Jun 83
06-1983 : Rock & Soul
The June 1983 edition of Rock & Soul carried the following interview of Prince by Ellen Zoe Golden.
“The last time I saw Prince, he had put on real clothes over those very famous black bikini briefs in order to take the stage at New
York's Palladium. A year before, he had strut his barely clad butt in front of enough panting women - and men - to cause a major
steam-up of the Ritz’s doors and mirrors. Whew, what a man ! Every time he released an album - from the seductive purrs of For
You and Prince to the raw sexual bump and grinds of Dirty Mind and Controversy - this royal soul stripped off another layer of his
personality. Having explored every realm of erotica from Incest to oral sex, Prince made sex a dance-floor theme before expanding
his lyrical horizons beyond the bedroom and into such unlikely places as Ronnie Reagan's White House. On his recent album, 1999,
so much of the 22-year-old Minneapolis native is show in that you'd think this kind of exposure would be illegal. Now, now ladies and gentlemen - cool your jets. I'm not talking about a double LP of quick flashes. I'm referring to songs like Delirious and
Automatic where the Duke Of Dick is in a downright vulnerable position. Hell, Prince even claims to have written 1999 while he was
dreaming. Could this be submission ?
Rock & Soul went straight to the crowned Prince himself for that answer. Off-stage and in regular clothes, he's one quiet lad, and It
wasn't easy getting him to verbalize without a backup band. Talking to the press lust doesn't get him off. Yet, It's been too long
between official statements and America still doesn't know whether he's straight or gay. So, what do you say, Prince ?
Prince: I'm adventurous, but I'm not gay.
Rock & Soul: But surely you realize that you are often thought of in that way. What do you say to over enthusiastic male fans ?
Prince: I say, “I'm not about that. We can be friends but that's as far as it goes." My sexual preferences aren't really their business.
R&S: How did the question of your sexual preference originally arise ?
Prince: When people couldn't talk to me or find out much about me, they started making things up. I'm supposed to be mysterious,
but I'm not. l may not seem shy, but l am. You see, I like to listen because other people are more interesting than I am.
R&S: Yet, you perpetuate your Image by staying silent.
Prince: I care a lot about my public, but I don't concentrate a lot on my image. The public is going to draw whatever conclusion it
wants anyway.
R&S: Well, then, what makes you unique ?
Prince: I'm a lot filthier. I'd be lying if I said that it didn't have an effect because when thousands of girls are trying to pull your
clothes off, that's quite an impact. Because of this image, I do have to be very careful where I go because things can get out of
hand. So it automatically puts limits on my social life. But, as far as my music goes, I have that in perfect control. I am a musician
first. That's my only reality. if my body was the only thing to turn people on, then I'd quit the business. The physical thing is
shallow and fleeting. My music represents how l think, how I feel, the truths I'm searching for, if it ever gets to the point where I
can’t concentrate on my music because I'm always dodging crowds, then I'll quit.
R&S: Your subject matter is very bold. What made you decide to sing out on sex, love, politics and the rest of the topics you favor ?
Prince: I don't want to be one of those artists who avoid singing about heavy things, particularly sexual things. I'm not about to
do that. If things are important, I'll sing about them.
R&S: Why so much sex ?
Prince: My songs are more about love than they are about sex. I‘m not saying l want to do something to someone as much as do
something for them.
R&S: Prince, a lot of women now want you to do something for them . How do you handle all of these admirers ?
Prince: I don't. Suppose l did try to please all of these girls who seem to reach out for me. Where would l have the energy to play
and write my music ? Hey, I love the idea that so many people dig what I'm doing. I'm a very lucky guy, but I'm a professional,
and to stay professional I've got to keep the controls well-balanced.
R&S: How did growing up in Minneapolis affect you artistically ?
Prince: We basically got all the new music and dances three months late in Minneapolis, so I just decided that l was gonna do my
own thing. Otherwise, when my band at the time split Minneapolis, we were gonna be way behind and dated. The white radio
stations were mostly country, and the one black radio station was really boring to me. For that matter, l didn't have a record
player when l was growing up, and I never got a chance to check out Jimi Hendrix and the rest of them because they were dead
by the time I was really getting serious. I didn't even start playing guitar until 1974.
R&S: You must have gotten a lot of negative reactions from people in town because of your brazen attitudes and music.
Prince: My friends and I took a lot of heat all the time. People would say something about our clothes or the way we looked or
who we were with, and it’ll end up fighting. I was a very good fighter. I never lost. I don't know if it fair, but I go for it. I still do
whatever I want and those who cannot deal with it have a problem within themselves.
R&S: Did you have any other pursuits besides music ?
Prince: When I was nine, I wanted to write pornographic novels. My mother used to keep a lot of pornographic material in her
bedroom and I used to sneak in there and read it. This had a great deal to do with my sexuality today. It sort of made me warped
to a degree but it made me aware of my sexuality in early age.
R&S: Your mother read porno novels and you sing about sleeping with your sibling in Sister from Dirty Mind. Interesting family.
Prince: Sister is pretty self explanatory. It's not pro-incest and it's not a negative song about incest. It's just an experience. It
should not be taken another way than that. It's just an incident in my life. It's real. It's a subject that a lot of people try to avoid. I
wish a lot of artists would try to write about sexuality instead of these big poetic visions that don't exist. We must talk about
sensible things that make sense. I don‘t consider myself a great poet, or interpreter a la Moses. I just know I'm here to say what's
on my mind, and 'm in a position where l can do that. It would be foolish for me to make up stories about going to Paris, knocking
off at the Queen and things of that nature.
R&S: Don't you feel you have a responsibility to your listeners ?
Prince: I can only say the things I see and feel. When I was younger, I had very vivid dreams of things that have happened to me.
I'd dream it before it happened. I don't know if I'm getting secret messages from somebody. I can only do what I feel.
R&S: Your first two records were relatively tame compared to the raunch and roll of Dirty Mind. What happened ?
Prince: Dirty Mind began as a collection of demo tapes, but I realized once I finished them and really listened that this was really
me, and it was silly to keep releasing fantasies. Everything on this record is about a relationship or a state of mind I was in at a
particular time. I thought it was important that I put them out. Afterwards, I was sure the rest of my records would also be
personal.
R&S: What kind of reaction did you get from people you had been close with prior to the album's release ?
Prince: It caused chaos in Minneapolis because they're so straight-laced. The word went out that there was this vulgar kid
running around. When I brought the album to the record company it shocked a lot of people but they didn't ask me to go back and
change anything and I'm really grateful. Anyway, I wasn't being deliberately provocative. I was being deliberately me.
R&S: How did you arrive at that conclusion ?
Prince: I ran away from home when l was 12. I've changed addresses in Minneapolis 32 times, and there was always a great deal
of loneliness. But, when I think about it, I know I'm here for a purpose, and I don't worry about it so much. To me, the ultimate
responsibility is the hardest one - the responsibility to be true to myself.
R&S: Can you elaborate on that ?
Prince: My music is an expression of myself and my experiences. I always write truthfully about myself. Some don't understand
what I'm saying but I find when I speak to people that I'm saying things they think about, but couldn't say. My songs reflect what
my generation is about.
R&S: Your latest album, 1999, finds you revealing a lot of sensitive emotions. if I am to understand what you've been saying, you've
written about sensitive things because you are an emotional person. Does that carry over into your real relationships with women ?
Prince: I want someone who is a natural lady, someone I can respect. I don't like being around girls who misinterpret sex for love.
I don't like the idea of hurting anyone. I love dating. I love and thoroughly enjoy being with nice people. But I know that my
image has made me an open challenge to many women around the country.
And make no mistake, dear friends, hundreds of women are meeting that challenge, head on. Sorry guys...."
06-1983 : The Face
Prince : Someday Your Prince Will Come
by Carol Cooper
THE THING TO BEAR IN MIND is that Prince does not do interviews. He certainly didn't do this one, nor any of a dozen others
when tabloids and magazines were dangling cover stories as bait. In the States this aversion to the press has reached astonishing
proportions with the 1999 tour. His management now supports a PR firm solely to explain to frustrated paparazzi why they can't
have interviews, and to warn photographers that their equipment might be confiscated if caught snapping during a show. It's an odd
sort of Mexican standoff for an aspiring pop star, but his cheek is an appealing reversal of the trend that has kept many black artists
in a state of abject, often futile, supplication for media attention. I suppose we must expect an eventual backlash against such a
brazen 24-year-old black genius who is neither blind, nor, says he, a homosexual. This self-styled Wilhelm Reich of the sepia set not
only has a lion in his pocket, but a tiger by the tail.
MOST CRITICS GOT OFF TO a weak start with His Royal Badness (a monicker Minneapolis scribes have hung on their local hero)
by being slow to catch on. Only America's black teen mags were with Prince at the beginning when he was the first 'coloured' 17year-old to land a six figure contract with Warner Bros - a contract with the unheard-of rider that no outside producer would be
forcibly attached to his projects. His first management team - Owen Husney, Gary Levenson and studio owner Chris Moon - were
instrumental in landing this contract. But according to the New York Rocker's Tim Carr, Prince soon felt his talent would be beter
served by California hot-shots Cavallo, Ruffalo & Fargnoli. This firm took the PR strategies developed by the Minnesotan team to
soft sell Prince onto what might be called a higher plane. Husney told Billboard's Nelson George that he, Prince and Andre Cymone
used to sit up all night in the early days discussing the whole shtick that finally came to fruition with Dirty Mind : the suggestive
visuals, the cultivated mystique, the comprehensive publicity kits, and the careful control of ancillary rights. Prince was co-writing
songs with Chris Moon at the time (of which the classic 'Soft And Wet' from the For You debut album is one) and writing demos for
other artists, a habit that accounts for the ease with which The Time and Vanity 6 have been grafted into Prince's proven formula
and current stage show. After the second LP - titled simply Prince - had established an equivocal image but unequivocal sales
figures, our boy left Husney and the cosy ghetto exclusivity of the black teen slicks far behind by giving Dirty Mind to Cavallo & Co.
with the single injunction: "Sell me !" Storming the rock press with the renegade allure of incest, oral sex, and soul-rock fusion,
Dirty Mind did indeed cultivate the critical attention of the nuevo wavo crowd, and gave the properly hyped interviewers their first and possibly last - taste of an audience with the vocally reticent rude boy. Prince told Musician's Pablo "Yoruba" Guzman that he
scorned many of the punk/new wave efforts Dirty Mind was being compared to because these fellow refugees from the ennervating
decline of white rock and beige disco "can't sing." A background of high school bands that specialized in Sly Stone covers had
convinced the young Prince that what power pop, acid rock, heavy metal and all their latterday derivations needed was a studied
infusion of funk and old fashioned sweet soul crooning. If white rockers couldn't do it, Prince was more than ready to fill the gap.
He told Andy Schwartz, editor of the New York Rocker that he learned arranging and production techniques by using two cassette
tape recorders; singing cross harmonies into them and playing them back, alternately playing and recording as he strummed along,
building layer upon layer of sound. As a studio neophyte he took five months to finish the first album in LA : Dirty Mind took only
12 days in Minneapolis for the basics and a week and a half for the mix. There is reason to believe that some of the tracks on 1999
date from the time of Dirty Mind or even earlier. Prince described to Schwartz the way he wrote at 16 : "I was writing things that a
cat with ten albums would have out, like seven-minute laments that were, y'know, gone. I wrote like I was rich, had been
everywhere, and been with every woman in the world. But I liked that, I always liked fantasy and fiction..."
SO MAYBE HIS ROYAL BADNESS will excuse our own exercise in fantasy on the following 'interview.' I was dreaming when I
wrote this, so forgive me if it goes astray... in my dream the ectoplasmic Prince was ever so kind and forthcoming. His lips, his eyes,
his hair were burning - very much like his pictures ; the Edwardian tart, the Prince of Uptown, USA.
Carol Cooper : Do you believe that white people understand what you are doing ?
Prince : No, of course they don't. How many black people understand ? White people are very good at categorizing things - and if
you tell them anything they'll remember it, write books about it. But understand ? You have to live a life to understand it. Tourists
just pass through.
AT THE BEGINNING, when California based slicks like Soul Teen and Right On ! were examining and stroking this boy in the
proper context (as just one of many talented and shrewdly outrageous black pop contenders) there was no hint as to how far into
the "mainstream" his increasingly bizarre self-hype would take him. When the pop soul of For You and Prince was derailed into the
randy rock of Dirty Mind, Controversy and 1999, Right On ! ran an illuminating series of colour pin-ups clocking the visual
transformation from '79 to '82. The indulgent, tongue-in-cheek copy that helped wedge this growing incongruity between the glossy
smiles of Stephanie Mills and Richard "Dimples" Fields bore no resemblance to the credulous awe of the white rock press. The
difference in perspective stems from the American cultural apartheid which neither white nor black media likes to approach head
on. For the white media the real possibility of Prince attaining a large white audience and its added bonus of high visibility is merely
a momentary titillation, a diversion. For the black media, Prince is yet another in a long line of brilliant young turks getting ready to
break his back against institutionalized white indifference. "Is He the Prince of Darkness ?" read the blurb above the Right On !
photo essay, as if to render all his abrasively ambiguous posturing into a statement on how the black man must exaggerate and
contort his image (as allegory for much of the gratuitous absurdity of being "black" in America) just to be heard.
FROM WHAT HE tells us, Prince's early life was surprisingly insular for one of nine or so half-brothers and sisters. Left alone for
vast stretches of time after the departure of his father, an itinerant jazz musician, the prepubescent loner would spend hours at his
dad's abandoned piano or amuse himself with whatever reading matter came to hand - a dollop of speculative fiction, a dip into his
mother's personal stash of dime store pulp porn novels. His father's surname was Nelson and his stage name was Prince Rogers.
Prince claims his father actually christened him Prince Rogers Nelson. What should be remembered about Minneapolis, Minnesota
(but what is unlikely to ever show up in any "official" demographic studies) is that the area became a magnet for ambitious young
black males in the Fifties and Sixties seeking space, calm, and equal opportunity. The result was a remarkably high incidence of
multi-racial families developing in an atmosphere of relative financial stability. Meaning that the "black" population of Minneapolis
is possessed of several characteristics distinct from the ghettoized norm. They haven't eradicated the dark-skinned genotype, just
amplified it with yet another strain. Another genetic mood. A part of this mood was a motivation towards upward mobility, and like
many matriarchs of a nascent black middle class, Prince's mother was unhappy with her son's increasing obsession with music. She
tried sending our boy to various boarding schools as a cure, but that, coupled with an increasing dislike of a current step-father
forced Prince to migrate. He spent much of his early to middle teens gypsying about between the homes of various friends and
relations, not all of them limited to the midwestern outback of Minneapolis. It was during a sojourn with an older sister in New
York that Prince claims to have been initiated into the forbidden joys of incest, the details of which he revealed to the world on Dirty
Mind with the cut 'Sister' (and evidently felt compelled to discuss with subsequent bedfellows who contribute to a growing Gotham
rumour mill). By the time 'I Wanna Be Your Lover' had our favourite mestizo waif finishing off his second year at the top of the soul
charts, Prince already had the material and the experience to launch himself out of the small Greenwich Village jazz halls into
massive rock areas and beyond.
Carol Cooper : Are you at all afraid of alienating your black audiences with the radical change in your music ?
Prince : They knew it was coming. 'I'm Yours' off the first album was a straight-up rock jam...
Possibly your best. The guitar solo near the end is exquisite ; that dream dimension where Hendrix, Van Halen, and Jeff Beck
meet. And the second album had 'Bambi', which was also written in such a way as not to give the impression that I was a
dilettante.
So many black bands in the early Seventies diddled with the rock guitar just to prove they could. They had no real conviction, but
none of my rock jams are contrived that way. Yes, I expect to lose some of the black audience with the new tunes. But in general
my fans are pretty loyal and broadminded. And while blacks may not get into the Edwardian drag, or the hair, or the fact that
the new stuff demands longer, more 'grooveless' and atonal solos, there will still be elements they will appreciate.
IF THE LIVE CONCERT'S PRIMARY function is group therapy, then Prince's stage show starts exactly where it must: at the
infantile traumas of sensation, bodily function; working its way to, and culminating in, raging adolescence. Although the recent date
at Radio City Music Hall in New York was criminally short and high priced (the Prince entourage makes more use of beefy house
security than any anti-authoritarian rabble rouser I can remember; I expect to see the T-shirts pop up among the hoi-polloi any day
now : "Prince Jacked U Off at Radio City") it was also a superb example of conscious, old school showmanship. On a dark stage
intermittently punctured by the glare of a riot flare beaming out of the drum kit, the supersonic throb of the overture to
'Controversy' sounds like nothing so much as the chant of the witch's guard from The Wizard of Oz ("The only one, the Old One").
Prince, ever the coy boy Satanist, rises in silhouette to a backstage platform like a demon on the express elevator from Hell. He
seems to have written new arrangements for this set as everything is not only faster but versions of 'Sexuality', 'Let's Work', 'Dirty
Mind' and 'Little Red Corvette' are instrumented to emphasize their Sixties rock 'n' roll underpinning rather than the technopop
drone heard on vinyl. The light show and the band's sexually and racially integrated choreography is full of pointed comparisons
and humour. During the instrumental break in 'Let's Work' the Prince front line strike a classic Rolling Stone tableau, with Dez and
Prince doing a back-to-back Ron Wood & Keith Richards impersonation, their bassist more Wyman than Wyman. 'Little Red
Corvette', gloriously lurid in billowing red smoke, becomes the soundtrack of Cat People as Prince mimes a Bowie-esque salute
before immersing himself in the hallucinogenic hydraulics that burble and shuffle behind his vocals. Erection, copulation and
consummation to the subliminal tempii of Endless Love. Sitting at a keyboard brought centrestage, Prince throws the synthesizer
into acoustic mode and slows down the pace with a blast from the past. 'Still Waiting', that wistful teen plea for a love too long
delayed, gives way to a fierce new blues 'How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore'. Innocence has been scorched by rejection, and
Prince camps it up in mock macho effortlessly sliding from Little Richard falsetto to Rick James baritone. Moving towards the
audience he preens before them as the lover of the song. "Does he have an ass like mine ?" he sneers. "What's the matter baby,
don't you want to play with my tootsie-roll ?" The audience is in raptures, reliving all those puppy-love scenarios of false bravado.
The segue into 'Lady Cab Driver' is totally apropos and totally unexpected ; the psychodrama completed with our stricken hero
being whisked from the throes of self-realization by deus-ex-machina in the form of a taxi cab.
HAVING SPENT MOST OF THIS YEAR touring up and down the US by bus, Prince has polished his moves and his professional
attitude. In a recording industry recession where tour support is often harder to get than a three year contract, Prince has a
relationship with his company, Warner Brothers, which is the source of great envy and speculation. Thus far they have deferred to
him on every level of how to steer his career, and in return Prince is stubbornly determined to make his wilfully idiosyncratic,
specially underpriced, two-record 1999 LP (reduced to a single album in the UK) go gold in the US, something even exposure on the
notorious video channel MTV has, as of this writing, yet to deliver. No black artist outside of Stevie Wonder's deal with Motown has
been allowed to do whatever he likes ; so at least half the critical excitement over Prince is to see how long his good fortune will last.
A master of indirection, Prince continues to send out conflicting signals without coming off as weak minded or insecure. 'Partyup'
was anti-draft, a conceptual anagram for 'Don't Join Up'. 'Sexuality' is not about enslaving oneself to the flesh as much as it is about
freeing oneself from anti-life authoritarianism. 'D.M.S.R.' pegs the hypocrites that tell you what's good or bad for you based on what
they're selling this week - teaching people to be afraid of their own bodies so they can be manipulated that much more easily. Prince
declares that if modern society has divided everything into either Sex or Death symbology then he will define himself in terms of
Sex. And unlike George Clinton, Rick James, or Kid Creole, who also wield sex and romance as tools and metaphors, Prince has not
lost himself in cynicism, not abandoned the chance for original solutions by subscribing to the pimp's excuse that "you can't win,
you can't break even, and you can't get out of the game." When Prince leans toward misogyny on tunes like 'Something In The
Water' and 'Let's Pretend We're Married' one can hear him consider and re-consider the options. The outcome of the war between
the sexes is in no way a foregone conclusion for Prince, nor has he bothered to take sides. A line like "screw the masses" on
'D.M.S.R.' is meant to distress the armchair revolutionaries, for totalitarian government impresses Prince about as much as any
police state. If you ask him to suggest a better alternative he might refer you to a line in 'Ronnie Talk to Russia' where another
ostensibly counter-revolutionary statement - "...don't feed guerrillas" - is merely a reminder that when you are trying to live it
doesn't really matter if the people doing the killing are of a right or left persuasion. Feed people not guerrillas ; wage food diplomacy
not revolution.
Carol Cooper : What is all this talk about a "new breed" coming out of the Controversy album ?
Prince : The "New Breed ?" It's no doctrine, no rhetoric. We're not sloganeers the way politicians are. I always laugh when people
complain that my "message" lyrics aren't specific. Where has all the "specificity" of Mao or Marx, Franklin or Jefferson, or even
Plato and Aristotle gotten us ? True philosophy need be no more specific than "live and let live". The "New Breed" are people who
know how to do that.
On 'All the Critics Love U in New York' on the new album, you recite a litany of backhanded swipes at music critics. What is that
all about ?
A little vindictiveness I guess, but not a lot. It was part experiment and part joke, but people didn't seem to get it. I remember the
critic from Rolling Stone tagged it along with 'D.M.S.R.' as obvious filler, when I thought they were two of the best tunes, so you
figure it. But if you're asking for a general statement, I guess I'm saying that the media fucks with you, with your image. They're
concept groupies. Interviewers are another species of tourist. Mental vampires. I think Zappa once wrote a line like 'I won't do
any more publicity balling for you.' That's sort of how I feel.
PRINCE PROTEGES The Time and Vanity 6 have of late taken up their benefactor's on and off again affair with the press, and at
present, only Morris Day of The Time remains sanguine about bolstering his onstage persona with comments (more playful and
flippant with each encounter) to the scribes and Pharisees. The Time, with their modified zoot suits and two-tone shoes are like a
scaled down model of the early Savannah Band. But their style is less about degenerated America than about bad boys who've found
a constructive use, temporarily, for their time. Due to circumstances they'd really like to control some day, they've become white
collar gangsters-in-training; a sort of street elite of Uptown USA. Given to puns and mock bragadoccio, Day's primary emphasis is
always about being pressed for time. And paired with Prince's time-tied apocalyptic warnings, The Time also offer a thematic
indirection that echoes one of Stevie Wonder's recent mysticisms...We are the children of your night. Day might quip "Eat drink
and be merry for tomorrow you may die - but not us." The three girls who form Vanity 6 are somewhat more problematic as a
viable female faction of the Princely avant garde. None of the three play instruments on stage, and the songs on their debut LP for
the most part require no extraordinary singing ability. For visuals they vascillate between Vampirella's cartoon menace, and
lingerie-clad coffee table porn. Susan and Vanity develop more stage presence every time I see them (Brenda, the oldest, had hers
down from the beginning) but they as yet seem unclear on whether they're aiming for Annabella style prurience, camp comedy, or
the deeper implications of a Joanna Russ style Female Man. As a freeze frame triple fracture of Prince's own feminine projections
they are intriguing: Vanity, a creamy sort of black Barbarella sandwiched between a sweet, underage brown vixen and a tall, butch
blond who talks like the black Boston ghetto. Vanity is meant to combine the other two with an extra kink or two of her own thrown
in for good measure. It will be interesting to see where the second album takes them, as The Time were not taken seriously either
until their second time around. The point is, has been, and always will be to fly in the face of convention, and if The Time, Prince,
and Vanity 6 are able to sustain the work pace they've set for themselves, the changes and growth are bound to be a more accurate
reflection of America's current state of mind than any other set of pop-culture artifacts.
Carol Cooper : Tell me about the line "Purple love and war/That's all you're headed for/But don't show it". That seems to be the
pivotal statement on 'All The Critics Love U'.
Prince : Oh, now you're getting close. All is fair in love and war. Royal purple, red and blue, the colour of yin and yang when they
become one. People are still not serious on a mass level about the war against racism and poverty, they're also not ready for my
kind of love. So yes, I'm making love and war in ways that society is not sympathetic to at the moment, so that's why it'd be
unwise to show it. The war of Armageddon is coming whether we're prepared for it or not, and in 'Free' I talk a little more about
the freedom of choice between good and evil. No government gave you that, God did. But governments don't want you to
remember that - which is why they put conscientious objectors in jail. But in the war that's coming there'll be no way to abstain.
Whatever you do you'll have to be behind one flag or another. My flag is freedom, purple, unconditional love.
But you would have to admit with all the sex-related disease around, from herpes to A.I.D.S., that it would discourage people
from following your advice into free, polymorphous sex.
All these things are prophesy. I wouldn't tell anybody not to take precautions...
Your philosophy doesn't mention any.
You can look at it two ways. Either other aspects of the wrong way people are using their environment is making people sick, or
these diseases are just what they call them - the Wrath of God. All I say is that you shouldn't repress your sexual feelings just
because somebody official told you to. In many places in the world today you're not supposed to fuck just like you're not supposed
to think. Part of thinking for yourself is avoiding people who are going to give you diseases - mental or physical.
??-??-1983 : Cloud Guitar
This classic was originally built in 1983 by David Husain luthier at Knut Koupee music store, which began in 1976 as a repair shop.
The design is based on a bass guitar Prince used in the video for "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad." (A Bass version of the
guitar was on display at the NPG in Minneapolis until it's closure.). Features of the guitar include the thru neck design (All maple.),
the truss rod cover (Which is numbered according to the model 1,2,3 etc..), the three way pickup selector, the "Schaller" machine
heads, front loading jack and a one piece tunomatic bridge. The layout of the E.M.G. pickups incorporates the best of "Fender" and
"Gibson" tones: a Humbucker at the bridge and a Stratocaster Single coil at the neck, giving added versatility and "poke". The
guitar incorporates active electronics. Another feature of the guitar is it's three quater scale length which gives a spongy feel to the
strings and aids a wide, fast vibrato. The "Cloud" changed the sound of the Artist as much as it changed his image, giving rise to
the punchy transistor fuzz he is famous for. Although only four were originally patented (These have been resprayed to suit his
cosmetic needs.) there have been variations including a Blue model with "Batsign" inlays on the neck. Putting £3.000 on your gold
card will buy you a copy of the guitar, otherwise steal one from any number of exhibits including Hard Rock Cafe's in Nashville and
Honolulu and the NPG stores until their closure.
06-1983 : Purple Rain script (Magnoli)
Purple Rain, Prince’s most successful movie, is really a cinematic equivalent of the Triple Threat tour: it’s all about competition, and
yet it’s a fake competition – the only person Prince is up against is himself. When Prince and Apollonia pass a music shop, there
are several mannequins, including one holding a white cloud guitar. The subtext is obvious: everyone in the film is Prince’s puppet.
He emphasises this again in an argument with Wendy Melvoin over a tape she wants to play him – containing the music to ‘Purple
Rain’ – in which he communicates by holding up a monkey puppet and becoming a ventriloquist. The three competing bands in the
film – The Time, The Revolution and Apollonia – are all Prince’s creations, and there’s a deliberate, sly tension in the film in the way
he presents himself as the underdog at the mercy of Morris Day’s machinations, yet maintains his superiority throughout. In the
opening scene at First Avenue, Prince is second on the bill to The Time, but this means he comes first in the film, playing a full
version of ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ before the headliners do a truncated ‘Jungle Love’. Although Prince has a scene where he meets
Apollonia in First Avenue, deliberately echoing his first meeting with Vanity (who refused to do the film after an argument about her
fee), it’s Morris Day who recruits Apollonia and presides over their rehearsals. Still, although Prince has rigged the game, the
subplot about Wendy’s tape acknowledges that this album, unlike the ones that had preceded it, is not just a solo record but, on five
of the album’s nine songs at least, a group project.
(1) Black Screen
SOUND under : MUSIC building in INTENSITY as-PRINCE (over) - Dearly beloved, We are gathered here today To get through this thing called life. Electric word life, It means
forever and that's a mighty long time. But I'm here to tell you that there's something else -- The afterworld.
Then huge CU of EYES opening, gazing into mirror, HAND applying makeup, sudden BLACKNESS, then—
PRINCE (con't) - That's right...a world of never-ending happiness, You can always see the sun -- Day or night.
BURN IN MAIN TITLE : PURPLE RAIN
PRINCE (con't) - So when you call up that shrink in Beverly Hills, You know the one -- Doctor Everything'll Be Alright-- Instead
of asking him how much of your mind is left, Ask him how much of your time, `Cause in this life, Things are much harder than
in the afterworld, In this life, You're on your own.
Now, pulsating COLOR -- FLASHES of hot, white LIGHT...
PRINCE (con't) - And if de-elevator tries to bring you down, Go crazy, punch a higher floor.
and the BEAT provocative now, relentless, BUILDING with fierce intent to—
(2) INT. CLUB (1ST AVE. ST. BAR) – NIGHT
The MECCA ! The last stop for a band before national fame.
The HUGE cavernous HALL is PACKED ! PEOPLE are DANCING like MAD ! VIDEO SCREENS with WILD GRAPHICS hang
suspended from the ceilings. Beautiful WAITRESSES criss-cross the floor in a frenzy.
PRINCE is CENTER-STAGE -- LIPS caressing the mike, black, lustrous hair shining, eyes dancing -- SINGING "Let's Get Crazy" as
the CROWD pulsates beneath the LASER LIGHTS. The MUSIC continues as we ...
CUT TO :
(3) EXT. STREETS #1 – NIGHT
A TAXI pulls UP with a SCREECH. VANITY slouches in the backseat. Black boots, black skin-tight pants, and a mane of thick, black
hair presents a beautiful and imposing figure. Her eyes are large and dark -- her look open and ripe. She knows what she's got, and
doesn't make any excuses for it -- but the fact is she's scared as hell, possessing a vulnerability that surprises her by its suddenness.
An expensive gold chain is fastened on one boot. She scrounges through her bag -- pulls out her remaining cash. It's drastically
short of what she owes and she knows it. She tosses it onto the front seat, JUMPS from the cab, streaks across the street. The
CABBIE lets out a YELL and JUMPS out after her.
"Let's Get Crazy" continues as we ...
CUT TO :
(4) INT. SHOWER, MORRIS' APT. -- NIGHT
MORRIS DAY stands in the shower, steam whirling about his face. He's 22 years old, matinee-idol sexy with large, dark, bedroom
eyes. He headlines a slick techno-funk group called THE TIME which sports gangster suits and wide-brimmed hats. He's gifted with
a wealth of self-laudatory humor which he uses like a knife, moving through life with a calm, but ruthless grace. Make no mistake,
Morris is nobody's fool. His seeming out-raceousness, his charm -- every move he makes is for a calculated effect. He knows exactly
what the ladies need, and doesn't mind reminding them should they forget ...He breaks into a wide grin. Hair standing up like Don
King, he wipes off a hand mirror, regards himself unabashedly as he brushes his teeth.
"Let's Get Crazy" continues as we...
CUT TO :
(5) INT. BASEMENT, PRINCE'S HOME – NIGHT
Prince sits in front of the mirror, finishes applying his makeup. Black hair flowing, eyes wide and fantastic, he regards himself a
moment before jumging up. He puts on a high-collared overcoat, grabs his guitar moves quickly to the basement window. He hoists
himself through it, disappears into the night.
"Let's Get Crazy" continues as we ...
CUT TO :
(6) EXT. CORNER, STREETS #1 – NIGHT
A POLICE CAR, lights FLASHING, sits at the curb. A small CROWD has rathered about. The Cabbie stands on the sidewalk
gesticulating angrily to a COP. Vanity stands by the police car, obviously board, another COP by her side. Her eyes are fastened on a
good-looking BUSINESSMAN standing nearby... A silent negotiation seems to be going on. Understanding wafts between them like
a passing breeze. Without taking his eyes off her, the Businessman approaches the Cabbie, starts talking ...
"Let's Get Crazy" continues as we...
CUT TO :
(7) INT. MORRIS' BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Morris moves lasciviously into the BEDROOM wearing a red muscle T-shirt, orange baggy shorts, and green knee-hi socks fastened
to garters. A yellow bandanna holds up his hair. The bedroom is a MESS. A VACUUM CLEANER stands like a sentry in the middle
of the floor. He turns it on, blazes a path to his closet. He yanks out a well-pressed suit, holds it against him, strikes a sexy, halflidded pose only a mother could love—
MORRIS (awed) - Oh, Lord ...
"Let's Get Crazy" continues as we ...
