Jio's HoF :NOW:WEEKLY PICKS (26/9/2023)

[jio]

Well I can say that IIWYG is not my #1 (and don't try to guess what it is because u will probably find it and I don't want to reveal) lol

[Blondini]

No, "17 Days" didn't make it. I do like the song, just not as much as the others

I didn't really understand if you agree or disagree on my "The Cross" comment, probably you disagree so let me explain what I mean. I am not religious personally, yet I don't really have a problem with anyone's religious beliefs. You might have noticed I listed several songs which are religious and "The Rainbow Children" is among my favourite Prince albums despite its message. "The Cross" is a Christian religious song, even with its original lyrics and that doesn't bother me at all. What I do find annoying is the fact that Prince felt compelled to change one word in the song to be in comformity with his new religious beliefs, because that screams of narrowmindness to me. It's not the word "Christ" which bothers me, I would have said the same if the original song was "The Christ" and the new version was "The Cross".

I knew what you meant - was just adding my own comment. But then - that's what happens if you change your beliefs like that - he doesn't believe in the cross anymore so he can't sing about it. He also doesn't sing some of his more lewd songs any more. Would have been better if he just avoided the song rather than bastardize it like that.

Sex Shooter is good.

The others are all classics. For a long time, i preferred the more dancefloor friendly mix of Gett Off - which charted as a UK album (#33) before the single. It took me a while to love the drum-heavy album version but i did/do. Have you got a link for the other mix? It's either called the Damn Near 10 Minutes mix or just Extended. Radio 1 played it for a few weeks until the album mix suddenly appeared.

[NothingFails]

20. SEX SHOOTER (performed by Apollonia 6) (1984)

I wouldn't rank it so high but I do like the track. Surprised it only went to #85 considering how successful Purple Rain was.

19. HEAD (1980)

Love it, wonder how shocking it must've sounded in 1980. This song is also responsible in a sense for how Lisa Coleman came into the Prince-camp, as Gayle Chapman left The Revolution due to religious objection to this song.

18. I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER (1979)

Classic track. Prefer the album version to the single edit because the musicianship in the last three minutes of it is just as good as the vocal parts IMO and could keep going on even more than 6 mins.


17. SEXY M.F. (with the New Power Generation) (1992)

What is funny is that this song would be nowhere as shocking today with the F-word all over top 40 radio. A nice funk record.


16. GETT OFF (with the New Power Generation) (1991)

Diamonds And Pearls is nowhere among my favorite Prince albums but this song was an instant classic IMO.

[jio]

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15.JUNGLE LOVE (performed by The Time) (1984)
album "ICE CREAM CASTLE"




..."I wanna take you to my cage
Lock you up and hide the key
You only get water, baby
'Cause if you're hungry, take a bite of me"...

The "Purple Rain" film did not just give Prince his biggest hit ever ("When Doves Cry") and Apollonia 6 their only R&B and dance Top 10 but also gave The Time their biggest '80s hit in the shape of this jam. The song peaked at #20 on the Hot 100, #6 on R&B and #9 on Dance/Club Play and, along with their other "Purple Rain" hit "The Bird", helped make its parent album the most successful '80s Time album. The Prince-penned "Ice Cream Castle" album climbed as high as #24 on the BB 200. "Jungle Love" remains a staple in Time concerts and the performance of this song was probably the best performance in the whole of Prince and friends' "Rave Un2 The Year 2000" concert.
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14.STAND BACK (performed by Stevie Nicks) (1983)
album "THE WILD HEART"



..."No one knows how I feel
What I say unless you read between my lines
One man walked away from me
First he took my hand take me home"...

