,2017,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJZCoxZ5COY.5.DavidBrowne, “Prince’sEpic ‘PurpleRain’Tour:AnOralHistory,”Rolling Stone, June 22, 2017,

accessed June27, 2017, http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/princes-epic-purple-rain-tour-an-oral-history-w476429.6.MilesWhite,“PrinceinConcert:Playful,Powerful,”USAToday,November6,1984.7.NelsonGeorge,“TooMuchRainCloudsPrinceShow,”Billboard,November17,1984,36.8. Greg Kot, “Tribune Archive: A Peek into Prince’s Mind,”Chicago Tribune, September 20, 2012,

accessedMarch12,2017,http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/chi-prince-interview-music-



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chicago-20120920-column.html.9. Prince, interview on The Biz, CNN, July 16, 2004, accessed June 17, 2017,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVk5c2DY3Zw.10.AlanLight,Let’sGoCrazy:PrinceandtheMakingofPurpleRain(NewYork:AtriaBooks,2014).11.EricLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,October15,

1993.12.Browne,“Prince’sEpic‘PurpleRain’Tour.”13. Matt Fink, interview with Michael Dean, The Prince Podcast, podcast audio, July 20, 2015,

http://podcastjuice.net/the-prince-podcast-dr-fink-interview.

DECEMBER1984

1. Matt Fink, interview by Michael Dean, The Prince Podcast, podcast audio, July 20, 2015,http://podcastjuice.net/the-prince-podcast-dr-fink-interview.2. SusanRogers, interviewbyTroyL. Foreman,PCPrinciplePodcast, podcast audio,May 18, 2016,

http://thepcprinciple.com/?p=9145.3.JakeBrown,PrinceintheStudio(1975–1995)(Phoenix:AmberCommunicationsGroup,2010).4. Prince, interview by Tavis Smiley,BETTonight, BET,October 27, 1998, accessedMarch 8, 2017,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqyjwhFiQqg.5.NealKarlen,“PrinceTalks,”RollingStone,October18,1990,59.6. Dan Glaister, “The Singer vs. the Record Company,” Guardian, March 3, 1995, Prince FamilyNewsletter3,no.6(March18,1995):32.7.LizJones,SlavetotheRhythm(London:Little,Brown,1997),78.8. Beth Coleman, “Prince and the Revelation,” Paper, April 21, 2016, accessed June 17, 2017,

http://www.papermag.com/prince-1999-cover-story-1744672669.html.9.WendyMelvoin,inDr.Prince&Mr.Jackson,directedbyPhilipPriestley(Paris:ArteFrance,2009),

broadcastJuly9,2009.10.TomMann,“AnOralHistoryofPrince’s ‘PurpleRain,’”FasterLouder,August21,2014,accessed

March7,2017,http://fasterlouder.junkee.com/an-oral-history-of-princes-purple-rain/839367.11. Larry Crane, “Susan Rogers: From Prince to Ph.D.,” Tape Op, January/February 2017, accessed

February20,2017,http://tapeop.com/interviews/117/susan-rogers.12.MontroseCunningham,“CelebratingBlackMusicMonth:The25thAnniversaryofPrince’sSigno’the Times (Part 1),” Soultrain.com, June 22, 2012, accessed March 5, 2017,http://soultrain.com/2012/06/20/celebrating-black-music-month-the-25th-anniversary-of-princes-sign-o-the-times-part-1.13.VickieGilmer,“APortraitoftheArtist:Healthy,Happy,ReadytoPlay,”MinneapolisStarTribune,

September3,1999,accessedMarch6,2017,http://princetext.tripod.com/i_startrib99.html.14.SusanRogers,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,December

1994.15.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,December1994.16.Rogers,interviewbyFreed,December1994.17.EricLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,LosAngeles,CA,October15,

1993.18. David Sinclair, “TheMan with No Label Has No Name,” London Times, July 6, 1996, accessed

March12,2017,https://sites.google.com/site/prninterviews/home/london-times-6-july-1996.19.AlanLight,Let’sGoCrazy:PrinceandtheMakingofPurpleRain(NewYork:AtriaBooks,2014).20.NolanFeeney,“Prince:EWRememberstheMusicIcon’sLifeandLegacy,”EntertainmentWeekly,

April27,2016,accessedJune20,2017,http://ew.com/article/2016/04/27/prince-ew-cover.21.DaveHill,Prince:APopLife(NewYork:HarmonyBooks1989),189.