CUT TO :
(8) EXT. CLUB (1ST AVE. ST. BAR) -- NIGHT
The STREETS are swollen with TRAFFIC. KIDS are packed onto the sidewalk, waiting to get into the club. Prince, riding his
MOTORCYCLE, weaves between jammed cars, then blasts down a narrow alley leading to the rear entrance. His guitar is slung
across his back. He chains up his bike, moves past a CROWD of KIDS, cuts inside.
'Let's Get Crazy" continues as we ...
CUT TO :
(9) EXT. STREETS #2 – NIGHT
A SEVILLE sweeps to a stop. The Businessman is at the wheel. Vanity steps from the car languidly and offers a curt wave goodbye.
The car pulls away. She stands serenely a moment as the CAR twists around the corner. She grabs her bag, rushes into a dark alley.
She pulls a handful of CASH from her pocket, counts through it quickly.
'Let's Get Crazy" -continues as we ...
CUT TO :
(10) EXT. MORRIS' APARTMENT – NIGHT
The DOOR opens -- Morris steps confidently into the night. The change in his appearance is breathtaking. A cashmere coat is
draped over his shoulders, a white scarf hangs loosely about his neck. Wearing a sharp, gangster-style suit, his hair is a pompadour,
and Stacy Adams on his feet - - Morris is the very picture of elegance. He doesn't just walk to the curb, he slides -- his promenade
punctuated with a dip at the knees you could snap your fingers to. JEROME is at the curb, buffing down the bumper of a yellow,
1970 Fleetwood Cadillac. Jerome is solidly built, smooth-faced handsome with a boyish charm all his own. He's a member of The
Time, and acts as Morris' chauffeur, valet, and all-purpose shadow. He moves quickly to the door, holds it open as Morris settles
himself into the backseat. He closes it with a flair, hops behind the wheel, pulls out.
'Let's Get Crazy" continues as we...
CUT TO :
(11) INT. DRESSING ROOM, CLUB -- NIGHT
Prince is BACKSTAGE, practicing spins in front of the mirror. The other MEMBERS of his CROUP are scattered throughout the
room. BOBBY sits off to the side, his drumsticks tapping against his knee. MATT puts on his doctor's smock. LISA and WENDY
finish applying their makeup. MARK runs his fingers up and down the neck of his bass guitar. Suddenly a STAGEHAND pokes his
head into the room, holds the door open as Prince and his band cut quickly to the stage.
'Let's Get Crazy' continues as we...
CUT TO :
(12) INT. MOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT
The DOOR opens -- A LIGHT goes on. Vanity stands in the hallway, peers cautiously into a squalid, rundown room. She hesitates
briefly, seems to sigh, then indicates she will take it. The MANAGER closes the door as he leaves. She stands a moment, surveys the
room. A bed and bureau, sink, a chair, hotplate -- simply the essentials. She pulls a dress from her bag, a pair of hi-heels, some
gloves, underwear. She hangs the dress on a rod, places the shoes beneath it, arranges the rest in a bureau drawer. She looks around
once more -- flowered wallpaper peels from the walls. She rushes to the window, tears open the shutters -- iron bars obstruct her
view...
(13) EXT. CLUB -- NIGHT (VANITY'S POV)
... KIDS are crowded in front of the CLUB. A YELLOW CADDY SCREECHES up in front. TRAFFIC is jammed all around. The night
is electric -- the scene beckons ...
(14) INT. VANITY'S HALLWAY -- NIGHT
She runs from the room, cuts down the hallway, slanming the door behind her ...
"Let's Get Crazy" continues as we...
CUT TO :
(15) EXT. CLUB (1st AVE. ST. BAR) -- NIGHT
Jerome opens the door of the CADDY, helps Morris out. The CROWD recognizes them immediately, rushes in for a closer look.
Morris loves the attention, plays to their enthusiasm with a relish. Jerome snaps a comb into his hand, holds up a pocket mirror ...
Morris combs his hair dramatically, the Crowd encouraging him on. Jerome gives him the OK sign, ushers him into the club.
"Let's Get Crazy" continues as we...
CUT TO :
(16) INT. CLUB (1st AVE. ST. BAR) – NIGHT
Prince onstage performing "Let's Get Crazy." He's locked into a guitar solo, moving provocatively with Wendy. The CROWD is
packed onto the DANCE FLOOR, thick against the stage. Jerome makes his way through the crowd, blazing a path for Morris who is
surrounded by a dozen BABES. Occasionally Morris glances at Prince -- discloses by his look that he doesn't care much for his act -or his music... He breaks off from the Girls, follows Jerome to the backstage entrance where they're joined by other MEMBERS of
The Time -- JESSE and JELLYBEAN among them. Morris casts another glance toward Prince, breaks into a self-satisfied grin-MORRIS - We're going to slay him... (screams) Whawhak !
"Let's Get Crazy" continues as we...
CUT TO :
(17) EXT. CLUB -- NIGHT
COMMOTION ! The CROWD has become unwieldly -- TRAFFIC is snarled all around. HORNS are BLARING. COPS try desperately
to ward off the inevitable grid lock. Vanity runs against the light, moves to the head of the queue to the accompaniment of JEERS
and CATCALLS. She doesn't budge an inch, KNOCKS rapidly on the glass door, catching the attention of CHICK, a burly, 6'5", 285
pound bouncer with a white beard and long flowing hair. An ex-Marine, Chick's function is obvious. He cracks the door—
CHICK – What ?
VANITY - I have an appointment with the manager.
CHICK - No you don't -- he doesn't see anybody.
Suddenly a FIGHT breaks out at the INSIDE MONEY WINDOW. Chick spins instantly, SLAMS the door -- but Vanity jams her boot
into the narrow space. The door crashes against her instep, she winces in pain --but Chick doesn't notice. He's already upon the
OFFENDERS, heaving them against the wall. Vanity streaks inside, blazes up the stairway, ducks behind a GROUP of GIRLS...
CHICK turns instantly -- the door is closed -- VANITY, gone. His eyes dart up the stairway -- nothing. He shrugs, drags the Two
Guys off.
(18) INT. CLUB -- UPPER BAR AREA – NIGHT
VANITY watches as he moves away. She jumps up, lunges onto the dance floor, CRASHES into a waitress, JILL, whose tray
SMASHES to the floor—
JILL - What are you retarded or something ?! Why don't you look where you're going ?
She's 18 years old, blonde and pretty in a cute, innocent way. A Daisy Mae-type whose emotions form so quickly, she has trouble
sorting them out. Right now she's mad as hell -- she thinks—
VANITY - Sorry ... where's the office ?
Jill squats, picks up the broken glasses- JILL - Do you think you can just come in here and take over ?
VANITY - I said I'm sorry -- what do you want me to do ? Where's the office ?
Jill points -- Vanity hurries away –
JILL (triumphantly) - No one's in !
Vanity stops dead in her tracks, does a slow burn. She walks back to Jill—
VANITY - Okay, so you got me back, fine. Listen, I'm from out of town. I have to see the manager, it's important. I'm a real good
singer and dancer. I know he could use me.
JILL - Do you have any experience ?
Vanity simmers, enunciates every word—
VANITY - Yeah...definitely.
JILL - Follow me.
And she turns on her heels, makes her way through the club, moving into the vicinity of the stage. Vanity follows her reluctantly,
casts a look to the band. She spots Prince for the first time -- stops instantly...His effect on her is instantaneous. Passion surges
through her like a tidal wave. His hair, face, eyes -- it all conspires to make her weak. It's like meeting someone for the first time, but
seeing so much of yourself in them, that their lips, eyes, mouth -- you're certain you have touched, and the desire to be with them
becomes so strong that the very act of touching will release you in a way you never thought possible... Prince brines "Let's Get
Crazy" to a rousing, blistering end. Suddenly the stage is plunged into darkness. The CROWD goes WILD !...Vanity snaps out of it.
Jill is tugging at her arm, a puzzled look on her face—
JILL - Here, fill this out -- I'll have him call you.
VANITY - I don't have a phone. When will he be back ?
JILL - Well...you can try tomorrow.
VANITY - You can count on it.
Vanity hands the card back to her -- Jill reads the name, address -- looks up puzzled—
JILL – Vanity ??...
BACKSTAGE as Morris and The Time pass Prince on their way to the stage—
MORRIS - Why don't you stay awhile, see how it's done.
The Band Members bust up -- but Prince ignores them, then—
MC - Ladies and gentlemen -- please welcome The Time.
CLUB
Sudden APPLAUSE and CRIES. Vanity and Jill turn directly into the path of Prince, descending the Steps of the stage. Vanity gasps,
LOCKS eyes with him. Jill seems to jump out of her skin -- it's obvious she has a crush on him something awful—
JILL - Hi ya, Prince -- God I liked that song, it's real fun.
She fidgets uncontrollably, Vanity's card buring a hole into her hand. Prince glances at the card, then stares at Vanity, the ripeness
of her look paralyzing. He tears his eyes away, puts on his sunglesses, looks toward the stage.
18A) INT. CLUB -- NEAR STAGE -- NIGHT
MORRIS and The Time rip into a funk tune called "Jungle Love." Their stranglehold on the audience is instantaneous. Morris struts
across the stage like a panther, playing to the audience with a relish. His eyes fastened on Prince -- his pride umistakable. PRINCE
watches Morris a moment, then eyes Vanity again. The heat between them is apparent. Vanity's heart is pounding, she's not sure
what to do. She keeps her eyes on Morris, hoping that a Solution will present itself. PRINCE watches as Jill tacks the card to a board
behind the bar. Sizing up the situation quickly, he again glances at Vanity -- but her eyes are fastened on Morris. Feeling terribly shy
and thinking there's nothing he can do to divert her attention away from him, he reluctantly heads for the front door. Vanity finally
hits upon something to say, turns—
VANITY - I really liked your song too...
But he's gone. Her eyes scan the room frantically -- catches a glimpse of him leaving. She takes a sudden step, then stops, paralyzed
with indecision. Jill regards ger coldly. MORRIS meanwhile is beside himself. Some gorgeous, dark-haired babe, eyes wide as
saucers was staring at him from the bar. Prince has left, and this girl is his. He motions to Jerome, and they direct their act in her
direction. JILL gazes at Vanity, fidgets intensely, suspicious and resentful of her. She glances up and notices Morris, look. She seizes
upon an idea, forces a friendly smile, taps Vanity on the shoulder—
JILL - Hey ...
She points to the stage. Vanity looks at Morris, and he goes crazy, entertaining her with his own special blend of showmanship. The
CROWD loves it ! Vanity is held a moment, but her thoughts are elsewhere. She finally comes to a decision, pulls away, cuts through
the club.
(18B) INT. FOYER AND STAIRWAY -- NIGHT
as she runs down the stairs, cuts behind Chick, BURSTS out the door.
(19) EXT. CLUB -- NIGHT
FRANTIC ! The STREETS are thick with TRAFFIC. She scans them wildly -- nothing. Suddenly Prince, astride his motorcycle,
BLAZES past her from the opposite direction. She starts running, shouts—
VANITY - Hey wait !
But Prince is too far away, the traffic too condensed for him to hear. He whips down the street, disappears around the corner.
Vanity continues running, then slows, dejection overcoming her in waves. She looks around -- KIDS are staring at her, passing
jokes. Embarrassed, She moves to the front door but Chick is there, his eyes upon her cold, impassionate. Exhausted and slighlty
tearful, she cuts across the street, heads back to her apartment.
(20) EXT. PRINCE'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
Prince WHIPS down the street, cuts his motor, coasts up the drive. He comes to a stop against a wooden gate. His house is a
nondescript, one-family structure with a wide front porch. He lives in a neat and tidy, homogeneous, lower middle-class
neighborhood whose occupants are hard-working type fiercely protective of their privacy. He climbs the steps to the porch, opens
the front door... ...his mothers SCREAM is like ice in his veins. Fear trickles into the hollows of his body like cold water, His pain
commands him to move, but the impulse short circuits somewhere at the waist, leaving his legs twitching uncontrollably. Then
another SCREAM from his mother, and his father's voice now, LOUD and FURIOUS—
FATHER (O.S.) - Listen to me ! You come home when I say come home! You've got no business in the streets !
WHACK ! His mother SCREAMS -- Prince BURSTS into the room.
(21) INT. Prince's LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT
Prince's MOTHER is at the far side of the living room CRYING uncontrollable. She's in her early 40's, a dark-haired, faded beauty,
with large, wild, anxious eyes. There's a detectable scent of liquor in the air, and her slurred speech pins her as the source. His
FATHER is in his late 40's, a squat, but solidly built black man, with a cherubic face, and graceful expressive hands. He's upon her
now, WHACKING ! at her horribly, trying to get to her face—
FATHER - You do what I say, do you hear me ?! You've got to keep this place clean ! You here, no place else !
MOTHER - You're crazy !
WHACK !
MOTHER – Asshole !
WHACK !
MOTHER – Motherfucker !!!
The Father lunges, WHACKS ! her across the face. She topples to the floor, a lamp CRASHES to the ground. Prince cuts through the
room, lunges desperately in front of him—
PRINCE (pleading) - Please, Dad...she's heard you. She's had enough !
His Mother drags herself up along the wall—
MOTHER (hysterical) - He's trying to kill me ! He's crazy ! Look what he's doing to me !
PRINCE (tearfully) - Dad, please ... she's—
WHACK ! Prince's head snaps back, his feet lift from the floor, his body CRASHES in a heap by the door...Stunned SILENCE.
Prince, flat on his back, fights vertigo with everything he's got. His Mother lets out a YELP, rushes into the bedroom, SLAMS the
door. His Father stands motionless, sullen—
FATHER - Get up... you ain't hurt.
Prince opens his Mouth, BLOOD gushes from a gash in his tongue. He hoists himself up slowly, using the wall for support. He
moves into the kitchen, disappears down the basement steps.
(22) BASEMENT -- HALLWAYS AND BEDROOM -- NIGHT
A naked LIGHT BULB snaps ON. It dangles like a pendulum, casting strange shadows. The basement is partitioned off into a series
of rooms, interconnected by a labyrinthine combination of passages. An old washer and dryer stand in the corner. Prince descends
the steps slowly. He comes through a door, closes it behind him. He moves down a narrow passageway, enters a small cramped
BEDROOM.
He closes the door and locks it behind him. MOONLIGHT filters in through the basement windows. The total effect is like entering
a womb, a deep dark chamber of security and safety. Lying heavily onto his bed, he sighs long and deep, his eyes piercing the
darkness...
FADE OUT :
FADE IN : Wednesday ... I Don't Know What I'd Do...
(23) INT. CLUB EARLY MORNING
MUSIC wafts through the sun-drenched CLUB. Jill is seated at the PIANO, 'a la Marlene Dietrich, SINGING to her heart's content.
A cigarette dangles from her lip, a police cap is perched jauntily on her head. It's a simple bar tune, delivered slightly off-key, but
with an openness that is endearing. Chick is working in the corner, chuckling to himself, stacking chairs, sweeping up. Suddenly she
stops -- listens intently. She jumps up, deliberately spills her orange juice on the piano. Prince comes around the corner, stops
short-PRINCE (surprised) - What are you doing here ?
She's a bundle of loose, embarrassing ends -- the cigarette, hat, juice—
JILL - What...what are you doing here ?
He feels caught out -- SCANS the BOARD earnestly for Vanity's info -- tries to think of something to say—
PRINCE - Huh ... it's kind of dead in here. Where is everybody ?
JILL - In bed I guess... (to herself) Oh, God ... (changes subject) Guess what, I bought a dog.
PRINCE - That's nice... (he spots Vanity's card)
Ah, I guess I'll come back at a better time. You think tonight the place'll be jumping ?
JILL - Well, I'll be here -- I always like what you do.
He smiles, moves to the door -- Jill connects with a thought—
JILL – Wait ! I've got something for you.
PRINCE – What ? A subpoena ?
JILL (embarrassed) - No...
She rumages through her bag, pulls out a cassette—
JILL - It's a song Lisa and Wendy wrote.
He stiffens, doesn't reach for it—
PRINCE (suspicious) - Why didn't they give it to me themselves ?
JILL - Well, I liked it and wanted to listen to it. They told me to give it to you when I was done.
He puts his sunglasses on, hesitates, then takes it from her gingerly. He regards it for a long time—
PRINCE - You really liked it, huh ?
24) INT. REHEARSAL HALL -- DAY
MUSIC throbs through the crammed, rundown REHEARSAL HALL. Hardwood floors, a wall of mirrors, and a bank of windows
provides the setting. SUNLIGHT streams through tattered yellow shades.
The Time is set up on one side providing the music for "Sex Shooter" a saucy number with an irresistible beat. Morris, with Jerome
by his side, stands in the middle of the floor, SHOUTS instructions to...
...BRENDA and SUSAN, gamely trying some intricate dance steps. Brenda is 21 years old, blond, sexy, with an alluring new-wave
look. Susan is 16 years old, with dark, lustrous hair and a sexy baby-doll quality. Right now they're tired as hell, and a little angry-MORRIS - One, two, three, kick ! One, two, three, kick ! Four, five...Oh, Lord. Cut ! Cut !
The MUSIC stops, the girls come to a halt -- Morris regards them evenly—
MORRIS - You ladies don't seem to realize how valuable my time is. You're going to make my boys look bad.
BRENDA - Why don't you let us come up with our own steps ?
Morris glares at her—
MORRIS - We tried that... (sweetly) ... remember ?
The Girls fidget—
MORRIS - Now you're in the best possible position you can be in, so what' s the matter -- your shoes on too tight or something ?
(claps his hands) Let's have some action, let's have some asses wiggling, I want some perfection. Whawhak !
The MUSIC starts up -- the Girls start dancing. Morris looks woefully to Jerome--MORRIS - I think I'm going to need a drink, a strong drink. (a beat) Let's get the hell out of here.
(25) EXT. STREETS AND ALLEY -- DOWNTOWN -- DAY
Morris and Jerome move briskIy down the sidewalk-MORRIS - This just ain't happening. The bitches are okay, but we need something more excitingJEROME - You're right. We could be doing much better. Any ideas ?
MORRIS - That powder fine babe we saw last night.
JEROME - Oooh, yeee ! -- Why don't we find out who she is ?
Morris snaps an address in front of his face-MORRIS - I already know that. Jill gave me everything last night. Whawhak !
JEROME - Then what are we waiting for ? Let's go !
MORRIS - No, no -- that ain't classy enough. I want the bitch to come to me -- I'm the only star in this town.
Suddenly a BEAUTIFUL BABE lunges into the sidewalk from the alley-BABE (yelling) - Morris Day, who do you think you are ?! I waited up all night for you. I'm so tired of you doing that to me. You
think you're so hot ? You're nothing special. This is the third time you pulled that shit. Who the fuck do you think I am ?!
MORRIS – Jerome !
Jerome puts the girl in a headlock, DRAGS her into the alley-BABE (screaming) - Leave me alone you ape ! -- What are you doing to me ?! Morris !!
He flings her into the dumpster, SLAMS the lid with a CRASH. Morris pats his brow-MORRIS - Lo-rd..! Such nastiness. (a beat) Hee, hee -- Let's break.
They streak across the street, double-time it to the CADDY. A COP sweeps by, gives them a curious look. Morris puts on a dignified
air, then stops, stupified-MORRIS - Jerome, this car -- it's...it's lacking something. What do you think ?
JEROME - Hmm... I don't know...
MORRIS - I got it ! The hubcaps. We need something sweeter.
JEROME - I think I know what it needs.
Morris is pondering his Stacy Adams-MORRIS - Yeah ... I know what these need.
(26) INT. SHOESHINE STAND -- DOWNTOWN -- DAY
Morris sits in the chair, his Stacy Adams worked on by an old, grizzled SHOESHINE BOY in his mid-sixties, with large jowls and
silver close-cropped hair. Jerome stands nearby, watches intently-MORRIS (musing) - The girl has expensive tastes. I wonder if she can sing.
JEROME - As fine as she is...she doesn't have to know how to sing.
MORRIS - (grace) I know that's right. (to Shoeshine) Hey -- watch it now.
The Shoeshine Boy looks up balefully -- Morris smiles, then grits his teeth-MORRIS - I want you to stay out of the set tonight. I want you to work the floor.
JEROME - What for ?
MORRIS - I want to know when that sweet thing shows up. You stay by the door, you see her, you come get me, cool ?
JEROME - Cool. I come get you -- let you know the girl's there.
MORRIS - Well, not if I'm with my other babes. That wouldn't be cool. I don't want to break their hearts, and you know how I feel
about that. So we ought to have like, a signal.
JEROME - A password.
MORRIS - Okay. What's the password ?
JEROME - You got it.
MORRIS - Got what ?
JEROME - The password.
MORRIS - The password is what ?
JEROME - Exactly.
MORRIS - The password is exactly ?
JEROME - No, it's-MORRIS - Hold it now. Slow down. The babe walks in and you see her.
JEROME - I see her.
MORRIS - You come get me.
JEROME - I come get you.
MORRIS - And I'll probably have a couple little sexies on the stand-by, and we don't want to upset them, do we ? So you just glide
by me and say...what ?
JEROME - Okay.
MORRIS - The password is okay ?
JEROME - Far as I'm concerned.
MORRIS – Dammit ! Say the password.
JEROME - What.
MORRIS - Say the password, sperm breath !
JEROME - The password is what.
MORRIS (frustrated) - That's what I'm asking you !
JEROME (more frustrated) - It's the password !
MORRIS - The password is it ?
JEROME (exasperated) – Ahhhhh ! The password is what !
MORRIS – It ! You just said so !
JEROME - The password isn't it ! The password is-MORRIS – What ?
JEROME - Got it !
MORRIS - I got it ?
JEROME - Right.
MORRIS - It or right ?
JEROME (perplexed) – What ??
The Shoeshine Boy looks up slowly -- regards them with a soulfull look-SHOESHINE BOY - Either of you do heavy drugs ?
(27) EXT. STORE WINDOW AND MALL SHOPS -- DOWNTOWN -- AFTERNOON
The SIDEWALKS are alive with bustling SHOPPERS. Vanity walks aimlessly past store windows, staring longingly at the expensive
items. BRIDAL SHOP as she stops suddenly and stares transfixed. A YOUNG WOMAN, startingly similar to her in looks and
coloring, tries on a beautiful bridal gown as a SEAMSTRESS adjusts the hem. The entire scene is warm and endearing. Vanity is
struck by its beauty and seems to sigh. The Young Woman looks up suddenly, catches Vanity's gaze, and gives her an affectionate
smile. Vanity smiles back avidly, then—
PRINCE (O. S .) - Give me that.
She looks up startled—
PRINCE - There ... on your boot.
She looks down -- it's the expensive gold chain. She hesitates, then hands it to him. He drops it into his pocket, walks away—
VANITY - Hey, wait !
She runs after him—
VANITY - Give it back to me
He continues to walk briskly -- she starts pulling on his coat—
PRINCE - You can have it back later.
VANITY - I want it back now, okay ?
PRINCE - Who gave it to you ?
VANITY - A person
PRINCE - Female or male ?
VANITY - Huh ...
PRINCE - You're lying. I can tell just by your reaction that you're lying.
He moves away briskly -- Vanity stands her ground, amused—
PRINCE - So you gave it to me -- it's not yours anymore.
He stops short -- something has caught his eye. She's curious, comes up behind him, then—
VANITY - You see something you like ?
He puts on his sunglasses. A GUITAR stands prominently in the window.
PRINCE - Let's go for a ride.
He flips her the gold chain' -- turns hastily. She weighs it in her hand, studies the guitar—
VANITY - It's pretty.
(28) EXT. HIGHWAY -- DUSK * TAKE ME WITH YOU *
Prince and Vanity on his MOTORCYCLE blazing down the HIGHWAY, twisting through TRAFFIC. The CITY is behind them,
receding into the distance.
(29) Ext. COUNTRYSIDE -- DUSK
They pull off an access road, drop down a small embankment, ride down a narrow, dirt road.
LAKESIDE
The pull to a stop. A LAKE stretches before them. Vanity gets off the bike, walks around exploring, casting curious glances at Prince.
He stands by the water, idly tossing stones—
VANITY - My psychic told me I was going to be famous.
PRINCE - How much did that cost you ?
VANITY - Fifty bucks. It was a good investment.
He doesn't respond -- she suddenly feels shy—
VANITY - No seriously -- My psychic did tell me. I was in a play once.
PRINCE - Oh, yeah -- what did you play ?
VANITY - Isadora Duncan...
She stretches her arms like a butterfly, does a little step—
VANITY - That means I can sing and dance. (a beat) Want to help me ?
PRINCE (swiftly) - Nope.
VANITY (surprised) - Pardon me ?
PRINCE - Nope.
She's Perplexed—
PRINCE - Want to know why ?
VANITY (defensively) - Nope.
PRINCE - (a beat) Because you wouldn't pass the initiation.
VANITY - What initiation ?
PRINCE - Well, for starters you have to purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka.
VANITY – What ?
PRINCE - You have to purify yourself in Lake Minnetonka.
Her brow furrows, she looks out across the lake. He's calmly throwing stones. Recognizing a challenge when she sees one, she
formulates a plan, faces him seductively, shoots him an open look. He stops suddenly, locks eyes with her, feels his knees go weak.
Her hold on him is unmistakable. She pulls off her blouse in one fluid motion, tugs off her boots, drops her pants to the ground.
She's exquisite, takes a step toward him. Passion rings in his veins ...Suddenly she turns on her heels, moves purposefully toward
the water. He's shocked, realizes that she's about to go in—
PRINCE - Hey, wait a minute ! Thats—
But she silences him savagely—
VANITY - We made a deal !
And before he can react she scampers along a log, DIVES beneath the surface. He can't believe it -- her spirit really impresses him.
She breaks the surface coughing and sputtering, hops and jumps to the shore—
PRINCE - Hold it.
VANITY – What ?
PRINCE - That ain't Lake Minnetonka.
He tries to keep a straight face, jumps on his motorcvcle, STARTS it up. His words take a moment to sink in, then—
VANITY (enraged) - You bastard. I don't believe it. How could you do that to me ?!
She gathers up her clothes, tries desperately to put them on. She slips and falls -- Prince can't help laughingVANITY - Damn you -- I'll kill you.
She starts throwing stones. He laughs, blasts up the path—
VANITY (screaming) - You prick ! Are you sick ?! Is this some kind of ritual -- getting your kicks ! How many girls have you done
this to ?
ACCESS ROAD
He blazes up the embankment, SAILS through the air, drops expertly onto the road. He fishtails to a slick stop. Vanity is by the lake,
flailing about, throwing things, trying to get into her boots—
VANITY – Bastard !
He laughs heartily, wants to kid her, rides down the road as if he's leaving. Having his fun, he slows, turns to go back ... ...his smile
dissolves instantly. Vanity is in the middle of the road, flagging down a small PICKUP TRUCK. She hops in, slams the door. The
truck peels out, bears down upon him. He gesticulates his arms wildly -- wants to explain—
PRINCE - Hey ...
But the truck streaks past -- Vanity's look is cold, triumphant.
(30) INT. CLUB (1ST AVE. ST. BAR) -- NIGHT
MUSIC. The CLUB is PACKED ! THE MODERNAIRES is onstage, a hi-techno funk group, performing their trademark, a frenzied
song entitled "Modernaire" The floor is dense with KIDS, all performing the same syncopated dance. PRINCE moves through the
club slowly, seems to be searching someone out. His face is drawn and haggard, his spirits strained. He cuts past the BAR, barely
acknowledges Jill, or the other WAITRESSES by her side, KIM and KATY. Jill looks concerned—
KIM - Honey, you still chasing after that fool ?
Kim is 21 years and gorgeous, with dark eyes, a smooth sculpted face, and taut shapely legs. She is street-educated and doesn't need
encouraging to speak her mind. Katy is also in her-early 20's, a tall, alluring Oriental, with an attractive, intelligent face—
JILL - I'm doing what I'm doing. It's my business.
KATY - He doesn't even look at you. That's the last thing you want from a man.
JILL - You just don't know him like I do.
KIM - Honey... Look, Listen, and then Feel. If you do them in any other order, you're headed for trouble.
Matt and Bobby (members of Prince's group) stroll up—
BOBBY - Hey, Jill -- where's our drinks ?
JILL - They're coming -- just wait.
Matt stares hungrily at her breasts—
JILL - What you want isn't on the menu.
BOBBY - Jill, in ten years they'll be on the table.
She swats him with her order pad -- Bobby ducks, taunts her—
BOBBY - C'mon, c'mon ...
She goes to swing, Matt moves in, squeezes her breasts—
MATT (horn sound) – BooPoo !!
KIM - Get out of here, you jerks !
MATT - Sweetheart ... do you have a real hot place where I could stick my nose ?
KIM - Sure -- try a microwave.
The Guys bust up, head for their tablesKATY - Those guys are deep.
KIM - Yeah -- deeply retarded.
(31) INT./EXT. CLUB -- MONEY WINDOW – NIGHT
Vanity stands in line waiting to get in. She wears a short, black dress and red heels, carries a black and red clutchbag. Her hair is
swept back and wind-blown, her eyes dark and dancing. She looks wickedly wonderful and knows it. CHICK stands by the window,
arms folded, as massive as a Sequoia. He regards her suspiciously—
VANITY (sweetly) - I'm paying ... see ? (to cashier, gruff) Keep the change.
Chick advances on her -- her eyes widen with fear—
CHICK - The manager wants to see you.
VANITY - Really..? Oh, great...like to see him too.
She breaths a sigh of relief. JEROME watches as Chick escorts Vanity to the upper level. He stays short distance behind.
(32) INT. CLUB UPPER LEVEL -- NIGHT
as Vanity and Chick come to a halt in the middle of the floor—
CHICK - He'll be right with you.
Chick walks away. Jerome makes a move toward her, but pulls himself up short - - BILLY SPARKS has approached her—
BILLY SPARKS - Hi, I'm Billy Sparks, I manage this place.
Vanity turns around -- her eyes widen with surprise-- He's 38 years old, 5'3" tall and weighs about 180 pounds. He's dressed in a
baby-blue running suit. and white tennis shoes that come to a point. A dark-skinned, smooth-faced black man, he's wearing small,
white sunglasses and a base-ball cap perched on his head. Fred Flintstone in Harlem. A hip, fast-talking jive motherfucker who uses
profanity like a light saber. Chubby, cuddly, cherubic Billy Sparks. He'd sell his mother if he thought he could make a buck. They
size one another up in. about three seconds—
VANITY - Hi -- I really like your club.
BILLY - Really...
VANITY - What time is it ?
BILLY - Nine, sweets.
VANITY - Oh, that's a really nice watch. Very pretty.
Billy lights a cigarette, offers her one, she accepts—
VANITY - You look like a guy I used to go out with -- he was a lot older, but I like older men.
BILLY - Really, what a coincidence.
VANITY - I just came off a Broadway play. My grandmother got sick.
BILLY - Does she live here ?
VANITY - No, in New York ... (catches herself) But, huh, I have a sister here, lives in Saint ... huh ...
BILLY - ...Paul.
VANITY - Amazing.
BILLY - Ye-es. (smiles) What do you want to do ? You don't want to be a waitress do you ?
VANITY - No ... no...Actually I was thinking more in the way of the stage.
BILLY - Of course... how about dinner ?
VANITY – Theatre ?
BILLY - Dinner, then the theatre, my sweets.
VANITY - Oh, huh...
Jerome appears—
JEROME - Hi ya, Billy.
BILLY - Good evening, Jerome.
Vanity sees her escape—
VANITY - Jerome -- I was looking all over for you !
They BOTH look at her surprised—
BILLY - You know each other ?
VANITY - Of course.
Jerome goes along with it—
JEROME - Yes, we've met. I have something to show you.
VANITY - Great. See you later, Billy.
She walks away with Jerome, arm in arm—
VANITY - You rescued me.
JEROME (smiles) - Ye-es.
(33) INT. DRESSING ROOM – NIGHT
Prince and his band (Mark, Bobby, Matt, Lisa) sit backstage, waiting to go on. An air of tension permeates the room. Lisa sits in the
corner and fidgets, casts sidelong looks to Prince. He sits apart from the group, deathly silent, locked in thought. Wendy walks in
and shares a look with Lisa. She goes up to Prince, her voice filled with nervousness-WENDY - Hiya Prince. I heard through the grapevine you had a new tune written by two great girls. By chance did you hear it ?
He stares at her -- if looks could kill Wendy would be dead—
LISA- I knew it -- he didn't listen to it. He probably dropped it under his bike and rolled over it.