The story of this song goes something like this. Stevie Nicks drives in her car with her husband during their honeymoon and listens to Prince's "Little Red Corvette" on radio. She first starts humming to the melody and then gets inspired to write "Stand Back" by the synthesizers in that song. So they stop, buy a tape recorder and record the song in their honeymoon suite. When finally in the studio recording "Stand Back", she calls Prince to tell him he's the inspiration and, the same day, Prince appears in her studio, plays the synthesizers for the song and then abruptly leaves. "Stand Back" became a major hit peaking at #5 on the Hot 100 and, 24 years later, at #2 on Dance/Club Play in the shape of the Crystal Vision remix in 2007. The combination of Stevie's songwriting and vocals and Prince's synth line is pure heaven
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13.SOFT AND WET (1978)
album "FOR YOU"



..."You're just as soft as a lion tamed
You're just as wet as the evening rain
How will I take it when you call my name
Your love is driving me, you're driving me insane"...

This was Prince's first ever single and as the rest of its parent album was produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince, a rare feat for a debuting act (although producer Chris Moon who first discovered Prince did co-wrote two songs including "Soft And Wet"). The song managed to crack the Hot 100 by peaking at #92 and also made it to #12 on R&B. It is by far the best song in an album which shows a lot of promise but is somehow uneven. The album itself peaked at #163 on the BB 200 and #21 on R&B, but the interest spike in everything Prince-related in the '80s helped it sell just under 1m. copies worldwide, despite the chart positions
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12.PRIVATE JOY (1981)
album "CONTROVERSY" (album track)



..."You're my little lover, Orgasmatron
Only I know, baby, what turns you on
You're my little secret neon light
Girl I wanna turn it on every night"...

This was probably the most pop-oriented song Prince did by 1981 which makes it kind of weird that it was never released as a single. Despite Prince not taking advantage of this fantastic song (other than including it in the "Do Me Baby" single as the b-side) other people did. LaToya Jackson responded to an offer to record relatively unknown Prince songs by Prince's publishing company by picking this one for her 1984 album "Heart Don't Lie". Her version was released as a single in Japan, although her father, who was also her manager at the time, did not give his permission for it to be released in the USA. That was just the first in a series of incidents between Prince and the Jackson family including the rivalry between Prince and Michael Jackson, Prince's refusal to duet Michael on "Bad" or to participate in "We Are The World" and Janet Jackson choosing Prince's associates Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (of The Time) to declare her independence from her family with the very Prince-sounding "Control" .
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11.7 (with the New Power Generation) (1992)
album "SYMBOL"



..." And I saw an angel come down unto me
In her hand she holds the very key
Words of compassion, words of peace
And in the distance an army's marching feet
but behold, we will watch them fall "...

This was the third single taken from Prince's fantastic 1992 album "Symbol" and, by a weird coincidence, it peaked at #7 on the Hot 100. It also peaked at #61 on R&B and at #27 on the UK Singles Chart. The song's lyrics seem to be refering to the Bible, albeit in a rather interesting subtle way. The song (as with most of the "Symbol" songs) was part of the soundtrack to Prince's musical "3 Chains O' Gold" with its video being a direct cut from that musical. The musical itself was considered so bad (especially coming after the mega-flop of "Graffiti Bridge") that was released straight to video, although that doesn't excuse Warner's failure to release it on DVD yet. The album itself is one of Prince's absolute best '90s albums. It was the first Prince album that I bought and it's just fantastic. The album became Prince's fourth UK #1 album, topped the album charts in Australia as well and peaked at #5 on the BB 200 and #8 on R&B.
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(you can click on the song titles to listen to the songs or see the videos)

[jio]

18. I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER (1979)

Classic track. Prefer the album version to the single edit because the musicianship in the last three minutes of it is just as good as the vocal parts IMO and could keep going on even more than 6 mins.

I feel exactly the same way. Actually the song became a favourite only after buying the album (I had The Hits much much earlier)

[Blondini]

Stand Back is fantasticly uplifting, as you say!

7 is amazing.

The other songs there are all good though i'm stunned you have Soft and Wet so high!

[Tiger]

14.STAND BACK (performed by Stevie Nicks) (1983)

Very nice

[NothingFails]

15.JUNGLE LOVE (performed by The Time) (1984)
album "ICE CREAM CASTLE"

Great track! The best Time song by far, and easily their most iconic.


