When Doves Cry

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"When Doves Cry" is song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his 1984 album Purple Rain. It was worldwide hit and his first American number one single, topping charts for five weeks. According to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year.

The song

History

According to the Purple Rain DVD, Prince was asked by the director to write a song to match the theme of a particular segment of the film - one which involved intermingled parental difficulties and a love affair. The next morning, Prince had reportedly composed two songs, one of which was "When Doves Cry".

Impact

The song was #1 in the US for five weeks; July 7-August 4, 1984. It kept the other big hit of that summer, Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark", from reaching the top spot. "When Doves Cry" was voted as the best single of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll. The track was also notable for being extremely popular in both White American and African American communities in the United States.

The B-side was the cult fan favourite "17 Days", which was originally intended for the Apollonia 6 album. A 12-inch single issued in the UK included the album track, "17 Days", and two tracks from Prince's previous album, 1999, namely the title track and "D.M.S.R.".

Song structure

Prince wrote and composed "When Doves Cry" after all the other tracks on Purple Rain were complete. In addition to vocals, he also played all instruments on the track. The song's texture is remarkably stark. There is no bass line at all, which is very unusual for a dance song; Prince has said that there originally was a bass line, but decided that the song was too conventional with it intact. During live performances of the song on the Purple Rain Tour, Brown Mark, Prince's then-bass player, added bass lines in thi song and other songs without a bass line.

The song features an intro of a guitar solo and drum machine, followed by a looped guttural vocal. After the lyrics, there is another, much longer guitar and a synthesizer solo. The song ends on a classical music-inspired keyboard piece backed by another synthesizer solo.

Acclaim

"When Doves Cry" has gone on to become one of Prince's signature songs. Spin Magazine ranked the song 6th greatest single of all time. It was number #38 in Movement's list The Greatest Songs of All Time. Rolling Stone ranked When Doves Cry #52 on their list 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (which makes it number three among songs of the 1980s). In 2006, VH1's "The 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s" ranked the song #5 on the list.

Music video

The video, directed by Prince himself, was released on MTV in June 1984. It opens with doves opening doors to reveal Prince in a bathtub. For most of the final portion of the video, the left half of the picture is mirrored within frame.

Track listing

7": Paisley Park / 7-29286 (US)

"When Doves Cry" (Edit) - 3:47
"17 Days" - 3:54

12": Paisley Park / 0-20170 (US)

"When Doves Cry - 5:52
"17 Days - 3:54

12": Warner Bros. / W9286T (UK)

"When Doves Cry" - 5:52
"17 Days" - 3:54

"1999" - 6:22
"D.M.S.R." - 8:05

2x12" pack

Notable cover versions

There have been several cover versions of the song, most notably a hit single version by R&B singer Ginuwine. Produced by Timbaland in 1996 for Ginuwine's The Bachelor album, Ginuwine's cover uses actual dove sound effects as texture for its jungle music-inspired instrumental track.
In 1990, MC Hammer sampled "When Doves Cry" as the basis for his song "Pray" from the Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em album. Later, in 1998, rapper Bizzy Bone would use an interpolation and pay homage to Prince's hit with "Thugz Cry" from his album Heaven'z Movie.

The Prince original was featured in the wedding scene of the 1996 Baz Luhrmann film Romeo + Juliet, performed by then child star Quindon Tarver and backed by a church choir. A pop version became a hit for Tarver in Australia in 1997.

The bluegrass band Greensky Bluegrass have been performing a cover version of this song since 2005.
Gov't Mule, with Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers, also perform a version of this song quite often at their shows as a part of their own song Beautifully Broken. A version of "Beautifully Broken" featuring an intro and outro of 'When Doves Cry' appears on the Gov't Mule live album The Deepest End, Live In Concert.

The Be Good Tanyas performed "When Doves Cry" on their album Hello Love.

Patti Smith covered "When Doves Cry" on her compilation album, Land (1975–2002). This version was used in the movie Lost in Translation.

Anglo-Swedish band Razorlight covered the song as the B-side to their 2007 single "I Can't Stop This Feeling I've Got".

Damien Rice has also recorded a cover version of the song.

Guy Sebastian recorded a cover version of the song on his album Just As I Am.

One Less Reason has recorded a cover version too, performed on the album everydaylife.

The Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies performed a cover at one of their concerts.

Mika, Michael Holbrook Penniman, performed a cover of the song in a concert on the 28 of January 2008 in Montreal.

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards - 1985 - Favorite Soul/R&B Single (won)

Legacy

The popular Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is known for naming each episode after an 80s hit song, named a two part episode after this song.

External links

"When Doves Cry" lyrics

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Last updated on Monday March 10, 2008 at 09:37:06 PDT (GMT -0700)
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