Prince grunts, turns away -- Wendy is amazed-WENDY – Wow ! Okay...you think about this. I'm going to be real honest with you. You're really being full of shit.
LISA - Forget about it, Wendy. Let's get out of here—
But Wendy, agitated, silences her with a fierce gesture-WENDY (to Prince) - Every time we give you a song, you say you're going to use it, but you never do. You always think that
we're doing something behind your back. You're just being paranoid as usual.
LISA - Wendy...
WENDY (upset) - Shut up, Lisa, please ! (to Prince) You should know by now that we wouldn't hurt vou. We're not out to put a
dark cloud over your head. It's just to make you feel good, Prince -- that's what it's all about. You've been this way with us before,
remember ?
PRINCE (maliciously) - The nominees for the best actress are-LISA - Fuck it, Wendy -- let's break !
Wendy is shaking, tears spring to her eyes-WENDY - Do you know you can really, really hurt people ? Doesn't that mean anything to you, doesn't that make you feel like
shit ?
LISA - C'mon ...
WENDY - I'm tired of this ... I'm really tired...
They leave the room, Wendy SLAMS the door behind her. Prince casts a look to Bobby, Mark, Matt—
PRINCE - You tired, too ?
MATT - God got Wendy's periods reversed. About every 28 days, she starts acting nice. Lasts about a weekend.
Thud. The joke hangs suspended like a ball and chain. Bobby gets up, the others follow him to the door—
BOBBY - What difference does it make, Prince. We're still a group, right ?
They cut out the door.
35) INT/BACKSTAGE ENTRANCE/CLUB -- NIGHT
Morris stands by the door surrounded by several delicious BABES. One of them, wearing a tight, red dress, looks especially enticing.
Morris leans in closer -- her tasty breasts strain against the spandex material—
MORRIS - Honey -- don't you ever try and breastfeed no baby now.
GIRL - Why not ?
MORRIS - Never mind ...
Jerome appears—
JEROME - What.
MORRIS – What ?
JEROME - Right. What.
MORRIS – What ??
JEROME - You got it.
He snaps his head to the side -- Morris looks, sees Vanity sitting at a table. His eyes dance mischievously—
MORRIS - Ye-es (to Girl) What time is it ?
GIRL (coyly) - Tea time.
MORRIS - So, right.
(36) INT. DRESSING ROOM -- NIGHT
as Prince sits by himself in front of the mirror, staring at a cassette on the counter. We recognize it immediately as the tape Jill gave
him earlier, containing Lisa's and Wendy's music. He picks it up, snaps it into a ghetto blaster. MUSIC, without lyrics, fills the
room. He adjusts the dials, sits back and listens a moment. Suddenly the door opens—
STAGEHAND - Prince, five minutes.
He snaps off the music, drops the cassette into his pocket, cuts out the room.
(37) INT. BACKSTAGE -- NIGHT
He comes to the stage-area. His Band Members are standing about anxiously, watching the final moments of The Modernaires'
performance. He cuts behind the curtain, peers at the crowd... ...his eyes fall on Vanity -- his face brightens instantly. Just then
Jerome and Morris approach her. Prince shakes his head knowingly, offers a wry smile, then joins his band.
(38) INT. VAN1TY'S TABLE AND CLUB -- NIGHT
She sits demurely. Morris' eyes are wide and shining -- her beauty up close astonishes him—
JEROME - Vanity, I'd like you to meet Morris E. Day.
MORRIS - Hold it now -- just leave the 'E' alone.
JEROME (clears throat) - Vanity...this is Morris Day
MORRIS - The pleasure's all mine.
she offers her hand -- he takes it decorously—
JEROME - If you'd excuse me.
Morris signals him -- whispers into his ear—
MORRIS - Too sexy ... (a beat) Have a waitress bring a bottle of their best champagne.
He seats himself, fastens her with a sexy, half-lidded look—
MORRIS - Your lips would make a lollipop too happy.
VANITY - You think so, huh ?
MORRIS - Ye-es.
Kim appears with a bottle of champagne in ice—
KIM - Who's paying for this Morris ?
MORRIS - I think you know that. (a beat) Jerome !
Jerome appears, opens the bottle with a flair, performs a classy taste test. Morris pulls out some cash, pays him, who snatches the
money, leaves—
MORRIS - Huh, keep the change
He whispers to Jerome—
MORRIS - Get my change, will ya ?
Jerome leaves, Morris purses his lips—
MORRIS - Oh, Lord...either somebody put something in my drink, or you are the finest (motherfucker) I've seen in ages.
VANITY - Excuse me, what did you say ?
MORRIS - Huh...you look nice tonight.
He leans in, speaks with a sexy voice—
MORRIS - It's rare that I out my cards on the table when it comes to meeting young ladies, but ... I'm going to make you love me.
VANITY - Is that a fact ?
He folds his legs dramatically, his Stacy Adams reflecting the light—
MORRIS - Just as sure as my Stacy Adams are shiny.
Just then--M.C. (O.S.) G-SPOT & ELECTRIC INTERCOURSE - Ladies and Gentlemen -- please welcome Prince !
The CLUB erupts in CRIES ! Prince hits the stage, launches into "G-spot," a fast, high-spirited funk tune that gets the crowd
hopping. Vanity watches as Prince whips the crowd into a frenzy. Morris listens with a complacent grin on his face, his eyes
searching out various members of The Time who are scattered through-out the club. When he connects with one of them he makes
a series of absurd faces which sends them into hysterics. For Prince is playing music that The Time is noted for, and, as far as
Morris is concerned, performs better. Not everyone in the club is dancing, or paying attention, and this does not escape his notice.
Suddenly "G-Spot" comes to a rousing end. The CROWD cheers wildly. Prince moves quickly to the piano and launches into
"Electric Intercourse," a love ballad which, as it progresses, becomes a personal statement for Vanity and Prince himself. She listens
intently, her eyes fastened on him. The words have a profound effect on her -- and the audience. Without being consciously aware of
it, they're moving closer to the stage, searching for their personal fix. Prince surrenders himself to the music totally, releasing from
himself all that is hurtful -- releasing the sincerity and truthfulness that escapes him in his daily life. We are entering realm where
life and music are inextricably bound, and the impact on the performer and listener is profound. He's directing his music toward
her, and she receives it gratefully, almost anxiously. It fills a void in her, hewn by a life of meaningless promises. He searches her
face with his magnificent eyes, and ends the song with a heartrending cry which connects with the souls of all present. Everyone is
paying attention now. The stage is plunged into darkness. The CROWD goes CRAZY ! Vanity applauds vigorously, wipes the tears
from her eyes. Morris, who was more affected by the performance than he'd care to admit, doesn't like what he sees and searches for
a winning line--
MORRIS - He doesn't like girls.
She's equal to the challenge—
VANITY - I know -- he likes women.
But Morris can barely suppress a smile, and settles himself comfortably into his chair -- for he knows what Vanity has lost...at least
this round—
MORRIS - Well ... he don't do too good with them either.
She flashes him a quizzical look -- he simply smiles.
(39) INT. BACKSTAGE HALLIIAY -- NIGHT
Jubilation time ! Prince and his Band move through the hallway briskly, past the outstretched arms of admiring fans. There's a lot
of back-slapping going on as the Musicians bask in the glow of well-wishers. Prince moves past Billy Sparks, who has an angry look
on his face—
BILLY - What's this intercourse, shit ?
PRINCE – Hey; man -- don't worry about it.
BILLY - I'm warning you...
But Prince ignores him, cuts into the dressing room—
(40) INT. DRESSING ROOM -- NIGHT
--then stops suddenly, surprised. He's muzzle to muzzle with a cuddly DOG, held up lovingly by Jill—
JILL – Surprise !
OOHS ! and AAHS ! by the entire group. Jill hesitates, then kisses Prince's cheek compulsively. He's surprised, touched—
PRINCE - Hey -- wait till we're married, now.
She fidgets, her face blushes red. Wendy is studying the dog—
WENDY - Oh, my God -- look at this !
Everyone looks -- Jill grins like the Cheshire Cat—
JILL - Notice anything ?
PRINCE – What ?
WENDY - It looks like you !
She thrusts the dog into his arms -- the Band laughs uproariously. Jill is beaming—
JILL - His hair ...
Prince gazes into the mirror -- and sure enough the dog's hair has been groomed to match his. He can't help smiling—
PRINCE - Shit ...
JILL (softly) - I wanted to cheer you up.
PRINCE - Thanks.
MATT - I'm hungry -- where's the food ?!
He grabs the dog, 'a la The Werewolf, starts chomping on its neck. The Group busts up, starts fooling around. Prince glances into
the mirror -- Vanity is there. He whirls around to the door -- nothing. A huge smile sweeps his face instead. The Band continues
fooling around, and Prince joins in with a relish.
41) EXT. ALLEYWAY #2, REAR CLUB -- NIGHT
Vanity leans against a brick wall, hiding in the shadows. Suddenly FOOTSTEPS approach. Prince appears, gets on his Motorcycle—
VANITY - Hey...
He doesn't look up—
PRINCE - We have to go to your place.
VANITY - What for ?
PRINCE - I want to show you something.
She's embarrassed by her apartment—
VANITY - No...no, we can't.
PRINCE - Why -- is there someone there ?
VANITY - Why do you always think there's somebody else ?
He averts his eyes -- kick STARTS his bike—
PRINCE - Let's go.
VANITY (Getting on) - Yeah -- but we're not going to my place.
He remains silent, snaps the bike into gear, blasts down the alley into the street.
(42) PRINCE'S HOUSE AND STREET -- NIGHT
Prince and Vanity whip down a residential street. As he approaches his house he slows, moves past it quietly. He makes a deft Uturn, crosses his house again -- seems to be listening intently... After a moment, he cuts down a narrow path, turns up a back alley.
He rides to a wooden gate, detaches a hidden lever. The wood slats rotate like a garage door -- Prince coaxes his bike through.
BACKYARD
Vanity's mesmerized. They ride down a narrow sidewalk, cut through a garden, and emerge from the back of a garage. He leans his
bike against it—
VANITY - That was a grand entrance. Where am I ?
He silences her with a look, moves quickly across the grass, comes to a window. He stands on a pipe, looks in—
(43) PRINCE'S POV -- INT. LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT
His Mother and Father in the living room. His Mother is sprawled out on the sofa, obviously drunk, her dress hiked along her
thighs. Her head rests in his Father's lap.
(44) EXT. BACKYARD -- NIGHT
Prince hops from the pipe, leans coolly against the house. Intrigued. Vanity looks in—
(45) VANITY'S POV -- INT. LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT
The mother and father kissing tentatively, then violently, finally pulling away. The Mother seems to be taunting the Father, coaxing
him into a trap. He kisses her mouth lustily -- she pulls back snarling--.
(46) EXT. BACKYARD -- NIGHT
Vanity's scared -- tries to be cool—
VANITY - So -- friends of yours ?
PRINCE - Yeah -- the freak show.
He walks off. She jumps off the pipe, follows.
SIDE OF HOUSE
as they emerge around the corner. Prince squats by a basement window, adjusts an old coal chute, then slides down it—
VANITY - Hey...
PRINCE (O.S.) - C'mon.
She hesitates a moment, then slides down too.
(47) INT. BASEMENT, PRINCE'S HOME -- NIGHT
He turns on a LIGHT, disappears into an ADJOINING ROOM. Vanity looks around amazed. She stands in a small ANTECHAMBER whose walls are covered with thicks pads and foam. Colorful MOBILES hang suspended from the ceilings -- various
INSTRUMENTS lie about: a drumset, an electric guitar, and a small upright piano. A stereo and cassette player. are perched on a
shelf, and two speakers are recessed into the walls. The entire room looks hand- built, the wood carefully painted, or stained. She
peers through the doorway into the adjoining room. BLUE MOONLIGHT filters in through the basement windows. Various
MURALS are painted on the walls, MOBILES are suspended from the ceiling. A bed sits in the middle of the floor, a vanity table and
mirror nearby. She stands idly a moment, then moves around the antechamber. Various KNICKNACKS catch her attention. Small
wind-up TOYS lie about: a soldier, a bear banging on a drum, a tractor and car. A small MUSIC BOX sits on a shelf. She turns the
handle, a little TUNE fills the room... A cassette sits in the player. She snaps it shut, hits the play button. A DRUM BEAT fills the
room, followed by a WOMAN'S VOICE, seemingly speaking in a foreign tongue. The combination is hypnotic and sensual – she
finds herself drawn in ... Suddenly Prince grabs her by the waist, lets out a SHRIEK. She draws a out breath, jumps—
VANITY - If you think you scared me, you didn't.
PRINCE - Oh, yeah ...
He puts his index finger directly in front of her nose, moves it back and forth hypnotically. She follows it earnestly with her eyes.
Suddenly, he pulls his hand away, stretches it to the ceiling like an escaping bird. They both smile, lock eyes. Passion rings in their
veins... The Woman's VOICE begins to moan deeply, pleasurably—
VANITY - Who's the lucky girl ? Sounds like she was having a good time.
PRINCE - She's crying -- it's backwards. It makes me sad when I hear it. It sorta sounds like she's laughing, doesn't it ?
VANITY - So what did you do to her ? Do you always treat your women like that ?
PRINCE - I don't have anybody right now.
Heat floods into her womb like soft fireVANITY - You look pretty...
She touches his chest delicately, fluffs up his hair—
VANITY - King Kong ?
PRINCE - Stop.
She hesitates -- but he reaches out tentatively, touches her breast—
VANITY - No.
But their mutual desire is too strong. Their lips seek one another out timidly, almost deferentially...then fervently.
DISSOLVE TO :
(48) INT. BEDROOM -- LATER -- NIGHT
Vanity sits at the foot of the bed, Prince stands before her. Her dress is hiked along her thighs, her stockings attached to garters.
Their hands search delicately across the contours of their bodies, drawing quick breaths from their lips. They kiss one another
ardently, then quickly, like sparrows pecking seed. She goes to remove her dress, but Prince stays her with a gesture, moving his
hands along her thighs, touching delicately that spot between her legs. A low, whispery moan escapes from her lips. Vanity lies back,
drawing Prince toward her. His lips move across her mouth, her neck, her breasts. She moans softly, pulls her dress above her
thighs, goes to remove it. Once again he stops her, slowly turns her onto her stomach. She stands on her knees, her head resting on
a pillow. His hands move up along the back of her thighs, past the garters to her panties. He tugs at them gently, then rubs his hand
firmly between her legs. She moans suddenly, the shudder moving through her like a whirlwind ...
DISSOLVE TO :
(49) INT. BEDROOM -- LATER -- NIGHT
MOONLIGHT glows through the casement windows. MOBILES stir gently in the night breeze. Prince and Vanity are asleep. He
rests on his side, his hands gently supporting his face. She lies behind him, one leg dangling off the bed, one shoe discarded on the
floor Suddenly a distant MOAN...QUICK FOOTSTEPS -- A DOOR SLAMS. Vanity SNAPS awake! Fear sweeps her like a shadow
from a passing cloud. She listens intently, then-- -- Another DOOR SLAM, QUICK FOOTSTEPS, and Prince's Mother CRYING in
the dark—
MOTHER (o.s.) (upstairs) – Please !
A bottle CRASHES to the floor. Then silence... ...deep silence like snow in the room... Vanity's racked with fear. She sits up slowly,
her eyes searching out Prince -- he's sleeping... Suddenly more FOOTSTEPS, a DOOR SLAMS and the Father's CRY—
FATHER (o.s.) – No !!
WHACK ! Something heavy CRASHES to the floor... Vanity rises from the bed in a panic! She smoothes down her dress, searches
for her other shoe. She shoots another look to Prince, but he sleeps peacefully. Casting a glance upstairs, she climbs through the
casement window, disappears into the night. PRINCE is resting on his side, his eyes opened.
(50) EXT. PRINCE'S HOUSE AND STREET -- NIGHT
Vanity moves quickly along the side of the house, trying desperately to find her wav. Suddenly a HAND reaches out of the darkness,
GRABS her by the throat. She SCREAMS, swings her bag desperately -- something CRASHES, into the bushes—
VOICE - Damn, baby, hold it ! Hold it !! (wails) Oh, God – God ! You broke my nose !
She sees it's Morris -- she's beside herself with fear and rage—
VANITY - You shit ! What the hell are you doing here ?
He struggles in the bushes -- DOGS start BARKING—
MORRIS – Shh ! Shh ! Shh ! oh, Lord help me outta here. (a beat) Hee, hee -- I know you wouldn't want to spend the whole night
with ol' pencil dick.
VANITY - Your nose alright ?
MORRIS - My nose is fine, I'm just wondering if I fucked my shoes up... (a beat) C'mon ...
They cut across the yard, head to the street. The CADDY is parked at the curb. Jerome leans against it, reading a newspaper—
VANITY - Hi, Jerome. Wow ! Nice hubcaps.
He grins proudly from ear to ear -- the Caddy sports new chrome wire wheels—
JEROME - You like them, huh ?
VANITY - Beautiful.
Morris MOANS dismally—
MORRIS - Jerome...you think these can be fixed ?
His shoes are badly scuffed, the leather torn across the top—
JEROME - I think they're dead, man.
VANITY - God, I'm sorry.
MORRIS - Shit -- it's so rough out here.
Just then a PATROL CAR cruises by. The COP regards them suspiciously. Morris and Jerome snap to attention—
MORRIS - You lock the door, baby ? Let's go !
They pile into the Caddy, pull out.
(51) EXT. HIGHWAY -- NIGHT
The CADDY blazes by in the night. The CITY LIGHTS glimmer spectacularly in the distance.
(52) INT./EXT. CADDY – NIGHT : CHILI SAUCE
Jerome drives. Morris and Vanity sit in the backseat. He gazes at her ardently—
MORRIS – Jerome !
Jerome snaps a look in the rear-view -- Morris gives him a deft nod. Jerome opens the glove compartment, searches through the
cassette tapes. He finds the one he wants, snaps it into the player. RESTAURANT AMBIANCE fills the car... Note : The restaurant
ambiance will grow in volume, and will be followed by exaggerated dinner music, punctuated with strings and delicate cymbals. The
MUSIC plays throughout this scene -- and Morris times his words to the ebb and flow of the piece to insure the proper dramatic
effect. ...dinner MUSIC begins—
JEROME - Cocktails before dinner ?
MORRIS - Yes -- two piña coladas.
VANITY - Uh...make mine a virgin.
JEROME - Okay...
Jerome braces his knees against the wheel, pours two premixed coladas into plastic glasses—
JEROME (to Morris) - Will you be having a virgin as well ?
MORRIS - Ye-es ! For dessert !! Whawhak !
Jerome stifles a laugh, pours a rum miniature into Morris' glass. He hands them back—
MORRIS - Thank you. Here you are, dear.
They savour their drinks -- Morris' fervor grows by leaps and bounds—
MORRIS - Jerome, uh, get your pad and pencil, I think it's gonna be kinda right. If my judge of character is correct, it's going to
be about loving tonight. (a beat) Stop me when I get to seventeen.
Jerome places a pad by his side, pencil at the ready. He settles the Caddy to a cruising 55 -- Morris looks deeply into Vanity's eyes—
MORRIS - Excuse me, baby...I bet you didn't know I had a piece of this restaurant, did you ? (a beat) May I taste that ?
He takes Vanity's drink, slurps a little, burps—
MORRIS - Huh, excuse me, that's kind of weak...here, try mine.
She does, and begins coughing violently- VANITY - Good God !
MORRIS - Y'know... they say that saliva is an aphrodisiac. (a beat) You look so lovely tonight.
VANITY (couching) - Why...thank you.
MORRIS - Probably you'd look better under exotic...red...liqhts. (another though) I wish you could see my home. It's...it's so
exciting.
He leans close to her, speaks in a soft, sexy voice—
MORRIS - In my bedroom, I have a brass waterbed ...
VANITY – Oooh !
MORRIS - I have an Italian cook, Gino Izogochograchi, or something like that.
She giggles, looks at him deeply—
MORRIS - It's funny...your eyes -- when you stare at me like that, it causes my stomach to qui- quiver. Oh, Lord...
An idea flashes across his mind—
MORRIS - Do you like diamonds ?
VANITY - Uh, huh.
MORRIS - Yeah ...?
VANITY - Yeah.
MORRIS - I know it's rather masculine, but -- try this one on.
He slides a large glass diamond on her finger—
VANITY – Ohhh !
MORRIS - My God, darling it fits.
He studies her hands closely—
MORRIS - You must have strong hands, but -- they're so soft...like oils in my bubble bath. (a beat) Damn ...
He leans close to her—
MORRIS - Darling... ?
VANITY - Yeah... ?
MORRIS - I'm not usually so forward, but -- would you like to make love to me ? I can make it so nice ...
She giggles freely, looks at him with big eyes—
MORRIS - Do you know what is meant by the words, huh, I hate to use them, they're so harsh, so American...I mean, and yet on
the other hand, they're exciting words. The words... (pause) ...chili sauce. Oh, Lord. (a beat)
MORRIS - You know, I haven't made love in so long, but with you I know it would be just like riding a bike. I'd remember
everything I've ever learned. (a beat) Baby, if the kid can't make you come, nobody can.
Jerome checks off his pad—
JEROME (whispers) - Morris.. !
MORRIS - Yeah...?
JEROME - Seventeen.
Morris fixes Vanity with his half- lidded, pouty-lip look—
MORRIS - Huh, what's it gonna be baby ?
She's on the spot, thinks fast—
VANITY - PULL OVER THERE !
MORRIS – What ?!
JEROME - What ?!
VANITY - Over there -- that's where I live.
Jerome SKIDS the car to a stop. They're directly in front of a slick, hi-rise apartment building—
MORRIS - Here...?
VANITY - Yes.
MORRIS - Uh, what one is it ?
VANITY - That one, right there, see ? On the 14th floor.
MORRIS - It's nice, huh ?
VANITY - Oh, it's great. Real pretty. Big open rooms, balconies, fireplace -- the works.
He smiles lovingly—
MORRIS – Jerome !
Jerome puts the Caddy into gear, pulls off into the night- VANITY - Hey, wait ! C'mon ! (a beat) Okay -- where are you taking me ?
MORRIS - Home. (smiling) You and me are a lot alike.- I like that. So, I'd like to help you out. I think I have something you may be
interested in.
VANITY - Oh yeah – what ?
Jerome hands Morris a cassette -- Morris waves it in front of her nose—
MORRIS - A little song and dance. That is, if you can sing and dance.
VANITY (defensively) - Prince is going to help me.
Jerome and Morris suppress their laughterJEROME - Motherfucker needs a haircut.
MORRIS - Hee, hee, uh, excuse me. No he won't. He's never done anything in his whole life for anybody but himself.
VANITY - Guys better than you have promised me things before.
MORRIS - I know that's right, but—
Jerome hands him a card with an address on it. Morris hands the card to her—
MORRIS (con't) -- not Morris Day. (he smiles)
Jerome pulls up in front of her motel. Vanity reads the card—
MORRIS - Come by any time.
(53) EXT. MOTEL/INT. CADDY -- TWILIGHT
She gets out of the car, stands on the sidewalk. Morris pushes the window button -- nothing happens—
MORRIS – Jerome !
Jerome leans over, taps the glass -- the window glides down—
MORRIS (to Vanity) - One more thing ...
Jerome snaps the glove compartment, hands Morris a neatly folded camisole. Morris presents it to her—
MORRIS - Here's a little something for you. If you get cold when you wear it, call me.
He snaps his fingers -- Jerome pulls the Caddy away with a screech.
(54) EXT. VANITY'S MOTEL -- TWILIGHT
Vanity stands on the sidewalk a moment, slightly bewildered and very amused. She watches the Cadillac screech around the bend.
She turns, goes into the motel. PRINCE stands in the alleyway across the street, his motorcycle parked nearby. He watches as
Vanity cuts inside.
(55) INT. HALLWAY/VANITY'S MOTEL – DAWN
She comes down the HALLWAY, opens her door with a key.
(55A) INT. VANITY'S ROOM – DAWN
She goes inside, drops the tape and card in her bureau. unfolding the camisole, she holds it against her, gazes into the mirror. It
looks beautiful. Suddenly a KNOCK at the door—
VANITY - Morris...?
Another two KNOCKS, something like a confirmation. She smiles, cuts to the door, flings it open -- but Prince is there. She's
shocked, but recovers instantly—
VANITY - I had a feeling it was you -- I knew it ! It's amazing -- I could tell it was you.
His face remains placid as he puts on his sunglasses—
PRINCE - How'd you get home ?
VANITY - Took a cab.
PRINCE - Oh yeah ? Where'd you get that ?
She stares at the camisole in her handsVANITY - I adore camisoles.
He nods dispassionately, walks into the room, gives the place the once over, then—
PRINCE - Let's ride.
(55) INT. HALLWAY/VANITY'S MOTEL -- DAWN
She comes down the HALLWAY, opens her door with a key.
(56) EXT. HIGHWAY -- DAWN
AERIAL SHOT
Prince and Vanity on his motorcycle whipping down the highway. The DAWN LIGHT breaks over the horizon.
(57) EXT. ANOTHER HIGHWAY -- DAWN
A SERIES OF SHOTS
Streaking down a two-lane blacktop obviously exhilarated by the velocity of their ride. The landscape becomes lush, the trees a riot
of autumn splendor.
(58) EXT. COUNTRY ROAD -- DAWN
ANOTHER ANGLE as Prince and Vanity whip up to the top of a small hill, skid to a stop. He scans the area quickly, gets his
bearings. He pops the clutch, skids off to the valley below.
(59) EXT. WOODS AND STREAM -- DAWN
PRINCE AND VANITY ride cautiously through a series of hiking paths, then twist down a small embankment. A STREAM flows
before them. They climb off the bike, look around quietly—
VANITY - God, this is beautiful. It reminds me of where I grew up. My father used to ...
He waits for an answer, it's not forthcoming—
PRINCE - Your father used to what...?
VANITY - Nothing...it's just... (changes subject) You must like places like this.
He goes to the stream, balances on several rocks, moves to the other side. The stream flows between them—
VANITY - So, have you reconsidered my proposal ?
PRINCE - What...?
VANITY - What we talked about last time.
PRINCE - You can't be serious.
She starts a little dance step, climaxes it with spins and twirls—
VANITY - Oh, come on -- you know you really want to. You've been waiting for this opportunity ...all...your...life...
He can't help laughing -- she freezes, looks at him coldly—
PRINCE - I'm sorry -- excuse me.
VANITY - God -- so why do you come around ? You don't want to help me, not that you have to. You don't want to sleep with me,
not that you have to do that either. So why am I here ?
He smiles, walks off—
VANITY - There's a lot of things you don't know about me. You'd be surprised how many things I could do.
He disappears around some trees—
VANITY - Take me home immediately ! I want to go home. I can't stand this ! I can't take this anymore ! Prince !
PRINCE moves through the trees smiling, studying nature—
VANITY (O.S.) - I don't need this ! I was doing alright before I met you. Motherfucker, you need a haircut !
He comes to a tree, leans against it contentedly, studies the foliage. VANITY paces back and forth frantically along the stream-VANITY (to herself) - I don't get this. (yells) Prince ! Who do you think you are ?! You don't care. You don't care about anything ! I
never wanted you to help me anyway !
PRINCE rests by the tree, observes TWO HIKERS walking down the path toward him- VANITY (0.S.) - You think you're a good musician ?! You're nothing ! Morris is better. I never wanted to make it with you
anyway.
The Hikers pass him startled—
PRINCE - Good morning.
VANITY - PRINCE, I HATE YOU !
HIKERS - Good morning, sir.
And they walk down the path, disappear around the bend. Just then - VANITY is standing by his side, a wildflower in her hands-VANITY (softly) - I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. Will you forgive me ?
PRINCE (softly) - Yes.
He takes the flower, slips it into his jacket, kisses her forehead
(60) EXT. GLADE AND BARN -- DAWN
as they ride down a leaf-strewn path and pull to a stop near an old, weathered, dilapidated BARN. It stands laarge and silent like a
painting. A low THUNDER rolls across the land...
(61) INT. BARN -- DAWN
DAWN LIGHT burns through the wooden slats.. STEAM rises from the wet hay scattered throughout. The air is thick and damp. It
begins to RAIN. Vanity stands in the middle of the barn, gazing at the storm. Beads of perspiration glisten on her forehead. She
turns slowly, watches as Prince retrieves old blankets from a nearby stall. Their eyes search one another out, their breathing
becomes short, expectant. She hesitates a moment, then pulls off her blouse, discards it to the moist, dusty floor. ANOTHER
ANGLE RAIN patters strongly against the barn. A deep THUNDER rolls. She's on top of him, moving deliciously, her body glowing
in the purple, dawn light. Moist, purple water shadows streak and course her skin as she moves slowly, then deliberately against
him. He watches her avidly, his hands firmly on her thighs, and thrusts into her again and again...and again.
(62A) EXT. BARN -- DAY
Leaves scatter as the bike whips thru the wet path.
(63) EXT. STREETS, VANITY'S MOTEL -- MORNING
The STREETS glisten with the rain. Prince and Vanity pull up in front of her motel. She hugs him fiercely, steps off the bike, her
face alive and fresh as a flower. His eyes sparkle—
PRINCE - See you later ?
VANITY – When ?
PRINCE – Why ?
VANITY - 'Cause I have to do something first.
PRINCE – What ?
VANITY (coyly) - A secret...
PRINCE - Tell me.
VANITY - No.
PRINCE - Okay, come by -- eight o'clock.
He kicks the bike into gear -- she touches his jacket longingly—
VANITY - Bye...
He blasts off. She watches him a moment, her eyes glowing. She heads to her motel, then stops short -- a single CARNATION lies on
the sidewalk. She looks around quickly, almost expecting someone to claim it. But no one's around, so she picks it up, goes inside.
(64) INT. STAIRWELL, VANITY'S MOTEL -- MORNING
She enters the LOBBY, closes the door behind her. She turns -- another CARNATION is on the stairwell. She's intrigued, glances up
the stairs -- there's another one, and yet another further up. She's confused, but grabs them, disappears up the stairs.
HALLWAY
as she comes to a halt outside her room, picking up carnations along the way. She opens her door, cuts inside.
(65) INT. VANIITY'S ROOM -- MORNING
She goes into the bathroom, fills the sink with water, arranges the flowers within. She smiles radiantly -- they look beautiful.
Suddenly something seizes her thoughts. She opens her bureau drawer quickly, pulls out the yellow pages, leafs through it
hurriedly, We READ : Parking, Passport, Paving...then Pawnbrokers. She stops, runs her finger down the page, then hunts quickly
through her drawer. Her eyes dance mischievously when she pulls out her gold chain. She places it on her bureau, hurries to her
clothes rack. Suddenly, a quick KNOCK at the door—
MAN (O.S.) - Miss V. ?
She looks around the corner -- a flower delivery MAN stands in the hallway, holding a bouquet of roses—
VANITY - Yes...?
MAN - Delivery.
VANITY (surprised) - Come in ...
He cuts inside, and is followed by another MAN, holding a bouquet of daisies—
VANITY - Hey -- wait a minute. What's going on ?
The Men leave the room—
MAN - Downstairs.
She hurries to the window, looks out—
(66) EXT. STREET -- DAY -- VANITY'S POV—
Morris and Jerome standing by the curb, their eyes fastened excitedly on her window, leaning against a flower truck. We catch a
glimpse of a Man bringing her a dozen chrysanthemums—
MORRIS - Good morning, darling.
(67) EXT. VANITY'S WINDOW AND STREET -- DAY
(INTERCUT)
VANITY - You're crazy ! -- What are you doing ?
MORRIS (excited) - Come down -- come down.
VANITY - I can't -- I've got things to do.
MORRIS - C'mon, ten minutes. I want to show you somethingShe shakes her head—
VANITY - I'm sorry, but thanks for the flowers. You're really crazy.
She disappears from the window. They stand expectantly a long time. Finally Jerome looks at Morris—
JEROME - Well...what do you think ?
Morris is staring intently at the window -- he purses his lips sensually—
MORRIS - Chili sauce.
Just then Vanity steps outside, looks stunning in her tight, black pants and boots. Her eyes dance vivaciously, a red sash is tied
around her waist. Morris gives Jerome his sexy, half-lidded, pouty-lip look—
MORRIS - Oh, Lord...
(68) INT. CLUB (1ST AVE. ST. BAR.) -- DAY
CU--Clock. We SEE 11:25
Prince cuts through the back entrance, walks onto the floor. Lisa and Wendy are onstage PLAYING a SONG we immediately
recognize as the one they had given Prince to listen to. The DRUM RIFF is provided by the Linn Machine (a synthesized drum unit).