14.STAND BACK (performed by Stevie Nicks) (1983)
album "THE WILD HEART"

Without a doubt my favorite solo Stevie track. Although admittedly I didn't expect it to show up since Prince didn't write it, and Stevie's album didn't even credit him in the liner notes. And it is the synth-line that really makes the song brilliant.


13.SOFT AND WET (1978)
album "FOR YOU"

Easily an early favorite of his.

12.PRIVATE JOY (1981)
album "CONTROVERSY" (album track)

Fun song. The LaToya cover is fun too. Its a shame Joe Jackson was such a douche whenever it came to anyone who could possibly rival Michael (and really Prince was the only artist around in the early 80's who could) that he was all jealous and bitter at the thought of another extremely successful black artist. I remember he even made some anti-Prince comments to Jam and Lewis when they started working with Janet. But then, this is the same guy who beat his children and talked about how much money his son netted for him over the years just two days after his death, so disliking Prince because the idea of a "rival" is hardly the worst of his things. One of the best tracks off "Controversy"


11.7 (with the New Power Generation) (1992)
album "SYMBOL"

One of his last real "classic" hits, and the last one before the infamous name-change. A fun catchy song.

[jio]

I admit "Stand Back" was a bit of a stretch since he only did the synth-line. But he is credited in the European editions of the album.

As far as "Jungle Love" is concerned, there is more Time further up

[NothingFails]

I admit "Stand Back" was a bit of a stretch since he only did the synth-line. But he is credited in the European editions of the album.

Nice! I was disappointed when I bought a copy of "The Wild Heart" and his name was nowhere to be found among the musicians on the track. And no "Jamie Starr"/"Alexander Nevermind" type of alias either.

[jio]

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10.DARLING NIKKI (with The Revolution) (1984)
album "PURPLE RAIN" (album track)




..."I knew a girl named Nikki
I guess you could say she was a sex friend
I met her in a hotel lobby masturbating with a magazine
She said:"How'd you like to waste some time?"
And I could not resist when I saw little Nikki grind"...

Despite "Darling Nikki" not being a single, it is an undeniable part of the history of recorded music. And that's because of its controversial lyrics. Specifically, Tipper Gore, wife of former vice president of the United States, Al Gore, was so offended that her kids were listening to this song that she founded Parents Music Resource Center, the foundation responsible for the "Parental Advisory" stickers so common a cd feature nowadays. The song musically is "Purple Rain"'s most rock-sounding tune. Performed when Prince sees Apollonia dating Morris, it expresses his anger at her. It has been covered by the Foo Fighters and Will Smith among others
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09.100 MPH (performed by Mazarati) (1986)
album "MAZARATI"



..."Enjoy the closest human, I'm much 2 hot 2 be cool
100 miles an hour, baby, that's what it's all about
I need a lover that could slow me down
Somebody that'll make me shout"...

Mazarati was an '80s R&B band, formed by former Revolution bassist Brown Mark. A rather unfortunate band I have to say, since they recorded both "Kiss" and "Jerk Out" before Prince re-claimed both songs and both of them became Top 10 hits for Prince and The Time respectively. Still though, Prince composed for them this amazing R&B floor-filler which made it to #12 on Dance/Club Play. Mazarati must be the most underrated Prince-related act ever.
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08.COMPUTER BLUE (with The Revolution) (1984)
album "PURPLE RAIN" (album track)



..."Wendy? Yes Lisa
Is the water warm enough? Yes Lisa
Shall we begin? Yes Lisa"...

The lyrics above from this song were used as my first ever UKMix signature. This song is in my Top 10 mainly because of its gorgeous instrumental in its second half. The scene where Prince and the Revolution perform this song in "Purple Rain" is the best scene in the whole of the film for me and, just like the rest of the film, simply never gets old . I had seen "Purple Rain" years before I bought the DVD and this performance was the only part that I actually remembered clearly. The instrumental in question is actually based on a composition of Prince's father John Nelson, a fact recreated in the movie in connection to the "Purple Rain" song.
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07.GET IT UP (performed by The Time) (1981)
album "THE TIME"



..."Get it up, leave your cares behind
Let me try to find
find the spot that gets you hot
Let me do ya"...