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22. Dez Dickerson, inPrince: The Glory Years, produced by Rob Johnstone for Prism Entertainment(New Malden, Surrey, UK: Chrome Dreams Media, April 2004), DVD; also available athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRNYiFxR2Ps,accessedJune17,2017.23.MichaelGray,“FormerPrinceHoldsCourtbyFax,”NashvilleBanner,August22,1997,D3.24. Jimmy Jam, in Purple Reign: The Story of Prince, documentary, BBC Radio, January 18, 2003,

accessedJune29,2004,http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00snwb4.25.BrunoGalindo,“InterviewwithPrince,”ElPais(Madrid,Spain),December15,1996,94.



epilogue1. KeithMurphy, “Purple Rain Turns 30: Prince’s Engineer SharesMajestic (andMaddening) Studio

Stories, Vibe, June 25, 2014, accessed June 25, 2017,http://web.archive.org/web/20151101151644/http://www.vibe.com/2014/06/purple-rain-turns-30-princes-engineer-shares-majestic-and-maddening-studio-stories/susan-rogers-talks-prince-purple-rain-2.2.AlanLeeds,interviewbyAlanFreedforUptownmagazine/PerNilsen,Minneapolis,MN,January20,

1994.3. Prince, interview by the ElectrifyingMojo,The ElectrifyingMojo,WHYT, June 7, 1986, accessed

March2,2017,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJZCoxZ5COY.4. David Cavanagh, “Sign Here . . . ,” Q, May 1995, accessed June 10, 2017,

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https://sites.google.com/site/prninterviews/home/q-may-1995

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Firstoff, for therecord,Iwasneverfortunateenoughto interviewPrince,soIturnedtothosewhoknewhimbest.Sadly, with his passing on April 21, 2016, I will never get the chance to

interviewhim.Thelossofsuchatalentedindividualwillbefeltforgenerations.His premature death devastated the world, and millions mourned his loss,understanding that his story wasn’t ready to be over.With Prince, there wasalways the promise of something amazing just around the corner. One moreincredible song. One more mind-blowing tour. One more album. With hispassing,thefocusofhiscareershiftsfromwhathe’lldotowhathe’ddone.IfinishedthisbookinMarchof2016,onemonthbeforehispassing,somostof

the interviewswereconductedwhilehewas still alive.Becauseof that, in theinterviews,Princeismoreoftenthannotreferredtointhepresenttense.Ichosenottochangethis,aseachinterviewisasnapshotintimeandshouldreflectthethoughts at thatmoment. Themost difficult thing formewas to go back andchangethetenseofthenarrativetoreflectthathewasgone.Hispartintellinghis story, sadly,wasover. I have interviewed somanypeople for thisproject,andIcantellyouthattheyalllovedhiminsomeway,andmanyofthemtearedupwhenIreachedouttooffermycondolences.Itiseasytoforgetthattheseareall real peoplewho lost someone they love, andnomatter howmuchwehurtbecausewemournPrince the icon,missingPrince the friend,brother, partner,husband,andmentorisalmostinconceivable.ThereweretimesIthoughtthisbookwouldneverbecompletedandthatallthe

researchI’ddonewassimplyforanelaboratehobby,butwhatyouareholdinginyourhand(orreadingelectronically)istheculminationofmorethantwenty-threeyearsofresearch.ThisstartedoutasacrazyconversationIhadwithPerNilsenwhilewritingforUptownmagazine(inmyopinion,still thebestPrincemagazine) and researching his booksDanceMusicSexRomance and The Vault(still twoof thebestPrincebookseverreleased),andwedeemeditpracticallyimpossibleandshelvedit...untilIdecidedtodiveinheadfirstafewyearsago.Oncetheprojectbecameareality,PersuppliedalltheinterviewsconductedforUptown/DMSR/The Vault for this project. Those interviews included: SusanRogers, David Z Rivkin, Jellybean Johnson, Eric Leeds, Alan Leeds, Pepé