Wendy plays guitar, her back to Prince. Lisa, at the keyboards, spots him and stops—
WENDY - What's wrong ?
Lisa points to Prince. Wendy immediately rips into the guitar solo of "G-Spot." She stops suddenly—
WENDY - Is that better ? Do you like that ?
He ignores her—
PRINCE - Where is everybody ?
LISA - You're late -- they left.
PRINCE - So what are you doing here ?
Lisa immediately launches into the opening bars of "Let's Get Crazy"—
LISA (imitating Prince) - But I'm here to tell you that there's something else -- our music--.
The Girls bust up -- he glares at them—
PRINCE - Can't you guys get off it ? Can't you just leave it alone ?
Wendy meets his glare with one of her own...
WENDY - Yeah -- we'll get off it.
She turns, snaps off the Linn Machine angrily, plunging the club into silence.
(69) INT. REHEARSAL HALL –DAY
The Time is JAMMING like MAD, deep in the heart of "Sex Shooter." Brenda and Susan move furiously to the beat, trying their
best to get it right. They are watched by...Morris, Vanity and Jerome standing off to the side. Morris has a contented look on his
face, even though his girls are screwing up. Vanity's eyes are wide with excitement
MORRIS - As you can see, we need someone with your special qualities.
(70) INT. PRINCE'S ANTECHAMBER AND BEDROOM -- NIGHT
CU--Clock. We See: 8:15.
Prince sits, on his bed, staring at the clock, seemingly lost in thought. He gets up, rummages through his coat pockets, pulls out
Lisa's and Wendy's tape. He snaps it into the player, settles back. MUSIC fills the room. He listens intently a moment, his face
placid. He closes his eyes, tries to relax ... Suddenly a DOOR SLAMS in the far reaches of the house. Harsh FOOTSTEPS echo
through the upstairs hallway. Prince remains still, his eyes closed... Then another deathly DOOR SLAM ! GLASS dissolves in its
frame and trickles to the floor like icicles. Resentment surges in him like a tornado. He rises purposefully, turns the MUSIC up...
And then his door SMASHES open and his Mother LUNGES into the room in a PANIC. She flings herself onto his bed as his Father
streaks in and WHACKS ! WHACKS ! WHACKS ! at her with a strap, SCREAMING at her with an ominous growl of rage-FATHER - You ain't got no business leaving here ! All your sneaking around -- you're just a sinner ! You're nothing but a low life
sinner !
The Mother throws herself at him drunkenly, starts slapping, scratching at his face-MOTHER - Shut up ! You don't care about me ! Leave me alone !
Prince claws desperately at his Father's back-FATHER - Don't I keep the heat on ? Isn't there food in the refrigerator ?
MOTHER (crying) - I don't like it here. You never talk to me ! I'm always alone !
Prince drags his Father away-PRINCE - Dad, please !
FATHER (shouting) - What's the matter with this house ? Isn't it nice and warm here ?!
The Mother stands on the bed SHRIEKING-MOTHER - You're crazy !
FATHER - Shut up !
MOTHER. – Asshole !
FATHER - Shut up !
MOTHER (triumphantly) – Motherfucker !!
The Father lunges, drags Prince along the floor, WHACKS ! the Mother in the face. She topples in a heap to the bed. He's over her
now, breathing fire, flailing about savagely-FATHER - Shut up ! Shut up ! Shut up !
PRINCE (desperately) – Dad !
He lunges, drop KICKS his Father with everything he's got ! His Father SMASHES backwards against the wall, slides to his buttocks
on the floor. He sits there dully, exhausted...spent. Prince crawls up along the side of the bed. His Mother buries her head in the
pillow, choking back sobs-MOTHER - I'm just trapped here...
His Father's eyes well with tears. He leans close to her, speaks softly-FATHER - You always got a roof overhead...
MOTHER - You don't let me have any fun...
His Father sighs wearily, pulls himself to his feet. He moves to the door-FATHER - I could make you happy. Just believe in me...
MOTHER - You never...
FATHER - I would die for you.
He leaves the room, closes the door behind him. PRINCE stares at the door a moment, tears welling in his eyes. His Mother is
motionless, whimpering softly. A scent of liquor permeates the air. He moves toward her, reaches out tentatively... Suddenly she
jumps up, starts pacing frantically-MOTHER - It's nice here. It's a nice house. Nothing wrong. (a beat) It's a good family. Believe me, I know. Nothing wrong here.
(a beat) Your father is okay. He's a good man. You could learn something.
She catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror, stops-MOTHER - My, my ! Don't you think I have a good figure ? Your Father did.
She sits in front of the mirror, studies her face, her eyes...her breasts—
MOTHER - I was beautiful when your Dad met me. I was out-a-sight !
She giggles, starts applying makeup-MOTHER - I looked just like a movie star. The minute he saw me singing, I knew just what he wanted.
She fixes him with a conspiratorial look, whispers-MOTHER - He wanted to get into my panties.
She makes funny, "jazzy" eyes at him, then stops suddenly, staring. His face, mouth, eyes...a sudden stirring in her loins. Her lips
part, she moistens them unconsciously... She turns from the mirror and stares at him -- his look connects with her groin. She rises
suddenly, walks slowly toward the bed, sits facing him-MOTHER - You look so pretty. Just like me, honey. You coulda been a girl.
She outlines the mole on his cheek with a makeup pencil, then draws one on herself. She takes her earring off, and puts it on his
ear. They are face to face -- identical-MOTHER - So pretty...
She looks at him drunkenly. He tries to hold it in, but can't. A tear, hot and hard as a bullet flows down his cheek. She puts her
index finger in front of his face, moves it back and forth hypnotically. Suddenly she pulls her hand away, stretches it to the ceiling
like an escaping bird. He swallows, tries to smile -- she leans close -MOTHER (secretly) - I have to go now, see some friends. Don't tell your father, okay ?
She gets up, leaves the room-MOTHER - Bye, Skipper...bye.
(71) EXT. PRINCE'S HOUSE -- NIGHT (LATER)
Vanity climbs over a fence, moves through some bushes, emerges alongside Prince's house. She has an excited, ravenous look on
her face. She hurries to the casement window, climbs into the basement.
(72) INT. PRINCE'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT
She drops down into the basement, turns excitedly, leaps into Prince's arms-VANITY - I missed you ! Missed you ! Missed you !
She hugs him tight, showers him with kisses, topples them both to the bed. Laughing, hugging, kissing -- fast and furious. Suddenly
she jumps up like a panther, fluffs her hair wildly in the mirror, fixes him with a wanton look. His eyes devour her-PRINCE - Come here. Where were you ?
She moistens her lips, walks lasciviously toward the bed, sits facing him. She laughs suddenly, pushes him back...and they're at
each other again - faces two inches apart; touching, whispering, kissing, hands searching -- shutting out the room, shutting out the
world... She jumps up suddenly. She can't be contained ! She practically levitates-VANITY - I have a big surprise for you.
She rushes to the coal chute, climbs halfway through. Prince, puzzled, cracks up watching her ass and legs dangling. She drops
back into the room, holding a large PACKAGE. His eyes widen. She struts to the bed, lays it down majestically before him-VANITY (sings) - Da...da..!
PRINCE - What is it ?
VANITY - Open it.
He starts peeling the tape off, careful not to rip the paper. Vanity's bursting with excitement though, and demolishes it in a flash !
He laughs, opens the lid -- stares in shock—
PRINCE - Oh, no... (happy) Oh, no !
He pulls out a gleaming new GUITAR, and we immediately recognize it as the one they saw in the window. He's deliriously happy,
and speechless-PRINCE - How'd you do it ?
She shouts with delight, attacks him again, pushing the guitar aside. Fast, furious kisses and he responds in kind. They're twisted in
a heap on the bed. After a moment they come up for air, stare at each other playfully. Something flashes across his mind-PRINCE - Here...
Her eyes widen. He takes off his Mother's earring, fastens it to her ear. Eyes dancing, she jumps up, studies it closely, in the mirrorVANITY - I love it !
She twists around, kneels beside him, showers him with bites and kisses. Suddenly she stops-VANITY - I'm going to join Morris' group.
His face drops, shocked-PRINCE – What ?
She backs away from him, stands, strikes a defensive stance--
VANITY - I'm going to join Morris' group.
He LUNGES savagely before he knows it! His hand lashes out, SMASHES her in the face. She falls back, CRASHES into the mirror.
She slips dully to the floor, tries desperately to brace herself on a chair-- He's horrified-PRINCE - I'm sorry ! Oh, baby, I'm sorry ! Are you alright ?
He helps her up, she turns away from himVANITY - Just...leave me alone.
His heart staggers in his chest-PRINCE - Please...it's just... (a beat) I don't want you around this at all. I just don't want you in my life this way. You don't have
to prove anything to me or anybody else. (a beat) Vanity...? Don't I make you happy ? Don’t you like the way we are ? (another
thought) Do you know Morris ? Do you know what he's about ? He doesn't care about you.
She twists viciously-VANITY - Jealous..?!
She rushes into the antechamber, climbs through the coal chute, disappears into the night.
DISSOLVE TO :
(73) INT. CLUB -- MORNING
Matt, Bobby and Mark are JAMMING onstage. Prince emerges from behind the curtains. He looks drawn and haggard, his face
unshaven. The Guys spot him, and the MUSIC trickles to a stop. Tension fills the room in an instant. Mark glances at his watch,
fixes Prince with a disgusted look. Prince climbs the steps to the stage, cuts across it-PRINCE - Where's Lisa and Wendy ?
BOBBY - They haven't shown up yet.
PRINCE - They call ?
The Guys shrug, look away. Prince simmers a moment, straps on his guitar - immediately gets ear-splitting FEEDBACK. He
stomps on the floor pedals angrily. Just then Chick comes up to the stage-CHICK - Prince. Billy Sparks wants to see you.
PRINCE - Tell him I'm rehearsing.
CHICK - Uh, uh – now.
(74) INT. STAIRWAY AND CLUB -- DAY
as Billy cuts down the stairs quickly. Prince, walking to meet him, pulls himself up short-BILLY - What do you want ?
PRINCE - You wanted to see me ?
Billy still moves -- Prince keeps up-BILLY - You having trouble ?
PRINCE (shrugs) - No.
BILLY – No ?
PRINCE - No ...
BILLY - Where's Lisa and Wendy ?
He stops abruptly at the front door, studies Prince for a long time. Then he cuts outside. Prince follows.
(75) EXT. STREETS, CLUB -- DAY
Rush hour TRAFFIC. Billy sets the pace down the sidewalk -- Prince keeps up—
BILLY - Morris called me this morning. Seems he's got himself a new group called Vanity Six. You know anything about them ?
PRINCE - (a beat) No.
BILLY - He tells me they're great. Thinks I'll be interested. That's cool, but now I've got a problem.
PRINCE - What's that ?
BILLY - I book three acts -- I can't afford four. If they're as good as Morris says they are, one of you will have to go...
Suddenly a HORN BLARES off screen. Billy looks up -- a BEAUTIFUL BABE in a black BMW waves-BILLY - Go around the block !
The Babe pulls into the flow of trafficBILLY - It won't be The Time -- they're playing backup to Vanity. So it's either you or the Modernaires. (a beat) What would You
do in my position ?
Prince has a sinking feeling in his gutBILLY (musing) - I like the Modernaires. They have a good following -- they show up for practice -- and the kids like all their
music.
The BMW sweeps up to the curb. Billy opens the door, slides in-BILLY - 'Nough said. Get smart. Straighten up your shit.
(76) INT. REHEARSAL HALL -- DAY
The PLACE is JUMPING ! Once again The Time is deep in the guts of "Sex Shooter," but now there's a difference. The MUSIC is
fiercer and crisper -- the BEAT tailored, more defined. Morris and Jerome stand off to the side sporting huge grins. They're avidly
watching... Vanity, Susan, and Brenda dancing up a fierce storm. Vanity fronts the two Girls and moves panther-like in front of the
mirrors... She's a dynamo, her face drawn tightly, her movements crisp and precise. She urges the Girls on, suggests and cajoles,
strengthening their resolve. Sweat lathers their bodies and forms rings on their Danskins. The act is still very rough, but the
potential for success can be felt. PRINCE suddenly enters the hall. Morris spots him immediately and halts the MUSIC. The Girls
dance on a moment, then stop perplexed. Vanity catches Prince's look, shakes her head in disbelief-PRINCE - I want to talk to you.
She's out of breath, waves him off-VANITY - Not now, I'm busy.
PRINCE - Now.
A TITTER goes through the Band Members - Vanity wipes her face, fixes him with a glare-VANITY - I said I'm busy -- we'll talk later.
PRINCE - Uh, uh...
He grabs her suddenly, pulls her to the door-VANITY - Leave me alone ! I've got a show to do !
She pulls away savagely-VANITY - YOU can't just come in here and take me away ! We'll talk later !
Morris is enraged-MORRIS - Man -- why don't you just do the walk ?
Prince glares at him, cups his genitalsPRINCE - Why don't you kiss the one-eyed snake ?
The Band lets out a condescending GROAN -- the tension rises
MORRIS – Jellybean !
Jellybean, 6'4", 210 pounds, steps from behind the drums, moves up behind PrinceJELLYBEAN - Let's go, Jack.
PRINCE - Fuck you !
He lunges, grabs Vanity again -- she SHRIEKS-VANITY - Leave me alone, dammit ! Get out of here !
Jellybean lurches, grabs Prince in a HEAIDLOCK, lifts him off his feet. Prince kicks at him wildly-JELLYBEAN (enraged) – Fucker !!
He twists Prince's head backwards, SMASHES his body to the ground-JELLYBEAN - Stay still, motherfucker !!
But Prince continues fighting him with everything he's got ! Jellybean is astonished-JELLYBEAN – Shit !!
He twists Prince's neck savagely, SMASHES ! his legs to the floor again and again-JELLYBEAN – Stop !!
Vanity is crying-VANITY - Jellybean, please...
Prince drops to his hands and knees exhausted. Everybody is frozen now -- scared. The Girls are crying, the incident has already
gone too far... Jellybean settles his weight on Prince, twists his head down painfully, trying to break the resistance he alone can feel.
Prince remains silent, the anger coursing through his body in tremors-- The Guys surround them, grabbing Prince's arms, legs, and
feet. He's like a trapped animal now-JELLYBEAN - Lift him.
VANITY (crying) - Don't hurt him ...
They pick him up, move him toward the door. He resists them slightly, his body lurching in fit and starts. Suddenly he breaks free,
faces them with his back to the door. But the Band Members surround him, their wills united, the obviousness of the situation
apparent to all. He searches for Vanity's eyes, but she can't face him and walks away. Anger again surges in his veins. He cuts out
the door, SLAMS it behind him.
(77) EXT. ACCESS ROAD, TRAIN TRACKS -- DUSK
Prince WHIPS down a dirt access road locked in thought, the pain and anger in his eyes apparent. Suddenly a TRAIN WHISTLE
BLASTS just behind him, sending a shot of fear through his guts. He twists backwards in amazement. A FREIGHT TRAIN ROARS
around the bend BLASTING its HORN violently. Prince shudders with fright, loses control of his cycle for an instant. He hits a
series of ruts that almost topple him to the ground. He looks back at the train confused, when another BLAST seems to SOCK him
in the teeth. He twists wildly to the side of the road, kicking up dirt and debris, lurching him into the handlebars violently. The
TRAIN ROARS abreast of him ! Prince snaps an angry look at the engineer. The Guy coolly gives him the finger and BLASTS the
HORN violently. Prince becomes enraged ! He snaps a look to the speedometer : 65 mph. He snaps a look to the Engineer -- the
Guy sends him another obscene gesture and BLASTS his HORN. Prince grits his teeth, twists the throttle full. He lurches forward
in an instant, blazing in front of the train, The Engineer BLASTS the HORN mercilessly, and throws on the coals. They blast down
the stretch neck to neck, twist round a wide bend. Prince edges in front ! The Engineer BLASTS the HORN and moves up. Prince
snaps a look to him -- the Guy mouths the words : Fuck You ! Prince wants to scream ! He twists the throttle, snaps a look to the
speedometer : 75 mph. He RIPS past ruts and gullies like a madman. The TRAIN moves up. They blast around another bend neck
to neck. Suddenly Prince's eyes widen with horror. A CAR is parked across the access road, waiting to cross the track. He shoots a
look to the Engineer -- the Guy is laughing hysterically now, BLASTING his HORN wildly, mouthing the words : Bye Bye ! Prince
screams like a MADMAN ! He twists his throttle FULL ! He blazes ahead of the train, BLASTS ! up the embankment, SAILS
through the air... a BRICK WALL cuts the access road in two ! He SCREAMS in bloody terror ! He hits the road and fishtails wildly,
locking his brakes. The WALL comes at him like a locomotive. He's going to hit it, knows it and... He twists his throttle violently
BLASTS ! directly into the path of the train ! The Engineer looks on in horror ! Prince throws his weight forward and... the train
ROARS past him as he fishtails wildly to a stop. The Engineer sails off into the dusk, his mouth agape. Prince sits there breathing
fiercely, the adrenaline shrieking though his veins, watching the train disappear into the distance.
(78) EXT. STREETS AND ALLEY -- DOWNTOWN -- TWILIGHT
SHOPPERS flood the sidewalks, rushing for the buses that take them home. TRAFFIC clogs at the 77 intersections while
PEDESTRIANS walk against the lights. Prince rides down the streets, hugging the right shoulder, impatient with the delays. He
blasts down a side street, sees FLASHING LIGHTS up ahead. GAWKERS are already crowding around. He moves through the
TRAFFIC slowly, glides past a POLICE CAR, and a small CROWD. A CAR has run onto the sidewalk, knocking down the marquee
to a rundown, neighborhood bar. Something catches his eye -- he stops suddenly. His Mother stands against the wall, idly watching
the goings on. He jumps off his bike hurriedly, walks up behind her, taps her on the shoulder-PRINCE - Ma...?
She turns, he gasps out loud. Her left eye is swollen shut-MOTHER (drunkenly) - Hi, ya, baby...
Her drunken breath washes over him -- his head spins-PRINCE - Ma...what happened ?
She rubs up against him-MOTHER - Can you give me some money ? C'mon, just some money...
She gropes for him drunkenly -- he suddenly realizes she doesn't know who he is-MOTHER - Here...here...
She tugs at her wedding ring-MOTHER - Give me something for this...just a little. It'll be okay...
PRINCE - C'mon...I'll take you home.
Just then a COP moves through the CrowdCOP - Okay, c'mon now -- break it up. Let's go..
The Crowd moves out. Police RADIOS cackle. Three WOMEN stagger over, one of them grabbing his Mother-WOMAN - C'mon, honey -- we're goin' in...
She fixes Prince with a glare-WOMAN - You're a little young aren't you ? Get out of here. Leave her alone.
(79) EXT. PRINCES HOME -- NIGHT
Prince BLASTS down the STREET, sweeps into his drive, and jumps off his bike, practically smashing it into the gate. His eyes are
burning with anger. He flies up the steps three at a time, cuts across the porch, bursts through the front door and-(80) INT. PRINCE'S HOME -- NIGHT
-- stalks through the living room, eyes blazing-PRINCE - Where the fuck are you ?
He spins like a top, streaks down the hallway, throws open several doors violently-PRINCE - Where are you ?
He cuts into the kitchen raging-PRINCE - Answer me you fucker !!
He twists around frustrated; exhaustion, anger, and pain competing for the same space. Suddenly he stops, listens intently a
moment. We HEAR it now -- a PIANO. Someone's PLAYING A PIANO. Prince throws a look at the basement door -- it's ajar.
(81) INT. BASEMENT, PRINCE'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
A naked LIGHT BULB snaps ON. Prince hesitates a moment, descends the steps, pauses at the door. The MUSIC wafts delicately in
the night breeze. He moves down the hallway uncertainly, but steadily, the MUSIC growing, drawing him in. He stops, peers into
the antechamber. His Father is at the piano, his back to him. He's perched on the broken stool, playing with all he's got. Prince
moves slowly into the room, his knees weakening, his anger flowing from him with every step he takes. Seeing his Father this way,
he doesn't know if he should laugh or cry. He sits down silently behind him, listens as his Father plays. The SONG ends. His Father
sits a moment, stretching his hands idly along the keys. Feeling a presence in the room, he spins around and jumps slightly at seeing
his son. He fixes him with a threatening look, then shrugs, hunches over the keys-PRINCE - Is that yours ?
FATHER - 'Course it's mine. Who else's is it goin' to be ? Got all kinds of them. They're different too.
PRINCE - I'd like to see them. You got them written down somewhere ?
FATHER - No, man -- I don't write them down -- don't need to. That's the big difference between you and me.
PRINCE - Thought you weren't going to play no more.
His Father looks at him sullenly, then looks down, stares at the keys. Prince's eyes well with tears-PRINCE - I saw Mom up the street. She looked pretty bad. Any idea how she got that way ?
His Father bites his lip, rubs a hand over his face, stares at the keys. His voice comes with difficulty-FATHER - Have you got a girlfriend ?
PRINCE - Yeah... (a beat) I got a girlfriend.
FATHER - You gonna get married ?
PRINCE - (long pause) I don't know.
His Father shares a hurtful look with him, then stares darkly at the floor below-FATHER - Never get married.
(82) INT. CLUB -- NIGHT
The CLUB is THROBBING. Prince is onstage, stripped to the waist, SWEAT seeping from his pores in torrents. He's deep into the
pit of "Computer Blue," locked into a provocative, obscene graphic with Wendy. She's on her knees in front of him, his crotch
moving directly in front of her lips. She's made up fiercely, looks like Prince himself. The total effect is unnerving -- Prince is going
down on himself. Billy Sparks stands by the bar pretty upset. Jill stands slack-jawed. The KIDS have stopped dancing, drinking -they staring at the display,.shaking their heads confused... The BEAT is SAVAGE. Prince is in his own world, living his own private
hell. Suddenly the MUSIC crescendos, then winds down like a roller coaster sweeping everyone along. The BEAT changes radically.
He turns his back to the audience and plays ... and we suddenly recognize the MUSIC as his Father's -- the song he played on the
piano the night before. But it's Prince's now, stamped with his own signature. He's bent at the waist, his back to the audience, alone
with his father's, and his, pain. The CROWD fidgets...Billy Sparks fastens his eyes on Prince angrily.
(83) EXT. CLUB/INT. MORRIS' CAR (1ST AVE. ST. BAR) -- NIGHT
KIDS are hanging out in front of the club. The usual queue, however, is noticeably absent. The yellow Caddy sweeps up. Jerome is at
the wheel, Morris and Vanity sit in the back. Morris is dressed elegantly, resplendent in a 5O's-style suit. She's beautiful in a sleek
black dress, with long black gloves, and heels-VANITY - What are we doing here, Morris ?
MORRIS - What do you mean ?
VANITY - I don't want to be here. I don't want to hurt anybody.
MORRIS - It's not about hurting anybody. This is business. We can use the exposure.
Just then Brenda and Susan come up to the car excitedly. Brenda is dressed in a 40's-style dress, Susan wears a form-fitting leopard
one. They both look gorgeous-BRENDA - Hi -- you coming in ?
Their excitement and nervousness is endearing. Vanity's heart goes out to them. She forces a smile, climbs out unaided-VANITY - Your horns are showing, Morris.
MORRIS - Yeah...but they're holding up my halo.
(84) INT. CLUB -- NIGHT
Prince is on-stage, deep into the closing moments of "Computer Blue." He paces back and forth frantically, still locked in his own
private hell. The Crowd's attention has wandered, however, and very few remain on the dance floor, finding it too much trouble to
keep up with the changing shifts in the music. Even his band members are edgy, casting quick looks to each other, wishing to get on
with more compelling audience-pleasing sounds.
BAR AREA
as Billy Sparks shakes hands with Morris and Jerome and is introduced to Vanity Six for the first time. We can tell by his reaction
that he likes what he sees. He kisses Brenda and Susan, saves a special squeeze for Vanity herself. He escorts the whole group to a
table across the floor. Vanity brings up the rear, casts a quick look to Prince onstage. PRINCE fastens on her and brings "Computer
Blue" to a rousing end. The Crowd applaudes, but it's more out of respect than eagerness. He doesn't seem to notice though, or care.
He confers quickly with his group, then moves center-stage. The Band Members trade frustrated looks with each other -- it's
obvious that they have some trouble with the next song... Prince presses his lips to the mike, and the MUSIC starts. He begins
SINGING "Darling Nikki"-PRINCE - I knew a girl named Nikki, I guess you can say she was a sex fiend. I met her in a hotel lobby masturbating in
magazines. She said, How'd you like to waste some time, And I could not resist When I saw little Nikki grind.
BILLY SPARKS shoots a fierce look to Prince, helps Morris, Jerome and the Girls to their table. Vanity is watching Prince, a puzzled
look on her face--
MORRIS - Hee, hee...little empty tonight, huh, Billy. But I guess money isn't everything.
Jerome busts up-JEROME - Oh no... that's cold...
But Billy agrees-BILLY - The Duke of Dick is in rare form tonight.
They all look toward the stage—PRINCE is fastened on Vanity and it's apparent to all. He launches into the next versePRINCE - She took me to her castle And I could not believe my eyes. She had so many devices Everything that money could buy.
She said, Sign your name on the dotted line, The lights went out, And Nikki started to grind.
VANITY flushes with embarrassment. Billy and Morris notice this and glare at Prince. PRINCE looks dead-center at them, and then
to Vanily-PRINCE - I woke up the next morning. Nikki wasn't there. I looked all over all I found Was a phone number on the stairs. It said
thank you for a funky time, Call me up when ever you want to grind.
VANITY stands suddenly, fighting back tears. She backs from the table quickly, knocks the chair over. Morris tries to help her, but
she sweeps past him, hurrying for the exit.
(85) INT. STAIRWAY/EXT. STREET -- NIGHT
as she comes down the stairs stumbling slightly, tears streaming down her face. Chick sees her, reached out to help-CHICK - Hey ...
But she pulls away, runs out the door, cuts across the street.
(86) INT. CLUB -- NIGHT
PRINCE brings the SONG to a blistering end. The stage is plunged into darkness. He strips off his guitar, cuts from the stage,
ignoring the grave looks from his Band Members.
(87) INT. HALLWAY -- NIGHT
as Prince twists aggressively past a handful of FANS, rudely disregarding their attention. He cuts into the dressing room.
(88) INT. DRESSING ROON -- NIGHT
He's agitated, paces back and forth in a frenzy. Suddenly the DOOR flies open. Billy Sparks enters angrily-BILLY - What the fuck's wrong with you, Prince ?!
PRINCE - I don't have time for your bullshit, Billy. What do you want ?
BILLY - My stage is no place for your personal shit !
PRINCE - That's life, man.
BILLY - Life my ass, motherfucker ! This is a business, and you're not too far gone to see that. (a beat) I've told you this before.
You're not pulling them in like you used to. The only person who gives a fuck about your music is yourself.
PRINCE - Fuck off !
But Billy can't help laughing-BILLY - Just like your old man...
Prince shoots him a threatening look-BILLY - Yeah -- you got it. Tell me I'm wrong. (a beat) You're not blind. Look around you. No one's digging you.
Prince turns away-BILLY - Look at your band. Are they in here right now ? They're out there 'cause they can't stand being in the same room with
you. (a beat) What a fucking waste...like father, like son-PRINCE - Lay off that !
Billy turns to go-BILLY - Take your head out of your ass, Prince, check it out -- unless you like the view up there. Your music doesn't make sense to
anyone but yourself.
He closes the door behind him. Prince stands dully a moment, then sits heavily in a chair. Exhaustion suddenly overwhelms him.
He rests his head in his hands, moments tick by... He shakes himself awake -- Morris and Jerome stand by the door-JEROME - That was fucked up what you did man. Morris doesn't like it. And being a part of this - I don't like it either.
PRINCE - I don't care.
MORRIS - Hee, hee...huh, it's obvious you don't have what it takes to be on top.
He pulls an envelope from his pocket-MORRIS - But to show you that I'm sympathetic to your problems - here's a pass to our show tomorrow night. Enjoy it.
They leave. Then Morris sticks his head into the doorway-MORRIS - Don't forget to bring a girlfriend. Whawhak !
(89) EXT. THE TASTE -- NIGHT
COMMOTION. CARS are THICK in front of THE TASTE, a small NIGHTCLUB located in the poorer part of the city. Because of its
location, The Taste books different dance bands four nights a week and then hosts a Variety Night the remaining two. Aspiring
comedians, dancers and jugglers flock to Variety Night, desirous of trying their material in front of a live audience -- and hoping to
catch the discerning eye of a talent scout on the prowl. Billy Sparks pulls up to the curb, gets out with a beautiful WOMAN and cuts
inside.
(90) INT. BACKSTAGE, THE TASTE -- NIGHT
Jerome stands BACKSTAGE fidgeting nervously, staring appreciatively at the closed dressing room door. Various PEOPLE in
COSTUMES pass by sporadically. Suddenly a burst of APPLAUSE and LAUGHTER wafts into the hallway. Jerome walks to the
curtain and peers out-(91) INT. THE TASTE -- NIGHT
JEROME'S POV-- Billy Sparks and his Girlfriend being seated at a front table. A COMEDIAN is on stage juggling KNIVES and
HATCHETS. The CROWD is ROARING their approval.
(92) INT. BACKSTAGE -- THE TASTE -- NIGHT
Just then a CLOWN passes Jerome, stops, and hands him a flower. Jerome tries to smile, but his nervousness is simply too strong.
The Clown hands him another flower, trying to elicit a favorable response. Jerome is patient, but attempts to ignore the Clown in a
polite way, indicating he'd rather be alone. The Clown persists, however, going through a little routine, handing him flower after
flower... Suddenly Jerome throws them into the air, grabs the Clown by the throat and flings him headlong down the hallway. The
Clown gives Jerome the finger and walks off in a huff. MORRIS cuts from the dressing room, closes the door behind him. He joins
Jerome at the curtain, and they move down the back stairway to the CLUB-MORRIS (nervously) - I guess this is it.
JEROME - I guess so, M.D.
MORRIS - I think I'm going to be sick. Why does this have to be happening to me ? Has it crossed your mind that we're about to
make the biggest mistake we've ever made ?
JEROME - I don't think it's all that bad.
MORRIS - That's why I do all the thinking.
(93) INT. THE TASTE -- NIGHT
as Billy Sparks spots Morris, waves. Morris manages a weak smile, offers a half-hearted wave back. Just then we HEAR a fierce
DRUM BEAT, and-TASTE M.C. - Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Vanity Six.
Respectful APPLAUSE-MORRIS - Oh, God-He sits quickly, followed by Jerome -- they both put on sunglasses. A HUSH descends over the CROWD. The CURTAIN rises
slowly...and Brenda, Susan and Vanity are frozen in a provocative, vampy stance. Their effect on the audience is galvanizing -- the
Crowd bursts into APPLAUSE and WHISTLES-MORRIS (surprised) – What ??
Wearing sexy lingerie and moving seductively to the beat, the Girls launch into "Sex Shooter" with complete abandon. The MUSIC
is slick and fierce, the Girls sexy and sure. Wearing black bikini panties, black tails and boots, Vanity dances center-stage and begins
SINGING. She's mesmerizing, her look so alluring, so profound that the audience sits slack-jawed in amazement. The SPOTLIGHT
is hers and she soaks it in, radiating a sexiness that has the audience at her feet. The entire concept -- dress, dance, music and
staging -- is overwhelming, with just the right degree of playfulness to allow the Crowd easy passage into the fantasy world the Girls
create. Brenda and Susan play off her wonderfully, sharing secret looks with the Crowd, balancing the wickedness of the act with an
innocence that is enticing. They're working strongly as a unit now, the AUDIENCE roaring their approval... MORRIS and Jerome
are beside themselves with happiness. The pull off their shades immediately, sit back and glow in the audience's response. PRINCE
stands in the back, his eyes glued to Vanity. Her strength and sureness in front of the Crowd is breathtaking. The audience loves her
and he suddenly feels very alone -- as if another wall has gone up between them. He looks away a moment and spots... Morris
looking at him with a self-satisfied, triumphant grin on his face. Prince looks away, moves out of his eyesight. "Sex Shooter" comes
to an end. The stage is plunged into darkness. The CROWD goes WILD, leaps to their feet, begging for more. The Girls, slightly
over-whelmed by the response and flushing deep red, hold one another. tightly and take repeated bows. PRINCE watches the Girls
bowing to thunderous APPLAUSE. Suddenly Vanity looks at him and touches the earring she's wearing -- it's his Mother's. His
knees weaken instantly, and he locks eyes with her. The heat between them is unmistakable. She smiles vividly, gives him an
endearing wave and steps back as the curtain closes. He's MOVING through the Crowd before he knows it, trying to get to the
backstage door. The Crowd is thick, his path momentarily blocked. He spots Billy Sparks cutting across the floor and congratulating
Morris and Jerome. Prince turns from them, tries once again to make his way through the Crowd.