Prince composed all of The Time's debut album. In fact, as with many Prince protege projects, the only thing The Time had to do was replacing Prince's vocals on the tracks. In any case, the reason Prince was creating all those protege acts was his prolific nature as a songwriter and his need to release those songs, something that couldn't possibly happen under his own name (since that would flood the market, a poor marketing practice). This album (and its follow-up) were almost as good as any early Prince album. It peaked at #50 on the BB 200 and #7 on R&B. "Get It Up" is definitely the best song in that album and it was its first single release peaking at #6 on R&B and #16 on Dance/Club Play (as a double a-side with "Cool").
TLC cover (honourable mention):This cover would have easily made my Top 100 on its own (albeit lower than The Time original) but I decided against wasting two positions on the same song. TLC were clearly influenced by Prince (especially in their groundbreaking "CrazySexyCool" album). They recorded this cover for the soundtrack of the Janet Jackson movie "Poetic Justice" and it was released as a single in 1993 making it to #42 on the BB Hot 100. This version doesn't deviate too much from the original. The main differences are the more '90s beats and the removal of the guitar during the latter part of the song.
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06.UPTOWN (1980)
album "DIRTY MIND"



..."What's up little girl? I ain't got time to play
Baby didn't say too much, she said "Are you gay?"
Kinda took me by surprise, I didn't know what to do
I just looked her in her eyes and I said, "No, are you? "...

This was the first single taken from Prince's 1980 album "Dirty Mind" and its combination of an anti-racist message with sexual references over a disco beat makes it a classic in my book. The word "Uptown" in the song refers to a place where everyone can feel free and express himself and of course have some fun, sort of like "Downtown" from Petula Clark's song of the same name. Musically this song was the bridge between Prince's disco past ("Soft And Wet") and funk future ("Head"). A fab song which peaked at #5 on R&B and, as an E.P. along with "Dirty Mind" and "Head" at #5 on Dance/Club Play. Its parent album, notable for its references to taboo topics such as homosexuality, oral sex and incest made it to #45 on the BB 200 and #7 on R&B
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(you can click on the song titles to listen to the songs or see the videos)

[NothingFails]

10.DARLING NIKKI (with The Revolution) (1984)
album "PURPLE RAIN" (album track)
I effing love this song

09.100 MPH (performed by Mazarati) (1986)
album "MAZARATI"
Never heard it until now, really good, gonna download it

08.COMPUTER BLUE (with The Revolution) (1984)
album "PURPLE RAIN" (album track)
Love this, especially the 12 minute version since 4 mins is too short for such a musical masterpiece

07.GET IT UP (performed by The Time) (1981)
album "THE TIME"
Great track, for some reason I figured "777-9311" would be the song to come for The Time.

06.UPTOWN (1980)
album "DIRTY MIND"
Another masterpiece. While I understand that the Dirty Mind album was too dirty for mainstream US radio, I'm surprised this song didn't have the same success I Wanna Be Your Lover had.

[jio]

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05.777-9311 (performed by The Time) (1984)
album "WHAT TIME IS IT?"




..."Baby what's your phone number?
How can you be reached on a lonely night?
Baby, what's your phone number?
How can I get into you when I'm feeling right?"...

Well, NothingFails is right. "777-9311" is the highest ranking Time song on the countdown. This was the second single taken from The Time's best album to date "What Time Is It?". The track became the most successful Time single up to that time when it peaked at #88 on the Hot 100 and #2 on R&B and it's easy to understand why, just take a listen. As for the album itself, it is full of classic funk tracks, such as "Wild And Loose", "Cool" and "I Don't Wanna Leave You". The title of the album comes from Morris Day's signature sentence which can be heard in a lot (really a lot) of The Time songs. The album made it to #26 on the BB200 (becoming The Time's fist Top 40 album) and #2 on R&B
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04.CONTROVERSY (1981)
album "CONTROVERSY"



..."Do I believe in God? Do I believe in me?
Some people wanna die so they can be free
I said life is just a game, we're all just the same
Do you wanna play?"...