Willie,andTonyChristian,amongothers.Thankyou,Per,forbelievinginthisprojectandworkinghardtomaintainourlong-termfriendship,eventhoughI’venevermetyouinpersondespiteknowingyouforalmosthalfmylife.A huge leap in my research began in 1994, when I reached out to Peggy

McCreary(akaPeggyMac),whoopenedup tomeover thecourseofmultiplesessionsthattotaledmorethaneighteenhours.HerinsightsintoPrince’stimeinthe studiowere invaluable, andshedeserves somuchpraise.Peggy,youwerethe pioneer, and you opened so many doors for woman engineers. So manyfemaleengineersthatIknowhaveaskedmetothankyou—sothankyou,fromthemandfromme.LikewisewithSusanRogers,whoisoneofthepeoplewhofollowedinyourfootsteps.Susan,youare thefaceofPrince’sstudiosessions,eventhoughbydefinitionstudioengineersarerarelyrecognizedbecausealloftheirworkisdonebehindacloseddoor.Youhavedonesomuchtoeducatethepublicon theboundlessenergyandcreativewhirlwindknownasPrince.Yourknowledge of his time in the studio and of the science of sound is unrivaled.Thankyou forbeing sopatientwithmewithmy seeminglyendless follow-upquestions.For this particular book (1983–1984), I have been fortunate to personally

interviewLisaColeman,WendyMelvoin,Matt Fink (Dr. Fink),MarkBrown(Brown Mark), Susannah Melvoin, Albert Magnoli, Peggy McCreary Blum(Peggy Mac), Alan Leeds, Susan Rogers, Jesse Johnson, Jill Jones, David ZRivkin, David Coleman, Brenda Bennett, Bob Cavallo, Arne Frager, DavidTickle, TimBarr, Bill Jackson,Mark Cardenas, Coke Johnson, CraigHubler,Paul Camarata, EddieMininfield (EddieM.), Jerry Hubbard, LarryWilliams,LauryWoods,MikeKloster,DavidKnight,BradMarsh,NoviNovog,RichardMcKernan, Sid Page, Stephen Shelton, Murielle Hamilton, Terry Christian,TonyChristian,LeRoy“Roy”Bennett,BrentFischer,andClareFischer,aswellas several others who wished to remain anonymous but supplied valuableinformation.Also, thankyou,WilliamBlinn, forprovidingmewith a copyoftheoriginaldraftof“Dreams”manyyearsago.A fewpeople Ididnot interviewextensivelyagreed toclearupahandfulof

contradictionsforthisbook,includingJellybeanJohnson,PaulPeterson,BennyRietveld,Rick“Hawkeye”Henriksen,MikoWeaver,andRobbiePaster.Thankyou to eachof you for providing someclarity andgivingme another point ofview.Ireachedouttoseveraladditionalpeopleforfullinterviews,buthadtorelyon

publiccomments/interviewsthey’vegiveninthepast toothersources.Eachof

themhadahandinthemusicallegacychronicledinthisbook,andtheirvoicesdeservedtobeheard.Itisdifficulttosumupthepeoplewhohelpedmachetethevinesoutoftheway