(94) INT. DRESSING ROOM, AND HALLWAY -- THE TASTE -- NIGHT
VANITY and the Girls rush into the dressing room and jump up and down with excitement. They are beside themselves with
happiness, kissing and hugging one another avidly. Suddenly Vanity pulls away, indicates she will be back and cuts out the room.
HALLWAY
as she runs down the hallway to the backstage area, peers from behind the curtain, scanning the club earnestly.
(95) IN'T. -- THE TASTE -- NEAR CURTAIN -- NIGHT
as Prince waits impatiently in the long line. Billy Sparks comes by, spots him and stops-BILLY - Morris is squeezing you, kiddo. You better kick ass tomorrow night or else.
He cuts outside, disappears into the Crowd. Prince stands there steaming, the wind knocked out of him, his joy a memory. He turns
back to the line, but it has grown, the Crowd now jammed up against the door. Frustrated, he cuts outside.
BACKSTAGE
as Vanity watches Prince leave. A profound sadness sweeps her face. Suddenly Susan is by her side, hugging and kissing her
happily. Brenda runs up, pouring champagne. Morris, Jerome and The Time are at the end of the hallway and beckon her excitedly
into the room. Vanity forces a smile, goes down the hallway, casting another look at the exit door.
(96) EXT. BACK ALLEY, THE TASTE -- NIGHT
Morris and Vanity stagger down the ALLEY obviously very drunk. Morris pulls from a FLASK. Vanity is still in her lingerie, wears
an open coat over it. Her speech is slurred-VANITY - Did you hear these people applauding ? They loved us -- they wanted to rip us apart, and this is just our first night. I
can see it now, we're all going to be big stars. I can feel it.
MORRIS (singing) - Ain't nobody bad like me.
She kisses him spontaneously on the cheek-VANITY - Morris, you're a genius.
MORRIS - Ye-es...
He fixes her with a sexy look, takes a healthy look from his flask, then gives it too her. Vanity throws her head back, drinks fully, the
liquor coursing over her cheeks. He devours her with his eyes, opens the door to the Caddy—
MORRIS - Let's go, Bebe.
She stops as if remembering something-VANITY - Huh, where's Jerome ?
MORRIS - In his skin...hee, hee...
He's trying to nudge her into the CaddyVANITY - Is he coming ?
MORRIS – I gave him the night off.
VANITY – Why ?
He staggers back from the car, undulates his hips wantonly-MORRIS – Whawhak !
She busts up. Just then a MOTORCYCLE can be heard off screen. They look around drunkenly, trying to discern its direction.
Suddenly Prince BLASTS around the corner FULL OUT ! He streaks by Morris and KICKS him flat on his ass into the garbage-MORRIS (wails) - Oh, no -- Oh, God...No !
Prince skids to a slick stop. Vanity is transfixed. The entir episode took less than five seconds. He twists the throttle, BLASTS down
upon her... She breaks in a panic ! She runs clumsily down another alley, her coat flying. He WHIPS after her like a madman. She
flies around the corner -- a dead end ! He fishtails to a slick stop-PRINCE - Get on !
There's no way out ! Suddenly she lets out an excited YELP, jumps on. He guns the bike, BURSTS up the alley. Morris jumps into
his path drunkenly, his arms extended-MORRIS – Stop ! Stop !
But Prince BLAZES down upon him, sending him slipping and sliding to safety. He BLASTS around the bend-MORRIS – Motherfucker ! You long-haired faggot !
(97) EXT. HIGHWAY TO EMBANKMENT -- NIGHT
Prince and Vanity WHIPPING down the highway.
(98) EXT. EMBANKMENT -- NIGHT
They streak down the road, slow, then move down a small embankment. He stops the bike and gets off. She's in a foul mood,
staggers around dully, her head pounding, her speech slurred-VANITY - So here we are again. So this is it, huh ? What do you want this time ?
He looks at her painfully, upset about her drunken state-VANITY - What's your problem now ? What's your main problem ?
PRINCE - No problem. I just wanted to talk, alright ? I just want us to be okay, to really get along. No big deal.
She cackles, falls flat on her ass, hoists herself up-VANITY - No big deal, huh...
She pulls Morris' FLASK from her jacket -- his eyes blacken-PRINCE - Give me that.
VANITY - No, definitely not. Who are you ? You can't tell me what to do.
She puts it to her lips-PRINCE - Please don't drink that. Give it to me.
She holds the flask to her lips defiantly, then goes to drink. He lashes out suddenly, SMASHES it from her grip. She SCREAMS
wildly, SLAPS him hard across the face. He stands shocked a moment, his rage surging within him, smashing through every safety
valve he's acquired in his life. He BACKHANDS her savagely across the jaw. She hits the ground like a rag doll. He looks at her
curiously, bends over her - she sucker-punches him with everything she's got ! He SCREAMS in rage and grabs her hands as they
flail about his face. He squeezes her fingers back while the tears stream down her cheeks and her mouth forms a silent "ow" ! She
bares her teeth angrily and he sucks at her mouth, biting and kissing her in a fever pitch. She kicks at him violently, hot tears
streaming down her cheeks. He jams his leg between hers, rubs it firmly against her bottom. She struggles helplessly against him as
he covers her breasts, her stomach, her thighs with his lips. Quick breaths escape from her – her breathing begins to race... He
snaps her panties in two, pulls them from between her legs. She spreads herself as he releases his pants. She squeezes his buttocks,
pulls him toward her -- but Prince resists her coldly, regards her with contempt. Suddenly he flips her onto her stomach, forces her
to stand painfully on her knees. He rubs his hand between her buttocks, then thrusts into her painfully, driving himself to the very
depths of her... but she stifles a cry, arches her back, and meets his thrusts fiercely, moving quicker and quicker, banging her
buttocks against his thighs again and again. She's drawing from him now, turning the humiliation around, obtaining all that she
needs and desires. He's powerless -- her thrusts set the pace. She rises, Prince still inside her and tugs on him rapidly, causing him
to ejaculate suddenly, drawing from him a sharp and sudden cry... She moves away, draws her coat tightly about her, fixes him with
a contemptuous look-VANITY - You're nothing, Prince, absolutely nothing. You think you're so special -- but deep down you're just like all the rest. (a
beat) Your whole life you've been hiding, hiding behind your music. But now you don't even have that, because last night...last
night you used it to hurt someone, someone who really cares.
She runs up the embankment, wipes away her tears, faces him-VANITY - If you put your hands on me like that ever again, I'll be the last person you touch.
She pulls off his Mother's earring, throws it at him. Tears flowing, she streaks into the HIGHWAY blindly, directly into the path of a
SPEEDING CAR- THE DRIVER spots her in his HEADLIGHTS, SLAMS on his brakes ! He SKIDS wildly across the road, comes to
a SCREECHING, BURNING stop inches from her thigh ! VANITY shoots a look at Prince, her lips trembling, her love for him,
written plainly on her face. But his eyes flash defiantly. She bites her lip sadly, then snaps a hot look at the Driver-VANITY - I need a ride.
She cuts around the car, hops in. The Driver skids off into the night. Prince stands there trembling, watches as it disappears into the
distance.
DISSOLVE TO :
(99) EXT. PRINCE'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
Prince pulls up to the wooden gate, cuts the motor, gets off. He walk wearily across the porch, moves to the front door -- it's wide
open. He thinks nothing of it, cuts into the house, closes it behind him.
(100) INT. PRINCE'S HOUSE -- GROUND FLOOR -- NIGHT
He stands by the door motionless, a curious look on his face. The STEREO is on, the NEEDLE skipping monotonously along the
record. His mouth opens into a spasm-PRINCE - Dad...?
Silence. A sudden dread courses through him, leaving a hollow in his stomach. His feet are like lead. He moves heavily into the
room-PRINCE - Mom...?
Nothing. Panic sets in. He STREAKS down the hallway, twists open the bedroom door -- it's empty. Blue NIGHT LIGHT glows
through the windows. CURTAINS play delicately in the breeze. He's thoughtful, walks back into the living room... the COFFEE
TABLE is SMASHED. He looks at it curiously, wondering stupidly if it had always been like that. Then sudden bolt of fear makes his
head swim. A lamp, a porcelain dish, some knickknacks on the mantle -- all smashed. He rushes into the kitchen, looks around
crazily-PRINCE - Daddd...!
Nothing but the decay of his scream. The BASEMENT door is ajar. He cuts to it quickly, pulls it open, peers frantically into the
darkness below. He snaps ON the light...
(101) OMIT
(102) EXT. PRINCE'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
SIRENS ! The SCENE is a riot of COLOR and FRENZY. A POLICE CAR, LIGHTS FLASHING, skids into the drive. NEIGHBORS
jam the STREETS. POLICE CARS are parked all around.
(103) INT. BASEMENT, PRINCE'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
CHAOS ! The BASEMENT is PACKED with COPS. Prince's father is strapped into a gurney, staring dully at the ceiling.
PHOTOGRAPHERS snap pictures as PARAMEDICS work feverishly over him. I.V. UNITS are pushed into his veins. An OXYGEN
MASK is placed over his nose and mouth. Huge white bandages are bunched up along the back of his head. His Mother is kneeling
by the gurney, crying hysterically, grasping his hands in a white panic. TWO COPS support her. Someone is SHOUTING
instructions. RADIOS crackle incessantly. A MEDIC cries-MEDIC – Lift !
And the gurney is hoisted up the stairs quickly, the bulk of the crowd following, his Mother supported as she ascends the stairs.
Prince sits on a tattered sofa in the corner, his head bowed. Cops standing and kneeling beside him. Somebody finished taking
notes, closes his pad. One Cop rests a hand on his shoulder, talks to him in soft tones. Prince shakes his head slightly. The Cop gives
the group a signal and everyone disperses, moves up the stairs. The Cop looks at him sympathetically, then closes the door behind
him.
(104) INT. BASEMENT -- NIGHT
PRINCE sits motionless a long time. Moonlight floods the basement with a foreboding light. A dog BARKS somewhere in the
distance. He looks up suddenly, his face agitated, his eyes red from tears.
PRINCE'S POV-- CHALK MARKS on the floor outlining the body of his Father. There's a GUN in his Father's hand clearly marked.
A train WHISTLE in the distance. He's staring at the gun. He shakes his head, rubs a hand over his face vigorously and looks up
again... the GUN in his Father's hand. He can't get it out of his mind ! The WHISTLE is CLOSER. He lurches to his feet, paces back
and forth crazily. His Father's head, the gun...the gun...the... The WHISTLE is LOUDER. He throws himself into the chair, buries
his face deeply into his hands and cries. Huge racking sobs spasm through his body. His Father, his Mother, his entire life, his
music, his guitar... He looks up suddenly -- the gun in his Father's hand. ..and he stares at it. The WHISTLE is LOUDER ! His heart
is pounding in his ears. He squeezes them shut, looks up... The gun. He bolts to his feet, paces back and forth in a panic ! The train
is HOWLING ! A rope in the corner of the room, his face, the gun... He sits dully, gazes at the rope as if in a trance. The TRAIN is
ROARING past the house, it's HORN BLASTING. The rope, the gun, and his body dangling from the rafters in the night breeze-PRINCE (screaming) – Noooooo !!
He lurches to his feet, cuts through the basement like a madman. He grabs a stick and starts SLASHING things crazily, moving
through the room swinging his stick wildly again and again. He's lost to himself now, deep in the pit of an unknown terror,
expurgating a horror that has been festering in him for years. He flings his stick at the wall, unends shelves and bureaus, trampling
old memories that have lain dormant for years. Drawer after drawer is flung against the wall, their contents smashing and
scattering about. He opens a large, oaken chest and flips over. Thick three inch piles of yellowed paper fall out. He snaps through
the rubber bands holding them together and flings the paper at the wall again and again... he stops suddenly, shocked. He SEES
musical notes written down on the paper. his heart pounding in his chest, he searches frantically through the rubble scattered about
him. More and more musical notes, sketched ideas, simple melodies, entire songs and scores -- all meticulously recorded on lined
yellowed paper, dated for the last 20 years, and signed...by his Father. He's shocked to a standstill. Then the full significance of
what's before him hits him like a sledgehammer. He collapses in agony against the chest, tears flowing down his cheeks.
(105) INT. BASEMENT -- A SERIES OF SHOTS (NIGHT INTO DAY)
Prince lying outstretched on the basement floor, sleeping fitfully, feverishly. His body is lathered in sweat, the droplets glisten in the
pale light.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Cool, gray dawn. He's in a dead sleep on the floor, his arms outstretched, his legs twisted beneath him. His Father's outline
seemingly rests by his side... Just then the basement window begins to glow with SUNLIGHT. It inches slowly across the floor, then
sweeps him majestically, bathing him in its warmth. He wakes slowly, stretches his limbs like an opening flower. After a moment he
sits up, shades his eyes... The basement is littered with debris. The destruction is complete, but in the midst of it lies his Father's
music. The yellow parchment is scattered about glowing in the sunlight... Something seems to flash across his mind. he stands,
moves quickly down the hallway to the antechamber... Suddenly we HEAR a TAPE REWINDING. After a moment...MUSIC and we
immediately recognize it as Lisa's and Wendy's SONG. It plays a moment, then snaps off abruptly. He stands locked in thought,
then sits behind the piano, hunts for the first few notes of Lisa's and Wendy's song...
DISSOLVE TO :
(105A) INT. HOSPITAL ROOM -- NIGHT
Prince's Father is lying on the bed, sleeping peacefully. A large bandage is wrapped along the back of his head. His Mother sits by
his side, her forehead resting on the covers, her hands holding his. She's in deep sleep, and it's obvious at once that she's been by his
side the entire time... Prince steps from the shadows of the room and gazes at them fighting back the emotion that wells within him.
He leans close and kisses them both gently then-MC (over) (excited) - Let's bring them back ! Ladies and gentlemen, The Time !
(106) INT. CLUB (1ST AVE. ST. BAR) -- NIGHT
The CROWD goes WILD ! Morris, Jerome and the Time return to the stage to a frenzied throng. The PLACE is PACKED, the
CROWD applauding like MAD ! LASER LIGHTS strobe the house in a frenzy. It's a glorious night, and Morris struts back and forth
imperialistically criss-crossing the stage like a lion, urging the audience on. He grabs a mike-MORRIS - You love us right ?! You want us right ?! I can't hear you !
The CROWD is SCREAMING -- Morris flashes a wide, exaggerated grin-MORRIS - What time is it ?! (a beat) Whawhak !!
And MUSIC. The Time launches into "The Bird" and Morris, laughing heartily, does 'The Bird" (dance) with Jerome as the audience
ROARS their approval.
(107) INT. DRESSING ROOM/BACKSTAGE -- NIGHT
as Prince and his Band sit in grave silence, the exuberant SOUNDS of the CLUB filtering through the open door. Jill is also in the
room, sitting on a table, holding the dog silently in her lap. She casts sidelong looks to Prince, tears welling in her eyes. The Band
Members fidget nervously, knowing full well that their jobs are on the line, and feeling awful about the personal tragedy that has
befallen Prince. The entire situation is very tense, and it's made worse every time the crowd lets out a delighted ROAR of approval.
But Prince sits placidly, his face an enigma, his feelings a mystery.
(108) INT. CLUB -- NIGHT
And it couldn't be more of a contrast ! The place is a riot of color and raucous carryings on. "The Bird" is a smashing success with
everyone on the dance floor trying gamely to get the steps right. Morris and Jerome are flushed with pride, surprising even
themselves with their impromptu adjustments to the act. The MUSIC crescendos, then comes to a rousing blistering end ! The stage
is plunge into darkness. The CROWD goes BERSERK. Billy Sparks shakes his head happily-BILLY – Jesus !
(109) INT. BACKSTAGE -- NIGHT
Morris, Jerome and The Time cut briskly past admiring FANS, laughing and shouting crazily-BAND MEMBERS (ad lib) - It's all over now. He better watch out. He doesn't even need to go on. He might as well go home.
(110) INT. DRESSING ROOM -- NIGHT
As Prince, Jill and the Band sit in dead silence listening to The Time's bluster off screen. Suddenly The Time crosses the doorway -Morris does a double-take, sticks his head into the room-MORRIS - How's the family ! Whawhak !
The Time busts up, drags Morris from the room. Prince's group is shocked, casts furtive glances to him -- but he remains serene,
then-MC (over) - Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Prince !
Applause offscreen. Prince stands abruptly, straps on his guitar. His Band Members look at him closely, trying to discern his
feelings. He gives them a cursory glance, cuts out the door.
(111) INT. CLUB -- NIGHT
Prince hits the stage and the APPLAUSE grows, but it' s nothing like the exuberance that greeted Morris. He moves center-stage
and plants himself there, his eyes staring into the audience. BILLY SPARKS leans against the bar, a smug look on his face. VANITY
walks slowly up the stairs, gazes at Prince. PRINCE does not move. The APPLAUSE trickles away. He continues to stare in the
audience making no attempt to direct his Band, or start a tune. A nervous TWITTER ripples though the crowd. Those who know
about the tragedy feel a profound embarrassment for him -- but no one turns away. Then his voice comes clear and mellifluous-PRINCE - I would like to do a song that two of my friends wrote.
A MURMUR, cuts through the Crowd like a riptide. Prince snaps a look to Lisa and Wendy and confirms that it is indeed their song.
They can't believe it ! Tears spring to Wendy's eyes before she knows it ... Prince smiles at her, then gazes at his entire Band. Their
eyes fasten on him in an instant. He counts softly and... MUSIC. The opening bars of "Purple Rain." He turns to the audience and
SINGS.... It's a ballad, a poem really, a plea for understanding, love, and survival. It's a testament, a pact if you will, between himself
and others... The AUDIENCE is mesmerized, all EYES are upon him -- but Prince doesn't notice. Lips pressed against the mike,
dark eyes streaming, he's lost to himself now, loosening all that's within him, cleansing himself of his rage, hatred and pain...
VANITY is crying. Every moment she has shared with him is expressed in this song, and the effect on her is unnerving. Her heart
leaps to him in a way she never thought possible. But she lets it go willingly, as the words draw her in, seducing her somehow,
making her free...as if the music, his words, all that he has experienced and understood, is purging what is confused and ugly within
herself, leaving her with an understanding and joy that burns in her womb like soft fire. A smile springs to her lips as tears continue
to flow, and she finds herself moving closer... as the Audience moves closer, drawn somehow to the stage, to the person who SINGS
so truly, to the person who gives of himself unselfishly to all that he feels... Prince begins a long sustained CRY that cuts though the
hearts of all present. The MUSIC builds awesomely, and he continues to sing out, emptying himself of all the remaining pain lying
within. The MUSIC crescendos and comes to a quiet end... Stunned SILENCE. A silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.
Prince sighs, assumes the worse, then cuts across the stage purposefully. Now some CLAPPING. And a WHISTLE from the back
and the SHOUTING. And more WHISTLES and some even SCREAMING. And the WHISTLES and the SHOUTS and the
CLAPPING growing and growing as....
(112) INT. HALLWAY -- NIGHT
Prince cuts from the stage in a frenzy, rushes toward the rear exit. The APPLAUSE is building and building until it's a THUNDER,
an onrushing ROAR, an avalanche of HYSTERIA that rocks the club mightily... PRINCE is still running though, his face streaming
with tears, past the surprised look of Jill, past the FANS, past everyone -- stripping of his clothes fiercely, flinging off his jacket, his
shirt, his scarf-(113) EXT. BACK ENTRANCE, INT. HALLWAY -- CLUB -- NIGHT
He SMASHES open the door, BURSTS outside. He sucks in the night air as if he was drowning. He wipes away his tears, rushes to
his bike, starts to undo the chain... they're SHOUTING his NAME... Not randomly, not haphazardly, but...in unison. And relentless,
very demanding, downright urgent, and...it's beautiful. A wry smile crosses his lips. He heads back to the door. Jill is there, scared,
her face a map of tears. He flashes her a smile-PRINCE - Hi.
She's thunderstruck, can barely squeak it out-JILL - Hi.
And he whips into the hallway. Her face dissolves into a smile of pure joy.
(114) INT. CLUB -- NIGHT
MOVING now, FAST and FURIOUS. The HALLWAY is LINED with PEOPLE. They reach for him as he passes, touching him,
showering him with their love. Someone hands him his shirt, another his scarf -- it's so intense! He's moving quickly now, his jacket
up ahead, closer...he stops suddenly, stunned... Vanity is holding his jacket. He's struck speechless -- she hands it to him smiling,
tears streaming down her face-VANITY - I love you.
His knees go weak, she kisses him spontaneously, pushes him lovingly to the stage. THE CROWD IS ROARING!
(115) INT. HALLWAY AND STAGE REAR -- NIGHT
He's half-running now like crazy -- his Band is on-stage, peering anxiously into the hallway. They spot him and relief sweeps their
faces like a tidal wave. He whips his jacket on, rushes up the stairs...
(116) INT. CLUB -- NIGHT
STAGE THUNDER ! Prince walks center-stage...and bows. The AUDIENCE goes BERSERK ! He acknowledges Wendy and Lisa,
and then the entire Band. The CROWD is jumping out of their skin ! He straps on his guitar, gives a deft signal and-- MUSIC. The
Band launches into "I Would Die For You." Vanity squeezes her way through the crowd and stands watching Prince from the wings.
He presses his lips to the mike and SINGS. The MUSIC continues as we...
CUT TO :
(117) INT. LIVING ROOM, PRINCE'S HOME -- NIGHT
Prince walks through the LIVING ROOM slowly, gazes at the smashed table, the broken lamp and dishes. Every item in the room
suddenly takes on a profound significance. His father's slippers under the sofa, his mother's knickknacks on the table, her pen and
ink drawings on the wall. After a moment, he picks up his father's slippers, studies them a long time.
(118) INT. BEDROOM -- NIGHT
The DOOR opens -- a LIGHT snaps ON. He walks into the room, places his father's slippers in the CLOSET. His Mother's dress is
lying in a heap on the floor. He picks it up, and puts it away.
(119) INT. BASEMENT -- NIGHT
as he descends the steps hesitantly. The FLOOR is covered with rubble. He sits on the steps, stares at his father's MUSIC on the
floor. "I Would Die For You" continues as we...
CUT TO :
(120) INT. CLUB -- NIGHT
Prince on-stage SINGING "I Would Die For You." The AUDIENCE is captivated, locked into his grip again. His eyes seem to be
focused on something far away. He closes them tightly, presses his lips against the mike. The MUSIC continues as we...
CUT TO :
(121) INT. BASEMENT, PRINCE'S HOME -- TWILIGHT
He's in the final stages of cleaning the basement floor. The debris has been swept up, shelves righted, smashed items thrown away...
He stacks his Father's music neatly, tears welling in his eyes. He places it in new boxes, stands wearily, a fulfilled look on his face.
Suddenly he stops -- stares at the awful chalk marks on the floor : his Father lying down, the gun gripped in his hand..."I Would Die
For You" continues as we...
CUT TO :
(122) INT. CLUB -- NIGHT
Prince on-stage SINGING "I Would Die For You." He's lost to himself now, locked into a personal horror he alone can see. The
CROWD is pressed against the stage, mesmerized by his performance. Billy Sparks is also drawn in, amazed at the power being
generated from the stage. Prince sweeps the audience with his eyes, then fastens on Vanity earnestly, SINGS directly to her. The
MUSIC continues as we...
CUT TO :
(123) INT. BASEMENT, PRINCE'S HOME -- DAWN
He pulls a HOSE from behind the washer, draws it on to the floor. He hesitates a moment, gazes one last time at his Father's
outline, tears welling in his eyes. He turns the water on, watches as the dusty yellow chalk gives way reluctantly, mixing with the
water, swirling down the drain. Calmness sweeps his face like a passing cloud. Just then SUNLIGHT blazes in through the casement
windows. Water droplets glisten brilliantly in the morning light. He turns the water off, goes to put the hose back -- stops suddenly,
surprised... his Mother's earring lies on the floor. He's entranced, picks it up, stares at it a moment. Everything he's been through
comes rushing at him like a locomotive. The confusion, the shouting and violence, the darkness that eclipsed his parents' life -- it's
all there, lying just below the surface, settled into his heart. But now there's a difference -- he knows it's there and has discovered
what could happen when it takes control of your life. So as he stands in the basement, on the clean cellar floor, he realizes that...he'll
just take one thing at a time, and do it right. Better than anybody else. He smiles, realizes that in the last few weeks, he's never felt
better than he feels right now. He turns quickly, flips the earring to the stairwell... Vanity plucks it from the air. Their eyes lock and
they share smiles of pure joy. He picks up his father's music, and they both head up the stairs. "I Would Die For You" continues as
we-CUT TO :
(124) INT. CLUB -- NIGHT
CELEBRATION ! Everyone is JUMPING up and down. Prince is radiant, strutting across the stage, his hands upraised. The
CROWD goes WILD ! He flashes a wide grin to Vanity, then twists, eyeballs the CROWD wickedly, wonderfully. It's too much !
Everyone is joining in now. Even Morris and Jerome, standing in the wings, start DANCING like crazy. Then suddenly they catch
themselves, stop, act dignified. But Vanity sees them and busts up. They catch her look, laugh heartily and join in again. The MUSIC
segues into a fierce BEAT. The CROWD lets out a ROAR ! Prince strips off his guitar, streaks center-stage. The Band launches into
"Baby, I'm A Star." ...And the CROWD laughing, dancing, shouting and loving. The CLUB is ALIVE ! And the MUSIC
continues...forever...
THE END
06-06-1983 : STEVIE NICKS - THE WILD HEART Release
Stand Back (4:55)
Stevie Nicks’ album includes “Stand Back” on which Prince plays keyboards. Under
contract with Modern Records, Stevie Nicks does not mention Prince on his album to avoid
any criticism of Warner. The song reached number 5 in the charts and became a big hit.
29-06-1983 : Black Music Awards
DMSR / 1999
Prince made another one-off appearance in Minneapolis, on
June 29th, when he was named Musician of the Year at the
second annual Black Music Awards in St. Paul's Prom
Center. Prince had the crowd of 1,200 dancing and standing
on chairs to see him and his band as they capped the night
with "D.M.S.R." and "1999."
27-06-1983 : Jet
Prince’s 1999 re-released to attract white listeners
The title tune of prince’s critically acclaimed double-album, 1999, is being re-released by Warner
Brothers for White audiences since they just recently discovering punk funk’s bad boy. Though the
single was a tremendous hit in Black circles when it was released earlier this year, it got little or no
airplay on White radio stations. However, with the popularity of Little Red Corvette among Whites,
another single from the album, Warner Brothers decided to give 1999 another shot with White
listeners.
Summer 1983 : Home Studio – Vanity 6 sessions
17 Days (1) – Vanity 6 2nd album
Vibrator (7:21) – Vanity 6 2nd album
Vibrator Dialogue (0:27 / 0:35) – Vanity 6 2nd album
G-Spot (1) (4:58) – Vanity 6 2nd album / Purple Rain #1
Sex Shooter (1) (7:01) – Vanity 6 2nd album
Promise To Be True (1) – Vanity 6 2nd album
Climax (Bass Part) (4:37) / Climax (4:39) – Vanity 6 2nd album
Electrocution
17 Days was initially recorded during the summer of 1983 with Brenda Bennett on vocals, with the intention of placing it on the
second album by Vanity 6 (which later became the Apollonia 6 album).Vibrator is an ode to the battery-operated sex toy. The
narrator (Vanity) sings about her vibrator, before the song transforms when the batteries run out in her toy; she goes to a store
where she meets a shocked store clerk, played by Jill Jones, who offers to "take it downstairs" to install the new batteries. The
narrator leaves, instead taking it to a different store, and meeting a different clerk (played by Prince in his Jamie Starr voice), who
gives her the batteries and rushes her out of the store. She then takes her toy home, and the song ends with her moans and her
eventual climax. Vanity's moans from the song have been sampled on a few different tracks. They were sampled at the beginning
of Seven before then also being sampled on 24 (Orgasm), originally included as part of 21-24 (The Dopamine Rush Suite) before
the section it was a part of was edited out for the track's release as The Dopamine Rush. The moans were included also on
Orgasm (released in complete form as Poem). Prince gave the song to Eric Leeds in July, 1989 when considering songs for a new
Madhouse album, presumably to be used as an instrumental; it is not believed that Leeds worked on the track, however.
Recordings for Purple Rain continued during the summer and autumn of 1983. Two of the tracks that didn't make the album were
"G-Spot" and "Electric Intercourse," both of which were intended for performance scenes in the film. "G-Spot" showcases the
poppier side of Prince's songwriting with an infectious synth hookline and a catchy chorus, as well as a classic verse/chorus/bridge
pop structure. Prince goes through various items, namely "frustration," "instigation," "naked body," "America (and the things you
read in magazines)," "location," "lust," and "yearning," the initials of which add up to "finally." As Prince keeps repeating "G-spot gspot, where oh where can you be ?", it seems as if he is saying that after having gone through everything, he has finally found it. It
was originally intended for Vanity 6's second album. The song was then considered for Purple Rain, but was replaced on the album
and in the movie by Darling Nikki in August, 1983. Prince's original version contains Prince calling out "Maceo" for a solo and the
line "I don't want no trash, gimme some of that popcorn" (taken from Mother Popcorn) - this is an homage to James Brown and
saxophonist Maceo Parker, with whom Prince would work many years later. The song was later re-worked and eventually released
on the Jill Jones album in 1987. Originally planned for a second album by Vanity 6, Sex Shooter is a wordplay on "Six Shooter",
another name for a revolver (gun) that holds six cartridges.Promise To Be True was intended for Vanity 6's planned second album.
The song is not known to have been considered for the Apollonia 6 album. Electrocution is an unreleased. It is not known if the
track was intended for any particular project at the time. The track was given to Eric Leeds in July, 1989, for consideration on the
later-abandoned Madhouse album 26 although he chose not to use it.
While Purple Rain seems to have been largely one of those rare occasions when Prince did not dig particularly deep into his archive
and mostly wrote songs that did end up, in whatever form, on the album or in the film, there are a handful of other songs that
weren’t included on the record or in the movie, some of which received official release, such as ‘17 Days’ and ‘Erotic City’. Of ‘17
Days’ Wendy remembers : ‘It came out of a “Purple Rain” rehearsal. Me and Lisa started playing a riff, and Prince started singing
that melody.’ Lisa adds : ‘I think we were being really playful because we started doing like a reggae groove and we were twisting
things around. It’s like musicians, we used to bust each other’s chops all the time doing polyrhythms, this feel against that feel,
ended up being cool. He was like, “Hey, I kinda like this.” It was written quickly. We went to his house for the final bits.’
17 Days
Called you yesterday
You didn't answer your phone
The main drag is knowing that
You probably weren't alone
So here I sit in my lonely room
Lookin' for my sunshine
But all I've got is two cigarettes
And this broken heart of mine
So let the rain come down
The rain come down
Let the rain come down, down
Let the rain come down
The rain come down
Let the rain come down, down
You've been gone 17 days
17 long nights
The main drag is knowing that
You're holding someone else tight
I wanna to call you everyday
And beg you to be near me
But I know your head is underwater
I doubt that you could hear me
So let the rain come down
The rain come down
Let the rain come down, down
Let the rain come down
The rain come down
Let the rain come down, down
Ha, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
17 days
Ha, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
17 days
Called you yesterday
You didn't answer your phone
If you're the one who's always lonely
Then I'm the one who's always alone
So here I sit in my lonely room
Lookin' for my sunshine
All I've got is two cigarettes
And this broken heart of mine
Let the rain come down
The rain come down
Let the rain come down, down
Let the rain come down
The rain come down
Let the rain come down, down
Let the rain come down
The rain come down
Let the rain come down, down
(Why don't you answer your phone?)
Let the rain come down
The rain come down
Let the rain come down, down
17 days
Let the rain come down
The rain come down
Let the rain come down, down
17 days
Vibrator
Is it my imagination
Or are U with the boys again ?
U used 2 take me with U
I used 2 be your best friend
When U finally come home
Your car ain't got no gasoline
That's OK, baby
Cuz my new love treats me like a queen
Eat your heart out
CHORUS:
Vibrator makes me feel so good
Vibrator - don't U wish U could ?