"Controversy" could have easily been my #1 song. Right now I feel I should change the ranking and put it on top but I have to follow my original list, so here it is at #4. Any of the Top 11 could have been my #1, anyway. This was the first single from Prince's fourth album "Controversy". It is a very typical Prince song, talking about society's ills over a deep funk beat whereas it recites the whole "Lord's Prayer" in its album version. The single originally made it to #70 on the Hot 100 and #3 on R&B. It was re-released in the UK in 1993 as the second single from Prince's compilation album "Hits" and entered the UK Singles Chart at #5 making it the hit it deserved to be. And finally, a live version of the song was released in 2004. The "Controversy" album musically is a continuation of the "Dirty Mind" album, albeit with less focus on sex and more focus on political/social issues. It peaked at #21 on the BB200 and #3 on R&B.
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(you can click on the song titles to listen to the songs or see the videos)

[Blondini]

The two Time songs are OK but not really that good to me.

Mazarati song is better - and the version of Kiss is interesting - if vocally flat in comparison. Uptown is good.

But the highlights in the recent sets are def. Computer Blue, Darling Nikki and Controversy.

[NothingFails]

05.777-9311 (performed by The Time) (1982)
album "WHAT TIME IS IT?"

Great track. Higher than I'd rank it but still one of their finest moments

04.CONTROVERSY (1981)
album "CONTROVERSY"

Iconic song, what more can you say?

[ShayLaB]

7. Just listening to this again it's a much slower song than I recall. I think it is very likeable without being among his very best.

Darling Nikki is a splendidly risqué song and but I probably would not have had Computer Blue or Controversy quite so high.

I am now beginning to wonder if that song we mentioned is even going to appear. I guess I'll find out in the near future.

[jio]

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03.WHEN DOVES CRY (with The Revolution) (1984)
album "PURPLE RAIN"




..."Maybe I'm just 2 demanding
Maybe I'm just like my father 2 bold
Maybe you're just like my mother
She's never satisfied
Why do we scream at each other
That is what it sounds when doves cry"...

Overplayed? Yes. Getting bored of it? After 27 years, frankly no. This is the single which turned Prince into a superstar, the first and most famous single from his stunning "Purple Rain" soundtrack. The song (composed in just one night) is notable for its lack of a bass line, a fact that made Prince's label reluctant to release it. But in the end, this didn't affect its commercial appeal at all. The single topped the BB Hot 100 for 5 weeks becoming the best selling single of 1984 in the USA (having sold over 2 million copies to date), topped the R&B charts for 8 weeks and also topped the Dance/Club Play charts for 6 weeks (the single which stayed the longest on top during 1984 for both charts). It also became Prince's breakthrough hit in the UK by peaking at #4 over there. The movie itself was a huge success and remains classic mainly for its depictions of an extravagant artist at work, family problems and of course its gorgeous music and performances. It's generally considered the blueprint on which other similar films such as "8 Mile" were built on. The soundtrack to the movie made Prince the first artist to top the singles, albums and box-office charts on the same week. The soundtrack remained at #1 on the BB 200 for a massive 24 weeks. It also spent 19 weeks on top of R&B albums, showcasing Prince's transition, for the first time, into non-R&B territory. Indeed, unlike Prince's previous five albums, the album was much more rock than R&B. It also became Prince's first UK Top 10 album by peaking at #7. "When Doves Cry" has been covered by a number of artists including Damien Rice, The Flying Pickets, Patti Smith, Guy Sebastian, Razorlight and Ginuwine (his version reached #10 on the UK Singles Chart in 1997) among others. It has also been sampled by many, most famous "When Doves Cry"-sampling song is of course M.C. Hammer's 1990 hit "Pray" which reached #2 on the Hot 100 and #8 on the UK Singles Chart.
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02.IF I WAS YOUR GIRLFRIEND (1987)
album "SIGN O' THE TIMES"



..."U can think it's because I'm your friend I'll do it 4 U
Of course I'll undress in front of U!
And when I'm naked, what shall I do?
How can I make U see that it's cool?
Can't U just trust me?"...