on thisbook for the last twodecades,buthere Igo.For the research, the firstwave of people included Brian Charrell (one of my closest friends; sadly, hedidn’tlivelongenoughtoseethisbookfinallycometolife),AlanFreed(whosupplied countless hours of interviews he’d done, several dinners andconnections,aswellasagreatfriendship),AlexHahn(fornearlydailyquestionsandencouragement),LauraTiebert,DavidWild,AlanLight,MarcRoberty,JoseÁlvarez, Roger Cabezas, Sylvia M. Burch, Florent Bidaud, Susan Lane,Chambers Stevens, Stacey Castro, Katherine Copeland Anderson, AndréCymone,TerryJackson,MilesMarshallLewis,MathieuBitton,KnaLoVenge,DavidDubow,KenCaillat, CatGlover, Femi Jiya, Christine EliseMcCarthy,CraigMortimer-Zhika,AdeleBurchi,WendyPardike,CC,MichaelVanHuffel,JillWillis, Steve Parke,MarcWeingarten, De Angela Duff, Elle Richardson,Craig Rice, Neversin, Steve Wask, John Greenewald, and the entireUptownmagazine staff.Also, big thanks toTedSpringmanandSteveLangatWarnerBros.,ClareZupetzandTomBaskervilleatTwinCitiesMusiciansUnion,andGordonGraysonandAndrewMorrisatAmericanFederationofMusiciansLocal47, and to the clerks at the Library of Congress duringmy repeated visits.Aginormous thank-you to Jesse Esparza for believing in this and gettingme incontactwithWendyandSusannahMelvoin,whowere insanelycoolandopenwith me and even funnier than I’d hoped. Thank you to the transcribers(including John Warehand, Jessica Pucci Winter, Kat Johnson, John Parlier,RocioSevilla,JasmineOrlandini,DevonBartholomew,CharliTransue,ChandraWicke, Jeff Downing, Luis Hernandez, Liana Kleinman, Seema Pejman, andUniqueMills,amongothers),TimD’Aquino,ScottRamsey,CarolMcGovney,Jamie Shoop, Trudy Frederick, Michael Kaliski, Ken Meyer, Anne Beringer,Gavin McLaughlin, Stephen Fredricks, Jason Draper, Tony Melodia, HaroldLewis,JesseandSheilaJohnson,GeoffreyHimes,PaulStojanovich(forgettingmeameetingatWilliamMorris),andallofthemembersofthePRINCE:TheComplete Studio SessionsBookSeries Facebook group (all 4,511 of you as Itype this). There are probablymore, and if I’ve accidentally overlooked yourcontribution,Iapologize.And, of course, tomy acquisitions editor,NatalieMandziuk: Thank you for

holding my hand on this beast and maintaining a smile and good cheerthroughout.ToKatieO’Brien, JessicaMcCleary,andMeghannFrench:Thank

you for getting this closer to the goal line. To Linda Ganster and MichaelGanster:Thankyouforyourfaithinthisbookandinme.Ioweyoubothmorethanyourealize(andyournicknameformecracksmeup).Most of my research was primary, but there were many secondary sources.

Several books were valuable resources for this project, includingDanceMusicSexRomance by PerNilsen,TheVault by PerNilsen andUptownmagazine,Prince:APopLifebyDaveHill,Prince:InsidethePurpleReignbyJon Bream,Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince by Alex Hahn,Let’s GoCrazy:Prince and theMaking ofPurpleRain byAlanLight,TheBeat ofMyOwnDrum:AMemoir bySheilaE.,MyTimewithPrince byDezDickerson,PrinceintheStudiobyJakeBrown,Prince:InsidetheMusicandtheMasksbyRoninRo,MusiconFilm:PurpleRainbyJohnKennethMuir,PrincebyMattThorne,SlavetotheRhythmbyLizJones,andSpinmagazine’sarticle“Prince:AnOralHistory”andWaxPoetic’sPrince issue(winter2012). I’dalso like topersonallythankeveryoneworkingonPrinceVault.com.I’vehadasmallpartintheirresearchsoIknowmanyofthemandIcantellyouthateveryoneinvolvedwith PV seeks out the truth and dedicates their time and money to honoringPrince’slegacy.Thissitereallyisthe(pre-fire)LibraryofAlexandriaofPrinceinformation on the Internet, and I can guarantee you that they are a primarysourceonvirtuallyeverybookthathascomeoutaboutPrince(includingmine),and they really are the unsung heroes when it comes to chronicling Prince’slegacy.Manymembers of Prince.org and other sites in the Prince communityhavebecomemyfriendsoutsideofthecoldindifferenceoftheInternet.ItisimportanttocalloutagroupoffriendswhoaremyAlgonquinRoundtable