Vibrator - his patience can't be beat
Vibrator - I guess U could say that U're obsolete
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
It must be my imagination
Cuz I know I didn't hear U laugh
U'd be surprised what I do when U're through
Taking your macho bath
Uncharted waters sailed with ease
Land is always in sight
But with U it's always abandon ship (abandon ship)
And we didn't even get away from the dock 2night
Eat your heart out
CHORUS
Is it my imagination
Are U with the boys again ?
U used 2 take me with U
I used 2 be your best friend
But now I'm just a plaything
Your ego-feeding female sex machine
Well U can take a hike, mister
Cuz U're the poorest excuse 4 a man I've ever seen !
Eat your heart out, sucker !
CHORUS
Vibrator makes me feel so good
Vibrator makes me feel so good
Uh oh, oh no !
Please don't die on me no
(Vibrator) {repeat in BG}
May I help U ?
Yes, I was wondering if U had batteries 4 my bo...
Oh my God !
Look at the size of that thing !
Where did U get this ?
Look, U got batteries or not ?
Oh sure, we have batteries
They're in the storage room
Tell U what
I'll just take this downstairs and put them in myself
No, I'll tell U what, U and your rubber glove can go
downstairs
And I'll take my business elsewheres
Now gimme this ! Jeez !
Well, what do U want ?
Goodness !
Goodness, nothing !
Baby, I'm busy
What do U want ?!!
Do have any batteries that will fit my body massager ?
Body massager ? Please !
Right, U see my back's been acting up lately and..
Yeah, my back's been acting up 2
In fact, it acts up every time my boyfriend leaves
No, really, my back..
Save it honey, put it in the bank
I know what's happening
Here, these oughta work
Yeah, yeah, that'll work
Thank U !
Yeah, yeah, go on, get outta here !
Thank U so much, thank U !
Yeah, so get..
Body mas.. please !
(Vibrator) {repeats in BG}
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Ready or not, here I come
Oh yeah
Oh, here I come
Oh yeah
Here I.. here I.. here I come !
Now !
Sex Shooter
I need U 2 get me off
I'm your bomb, baby, ready 2 explode
I need U 2 get me off
Be your slave, do anything I'm told
CHORUS:
I'm a sex shooter
Shootin' love in your direction
I'm a sex shooter
Come and play with my affections
I need U 2 pull my trigger, baby
I can't do it alone
I need U 2 be my main thing, play thing
Pillar of stone
CHORUS
Come on, kiss the gun
Come on, kiss the gun
Guaranteed 4 fun
Sex shooter
Shootin' love in your direction
Oh, I'm a sex shooter
Come and play with my affections
Listen boys
No girl's body can compete with mine
No girl's rap can top my lines
No girl's kiss can ring your chimes
Come on boy, let's make some time
I'm a sex shooter
Shootin' love in your direction (Yeah)
I'm a sex shooter
Come and play with my affections
Everybody sing it - Sex shooter
Shootin' love in your direction
I can't hear U - Sex shooter
Come and play with my affections
All the nasty people sing it - Sex shooter
Shootin' love in your direction (Oh baby)
Everybody - Sex shooter
Come and play with my affections
G-Spot
F is 4 frustration
I’m looking forward isn’t really there
I is instigation
I’m list’ning 2 the voice beneath my hair
N is 4 the naked body
and 4 what my naked eye can see.
G-spot, G-spot, where oh where can u be ?
A is 4 America and 4 the things u read in magazines
L is 4 location
I am a clock the time is 9 15
L is 4 the lust we share
we want 2 know the infamous pleasure.
G-spot, G-spot, where oh where can u be ?
Y is 4 my yearning
and a burning end 2 mystery.
G-spot, G-spot, where oh where can u be ?
Jul 83
??-??-1983 : ♫ Piano Session
(0:35)
(A : Purple Rush Vol II / Vol V – 9/10)
17 Days / Purple Rain / A Case Of U / Mary Don’t U Weep / Strange Relationship
International Lover / Wednesday / Cold Coffee And Cocaine / Mama
The first rehearsed track is 17 Days, a song probably written and worked recently. The
version is structured and interpreted as it is on the record, rhythmically and vocally.
Prince gives an indication to the engineer on the height of his voice, which tells us about
the purpose of the session, he plays piano with headphones on to make a voice demo.
This may be a preliminary recording, once the composition is completed, for members of
The Revolution so they repeat / add their part. Prince took an early habit of giving "rough"
demos to his musicians so they can freely incorporate their instruments lines. After 7
minutes, Prince slows the pace to begin Purple Rain. This is undoubtedly a very old
version, since it offers lyrics not retained thereafter. It is very short because Prince
decides to go on with one of his favorite songs from Joni Mitchell "A Case Of You".
Prince poured into the blues and chose to interpret a cover of Aretha Franklin "Mary
Don’t You Weep." The recording switches at the third minute : Prince speaks of a "bad
feeling, 'cuz your man is coming home" The interpretation of Strange Relationship is
poignant. Prince continues to sing while sobbing, sometimes missing a few lines. Then he engages in a crystalline version of
International Lover. At 2 minutes one would think that he could continue with Do Me Baby, but he doesn’t, Prince starts beat-boxing
a few rhythmic intonations. He begins to play completely new a song. It’s Wednesday. Prince begins a rhythmic piece he called
"Cold Coffee And Cocaine." He sings in his "Morris Day" voice. Mama is not a sophisticated song, it can even be improvised on the
spot : "Mama what's this strange" ... he said several times, choosing his words : "white butterfly ?" he suddenly asks.
The second rehearsal is dated as being from 1983 and is far more structured, although it is still one long
continuous session. 'Purple Rain' features a slightly different vocal arrangement, as does 'International Lover',
however that's to be expected due to the improvised nature of the recording. The most obvious stand-out of the
1983 rehearsal comes in the form of the unreleased outtake 'Wednesday' which Sabotage have mistakenly listed
as 'There's No Telling What I Might Do' (as everyone else seems to do - no big deal). No studio version has (so
far) surfaced for this track, and whilst the rehearsal version here probably bears little similarity the the studio
version locked away in the vault, it is an indication of how beautiful a track it may be. The sound quality of both
rehearsals is superior to the versions previously circulating on various older releases, however both 'Cold Coffee &
Cocaine' and 'Mama' from the 1983 rehearsal suffer from some serious glitches throughout and really spoil the last
15 minutes of the rehearsal. Sabotage have since released this portion of the rehearsal from a different source
recording on their 2004 release 'Purple Rush 5'.
Money
Ain’t Too Proud To Beg (Temptations)
Cold Coffee And Cocaine
Money is an unreleased track recorded in 1983. Nothing is known about the track. It is not known if the track was intended for
Purple Rain or any other project. Cold Coffee And Cocaine is an unreleased track recorded at some point in 1983 during a solo
piano rehearsal by Prince (along with Mama). It is not known if a more complete studio version exists. It is not known if the track
was intended for Purple Rain or any other project. The lyrics of the song are sung in Prince's "Jamie Starr" voice, suggesting that
the track may have been intended for The Time. The narrator in the song is tired of his lover, because all she offers him are "cold
coffee and cocaine".
Unknown newspapers
Prince’s trench brings big buck$
Funk rocker Prince’s studded trench coat brought a whopping $450 during an auction in Raleigh, North Carolina recently. Prince
had worn the coat during his 1999 tour. The garment was bid on by a female twentyish fan, who implored the crowd not to outbid
her. When she finally won, she announced “I’m going to wear this coat everywhere even on my vacation.”
When the Record Bar and WQDR in Raleigh, North Carolina, threw a Rock’n’Roll Auction for charity, they were amazed to discover
that the rock’n’roller whose contribution drew the biggest response was Prince. The studded trench coat which Prince wore onstage
during his 1999 tour drew the day’s highest bid ($450), evoking more demand than John Cougar’s leather jacket ($370), Billy (ZZ
Top) Gibbons’ custom-made guitar ($250) and John (Styx) Panozzo’s autographed snare drum ($85).But the real surprise during
the bidding for Prince’s coat, according to the Record Bar’s Elizabeth Stagg, was “the emotion of these women,” which Stagg termed
“incredible.” One twenty-ish Prince fan had brought “her entire life savings, $250” to the auction, and still was not able to bid high
enough to land the garment that once clung to her hero’s body. Said Stagg, “She pleaded with everyone else not to bid against her,
then broke down in tears when the woman who finally won the coat announced that she’d wear it everywhere, even on her
vacation.” Prince is working on a full-length movie starring himself, The Time’s Morris Day and Vanity 6.
07-1983 : ♫ Rehearsal For The 03-08 1st Av
(1:27)
(A : Purple Rush Vol II (improved) – 10/10)
Band Tuning / Africa Talks To You / Band Impro / Let’s Go Crazy (2 Takes)
When You Were Mine / A Case Of U / Computer Blue / Delirious
Electric Intercourse / Automatic / I Would Die 4 U / Baby I’m A Star
Little Red Corvette / Purple Rain / DMSR
A run-through of the entire concert, including Joni Mitchell's ”A Case
Of You”. The show is considered by many to be one of Prince's best
performances ever. The concert, a benefit for the Minnesota Dance
Theatre, was recorded, using a mobile recording unit brought in from
New York. The basic tracks of ”I Would Die 4 U,” ”Baby, I’m A Star,”
and ”Purple Rain” were taped during the concert and were later used
on Purple Rain. The rehearsals live up to the show as Prince and
The Revolution members are in playful moods, joking and ad-libbing
frequently. Prince sings "Holland, London, Paris, France” instead of
"Dance, music, sex...” During a break the band fool around with other
songs, including "The James Bond Theme” and Madness’ ”Our
House,” as well as a bit from "Stand Back,” which Prince wrote, at
least in parts, together with Stevie Nicks; he owns 15% of the song.
There are recordings of rehearsal versions of ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, played in preparation for this show, which reveal both how much fun
this new song was to play and also how loose it was before it sharpened into the version we know today. It seems to have started out
close to a punk song – although without even the pantomime danger of something like The Damned’s ‘Smash It Up’, a not that
dissimilar song. Much of Purple Rain is in a slightly overwrought rock-metal register, and it’s clear Prince had to drill the band to
get this sound, losing a lightness of tone along the way.
One of, if not the finest rehearsals of the man's career, and thankfully a stellar quality soundboard recording to
match the content. This rehearsal has been circulating in various degrees of quality for years with Sabotage's
'Purple Rush Volume 2' perhaps being the most popular thus far. Sabotage's was good, great in parts, but the
audible hiss throughout 'Purple Rain' and a number of small edits during the rehearsal were a source of frustration
for me. Thankfully this release has zero hiss, a running order which appears to be a true reflection of the rehearsal
(Sabotage placed both versions of 'Let's Go Crazy' back-to-back which always seemed strange) and the overall
clarity of the soundboard recording is head-and-shoulders above any other. There's no comparison when it comes
to the two as this is far superior, but of the 3 major glitches in the recording (which affects both), it should be
pointed out that everything is left "as is" on here, so we get the original intro to the first version of 'Let's Go Crazy'
(Sabotage edited in a different recording) complete with the "when you call up that nigger in Beverley Hills"
spoken intro, we get a little distortion and/or tape-chew on 'Baby I'm A Star' here with the original "turn around,
1..2..3" intro which Sabotage removed, and finally the tape fluctuation and distortion on 'D.M.S.R.' is left on here
untouched and unedited. Those are the three main flaws with the recording, but they account for 1 minute in total
and are minimal when considering the overall quality. The originality of the recording aside, it's also simply a
clearer, cleaner recording which allows you to hear things not audible on other versions - such as background
comments by Prince during the band improvisation section. Excellent soundboard, excellent rehearsal and an
excellent improvement over any other version - I really do enjoy this release immensely. The content is the real
icing on the cake with a nasty-as-you-like (and we like) 'Computer Blue' to rival any other version, a stunning
'Electric Intercourse’, a frenetic 'D.M.S.R.' which simply goes on and on and on...and on, and a 24 minute segment
of the band fooling around with numerous genuinely funny moments and snippets from a vast array of songs from
the James Bond theme through to 'Catch A Falling Star'. This isn't perfect, and outside the 3 flaws on the
recording mentioned above, Prince's vocals on 'I Would Die 4 U' are raspy and hazy, but that also affects all other
versions of the rehearsal, so no fault lies with FBG. If you only ever grab one version of this rehearsal, make it this
one. If you already have this rehearsal, get this version, grab a set of earphones, turn it up loud and enjoy.
The rehearsal begins with Princes spoken word intro of Let’s Go Crazy. The most striking thing about it is how deep his voice is as
he speaks it, it’s not the voice I am used to from Purple Rain. He sounds very relaxed, and he does have fun with it as he says
“there’s something else.. that’s right, something”. The second thing that hits me is when he says “so when you call up that nigger in
Beverley Hills”. It seems a little out of character now, but I guess it is of its time. The rest of the song sounds light after the deep
voice of the intro, even with the heavy sounding bass and guitar, the keyboards have a very bright sound that seems to permeate
through the song. There is plenty of guitar in the song, but there is so much of everything else that it never really comes to the fore
as you may expect. The final solo and howl is a little damp, and I have to remind myself that this isn’t a live situation, it is a
rehearsal. And as such the song seems to stop dead, only a silence greets the final note. When You Were Mine sounds excellent in
this situation. I warm to the song right away as the keys and guitar come in. The playing is tight, and you can hear Prince give
instruction to the sound guy. There is an innate energy in the song, even without the audience it shines. The ladies voices are very
strong in my right ear, and I was going to comment more on it, but half way through Prince calls for sound adjustments, and they
do disappear back into the mix. Another part of the song I enjoy early on is when Prince talks to the sound guy, and then the band
play on for half a minute with no vocals. It’s got a good stripped down sound that I like. The ever reliable Doctor plays an
enthusiastic solo, before the song comes to a sudden halt. Prince’s delicate guitar playing draws me into A Case Of U, and I am in
love almost right away. As the keys move easy beneath his guitar he sings beautifully. Even in rehearsal there is the touch of
emotion that is needed to carry this song off. The lyrics match up great with his playing, and there is a fantastic little guitar run as
the song nears the end. I would have a lot more to say about this song, but the final version played live at the show is so
phenomenal, that even as good as this is, I know that there is better to come. The introduction of Computer Blue is without the girl’s
spoken piece, but that isn’t a big deal as the music is extremely cold and strong sounding. The keyboards provide some good runs,
but it really is the guitar and bass on this track that makes it what it is. I had to listen to it twice, as I was so enraptured with the
guitar sound the first time I missed everything else that was going on. One of
the great thing about listening to Prince and his music, there is so much to
listen to that I can always find new things every time I listen to a song. Prince’s
vocals stray from what we know, especially as he sings “where is my baby” in a
variety of styles, before ending with a throaty shriek. The change midsong is, as
always, killer, and I never seem to tire of it. Here I can hear the keyboards
much better than I remember, and they provide a nice layer of fills in my
left ear. All the while Prince continues with his guitar break. It is par for the
course, and somewhat quieter than I am used to. However just as I was
thinking that he comes on with the second half of his guitar break which is
much more improvised and freer, and I am happy to hear more of this from
him. The song finishes with a great roll and howl that belies the fact it is a
rehearsal. Delirious is a complete 180 from what we have just heard and it
takes me half a minute to adjust to the sudden pop bounce. The guitar vanishes
at the start, and as one might expect there is a lot of light keyboards playing.
Later I do hear a rhythm guitar but it is very low in the mix. I am normally
dismissive of Delirious, but tonight I enjoy it a lot. It does have a lot of nostalgic
value for me, and this arrangement is a lot of fun, with lots of crazy keyboard
solos, and a rockabilly guitar all vying for attention later in the song. The song
ends in a keyboard crescendo as Prince instructs Lisa to turn the keyboard
effects up, and she in turn replies that her keyboard is dead. Then as the music
simmers Prince sets his piano sound, playing as the sound comes to his liking.
It took me a long time to come around to Electric Intercourse, but its
performances like this one that won me over. The bass in the right speaker is
pitched just right, and Princes vocals are on point from the first line to the last.
I think part of the attraction of this song is that it has never been overplayed, it
still has a freshness to it, and this recording in particular catches that feeling. In
fact it’s so fresh that at one point Wendy misses her cue, only to be chastised by
Prince with a loud “Wake up Wendy !” The keyboard solo has a sweetness to it, and although it’s short I still give it a lot of
appreciation. As the song progresses I find myself listening to Prince more and more carefully, and the way his vocal arrangement
works with the girls, he definitely knows how he wants it to sound, and what is required. We are back into more familiar territory
next as Automatic begins. It has a dense sound to it, and feels somewhat like a sledge hammer following the delicate Electric
Intercourse. It is a joy to listen to the synthesizers play off against each other, and it’s another one of Princes songs where he very
much creates a mood with the sound of his music. The song sticks fairly close to the original, there is one stage where the keyboards
get all weird and wonderful, before pulling out and Prince plays a staggered guitar break. Right after this it takes on a dance feel,
and despite still having a dark sound I find myself beginning to move. Again there is a great contrast in the track list as Prince flips
the mood with I Would Die 4 U. The song has a fresh and energetic sound, especially coming off Automatic. I like Prince’s vocals,
but he does sound removed, almost as if his voice is coming from another room. It’s not that his vocals are low in the mix, just the
effect on his voice. The song goes past at a fair clip, and it’s a real sweetener. Baby I’m A Star suffers a little at the start as the tape
has that ominous chewing sound that I grew up with. However it does recover by the times Prince’s vocals start, and it’s not a big
deal. As with the previous song Prince does have the sound of being in an empty room. I like the sound of it, but it does feel as if he
is coming from a distance. The rest of the band are fairly anonymous through the song, it’s Prince I am listening to, and the
keyboard coming from the left speaker. Although unreleased at this stage, the band sound like they have the song well and truly
down, and they play note perfect throughout. The Doctors solo is very enjoyable, and even though it’s as I have heard plenty of
times, it’s still infused with a joyous sound. Things once again slow down with Little Red Corvette. By this stage the band had played
it many times, and it seems that they could play it in their sleep. It’s so spot on note perfect, I love it for its perfectionism. The
introduction is kept short, and Prince sings the song in an upbeat voice, foregoing emotion for efficiency. Hitting the first verse he
does ask for more echo, but the song never lets up, in fact the whole song seems to fly by, the guitar solo is upon us before I know it,
and then the whole song wraps up a line later, with Prince dead panning “Thank you, good night” The guitar opening of Purple
Rain is what we hear next, and it differs from we know so well in that it doesn’t have a flat drum beat. The beat has an echo on it,
which gives it a double kick all the way through. I find it distracting, but I do enjoy the rest of the song. Prince sounds cold at the
beginning, but he asks for more echo on the voice, and this gives him a much warmer sound as the song moves forward. I do also
enjoy the extra verse that didn’t make the final cut, I can understand why it was cut though, as thematically it doesn’t quite fit with
the rest of the song. The song meanders after that verse, but things get back on track as Prince gets to “Purple Rain, Purple Rain”
and then the epic sounding guitar solo. The solo is as expected, although for the first minute Princes guitar sounds thin, but this is
rectified, and he takes on a bolder sound as the solo progresses. It’s an interesting solo, Prince is still playing with it, so apart from
the opening, and the rest of it is new and interesting to hear. DMSR has another ad-lib start as Prince kicks it off with “Holland,
London, Paris, France” before some funky bass ups the ante. The bass playing hasn’t garnered much comment from me up until
this point, but now I find I am paying close attention as Brown Mark rumbles along. Again when we reach the chorus Prince reverts
to calling sitting names, this time throwing New York into the mix as well. There is a rhythm break for the guitar, but it’s low in the
mix and I don’t hear it as well as I would like to. The song catches me off guard with a false ending, before it comes back in and
there is a cool little piano solo. Prince calls “Give me some horns” and the keyboards provide a nice sounding line. With another call
of “Telephone” we get a quirky keyboard run and Prince taking a mock call. The song is a showcase for the band, and Prince gives
them several calls and leads to follow, and they respond well. There is another piano solo, with Prince chanting “Planet Rock, we
don’t stop” as well as singing lines from George Clinton’s Loopzilla. Just as Prince calls break time I think its all over, but there is a
couple more reprises. This is one of my favorite songs on the recording, the groove is excellent and it sounds like a lot of fun is being
had. I cringe when I see the next track listed as ‘Band Tuning’. These are just the sort of things a dislike about rehearsals - minutes
of the band tuning up and getting there sound right while very little happens musically. There is not much for me at this stage of the
recording, so I am quietly happy when the tune up is over and we move to the next musical portion of the recording. Things get back
to the music next as the band play a laid back Africa Talks To You. Its a nice groove, and there are some enjoyable keyboard played
over the top of the groove. Prince ad-libs a bit too, which is fun. I especially like it when he calls out “You gotta purify yourself in
lake Minnetonka.” You can also hear him asking for Wendy’s guitar to be ready “that’s why we bought it for her”. The song does
meander towards the end, before it peters out into some tom foolery. Next is ten minutes of the band fooling around and generally
having fun. Its primarily led by Dr Fink, who does a variety of voices as he sings a medley of tunes and plays a light organ. I Could
Have Danced All Night has me smiling, as he sings briefly with great gusto, before moving to Catch A Falling Star. There is all sorts
of snippets played including Our House, and the James Bond theme. There is also a Popeye impersonation that is actually pretty
good. Its really great to hear the band feeding off each other and being completely at ease. I don’t feel I ever have to listen to this
track again, but it was fun to listen to once. The track ends appropriately enough with a Dolphin singing Stevie Nicks ‘Stand Back’.
If you have heard it you will know exactly what I mean. Things become business like again as Prince says “All right, let’s go” and the
organ of Let’s Go Crazy begins again. This time it starts closer to what I am used to, but then Prince quickly takes it in a different
tack with the final couple of lines of the intro, before the band begin right on cue. After the looseness of the previous few tracks it’s
somewhat surprising how quickly they tighten up, they are right on the money for the rest of this track. Princes guitar is very faint
as he solos, I can only just hear him. Even the latter solo is faint, and the rest of the band easily drown him out in the final
crescendo. After listening to this rehearsal and the one the other week, I think I should more time to rehearsals. I prefer this
rehearsal to the last one, and I thought the last one was excellent. This one had the band playing the songs in a very fresh sounding
way, and yet they were very tight as a unit. And also you could hear how much they were enjoying being a band and being together.
If you only hear one rehearsal in your life, this would be the one I would choose. But then again I do have another couple of
excellent propositions…
It’s touching proof of the possessiveness of Prince’s band that two weeks after the release of Stevie Nicks’s ‘Stand Back’, they were
mocking it at rehearsal, playing comic versions of it alongside spoofs of Madness’s ‘Our House’ and Suburban Lawns’ ‘Janitor’.
These rehearsals, which took place at one of several warehouses Prince would hire as rehearsal spaces in the years before he built
his own Paisley Park complex, were for what would turn out to be the most historically significant show of Prince’s early career. It’s
hard to imagine many pop stars breaking in a new member by getting them to perform a show that would provide the basic tracks
for three songs on the next record (using a mobile recording unit, as he’d done with The Time’s ‘The Bird’), but that Prince would
choose to do this with Wendy Melvoin at a home-town benefit show reveals just how certain he was during this era. It also reveals
Prince thinking less like a musician than a film director, confident that he could build on and change the performances in the
studio. From the moment she entered the band, Melvoin would take up the role of foil to Prince previously played by Dickerson, as
essential to him in onstage closeness as Keith to Mick or Ronson to Bowie. As she now describes it : ‘We played off each other. We
wore the same suits, had the same hairdo.’ In his autobiography, Dickerson depicts this period as a time of personal
disillusionment: although 1999 had gone platinum and their tour had been the highest grossing of the year, he had started drinking
onstage and was resentful of those he considered bandwagon-jumpers. But his departure would prompt Prince to even greater
heights (as well as informing the plot of Purple Rain), as he took a private home-town moment and turned it into a story that would
captivate the world.
26-07-1983 : Blues & Soul
The British music publication Blues & Soul, issue number 386, July 26-August 8 1983, carried a 3-page article which was said to be
an edited transcription of a US radio interview earlier that year. It is questionable if this interview really took place. In all likelihood,
the magazine made up their own story, partly basing it on quotes from other interviews Prince had given.
Aug 83
03-08-1983 : ♫ h MPLS 1st Avenue
(1:10)
* Duration : 1:10 / Tick. Price : $25.00
(A : Purple Rush Vol V – 10/10 * V : The Makings Of Rain - 9/10)
Let’s Go Crazy / When You Were Mine / A Case Of U / Computer Blue / Delirious
Electric Intercourse / Automatic / I Would Die 4 U / Baby, I’m A Star
Little Red Corvette / Purple Rain / DMSR
Wendy debuted with Prince's group at a benefit concert (at $25 a ticket) for the
Minnesota Dance Theatre (MDT) company at First Avenue, Minneapolis, August
3rd 1983. "I was scared to death but I loved it. It was my make or break evening.
Prince’s management were there to see if this new member was gonna work. All
eyes were on this little girl just out of high school. But the extra pressure really
made me go for it." The concert was instigated by Loyce Houlton, artistic director
of the long-time modern dance troupe. She met Prince during the band's dance
classes and asked him to play the benefit show. Prince raised $23,000 for the
financially beleaguered dance company. The evening started with four dances
performed by the MDT company, representing an abbreviated history of dance.
The highlight was a new work set to Prince's “D.M.S.R." After their opening Prince
did an exhilarating 70-minute set, (described in City Pages as “Prince’s sweatiest
and most soulful hometown performance yet”) which showcased no less than six
new songs written for the film "Let’s Go Crazy," "Electric Intercourse,” "Computer
Blue," "I Would Die 4 U," "Baby, I'm A Star," and "Purple Rain". Prince also played
a version of Joni Mitchell's "A Case Of You." The show was recorded, using a mobile recording unit brought in from New York with
the possibility that some of the tracks might be used on the Purple Rain album. The basic tracks of three songs were used "I Would
Die 4 U," "Baby, I'm A Star" and "Purple Rain." Whereas "I Would Die 4 U" and "Baby, I’m A Star" were left more or less intact,
strings were added to "Purple Rain” and the song was edited down from eleven to eight minutes by omitting a solo and a verse
from the full-length version.
Much has been made of the importance of Minneapolis club First
Avenue to Prince, and in a documentary to accompany the
twentieth-anniversary DVD release of Purple Rain, various
luminaries queue up to testify about Prince testing out tracks
there – or sitting in on punk shows at the club’s next door wing,
7th Street Entry – but while he would become forever associated
with the club after using it as one of the primary settings for Purple
Rain, the benefit for the Minnesota Dance Theatre was only the
third time he’d played there. As well as giving him the tracks for ‘I
Would Die 4 U’, ‘Baby I’m a Star’ and ‘Purple Rain’, it was first time
he played ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ and ‘Computer Blue’, and the only
occasion that he ever played the sublime ‘Electric Intercourse’ in
front of an audience. But as far as Leeds is concerned, ‘I don’t think
any of us had any sense, perhaps even he, that these recordings
were going to become the basis of an album, much less a movie
soundtrack.’ The song from that night’s performance which didn’t
make Purple Rain, ‘Electric Intercourse’, is not just one of Prince’s
finest unreleased tracks, but is among the best songs he’s ever
recorded. Although he ditched the song after coming up with ‘The
Beautiful Ones’, it’s the equal of anything on the officially released
album and if given a release might be as well remembered as any
other track on the record aside from the title song. While the lyric
feels slightly obvious – a less subtle bringing together of sexuality
and machine than ‘Computer Blue’ – it has all the charm of ‘Purple
Rain’ with none of the bombast. No matter what else he is
remembered for, it seems Prince will forever be most associated with ‘Purple Rain’. He has self-consciously tried to replicate it at
least twice, once for the title song of his fourth movie, Graffiti Bridge, and later under an alias as ‘Gold’. It’s the first song a concert
virgin wants to hear and about the last (along with ‘Cream’, ‘Kiss’ and ‘Let’s Go Crazy’) a concert veteran wants him to play. He’s
used it to start sets, to finish them, made it a centre point and smuggled it away a few songs in where he can’t make a meal of it
without derailing the show. He’s said onstage that it’s what people shout instead of his name at airports, and although he has played
it nearly every time he’s got up onstage, somehow it still retains some emotional power. It is not a song that exists as a demo, and
the first time Prince played it at First Avenue it had an extra verse. He played an alternative version at a rehearsal for his twentysixth birthday concert known as ‘Gotta Shake This Feeling’, in which he sings different lyrics (some from ‘Another Lonely Xmas’,
others which have never been used again) over the chords from the song. When he first played the song on the Purple Rain tour, it
would often seem endless, stretched out longer and longer as he continued his vast tour of the US, a lengthy run that Prince has
subsequently dismissed, telling an interviewer : ‘Purple Rain was 100 shows, and around the 75th, I went crazy … It was bloody
back then. I won’t say why but there was blood on me. They were the longest shows because you knew what was going to
happen.’ Albert Magnoli has commented that it was this benefit show at First Avenue that truly gave shape to the film, and that the
movie’s central drama grew out of his performance of this song that night. ‘Months before pre-production began, I was in the First
Ave, 7th St. Club in Minneapolis and heard Prince perform a rough version of “Purple Rain” on stage with The Revolution. After
Prince finished his performance, I met him backstage and asked him what the song was titled. He said : “Purple Rain.” I
suggested that this was the song that should be used for the pivotal moment in the
story, after he discovers his father shot in the basement. Prince agreed, and asked if the
title of the song could also be the title of the picture. I said, “Yes,” and the film from that
moment on was called “Purple Rain.”’ Knowing that the film grew out of the song rather
than vice versa ensures that we don’t have to fit the meaning of the lyrics to the action of
the movie, though it seems likely Prince cut the extra verse missing from the finished
version of the song – in which he tells the object of his affections that he doesn’t want her
money or her love – in order to ensure that it could be both dedicated to his father in the
movie and fit the narrative of the film. For a song that has come to define Prince, it’s
ironic that the song (however anthemic) is actually all about uncertainty, with Prince
initially contemplating roles offered to him (a lover, a leader), before finally accepting
them.
A : Disc 1 contains the classic First Avenue 1983 concert which spawned the
Purple Rain album versions of 'I Would Die 4 U', 'Baby I'm A Star' and of
course 'Purple Rain'. The recording has been sourced from the circulating
video footage, and because of this the audio suffers from the same glitches
the video footage does. These are slight, very minor and affect only a small part of the show. They are most
obvious during the opening 'Let's Go Crazy, 'When You Were Mine' and again during the intro to 'Purple Rain'.
Sabotage have attempted some repair work on the tracks, and have done a pretty decent job of patching up the
incomplete parts with a different source recording. As this is sourced from a
video recording it has a slightly gritty feel to it and is certainly not as crisp and
clear as one would like - that said it is an improvement over the various other
releases this show is circulating on and is undoubtedly the best we have to
date. The show has quite rightly earned itself legendary status for reasons
including the birth of many Purple Rain tracks and Wendy's live debut as a
member of The Revolution - however mention must also be given to the
performance which is inspired and amongst the best of Prince's career. Full
length live versions of tracks such as 'Computer Blue’ and 'Purple Rain' are
special enough however add to the mix the only live performance of the
unreleased 'Electric Intercourse' and it's quite impressive how many unique
moments are stuffed into the 65 minute concert. And I shan't even mention the
closing funk jam of 'D.M.S.R.'.
V : Without doubt this the finest release so far of the First Avenue 83 video
recording. Available on many releases in varying degrees of quality you will not
find a better version than this. Perhaps the most frustrating thing about all
other versions is the inconsistency between one release and another -
sometimes too much colour and contrast, other times too little. All suffer from a
few glitches as they are sourced from the same original tape, and this
Fullasoul/Superball release is no different. There are some minor picture dropouts (mainly during the opening 10 minutes) but in no way spoil the recording.
The picture quality on this particular version is superb and far cleaner than any
other. The colours are sharper and far more realistic with much better colour
separation (i.e. minimal colour bleeding) and the unrealistic green/blue tint
which plagued most others is all but gone. The best thing I can say about this is
that the whole footage looks like it's been given a lift and is much fresher,
newer and clearer than before. I've sat through dozens of versions of this show
and have certainly never seen one this good. The content of the show is every
bit as good as the quality, and I'm just glad someone has finally done justice to
the great show. You won't hear another full length live version of 'Computer
Blue', 'Purple Rain' or 'Electric Intercourse' and you'll certainly never see them
in this kind of high quality. I thought long and hard about what to say regarding
this release without sounding like my tongue was up Fullasoul/Superball's arse,
but sometimes you just have to praise something no matter what, and this
release deserves all the praise it gets.