I am shocked how well you people understand my musical taste. Besides NothingFails predicting "777-9311" as the highest-ranking Time song, we also had ShayLaB predicting this one topping the chart and, although he wasn't exactly correct, he came really close. "If I Was Your Girlfriend" was a song ahead of its time. Its smooth vibe screams '90s R&B, yet the song was released in 1987 which may explain why it did so bad chart-wise. It only made it to #67 on the Hot 100, #12 on R&B and #20 on the UK Singles Chart meaning it was the least successful of the four "Sign O' The Times" singles despite being the second one released. Yet I'm sure that if this single was released at anytime after 1992, it would have been a sure Top 10 hit. Best indication of that is probably the TLC cover which doesn't deviate much from the original, yet the song sounds more in place next to the other "CrazySexyCool" songs than next to the "Sign O' The Times" ones. Its parent album was a huge risk for Prince who wanted to release a triple album. After several name and tracklist changes as well as pressure from his label, "Dream Factory" became "Camille" and finally became the two-disc "Sign O' The Times". The album became both a commercial and a critical success peaking at #6 on the BB 200, #4 on R&B and #4 on the UK Albums Chart. It was accompanied by the theatrically-released music video of the same name which made it to #14 on the Weekend Box-Office Chart and, by grossing 3m USD, it remains the 10th most successful concert movie of all-time in the USA.
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(you can click on the song titles to listen to the songs or see the videos)

[Grybop]

I have immense respect for Prince as an artist but the majority of those covers are a crime against aesthetics!

[jio]

I have immense respect for Prince as an artist but the majority of those covers are a crime against aesthetics!

Welcome to the '80s. Entrance without make-up visible from a kilometre far (for males) and hair which are at least double in volume than the head (for females) is forbidden. Neon light advisable but optional

[ShayLaB]

A-ha...I knew it would be near the top.

Both terrific songs. IIWYG is also the basis for the Jay-Z/Beyonce's Bonnie & Clyde...which itself is rather fab.

[Blondini]

Surely it was the cross-gender lyric that hampered IIWYG more than the music? It's a very unusual song that did well to get in the UK top 20. Brilliant, WDC is also though i'm not as enamoured with it as most people.

[NothingFails]

When Doves Cry is a masterpiece and possibly Prince's greatest ever moment.

I wouldn't rank If I Was Your Girlfriend as high as you but it was a standout to me as soon as I got SOTT (even though I got it on cassette in 1991, I only knew the three bigger singles and IIWYG was so unsuccessful that I just figured U Got The Look was the second single).

[NothingFails]

I have immense respect for Prince as an artist but the majority of those covers are a crime against aesthetics!

Welcome to the '80s. Entrance without make-up visible from a kilometre far (for males) and hair which are at least double in volume than the head (for females) is forbidden. Neon light advisable but optional

I personally liked some of his single covers. When Doves Cry and Purple Rain are both iconic shots in their own right. All of the Around The World In A Day single covers are very classy even if they were just emphasizing things on the actual cover. "Kiss" and "Mountains" were nice outtakes from the Parade shoot. The Batman singles were quite attractive with different color schemes to the iconic Batman logo. Hell, I even like the very basic "plastic sleeve with sticker" concept the Lovesexy singles had.

[jio]

There will be more single/album covers action tomorrow and the #1 will be revealed after tomorrow.

[Tiger]

03.WHEN DOVES CRY (with The Revolution) (1984)

Can't really have a Prince chart without that