ofPrincescholars: jooZtMattheij,CamronGilreath,ScottBogen,andThomasdeBruin.Withouttheirdaily(evenhourly)help,thisbookwouldn’thavebeennearlyasinformativeandfuntowrite.Theyunderstoodthisbookearlyonanddevotedalotoftimetogettingthefactsright.ThankyoutoPaulCamarataandCraigHubleratSunsetSoundforopeningthe

doorsofyourstudiotomeandunderstandingwhenI’vemademultiplefollow-ups over the last two decades. Thank you for doing it with a smile andencouragement.Withoutyourhelp,thisbookwouldn’thavebeenpossible.ThankyoutoNealPrestonfortheincrediblecovershot.Istillcan’tbelieveI

wasabletogettheartofoneofthemostfamousrockphotographersonmybookcover.Pleasefindhisartandenjoyit.I’veincludedtheoriginalshotinsidethebookwithoutthePhotoshopelementssopeoplecanseehisincredibletalent.

http://PrinceVault.com

http://Prince.org

Anepic thank-you is alsodue toPhil “Rev”Hodgkiss for creating thecoverart.Youhavebroughtwhat Ihad inmyhead to thepage.There isnoway todescribemyappreciationinwords.You’llhavetotrustme:Ican’twipethisgrinoff my mug! Thank you for being so generous and helpful with my infinitesuggestionsandquestions.Thank you to Michael Olson from Gallaudet University for supplying the

photosofPrincefromhisNovember29,1984,concert.Questlove,thankyoufortheforeword.Youaretrulythemostwell-knownand

respectedPrincescholaroutthere,anditwasimportantformetohaveyoureadthisbeforealmostanyone.Iknewyou’drelatetoit,andyouhavenoideahowhonoredandhumbledIwastoreadwhatyouwrote.Yourock!AlbertMagnoli,youhavebeensoincrediblyforthcomingandhavebecomea

greatfriend.Thankyouforopeningsomanydoorsformeonthisproject;Ilookforwardtoworkingwithyouagain.HuckyAustin and Jacqui Thompson,my researchwent into the stratosphere

afterwestartedtalking,andIcannotthankyouenough.IamluckytocallbothofyoumyfriendsandIlookforwardtothenextprojectdowntheroad.Obviouslythisbookwouldn’thavebeenpossiblewithoutthelegacyofPrince

and theRevolution.Thank you toWendyMelvoin,LisaColeman,Matt Fink,BrownMark, andBobbyZ, aswell as futureRevolutionmembersEricLeedsandSusannahMelvoin.Ihopethisbookhonorstheworkallofyouhavedone.Yourmusicisthesoundtracktomylife,andIhopeIhavehelpedremindpeopleofthecontributionsyou’vemadetomoderncultureaswellastothehistoryofrock and roll. Thank you for getting our asses off the chairs and making usdance.BecauseyouhelpedcreatePrince’smusic,eachofyouknowitfromthestage.Whatyoudon’tunderstand iswhatyourworkdoes to thepeople in theaudience. You’ve heard the applause and seen our smiles, but you don’tunderstand the life-changing experience of putting on the headphones andhearingthemusicyougavetousforthefirsttime.Thatissomethingthatbondsthoseofusinthearena,andweareeternallygrateful.There are several podcasts, radio shows, blogs, andhosts that deservenotice