The opening keyboard of Let’s Go Crazy is the first thing heard on this recording. The crowd
cheers, but there isn’t the frenzied anticipation we see in later years. As a new song I am sure most of the crowd are unsure of what
to expect next. Prince quickly shows them as he finishes his after world speech and goes into the now familiar riff of Let’s Go Crazy.
The vocals on the recording are a little fuzzy, but the song is already being played very tight, like all Prince bands there is many
hours of rehearsal to back them up. Despite hearing this song hundreds of times, it sounds fresh to me here - perhaps as its fresh to
the band themselves, and they certainly look like they are having a lot of fun playing it. Prince still has his 1999 look about him in
terms of clothing and hairstyle, and he plays with a big grin on his face. I find myself smiling with him and I love it when he plays
alongside Wendy and there is some nice interaction between them. Wendy makes an immediate impression, and she more than
holds her own on this song. At times she does look a little stiff, but overall she kills it on the guitar and already has good onstage
chemistry with Prince. It’s a great opening song, in fact it was so good I went back and played it twice. The audience is much more
familiar with the next song, When You Were Mine. I was going to write that this is another favorite of mine from this recording, but
then I realized that I love all the songs on this one. It’s a good rocking version here, but Princes guitar is a little more buried in the
mix, it sounds much noisier, and it’s not as clean as other versions. It’s a short song, but here it’s even shorter, as when the music
stops and I expect Prince to do his unaccompanied singing before a reprise, the mood changes and he instead starts playing a slower
song on his guitar. I have to give a shout out here to Dr Fink, his robotic handclaps are very entertaining. That song is of course a
cover of Joni Mitchell’s A Case Of You, and what we have here is outstanding. Prince delivers a knock out in this one. His singing is
beautiful and his guitar playing compliments his vocals fantastically well. The only other instrument is a keyboard filling the
background, but I am totally entranced by Prince and his delivery. It’s only a minute and a half, but it’s one of my favorite minutes
of his whole career. This one is otherworldly in its beauty. Although the lyrics aren’t Prince’s, he delivers them with total conviction,
he more than does justice to Joni’s words. In particular the opening lines he sings are obviously heartfelt : Oh I am a lonely painter I
live in a box of paints I’m frightened by the devil And I’m drawn to those ones that isn’t afraid. Things change completely as Prince
introduces the next song “This song is called Computer Blue” As much as I love this song, I find it jarring coming in right after A
Case Of You. But soon all is forgiven as Prince and the band play a rollicking version. A lot of the audience looks pretty stunned at
this stage of the gig, and who could blame them. For all his history of guitar work and rock sensibilities he hadn’t played a song
quite like this before. It’s not just the guitar I am referencing here, the overall tone of the music is darker and heavy, from the drum
beat to the keyboards. All of it has a foreboding sound. The band is pushed right back on the stage, and Prince stands the edge of the
stage pulling all the guitar licks and tricks he knows. Like the last song, it’s all about Prince, and he holds the centre of attention all
song. The keyboards are strong, and aren’t drowned by the guitar as you might expect. Wendy goes to her knees when Prince wails
on his guitar for a bit, before the fantastic segue into the second half of the song, and another chance for Prince to get busy on the
guitar. The lead is played as we have all heard before, but here once again its sounding fresh, and Prince is very much playing the
hell out of it with great relish. The last guitar break in particular has some real venom in it, and has a nice heavy, almost industrial
sound to it. The song ends with a big smile from Prince as he throws his guitar pick to the crowd. Another about face next, as Prince
puts down the guitar and we hear the quirky pop of Delirious. Plenty of dancing and handclapping from Prince soon has the crowdback on board. Although I have no great love for the song, it does seem like a very fun song to play. Freed from guitar duty, Prince
does interact a little more with crowd, moving back and forth across the stage and holding the microphone for the crowd to sing.
The response is inaudible most of the time, mostly because the band are very loud, and at times it seems that Prince himself is
almost yelling over the top of the band. That’s one thing I like about the gig, it does have that great live sound, where everything is a
little louder, and little nosier, and overall a little more ‘rock n roll’. Prince does pick up the guitar near the end of the song, he is
playing the main lead line, but it’s more raw, and just on the right side of loose. What follows is one of the most famous unreleased
songs in the Prince canon – Electric Intercourse. Lead by Prince at the piano, this song was desperately unlucky to not be on the
Purple Rain sound track. For many years I thought this song was over rated, but now I am firmly in the camp that considers it a
great lost gem. The keyboard and piano in this one sound great, and Prince uses plenty of shrieks and screams throughout to
emphasis his emotion. Between verses there is some very nice piano lines, while the band holds it all together in the background.
Even Princes corny spoken word (Don’t you want to make love ?) fails to take the shine off this. It’s very much a highlight, and
worth listening to if you have a chance. Nasty Prince is back in full effect when Automatic begins next. As with the other songs on
this night, it’s not as clean and smooth as it sounds on the album. Some of the robotic coldness is gone, but it’s more than made up
for with the intensity of the bands playing. Prince puts a lot into this one, and the crowd responds in kind. He gets them all waving
their hands mid song, and there is plenty of shouts and screams as he strokes his microphone stand. Prince doesn’t play guitar on
this, but there is some great playing from Brown Mark and Wendy. As far as the band go, I think this is the song where they are at
their best. Admittedly every song played tonight is top drawer- with some recorded as a basis for use on Purple Rain, but in this one
I feel we get to see a little more of each band member, and as far as I can see they are all giving maximum effort and enjoying
playing. Prince does lie on the floor for a minute to talk some smut. It’s pretty cool, but I just wish I could hear him a little better.
The next part of the song is a long groove, and Prince engages in a few dance moves with the rest of the band. There is no let-up in
the intensity though, and overall it’s a riveting performance. There is quite a long pause next, with the stage in darkness, before
Prince introduces “This is I Would Die 4 U” The distinctively drum machine immediately begins, and already I can tell that I am
going to like this one a lot. Prince spits out the lyrics rapid fire, slowing down during the chorus and releasing a single note on his
guitar. I realize that this song is actually pretty minimal but it’s the drum machine that’s filling all the space and giving it that
immediate energy. The guitar break by Prince is a highlight for me, not what he plays, but the tone of his guitar. It’s nice and strong,
and I think that’s the best way to describe it- strong. The song goes by in flash, so I had to listen to it a few times, twice because I
enjoyed it so much, and once because I hadn’t written anything about it the first two times. Baby I’m a Star has a nice long intro
before Prince throws some tambourines’ and it begins proper. This is another recording that was used for Purple Rain, so as you
might imagine a lot of this sounds as it does on record. Part of the fun in listening to this one is trying to work out what he has used
on the final record, and what has he changed or overdubbed. I’m impressed by the passion demonstrated by Prince on every song
on this recording. Here we find him covered in sweat, putting all his energy into the singing, especially when he goes to the floor
and unleashes a series of excellent screams. Back on his feet he calls “Doctor” and Fink plays the quirky sound we know and love so
much. I was half expecting the song to go on way past this point, but it wraps up very quickly after this. The familiar strains of Little
Red Corvette elicit a few squeals of delight from the crowd. Lisa is beautifully lit from behind, and every time I see this and hear her
play fall in love with her a little bit more. In near darkness Prince sings the opening verse before the lights come up for the chorus. I
thought the crowd would be more animated, but they are fairly subdued throughout the performance of this. Prince delivers a very
raw performance of this, no choreography or tricks, he just delivers it straight down the line with fantastic backing from the band.
It’s a more raw performance I would to see more, a sweaty band playing hard and delivering the song straight out. Wendy steps up
to the mark and plays the solo, and I am struck by how young she was at this time, and how good she was and not the least bit
intimidated. The solo again has a heavy tone to it, not her playing but the sound of her guitar. The song ends simply enough with a
“Thank you, good night” from Prince. There is a break in proceeding next as Prince is publicly thanked and presented with a flower.
Tucking one into his breast pocket he takes the mic as Wendy begins to play the public debut of what will become his signature song
– Purple Rain. The fact that this recording was used as the basic track for the finished song tells you how well it’s played here. Don’t
be fooled into thinking that this song is the same as the album however, there is a suitably drawn out and beautiful start to the song,
as Wendy plays the opening chords over and over while Prince indulges in some nice lead guitar. Foreshadowing future live
performances on this tour, it’s a good few minutes before Prince begins to sing. And sing he does, the vocals here are magnificent,
it’s hard to believe that this was the public debut of the song, he sings so strongly and confidently. It’s interesting to note the
expressions of the audience at the time, some of them look noticeably bored as Prince plays his new, distinctly unfunky, song. There
is an extra verse sung that doesn’t make it into the final song, and when you hear it you can understand why it didn’t make the final
cut. It doesn’t quite scan as well as the other verses and the song is much more cohesive without it. There is a moment in the next
verse when someone from the band or audience lets out a “whooo !” which can be heard on the final album version. I’m not sure if
it’s an audience member, but I kind of hope it is, that would be cool. Prince plays the impassioned solo, with plenty of suitable face
pulling thrown in for good measure. The audience look muted throughout, and there is no arm waving for this new song. Only a
couple of girls with hands in the air near the front seem to be feeling it at all. It’s a stunning performance of what is now a classic,
and I would think this recording is worth having just for the historic value of this moment alone. There is again another long break
before the next song, but the reason why is apparent when Prince begins DMSR in his old school leg warmers, bikini briefs, long
coat, hat and mirrored glasses. Wendy shows another side to her playing on this one, and her funky rhythm holds it down
throughout. The song has an effortless groove to it, and Prince is nice and funky on the microphone. This is the party song of the
evening (and perhaps of every evening), and Prince and the audience seem to be having a great time. Prince is constantly moving
throughout the song, with lots of dancing and audience participation. As you might expect, this is the song that they stretch out, and
Prince shows of how well drilled the band really is. The song ends with Prince saying goodnight, introducing the band one by one,
before they kick back into the song-this time it’s all groove
and Dr Fink gives a cool little piano solo. Prince clowns
around a little on the mic, calling for horns as the
keyboards play what would normally be a horn line. There
is another false ending, and then, as per his modus
operandi, he calls them back in on the beat. This happens a
couple of times, and Prince engages in some very energetic
footwork. Another nice touch is when he calls for just
Wendy and Brown Mark, and they have just half a minute
just grooving on it. The song ends rather abruptly, it stops
and then without a word Prince and the band walk off
stage. Nothing I write here can do this show justice.
Everything here is a 10/10. The songs played at this stage
touch on his past, his future and gives us pointers to his
influences, as well as what gems still lie in the vault. The
band is as tight as they have ever been, and young Wendy is
a star right from the first notes she plays. The blueprint for
the next few years is laid out, and it’s fascinating to see it all
unfold here right before our eyes. I watched this one with
my mouth open for the whole 70 minutes, and I still shake
my head when I think that such a historic show has been
captured for us to enjoy. Amazing.
Harry Bravado blog (14-07-10)
Purple Exegetics
By Matthew De Abaitua
Wendy Melvoin is fresh from high school. She is a wearing a V-necked sleeveless top, and patterned shorts. She is playing the first
chords of a new song on her purple guitar, opening chords that she wrote, a circular motif with a chorus effect. Wendy is eighteen
nineteen and she has the high cheekbones and diffident confidence of a Hollywood upbringing. She half-smiles at the faces that
crowd close to the low club stage. This is Wendy’s first gig with the new band, and the song she is playing is Purple Rain, and
nobody in the audience has ever heard Purple Rain before because this is the night that Prince and the Revolution record the song.
Maybe Wendy is half-smiling because she is thinking about the time when she was thirteen years old and she snuck out of the house
with her twin sister, Susannah, to hang out at a club called Starwood. The sisters danced, and then the DJ played a piece of
bubblegum funk with a coy gushing lyric about the Soft and Wet qualities of a lover. The song made Wendy stop dead. She ran up to
the DJ booth and asked, who is that girl singing, and the DJ told her it was not a girl but a boy called Prince. I think that half-smile
of hers is in appreciation of the irony that she was once a fan of the man she now shares the stage with. We hear Prince, his harsh
guitar cutting across Wendy’s. We don’t see him yet. Purple Rain has a long introduction. The sound guy keeps scuttling around in
the stage front. Wendy sees someone in the audience and smiles full beam. Her hair tumbles over one eye in a quiff, and there is a
sheen on her breastbone from the heat in the club. It’s August and nearly ninety degrees in there; when Prince appears behind her,
she regains her cool. The lights make it appear as Prince is wearing a radioactive purple shirt. He comes to the mic too early, and
briefly backs away, his eye-make up dark patches in a deep purple stage light, sweat glimmering on his cheekbones, and his hair
asymmetrical and tumbling over his eyes, just like Wendy. Her smile, his seriousness, they complement one another, brother and
sister, nothing sexual. The gig is a benefit for the Minnesota Dance Theater. Prince and the Revolution are taking dance lessons and
their tutor suggests the gig as a way of supporting the financially challenged theatre; because Prince is a local lad, born and raised in
Minneapolis, a city he will always come back to, he agrees to play. In 1983, Prince is an international star, thanks to 1999 and Little
Red Corvette. He has released five albums in five years, from when he was eighteen years old. He has so many songs he forms other
bands like The Time and Vanity 6 to play them, he is an impresario and a producer and he is also only twenty-three years old, not so
far away from the poor black kid who stood outside McDonald’s just to smell the food he couldn’t afford. His instinct for selfreliance, his tendency to be dictatorial, has been blindsided by these two sophisticated young women, Wendy and, on her
keyboards, her lover, Lisa ; for the first time in his life, he will collaborate in a meaningful way. For Wendy, Lisa and Prince, this
time is like going to college. They hang out together, play each other music. Lisa has a great sound system in her car, and she takes
Wendy and Prince for a drive. The two young women introduce Prince to music he has never heard before – Gustav Mahler, the
English pastoral of Vaughan Williams, the experiments of Joni Mitchell and Peter Gabriel. It’s an education for him. The crowd at
First Avenue, their faces straining against one another, receive the brief benediction of a wavering spotlight: to them, Purple Rain
doesn’t sound like any song that Prince has played before: the tight electronic funk, his harsh and weird sex songs, the soul ballads
in which he asks for forgiveness – Purple Rain is something new, something different. They don’t know how to react. In fact the
crowd is so muted that when this recording is prepared for the album, the engineer loops some crowd noise taken from a football
game to give it some life. What do great songs sound like the first time we hear them ? Can you remember that feeling ? When Bob
Dylan heard The Animals’ version of House of the Rising Sun, he got out of the car and ran around it again and again he was so
excited. The first time you hear a great song is so rare, and it can never be repeated; watching the crowd during this first
performance of Purple Rain, I see that look on a few faces, a silent shocked awe. On the twenty-seven other recordings of Purple
Rain in my iPod, the moment the first chord is strummed, the crowd cheer, acknowledging the anthem. They become a
congregation, keen to be guided through the Purple Rain, and that has its ecstasies, even if it involves cigarette lighters held aloft,
and hands waved in the air. But to hear silence flowing back from the audience, no singalong because they don’t know the words, is
to eavesdrop on the shock of the new. The lyrics of Purple Rain suggest the singer has wronged someone, harmed them
inadvertently. In the context of the Purple Rain film that someone is Prince’s girlfriend; in fact, in a rather literal outtake from the
film, Prince and his girlfriend have sex in a barn at dawn, and the water streaming down from the roof sheathes her naked skin,
which is then struck by the dawn rays, so that she appears to be bathing in a kind of purple rain. Music video directors in the 1980s
could be very literal ; if Bonnie Tyler sang “turn around bright eyes”, then we would see a boy with very bright eyes turning around.
What does purple represent to Prince ? Purple is a gateway colour, a transition from one stage to the next, the colour of dusk and
dawn, magic hour between day and night. Purple is also a mix of pink and blue, a boy and a girl. I’m not a woman, I’m not a man. I
am something you will never understand. Prince casts himself as androgynous as a tactic of seduction, a conventional hetero offer
with a side order of feminine sensitivity, or at least, what a twenty three year considers to be sensitivity. Purple is also the colour of
royalty, and he is a Prince. The sub-editors of The Sun will pun Purple Rain into Purple R.e.i.g.n. Or is it the purple of Jimi
Hendrix’s Purple Haze ? All of these possible meanings are burnt away by the guitar. The solo is a messianic ejaculation, an
absolving, annihilating ecstasy. The sky was all purple and there were people running everywhere, sang Prince, predicting the
millennial panic of 1999. He even wrote a song called Ronnie Talk To Russia Before It’s Too Late, a trite bit of rockabilly agit-pop
that called for Ronald Reagan to negotiate with the Soviet Union, a sentiment he was to express more succinctly in the high-pitched
childish voice in 1999 that asked, “Mommy, why does everyone have a Bomb ?” The sky is all purple because it is on fire, and what
follows is a quenching of that destruction. Purple Rain is the redemptive baptism on the night of the apocalypse, forgiveness for the
terrible sins committed by the singer and by us. Prince is clear that we are all implicated. Times are changing. It’s time we all
reached out for something new, and that means you too. He is our messiah, so he tells us in another song on the album, I Would
Die 4 U. You say you want a leader but you can’t seem to make up your mind I think you better close it and let me guide you to the
Purple Rain.
Early 08-1983 : Home Studio
Darling Nikki (1) (4:14) – Purple Rain
At the same time as working on songs for Purple Rain, Prince was also writing and recording for a planned second Vanity 6 album,
which would mutate into an Apollonia 6 record after Vanity left both Purple Rain and the girl band. There was some slippage
between the two projects, with Prince taking ‘Take Me With U’ from the Apollonia record, and also writing a song called ‘G-Spot’,
which was considered for both records. ‘G-Spot’ would eventually be included on Jill Jones’s debut album, but works much better as
a Prince demo, although it is closer to the loose sexual funk of the songs on 1999 than anything else on Purple Rain. The song that
Prince wrote to replace ‘G-Spot’, ‘Darling Nikki’, is closer in sound to the rest of the album, but is still arrestingly different in
content to the remainder of the record. Why, for example, does Darling Nikki have a castle ? Is Prince making deliberate reference
to the gothic in this song of sadomasochism (And maybe even De Sade ?) Is it a goth song ? Has he been inspired by Justine or
Juliette; is he trading on some remembered imagery found in that library of erotic literature he once claimed inspired him ? Or is he
simply, in this crossover rock album, parodying heavy-metal imagery ? As Mark Edmundson notes in his Nightmare on Main Street
: Angels, Sadomasochism, and the Culture of the Gothic, ‘Gothic is one of the most common aesthetics for rock videos.’ (Although
for Edmundson, it’s Madonna and the late Michael Jackson rather than Prince who are the gothic figures.) Barney Hoskyns has
pointed out that the song combines the themes of horror-inflected American sitcoms The Munsters and The Addams Family, which
suggests that the gothic undercurrents are both deliberate and yet at the same time knowingly camp.10 We know that Prince
listened to all his contemporaries on Warner Brothers; did that extend to Frank Zappa’s Zoot Allures, put out on the label the year
before Prince signed with them ? And if so, did he give more than a cursory listen to ‘The Torture Never Stops’, which though not
similar to ‘Darling Nikki’ in sound or lyrics, takes place in a dungeon that sounds like a hard-core version of Nikki’s castle, and has a
similar Sadean influence ? Or is the castle a less frightening place ? Prince first started singing about castles via The Time, whose
Prince-penned ‘Ice Cream Castles’ came from a Joni Mitchell lyric. Was this song born from the same inspiration ? (Incidentally,
Prince’s sister Tyka also sings of wanting a castle for two in her song ‘L.O.V.E.’, recorded four years after ‘Darling Nikki’, so perhaps
it was a shared childhood aspiration.) In the live version of the song Nikki goes further, leaving her panties on the stairs instead of
her phone number. One of the many wonderful things about ‘Darling Nikki’ is that while it ended up at number one on the Parental
Music Resource Center’s Filthy Fifteen due to its sexual content, Prince’s use of back-masking – a technique they persuaded a
doctor to testify against at the United States Congress – was designed not to urge his listeners to devote their souls to Satan but
instead to secrete a Christian message as a coda to his salacious song. The ‘mirror message’ in ‘Darling Nikki’ actually features
Prince announcing his happiness at the thought of Christ’s future resurrection. Whenever there is darkness in Prince’s work, light is
rarely far away.
Darling Nikki
I knew a girl named Nikki
I guess u could say she was a sex fiend
I met her in a hotel lobby
Masturbating with a magazine
She said "how'd u like 2 waste some time ?"
And I could not resist when I saw little Nikki grind
She took me 2 her castle
And I just couldn't believe my eyes
She had so many devices
Everything that money could buy
She said "sign your name on the dotted line"
The lights went out
And Nikki started 2 grind
Nikki
The castle started spinning
Or maybe it was my brain
I can't tell u what she did 2 me
But my body will never be the same
Her lovin' will kick your behind
Oh, she'll show u no mercy
But she'll sho'nuff sho'nuff show u how 2 grind
Darlin' Nikki
Woke up the next morning
Nikki wasn't there
I looked all over and all I found
Was a phone number on the stairs
It said thank u 4 a funky time
Call me up whenever u want 2 grind
Oh, Nikki, ohhhh
Come back Nikki, come back
Your dirty little Prince
wanna grind grind grind grind grind grind grind grind grind
{played backwards}
"Hello, how r u ? I'm fine. 'cause I know that the Lord is
coming soon, coming, coming soon."
??-08-1983 : St Louis Park
Computer Blue (1) (14:02) – Purple Rain
Computer Blue
Wendy ? Yes Lisa
Is the water warm enough ? Yes Lisa
Shall we begin ? Yes Lisa
Ow !
Where is my love life ?
Where can it be ?
There must be something wrong with the machinery
Where is my love life ?
Tell me, where has it gone ?
Somebody please, please tell me what the hell is wrong
CHORUS:
Till I find the righteous 1
Computer blue
Till I find the righteous 1
Computer blue
Oh
Where is my baby ?
Where can she be ?
Somebody please, please tell me what is wrong with me
Where is my baby ?
Where has she gone ?
Somebody please, please tell me what the hell is wrong
CHORUS
Yeah
The computer's on the verge of breakdown !
Come on
Oh baby, don't make me
Poor lonely computer
It's time someone programmed U
It's time U learned love and lust
They both have 4 letters
But they're entirely different words
Poor lonely computer
Poor, poor lonely computer
Do U really know what love is ?
(Na, na, na, na, na)
Wave your hands in the air !
Now everybody sing it ! (Na, na, na, na, na)
Everybody work out
Work out, work out (Na, na, na, na, na)
Everybody work out
Work out, work out (Na, na, na, na, na)
Everybody work out
Where is my love life ?
Tell me, where can it be ?
Narrow-minded computer
(Somebody please, please tell me)
It's time someone programmed U
(Somebody please, please tell me what's wrong with me)
It's time U learned women are not butterflies
They're computers 2
Just like U Computer Blue
(Where is my baby ?)
Chauvinistic computer
It's time someone programmed U (Na, na, na, na, na)
U fall in love 2 fast and hate 2 soon
And take 4 granted the feeling's mutual
(The feeling's mutual !)
We're computers 2
Just like U Computer Blue
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah !
AUTOMATIC Single Release
Automatic (Edit) (3:38) / Something In The Water (Does Not Compute) (4:00)
Automatic was the fourth single to be released from Prince's fifth album 1999, although it
was only released in Australia. It was released eleven months after the album. The b-side,
Something In The Water (Does Not Compute), was also taken from the album.
Summ 1983 : ♫ Studio Rehearsal
(1:18)
(A : The Bird Rehearsal – 10/10)
The Bird / Baby I’m A Star (3 Takes)
Let’s Go Crazy (2 Takes)
Computer Blue / G-Spot / I Would Die 4 U / Instrumental Jam
Electric Intercourse (2 Takes) / Purple Rain
With the exception of a few repeated lyrics, this is instrumental from
beginning to end. The session (with The Revolution) probably took place
some time during the summer of 1983. It’s quite interesting how Prince
methodically builds the song, constantly giving the musicians instructions,
”make it a minor,” ”take the echo out,” ”gimme that line,” ”drop out the
handclaps,” etc. At one point, he says, ”that’s not ours,” referring to a bass
line that sounds similar to a Rick James tune. Prince makes a reference to
the guitar player as ”Jesse,” showing that Prince took on the position of
Morris Day when writing and rehearsing songs for The Time. ”The Bird” on
Ice Cream Castle is a live recording (made during the shooting of Purple
Rain, at the First Avenue), so this could be a rehearsal for that session, even
though the song is far from being in its final shape. A few notes from (the
early version of) ”Sex Shooter” are included at times. The session ends with
a few seconds from ”Baby, I’m A Star,” which is the start of the rehearsal
listed below. This is a continuation of ”The Bird” session (described
separately because they're usually listed as two sessions). Prince and The
Revolution are working up material for the Purple Rain album. Most of the
songs are quite close to what ended up on Purple Rain. A notable exception
is ”Purple Rain,” which has an extra verse and is much more of a soft piano
ballad than the later guitar-driven rock number. ”Cruisin’ Down The Highway” is an unremarkable instrumental number, somewhat
reminiscent of ”Can’t Stop This Feeling I Got.” This rehearsal session shows that (at least) five Purple Rain songs were written
before the filming started. Three were taped during the 3 August concert, while ”Let’s Go Crazy” and ”Computer Blue” were
recorded with The Revolution some time during the summer / autumn of 1983. ”The Beautiful Ones” and ”Darling Nikki” were
written during the shooting and were tailored for the film, while ”When Doves Cry” and “Take Me With U” were written in postproduction and recorded in early 1984. ”G-Spot” and ”Electric Intercourse” were originally in the film, but they were both edited out.
Work also began in the summer of 1983 on a new Time record and a second album with Vanity 6. "Chocolate," “The Bird," and
“Jungle Love" were prepared for inclusion on The Time's album. For some reason, "Chocolate" didn't make their album, instead
showing up almost unaltered five years later on their next album, Pandemonium.
Exit Vanity
Prince started working on a second album
with the group in the summer of 1983. The
only known song from this project is the
original version of ”Sex Shooter.” Two other
tracks were supposedly included on a 12"
acetate, ”Come On Now Children” and
”Harder Babe,” but it is uncertain if this
really exists. The second Vanity 6 album
was scrapped when Vanity left later in 1983
for a solo career, and ”Sex Shooter” was reworked for Apollonia 6, the new group
created when a girl named Patricia Kotero
replaced Vanity.
The Vanity 6 project also suffered a setback
when Vanity suddenly quit the movie and
the group in September, only weeks before
shooting was to begin. Prince had begun
recording songs for a second album with the
girls, including “17 Days,” “Promise To Be
True,” “Wet Dream’s Cousin,” “Pizza,”
"Vibrator," “G-Spot” and "Sex Shooter." The
latter song was later revamped for Apollonia
6's 1984 album, while “Vibrator" was left in
the can, although Vanity’s moanings in the
song were later lifted for inclusion as a
segue on Madhouse’s 8 album and more recently, in The Beautiful Experience TV film. "Vibrator" segues into "G-Spot," so it
seems likely that Prince recorded a version of the song for use by Vanity 6. Her affair with Prince was intense, with fierce
arguments followed by passionate reconciliations, but their relationship ended long before August 1983. If his former girlfriends
learned to be patient and accepted Prince’s inattention to them, Vanity wanted a total commitment on his part and didn’t tolerate the
slightest deviation. Towards the end of her affair, she begins to engage in cocaine, arguing that the drug allowed her to confront
more easily to Prince. Vanity’s romantic falling out with Prince has often been attributed as the main reason for her sudden
departure, but more important was the fact that she was asking for more money than the producers were willing to pay her. She
was fielding other offers, including a role in Martin Scorsese's planned The Last Temptation Of Christ, and she felt her role in
Purple Rain was worth more than the producers seemed to think it was. "The movie was Prince's dream. He was bringing in
everybody for very little money. You’ve got to pay people. You've got to be fair," said Vanity. “They wouldn't pay me enough money
to go through with the crap I would have to go through. I don't do things like this free of charge. I didn’t want to be stuck in the snow
at 6 in the morning in some camper with no place to change clothes. Who needs that ?” “I knew Purple Rain was going to be big, so
therefore it would have made Vanity 6 very big. And then it would have been very tacky to leave after that. I wanted a solo career
and I wanted to do it now. l didn’t want to stall.”
15-08 to 21-09-1983 : Sunset Sound - Purple Rain sessions
Computer Blue (2/3) (14:04 / 12:11) – Prev. St Louis Park 08-83 – Purple Rain
I Would Die 4 U (1/2*) (3:11) – Purple Rain
Purple Rain (string overdubs) (10:20)
Purple Rain * - Purple Rain
Baby I’m A Star (3/4*) (4:55) – Prev. Sunset Sound 8-12-81 – Purple Rain
The majority of the material for the album and film was written and recorded during the summer of 1983. In contrast to his earlier
one-man projects, most of the recording sessions involved his band. The storyline of Purple Rain more or less demanded that the
group become more involved, and Prince actively encouraged their contributions. "Isn’t it wonderful," enthused new band member
Wendy Melvoin at the time. "It's pretty much a unit now. Prince has allowed all of us to express ourselves with our instruments. He
hasn't tried to tame us down at all, and he's more willing to accept ideas from each of us." The music in the film was going to be
portrayed as a band playing live, so Prince wanted to record many of the songs live with the band. To this end, he decided to install
his home studio equipment in the warehouse rehearsal room “That's when I learned not to be afraid to try something just because it
hasn't been done before," said studio engineer Susan Rogers, who was asked to tear out Prince's studio and transport it to the
warehouse. “This was something that was unheard of in textbook engineering. You don't record a band live in a warehouse with no
isolation between the musicians and the engineer. But I was learning the ways of Prince. Just hook it up and do it !" Despite track
leakage and electrical interference, they cut "Lets Go Crazy" and "Computer Blue" in the warehouse. Prince remasters the three
songs from the August 3rd concert, re-recording vocals because of distortions on the original recording. I Would Die 4 U dated back
to at least 18 months earlier when it was tried out in soundcheck during a Controversy Tour show. The live version of Purple Rain
was worked on further between late August and September, 1983, at Sunset Sound, where the track was edited to omit a verse
and a solo, and a new string section was overdubbed over the finale of the track (David Coleman – cello, Novi Novog - violin and
viola, Suzie Katayama – cello)
Rumors of a double-LP of Purple Rain, containing Land Of Paradise / My Special World / Take All 4 Granted / 2 Late Darling / 2
Many 2 Soon, have been proven false by Prince himself a few years later. These tracks are considered as fake ones.
‘I Would Die 4 U’ continues the ‘Computer Blue’ theme of
women as butterflies. It’s the weakest track on the album, but
Prince’s decision to construct the song from live performance
pays off in its urgency. Oddly, Prince would later put out a tenminute rehearsal version of the song, performed with The
Revolution, Sheila E and members of her band (including Miko
Weaver, who would eventually join Prince’s band) while on the
Purple Rain tour. With its long percussion breaks, this version
has a more Latin feel not entirely in keeping with the hard-rock
song but providing a useful reminder that the all-conquering
Purple Rain showcased only one side of Prince’s musical style.
The prominence given to Eddie Minnifield’s sax solo is also
notable, especially as it would be soon after this that Prince
would begin working with Eric Leeds, who would move from
being saxophonist in The Family into Prince’s main band.
Prince’s later engineer H. M. Buff told me that Prince’s guitar is
out of tune on ‘Baby I’m a Star’, presumably as a result of
basing the song on the tracks recorded from live performance.
An original demo version of this song exists with Prince
addressing the audience, but it’s not substantially different
from the released version. It’s the last time Prince could get
away – even in character – with singing about having no
money.
Computer Blue (Hallway Speech)
He didn't like living alone
The house where he lived had many hallways
It was a long walk 2 his bedroom
Because 2 him each hallway represented an emotion
Every one vastly different from the next
One day while she was with him
He decided 2 name each one
She walked by his side, one hand on his thigh
No - she was sort of half a step behind him
Yeah, the grip on his thigh intensified
As they walked slowly through the corridor
He named the hallway "Lust"
And as they passed through the next one
He named it "Fear"
The grip she now loosened
So he walked faster
Her hands now trembling
She let dropped 2 her side as he wrote the word "Insecurity"
He looked into her eyes and smiled a demon smile
And quickly walked onto the next
Corridor after corridor
He named almost all when suddenly he stopped
He picked up the word "Hate"
She was gone
So he picked up another "Pain"
On the verge of a breakdown
What is life without love ?
It's hell Computer Blue !
Father, Father, the sun is gone
(Father, Father) The Dawn, the Dawn
Father, Father, where is the Dawn ?
