When Doves Cry

"When Doves Cry" is a 1984 song by Prince and The Revolution, and according to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year. It was the sixth track and lead single from his smash album Purple Rain. The track went to #1 on the Billboard Pop chart in July, 1984 and stayed there for five weeks. It was voted as the best single of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll. The song was also notable for being extremely popular in both White and Black communities. The B-side was the cult fan favourite "17 Days", which was originally intended for the Apollonia 6 album. A

Related Topics:
1984 - Prince - The Revolution - Billboard magazine - Single - Purple Rain - July - 1984 - The Village Voice - Pazz & Jop - White - Black - B-side - Apollonia 6 - 12" Single - UK - 1999

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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. One notable aspect of the song is that it uses no bass guitar. The song features an unusual intro of guitar and drum machine, followed by a looped gutteral vocal by Prince. The song is very emotional and includes semi-autobiographical lyrics sometimes in a scream. The song ends on a classical music-inspired keyboard piece.

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Prince - Bass guitar - Guitar - Drum machine - Loop - Autobiographical - Classical music - Keyboard

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"When Doves Cry" has gone on to become one of Prince's signature songs. There have been several covers 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.

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Ginuwine - Timbaland - 1996 - Dove - Jungle music

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In 1990, MC Hammer sampled "When Doves Cry" as the basis for his song "Pray" from the Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em album. The Prince original was featured in the wedding scene of the 1996 Baz Luhrman film Romeo + Juliet, performed by then child star Quindon Tarver backed by a church choir.

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1990 - MC Hammer - Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em - 1996 - Baz Luhrman - Romeo + Juliet - Quindon Tarver

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