because of their incredible sourcematerial and their dedication to finding thetruth:TheSoulBrotherShowwithMr.Chris,TheThirdStoryPodcastwithLeoSidran,TheElectrifyingMojo onWHYT,Podcastjuice.netwithMichaelDeanandBigSexy,InsideBerklee,PCPrinciplePodcast,HuntingforPrince’sVaultwithMobeenAzhar(BBC),Dr.Funkenberry,TheUpperRoomwithJoeKelley,BoomerMovementNetwork,SoundOpinions onChicagoPublicRadio,Tomi

http://Podcastjuice.net

http://Dr.Funkenberry

Jenkins Radio Show, Omega Man Radio Show, Red Bull Music AcademyLectures,RealRubeRadio,PurpleReign:TheStoryofPrince(BBC),SwedishRadioP3,LOTLRadio,Rico“Superbizzee”Washington,TheFiveCount,TheCurrent,FunkChronicleswithDr.TurkLogan,BobbyZ’sradioshowon96.3K-TWIN,TheBrownMarkPodcastandTheBeautifulNightsblogbyKNicolaDyes,amongothers. IhopetheygetasmanypeoplefromPrince’spast tellingtheirstories.Thisishistory,andaswe’velearnedwiththepassingofsomanytalented people, sometimes a story ends in midsentence. Thank you fordocumentingtheseforthesakeofPrince’slegacy.In the decades since I started this, several of the people I interviewed have

passed away. When I hear the voices of David Coleman, Denise “Vanity”Matthews, and Clare Fischer, I am saddened that these creative artists are nolonger with us. Thank you to Donna Fischer and Gary Coleman for thepermission to share their stories. I hope books like this can help extend theiramazinglegacies.ThankyoualsotoLeslieandMilton,mymomanddad,whotaughtmetoread

andencouragedmetowrite.Iloveyoubothverymuch,andwithoutthetwoofyou showingmehow important it is to enjoyart, abook like thiswouldhavenevertakenform.Finally, I need to thank the twomost important people inmy life,mywife,

Monique, and my daughter, Zoe. I love you both more than you realize andthank you for understanding the countless evenings, weekends, and vacationsthatIspentparkedinfrontofthecomputerbreathinglifeintothisproject.Thisbookisdedicatedtothetwoofyou.

IfyoulovethemusicofPrinceandthosewhohelpedcreateit,pleasesupportthePRN Alumni Foundation (http://www.prnalumni.com), a philanthropicorganizationconsistingofformeremployeesofPrincewhohavekepthislegacyalive by raisingmoney and contributing tomany of the charitable causes thatPrincechampioned.

ThisisthefirstinaseriesofbooksaboutPrince’sstudiosessions.IfyouworkedwithPrinceinthestudioandwouldliketobeapartoftheupcomingvolumes,please visit my website (DuaneTudahl.com) or reach out to me [email protected].

http://www.prnalumni.com)

http://DuaneTudahl.com

mailto:[email protected]

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

DuaneTudahl isadocumentary filmmakerwhohasproducedand/ordirectedprogramming for the History Channel, CBS, GTV, Fox, Discovery, Pax, theGospel Music Channel, the Food Channel, Tru-TV, and HGTV. He was anexecutive producer for a documentary about the Special Olympics that washosted by former Miss America Vanessa L. Williams and featured StevieWonder,Bono,JordinSparks,RunDMC,andJimmyIovine.ABaltimorenative,Tudahlgothis startasamedicalphotographer for Johns

HopkinsHospital.Heisaformerstand-upcomicandhasspokenatconventionsaround the country about the documentaries he produced for the HistoryChannel. He has also been an editor onmultiple Emmy-nominated programs,including Intervention,UnsolvedMysteries,andCops, aswellasmusicvideosforCoolio,KrayzieBone,andvariousothers.HehasbeenwritingaboutPrinceand theMinneapolismusic scene formore

thantwenty-fiveyearsandhasresearchedandcontributedtoseveralbooksaboutthesubjectaswellasmoderatedmultiplepanelsofPrince’s formeremployeesput together by thePRNAlumniFoundation.This is his first book and is theintroductoryvolumeofhisseriesaboutPrince’sstudiosessions.

Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984

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Transcript of Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984