(Where is the Dawn, Father ?)
(Na, na, na, na, na) {x2}
Na, na, na, na, na
Shall I go 2 church on Sundays ?
Shall I stay home and pray ?
Shall I try 2 make her happy ?
Shall I try 2 make her stay ?
Purple Rain
I never meant 2 cause u any sorrow
I never meant 2 cause u any pain
I only wanted 2 one time see u laughing
I only wanted 2 see u laughing in the purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
I only wanted 2 see u bathing in the purple rain
I never wanted 2 be your weekend lover
I only wanted 2 be some kind of friend
Baby I could never steal u from another
It's such a shame our friendship had 2 end
Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
I only wanted 2 see u underneath the purple rain
Honey I know, I know, I know times are changing
It's time we all reach out 4 something new
That means u 2
U say u want a leader
But u can't seem 2 make up your mind
I think u better close it
And let me guide u 2 the purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
If you know what I'm singing about up here
C'mon raise your hand
Purple rain, purple rain
I only want 2 see u, only want 2 see u
In the purple rain
I Would Die 4 U
I'm not a woman
I'm not a man
I am something that you'll never understand
I'll never beat u
I'll never lie
And if you're evil I'll forgive u by and by
U - I would die 4 u, yeah
Darling if u want me 2
U - I would die 4 u
I'm not your lover
I'm not your friend
I am something that you'll never comprehend
No need 2 worry
No need 2 cry
I'm your messiah and you're the reason why
'Cuz U - I would die 4 u, yeah
Darling if u want me 2
U - I would die 4 u
You're just a sinner I am told
Be your fire when you're cold
Make u happy when you're sad
Make u good when u are bad
I'm not a human
I am a dove
I'm your conscious
I am love
All I really need is 2 know that
U believe
Yeah, I would die 4 u, yeah
Darling if u want me 2
U - I would die 4 u
Yeah, say one more time
U - I would die 4 u
Darling if u want me 2
U - I would die 4 u
234U
I would die 4 u
I would die 4 u
U - I would die 4 u
U - I would die 4 u
17-08-1983 : DELIRIOUS US Single Release
Delirious (2:41) / Horny Toad (2:13)
"Delirious" / "Horny Toad" becomes Prince’s second US Top 10 single (number eight,
number 18 on black chart). The single remained 7 weeks in the Billboard Black Single Top
40 Chart. The B-side is a rockabilly-influenced song reminiscent of both "Jack U Off“ and
"Delirious." The song title is a pun on "horned toad," a lizard with a horny spine. Beginning
with "Horny Toad," Prince has chosen to release some of his more X-rated material as Bsides, and it's easy to see why this song doesn’t feature on an LP, containing the line, "All
I want to do is to whip your body until it bleeds.“
“It was as if pop audience had discovered a completely new artist,” says Marylou
Badeaux. “After “Little Red Corvette,” everything worked. The “1999” single was relaunched on the pop side and became a hit. Then came “Delirious.” Warner Bros’ pop
department worked really hard to launch Prince to pop radios. Russ Thyret was very
involved in this. He had been very frustrated that he hadn’t connected on the pop side
previously. But there never was time. As soon as something was starting to happen on
pop radio, the next album arrived. The fact that we weren’t getting a new album in 1983
ended up being a tremendous blessing because it gave us more time.”
??-08-1983 : Rick James @ Los Angeles Amphitheater
20-08-1983 : ♫ h LA The Roxy (James Brown) (0:05)
This Is A Man’s Man’s World
Prince attends a concert by James Brown at the Beverly Theater in Beverly
Hills. James Brown invited Michael Jackson on stage. Jackson noted the
presence of Prince in the room, he whispers to Brown to invite Prince to take
the stage. A little hesitant, Prince, carried on the shoulders of Chick
Huntsberry, his bodyguard, went on stage. After a few guitar riffs and a few
dance steps, Prince stood on a street lamp, placed on the stage, which
collapsed in the audience without any security. He left the room shortly after,
embarrassed by his clumsiness, which eventually had no consequence.
Sep 83
09-1983 : Sunset Sound
Sugar Walls (1) – A Private Heaven
"Sugar Walls" was quickly recorded for Sheena Easton. David Leonard, a sound engineer, confessed to Prince that Sheena was a
great admirer of his compositions.
Sugar Walls
My sugar walls
My sugar walls
Where I come from there's a place called heaven
That's the place where all the good children go
The houses are of silver the streets are gold
But there's more where you come from
My sugar walls
My sugar walls
My sugar walls
The blood races to your private spots
Let's me know there's a fire
You can't fight passion when passion is hot
Temperatures rise inside my sugar walls
Chorus
Let me take you somewhere you've never been
I could show you things you've never seen
I could make you never wanna fall in love again
Come spend the night inside my sugar walls
Take advantage it's all right
I feel so alive when I'm with you
Come and feel my presence it's reigning tonight
Heaven on earth inside my sugar walls
Repeat chorus
I can tell you want me
It's impossible to hide
Your body's on fire, admit it
Come inside
Ad lib to fade
07-09-1983 : I Am Five
I Am Five is an instrumental recorded with Wendy and Lisa and may have been intended for the Purple Rain movie.
14-09-1983 : Electric Intercourse – Purple Rain #1
"Electric Intercourse" is a simple, somewhat ordinary and uneventful ballad with an electric piano to the fore. Prince/the Kid sings of
the sexual electricity that exists between him and his lover, letting her know that her "technicolour climax" is at his fingertips. No
studio version is known to exist; Prince used the live version when adding overdubs to the track in mid-September, 1983 at Sunset
Sound. It is likely the track was planned to be included on the album Purple Rain (and in the movie) in the same overdubbed-live
format as I Would Die 4 U, Baby I'm A Star and Purple Rain. A few days after recording overdubs, however, Prince recorded The
Beautiful Ones, which replaced Electric Intercourse. The recording is mostly a solo performance by Prince, with Bobby Z.
Electric Intercourse
I feel some kind of love 4 U
I don't know your name
This is the kind of love that takes 2
I want U and I'm not ashamed
Cuz baby, U shock my wild
With a sexual electricity extraordinaire
Come and take advantage and undress me
I don't even know U, I don't even care
I feel some kind of sexual courage
Tell me do U feel it 2 ?
Our bodies wanna be 2gether
Girl, I wanna be with U
Electric is my body, baby
I'll shock U with my lips
Darling, don't U know
Your Technicolor climax is at my fingertips ? Hear me, baby
Electric intercourse, electric intercourse (Wake up, Wendy !)
Don't U wanna ?
Electric intercourse, electric intercourse
Don't U wanna make love, sweet love, my love ?
Mash it. Electric is my body, baby
I'll shock U with my lips (Yes I will)
Darling, don't U know
Your technicolor climax is at my fingertips
Baby, no no, listen 2 me
Electric intercourse, electric intercourse
Don't U wanna ? (I say this)
Electric intercourse, electric intercourse
(I say the first intercourse, I say the first one)
Don't U wanna make love, sweet love, my love ? Yeah
Electric intercourse, electric intercourse
Don't U wanna ?
Electric intercourse, electric intercourse
Don't U wanna make love, my love, sweet love, yeah ?
Don't U wanna ? Electric intercourse
Don't U wanna make love, yeah ?
Auntee Emm {x2}
15-09-1983 : Irresistible Bitch (2) * – Prev. Home Studio 12-81 – Let’s Pretend We’re Married single
Purple Rain post-prod
Scouting for a director who could also help shape the screenplay, Prince’s managers contacted James Foley, who had directed a
film called Reckless. He was unavailable but recommended his friend Al Magnoli, who had edited Reckless and won awards for a
short film called Jazz. Magnoli read Blinn's script but found it "very introverted, very claustrophobic" and turned down the project.
However, he agreed to meet with Bob Cavallo for breakfast one morning. Cavallo asked him what he thought the Prince team
should do. Magnoli tried to be helpful. "I said ‘This is what I would do,’ and right there I told him the entire story. It just came out. I
knew they had this character Prince, the script had introduced me to this other character, Morris, and I knew there was a girl in the
middle. So it was like : where do you go with this ? And I said Prince should do this, and Morris should do this, and Vanity should
be this kind of girl and not this other thing in the script. And then the mother and father - and all of a sudden the world was shaped.
And within 10 minutes, I had convinced myself that this would be an extremely exciting film to make.” Cavallo was so impressed
that he agreed to let Magnoli have his way, directing his own version, and Magnoli flew to Minneapolis to meet Prince. " The minute
I met him, I realized I hadn't gone far enough. That because of the nature of this person, I could go much further into the private
sort of area. We had dinner, and he let me speak for about 25 minutes, and I began working off what was emanating from him. And
I got very involved with the parents at that point : the father became a musician, the mother became sort of a woman wandering the
streets, things like that. I was just basically watching the person in front of me, just feeling what that was all about. And at the end
he said okay, let's take a ride. So we took a ride, and he looked at me, and he said ‘I don't get it. This is the first time I’ve met you,
but you've told me more about what I’ve experienced than anybody in my life." Magnoli told Prince that if he was willing to reveal
the emotional truths of this material, of the character that they would create, then the movie could be made. Prince agreed so
Magnoli came to Minneapolis in June and hung out for a month with the people who would populate the film, Prince and his band,
now to be called The Revolution, The Time, and Vanity 6. "I walked around with everyone, talked with them saw what their potential
was. I hung around at their rehearsals, went to dinner with them late at night after they’d been playing for hours. I threw a situation
at them and asked them what they’d say if they were in it, what they’d do." Magnoli then holed up in a hotel for three weeks and
drastically revised Dreams to develop a new screenplay. Purple Rain’s credits list both Magnoli and Blinn as screenwriters, but
Magnoli says 90 per cert of the first draft was rewritten although “the story changed hardly at all." Magnoli’s biggest switch was
resuscitating the parents of the Kid. "The overall story - the sense of the Kid's music representing a kind of life force and his home
life representing the opposite of that - that was part of the plan from day one, not something I brought to it. That was what the movie
was going to be."
Finding a director proved equally tricky. ‘We got turned down by every director,’ says Cavallo. ‘I personally went out and talked to
everybody. I was trying to sign Jamie Foley, the director of a movie called Reckless, and Foley passed. I was in the screening
room alone with one person in the back and I assumed he was a PA. And when it was over he said, “What do you think of the
movie ?” And I said, “It was OK. I liked it, I thought the editing was good.” And he says, “Oh, I did that.” And so the kid was the
editor, Albert Magnoli. And he had also produced and directed this movie called Jazz for the USC film school. I offered it to Albert,
and of course Albert passed. I said, “How can you pass ? You don’t have a pot to piss in. I’m going to give you the DGA minimum,
which is seventy-five grand.” But he said, “The script is too square, it’s too TV.” And I said, “No, I agree, we’ll have to change it.”’
Cavallo gave Magnoli a week to think about it, and they met again at a restaurant and ‘he basically acted out the movie for me. He’s
very athletic and energetic. We were in Art’s Deli, and he’s jumping out the booth showing me what he’s going to do. And I
remember him saying to me, “Do you remember the closing scene in The Godfather, as Al Pacino is standing there with his son
being baptised, they keep cutting to all of Pacino’s enemies being killed by his guys ?” He said that’ll be our opening. “We’ll have
Prince performing that opening song and I’ll introduce the characters – Apollonia, Morris, Jerome, the club owner, and Prince
himself, making up and driving in his motorcycle.” And I thought it was very clever.’
15-09-1983 : Rolling Stone
Prince rocks for dance
By Christopher Connelly
"We don't have a prince in Minneapolis," said Loyce Houlton, the sixtyish doyenne of the financially strapped Minnesota Dance
Theatre, as she stood center stage at the local club First Avenue last month. "We have a king." With that, she pulled a purple rose
from her bouquet and gave it to Prince, the Twin Cities superstar who had just paid for his recent dance-studio time with a benefit
concert for Houlton's company. After the MDT corps kicked off the evening with a Flashdance-inspired interpretation of Prince's
"D.M.S.R.," Prince and his band - now featuring Wendy on purple guitar, replacing the departed Dez Dickerson - swung into a tensong set, including new tracks entitled "Computer Blue," "Let's Get Crazy," "I Will Die for U," "Electric Intercourse" and a cover of
Joni Mitchell's "A Case Of You." Then he encored with an anthemic - and long - new one called "Purple Rain." Prince looked toned
up from workouts with Minneapolis choreographer John Command, who's plotting the dance numbers for the film Prince has
dreamed up. The new songs, which may appear on Prince's next LP, are to be part of the movie's soundtrack. Screenwriter William
Blinn, best known for his TV tear-tugger Brian's Song, has been helping Prince - who'll star, of course - with the script. And actor
Don Amendolia has been giving Prince and his whole company acting lessons. Filming is slated to start November 1st.
19-09-1983 : Jet
Prince to star in movie on his life and music
Prince, whose hot album 1999 has been burning up the Jet record charts, and who has one of the biggest crossover audiences
among Black musicians, will star in a movie on his life and music that is set to begin filming in November. Although Vanity Six, the
trio of lively ladies who were given a boost from Prince, and The Time, another hot group are also featured in the film, sources say
the movie is loosely based on Prince’s life and will be shot in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minn., and Los Angeles.
20-09-1983 : The Beautiful Ones (1) (10:04) – Purple Rain
Prince recorded “The Beautiful Ones” to replace “Electric Intercourse” in the movie and the record. According to Susan Rogers,
Prince’s personal favourite was "The Beautiful Ones" : “That song meant a lot to him. It was written for Susannah Melvoin [Wendy's
twin sister and Prince's girlfriend at the time]. A lot of songs were written about her, but that was the first one.”
A couple of weeks after playing the benefit concert at First Avenue, Prince returned to Sunset Sound to work on the album, during
which time he decided to replace ‘Electric Intercourse’ with a new song, ‘The Beautiful Ones’. Much of his finest work appears to
have been inspired by his relationship with Wendy Melvoin’s sister Susannah. ‘The Beautiful Ones’ fits thematically with these later
songs, with its references to painting and confusion about levels of commitment. An all-solo effort, it is not – as might be expected,
and as would undoubtedly be the case if it were a later Prince song – a narcissistic celebration of the band or Prince’s retinue but
instead a faux-lament about how the important women in one’s life are the least pliable – a pleasing move forward from the sexual
politics of Prince’s earlier work, albeit a strand that would not last beyond the late 1980s.
The Beautiful Ones
Baby, baby, baby
What's it gonna be
Baby, baby, baby
Is it him or is it me ?
Don't make me waste my time
Don't make me lose my mind baby
Baby, baby, baby
Can't u stay with me tonight
Oh baby, baby, baby
Don't my kisses please u right
U were so hard 2 find
The beautiful ones, they hurt u everytime
Paint a perfect picture
Bring 2 life a vision in one's mind
The beautiful ones
Always smash the picture
Always everytime
If I told u baby
That I was in love with u
Oh baby, baby, baby
If we got married
Would that be cool ?
U make me so confused
The beautiful ones
U always seem 2 lose
Baby, baby,
Baby, baby,
Baby, baby,
Baby,
What's it gonna be baby ?
Do u want him ?
Or do u want me ?
Cause I want u
Said I want u
Tell me, babe
Do u want me ?
I gotta know, I gotta know
Do u want me ?
Baby, baby, baby
Listen 2 me
I may not know where I'm going (babe)
I said I may not know what I need
One thing, one thing's 4 certain baby
I know what I want, yeah
and if it please u baby
please u, baby
I'm begging down on my knees
I want u
Yes I do
Baby, baby, baby, baby
I want you
Yes I do
??-09-1983 : Purple Rain auditions (+ Appolonia)
A casting call went out for a replacement for Vanity. After auditioning some 700 women in New
York and Los Angeles, a 22-year old model named Patricia Kotero was chosen for the female
lead role. Born in Santa Monica, California, Patricia had acted on television as a teenager and
starred in a mini-series called Mystic Warriors. After her audition in Los Angeles, it was off to
Minneapolis to meet Prince. "He asked about my experience - singing, dancing and acting. And
he looked at me very seriously and said, ‘Do you believe in God ?’" They retired to a restaurant
and talked about the film.
After a drive in Prince's car,
when she was asked to sing
along to a tape, the final stop
was First Avenue to see her
dance. She got the part and
Prince suggested the name
Apollonia, after a character in
The Godfather. Thus, Vanity 6
became Apollonia 6. Despite
rumors of an affair with
Prince, Apollonia recognizes
that the first kiss of the movie
is the real first kiss between
her and Prince. Brenda remains in the band after Vanity's
departure and its revamping into Apollonia 6. Bennett's image in
both of the groups is that of the "tough-girl, cigarette-smoking"
with an attitude. She also has a part in the film Purple Rain
alongside Apollonia 6 members Susan Moonsie and the group's
lead singer, Apollonia.
Musician
Barbara Graustark interviewed Prince in early 1981 when the
controversial nature of Dirty Mind was turning Prince into hot copy.
However, the interview wasn’t made public until September 1983,
when it was published in Musician. Apart from the two Rolling
Stone interviews, 1985 and 1990, it is one of the longest
interviews Prince has ever given.
STRANGE TALES FROM ANDRE’S BASEMENT...
AND OTHER FANTASIES COME TRUE
Let me start of with the question, to me at least, Dirty Mind seems
to be the antithesis of what sex should be. Or is it ? Why was that
album called Dirty Mind ?
Well, that was kind of a put-on... I wanted to put it out there that
way and in time show people that's not what sex was about You
can say a bad word over and over again and sooner or later it
won’t be bad anymore if everybody starts doing it.
Are songs like "Head" and “Sister” serious or satiric ?
"Sister" is serious. ”Head” could be taken as satire. No one’s
laughing when I’m saying it so I don’t know. If people get
enjoyment out of it and laugh, that's fine. All the stuff on the
record is true experiences and things that have occurred around
me and the way I feel about things. I wasn't laughing when I did
it. So I don’t suppose it was intended that way. That’s why I
stopped doing interviews. I started and stopped abruptly because
of that. People weren't taking me seriously and I was being
misunderstood. Everything I said they didn’t believe anyway.
They didn’t believe my name. They didn’t believe anything. We
should try and be as straight as poss1ble with each other so I
know that what you're saying is being interpreted correctly.
Okay. I tell the truth about everything but my last name. I just
hate it. I know how it’s just the name that the [Prince's father]
had to go through life with, and he hated it too. So that’s why he
gave me this name and that's why he changed his when he went
onstage. I just don’t like it and just really would rather not have it
out. It’s just a stupid name that means nothing to my ancestry,
my father and what he was about.
Was your father very much there when you were growing up ?
Well, up until the time l was seven he was very much there. Then he was very much away. Then I went to live with him once... I
ran away the first time when I was 12. And then he worked two jobs. He worked a day job and then he worked downtown playing
behind strippers. So he was away and I didn’t see him much then, only while he was shaving or something like that. We didn’t talk
so much then.
Did he have any feelings about you being a musician ? Was he a supportive person ?
I don’t think so because he didn’t think I was very good. I didn’t really think so either. When I finally got a band together he used
to come and watch us play every once in a while. But he finds it really hard to show emotion. I find that true of most men and it’s
kind of a drag but... .
Is your father a good musician ? What does he play ?
Piano. The reason he’s good is that he’s totally... he can’t stand any music other than his. He doesn't listen to anybody And he’s
really strange. He told me one time that he has dreams where he’d see a keyboard in front of his eyes and he’d see his hands on
the keyboard and he’d hear a melody. And he can get up and it can be like 4:30 a.m and he can walk right downstairs to his piano
and play the melody. And to me that's amazing because there's no work involved really; he’s just given a gift in each song. He
never comes out of the house unless it’s to get something to eat and he goes right back in and plays all the time. His music... one
day I hope you'll get to hear it. It’s just – it sounds like nothing I've ever heard.
How did you get into music ? Where were you ? What were you doing ?
I was at home living with my mother and my sister, and he had just gone and left his piano. He didn’t allow anybody to play it
when he was there because we would just bang on it. So once he left then I started doing it because nobody else would. Everything
was cool l think, until my father left, and then it got kinda hairy. My step-dad came along when I was nine or ten, and I disliked
him immediately, because he dealt with a lot of materialistic things. He would bring us a lot of presents all the time, rather than
sit down and talk with us and give us companionship. I got real bitter because of that, and I would say all the things that I
disliked about him, rather than tell him what I really needed. Which was a mistake, and it kind of hurt our relationship. I don’t
think they wanted me to be a musician. But I think it was mainly because of my father, who disliked the idea that he was a
musician, and it really broke up their life. I think that’s why he probably named me what he named me, it was like a blow to her ”He’s gonna grow up the same way, so don’t even worry about him” And that's exactly what l did. I was about 13 when I moved
away. I didn’t really realize other music until I had to. And that was when I got my own band and we had to play top forty songs.
Anything that was a hit, didn’t matter who it was. We played everything because we were playing for white and black audiences
at the time. Minneapolis is mostly white anyway.
Do you feel a strong identification with anything... anybody ?
No. I think society says if you’ve got a little black in you that's what you are. I don’t.
When you moved away, did you move in with your father ?
Well, that was when I went to live with my aunt, also in Minneapolis, because I couldn't stay at my father's. And my father
wouldn't get me a piano, it was too much or whatever, so... he got me a guitar. I didn’t learn to play the right way, because I
tuned it to a straight A chord so it was really strange. When I first started playing guitar, I just did chords and things like that,
and I didn’t really get into soloing and all that until later, when I started making records. I can't think of any foremost great
guitarist that stuck in my mind. It was just solos on records, and it was just dumb stuff; I hated top forty. Everybody in the band
hated it. It was what was holding us back. And we were trying to escape it. But we had to do it to make enough money to make
demo tapes.
How dud you get to Andre Cymone’s cellar ?
Andre Cymone’s house was the last stop after going from my dad’s to my aunt’s, to different homes and going through just a
bunch of junk. And once I got there, I had realized that I was going to have to play according to the program, and do exactly what
was expected of me. And I was 16 at the time, getting ready to turn 17.
Were you still in high school ?
Mmhm. And, that was another problem I wasn't doing well in school, and I was going to have to. Otherwise the people around
me were going to get very upset. I could come in anytime I wanted. I could have girls spend the night, and it didn’t make a
difference. I think it had a great deal to do with me coming out into my own, and discovering myself. I mean, the music was
interesting at that time, once I got out of high school.
Did you finish ?
Yeah. Because l got all the required credits. And that's relatively early. In about two and a half years, or something like that. It
was pretty easy and stupid. To this day, I don’t use anything that they taught me. Get your jar, and dissect frogs and stuff like
that.
How did you support yourself ?
Well, that was the problem Once I got out of high school it was interesting for a while because I didn’t have any money. I didn’t
have any school, and I didn’t have any dependents, I didn’t have any kids, or girlfriends, or anything. I had cut myself off totally
from everything. And that's when I really started writing. I was writing like three or four songs a day. And, they were all really
long. Which is interesting for me as a writer, because it’s hard to just take a thought, and continue it for a long period of time
without losing it. And it’s harder for me now to write than it was back then, because there's so many people around me now. I
wrote a lot of sexual songs back then, but they were mainly things that I wanted to go on, not things that were going on. Which is
different from what I write about now.
How does Andre Cyrnone fit into all of this ? Was he there at the beginning, and then you went to New York and came back, and
resumed the friendship ?
Well, what happened was, before I went to New York we lost our friendship, because he was in the band with me at he time, and I
asked them all what they wanted to do, ”Do you want to stay here, or do you want to go to New York ?” And Andre didn’t speak
up, but everyone else was against it. No one wanted to do it. They liked their lifestyle, I guess. I don’t think they really liked the
idea of me trying to manipulate the band so much. I was always trying to get us to do something different and I was always
teamed up on for that. Like, in an argument or something like that, or fight, or whatever... it was always me against them. That's
when I wrote ”Soft And Wet,” which was the first single I put out. I really liked the tune, but everyone thought it was filthy, and
”you didn’t have no business doing stuff without us, anyway.” I just did what l wanted to. And that was it.
Was the scene back then in the basement a heterosexual scene ? Was it homosexual ?
No, everything was heterosexual. I didn’t know any homosexuals, no. There was one guy who walked around in women's clothes,
but we didn’t know why he did it, we just thought it was funny, and that was that. Some things don’t dawn on you for a long time.
And now I hear, like... Minneapolis is supposed to be like... the third largest gay city in the country, or whatever. Huge.
Were you ready for New York when you came ?
Yeah. I was ready for anything. I felt disgusted with my life in Minneapolis.
What’d you do when you got here? Did you know you were gonna live with your sister ?
Mm-hm. When I called her and told her what had happened, she said, well come here and I’ll help you. And I came. She had a
great personality. You know, all my friends were girls, okay ? I didn’t have any male friends, because they were just cheap, so l
knew then that if she used her personality and her sensitivity she could get us a deal. That didn’t mean going to bed with anybody,
it just meant that... you know, use your charm rather than trying to go in there and be this man, because you’re not. And then my
sister was introduced to this one guy who had a band. And, I don’t know how she got this, but it was really cool. She ended up
talking to his guy and found out everything he did, and found out that he had a demo and he was gonna take it to this woman
named Danielle. And he was gonna try to get his band signed to her. So we all went together, and she said, ”Can my little brother
come in ?” And she said sure. So we were all sitting there, and Danielle said, ”Alright, put your tape on.” So he put on the tape of
his band. That tape was pretty terrible, and Danielle said so, and the guy started making excuses, saying; ”Well, that's not the
real guitar player, or the real singers, so don’t worry about it. ” And she said, ’Well, why did you bring a tape that doesn’t have
the real musicians ?” Then my sister started telling Danielle about me and finally asked me to sing. And I said no [laughs]. And
she said, ”Why not ?”And I said, ”Because I’m scared.” And she said, ”You don’t have to be scared.” And they turned the lights
down, and it was really strange. That same day I had just written ”Baby,” and I didn’t really have it all together, but I sang the
melody and she really liked my voice. She said, ”I don’t care what you do, just hum, because I just want to hear you sing.” So
that's what I did, just started singing and humming, and making up words and really stupid stuff.
Were you singing in your upper register then ?
I only sang like that back then because, I don’t know... it hurt... it hurt my voice to sing in the lower register. I couldn’t make it, I
couldn’t peak songs the way I wanted to, and things like that, so I never used it. Oh ! I would think it would hurt to sing in a
falsetto. Well, not for me. I wish it was that way, but...
Did Danielle sign you to a contract ?
Well, she wanted to start working with me immediately. Nevertheless, this guy was pretty upset that he didn’t get his band in
there. He and my sister fell out right away, but she didn’t care. And that's what I dug about her. So, I talked with Danielle, and
she told me to come over to her apartment. She was very beautiful, too, which made everything a lot easier, I remember that
about her. And she made me bring all my songs, and we went through’em all, and she didn’t like any of ’em.
How’d that sound to you ?
I didn’t care. You know. I was cool with it. All I wanted to do was play a couple of instruments on it, and let it say on the album
hat I played something. And she said no, unless l could play better than the session guy, which I didn’t think I could do if a guy
was gonna sit there and read he chart, and I was going to get aced out right away. So that didn’t materialize. Anyway... after l
finished that that's when me and my sister kinda had a dispute.
About what ?
Mainly money. I had nothing; I was running up sort of a bill there, at her place, and she wanted me to sell my publishing for like
$380 or something like that - which I thought was kinda foolish. And I kept telling her that l could get my own publishing
company. I didn’t care about money. I just didn’t care about money. And, I don’t know, I never have, because... the one time I did
have it was when my step-dad lived there, and I know I was extremely bitter then.
And did you have to go back to Minneapolis ?
I didn’t have to, which was nice. Danielle knew his was gonna happen sooner or later. It was all really interesting to me back
then, and I kind of would have liked to have seen what would have happened if she had managed me.
What did happen ? Why didn't she ?
Well, when I got back to Minneapolis, that's when I first met Owen Husney. I had been talking to him over the phone, and all he
kept saying was that he thought I was really great, and that...
Um... when you came back and started working with Owen, what did he do ? Did he get the contract for you with Warner Bros. ?
Owen believed in me, he really did. First of all, nobody believed I could play all the instruments.
It must have been a battle with the record company to produce and arrange.
Well, I got a couple of offers and the only difference between Warner Bros. and the others was that they didn’t want to let me do
production, they didn’t want to let me play anything on the records. Warners had a lot of problems with it at first but Owen was
fighting for control for me. They made me do a demo tape. So l did it, and they said that's pretty good. Do another one, and so l
did another one. Then they said, ”Okay, we can produce your album” And they waited a week to call me back and they said I
couldn't. I had to go through that process a few more times. Then finally they said okay. It was kind of frustrating at first but I
got used to it To some degree in the earlier days I was listening to Owen and the company. I didn’t want to create any waves
because I was brand new, and stuff like that. But now I feel that I’m going to have to do exactly what's on my mind and be exactly
the way I am. Otherwise sooner or later down the road I’m going to be in a corner sucking my thumb or something. I don’t want
to lose it. I just want to do what I’m really about.
Did you know what you wanted to do when you started out ? When you got that contract with Warner Bros., and they said to go into
the studio and do it ?
I had an idea, but it was really vague, and I think that had to do with... at least, with having such a big budget. It was really big over $100,000. You’re supposed to go in and do an album for $60,000. But l went in and kept going, and kept going and kept
going. I got in a lot of trouble for it.
How much time did you spend in the studio ?
Hours. Hours. I was a physical wreck when I finished the record... it took me five months to do the first one. I’m proud of it, in the
sense that it’s mistake free, and it’s perfect. And it’s... that’s the problem with it, you know. But it wasn’t really me, it was like a
machine. You know, I walked in, and I was sleepy all the time. I didn't really feel like recording for eighty percent of the record.
But I did it anyway, because, by the time had gotten close to $100,000, it was like, you know, you were going to have to do
something great. So, by that time, I didn't want to make any mistakes. The relationship between me and the executive producer
that they assigned with me was horrifying.
Did Warner Bros. ever look as they were just going to wash their hands of the whole thing, or were they committed ?
No, I don’t think so, because I owed them too much money.
They had to stick with you, so you could pay off.
Yeah. At least three albums. And I didn't want to do anything like interviews or touring. I was being real stubborn and bullheaded, and Owen didn't realize how to get it out of me, and make me stop. And, I don’t know, our friendship died slowly after
that. It just got strange.
Did Warner Bros. flinch when you put "Head" on the third record ?
They flinched at just about everything.
I wanted to ask you about the cover of Dirty Mind. How was that done ?
We were just fooling around, and we were jamming at the time. It was summertime, and we were having fun. And that’s what I
had on. But my coat was closed, so the photographer didn't know. I was with some friends and...
Does everyone in Minneapolis just walk around with bikini underpants ?
No. But, see... I don’t know. I mean... once... I mean, if you’ve got a big coat on. I mean, who knows what he has on ? I mean, it
was hot out. Everybody was saying, why you got that hot coat on ? I’d say, I’m really not that hot. [Laughs.] And they'd say, you
gotta be.
How’d you pick that image of yourself ? Where did it come from ?
Well, I used to wear leotards and Danskins and stuff, because our stage show is really athletic and I wanted something
comfortable. And my management said, "You have to at least start wearing underwear, because...”
It's funny, because you're a very imaginative guy. I would think for someone who draws on fantasies and wrote about dreams,
fantasy would be important.
Well, it is. But it’s not so much when you’re writing a letter. Do you know what I mean ? If I were to write a letter to a friend, and
tell them about an experience, I wouldn’t say how it made me feel; I would say exactly what I did, so that they could experience it,
too, rather than the intellectual point of view. If you give them a situation, maybe that you’ve encountered, or whatever, give
them the basis of it, let them take it to the next stage, they make the picture in their own mind. I know I am happiest making
records like this, making records that tell the truth and don’t beat around the bush. Maybe I’m wrong for it but I know the people
at the concerts know exactly what the songs are about, sing right along, and are really into it. We have their attention. They
understand, I think, and they're getting the message. I don’t know. It seems real to me because... well, it is, because I’m saying
exactly what’s going around me. I say everything exactly the way it is.
26-09-1983 : Jet
Prancing Prince
In the kingdom of pun/funk/rock, Rick James turns “cold blooded” when a comparison is made between Prince and him. But
Prince, without his sexy Vanity 6 trio, invited an impromptu comparison when he made a prancing appearance recently at the Los
Angeles Amphitheater, where Rick was headliner. While Rick’s Mary Jane girls were onstage performing, Prince started diverting
the attention of the audience. As his bodyguard carried him around the auditorium like a groom carries a bride across the threshold,
Prince kicked his feet into the air. Later, when Rick was performing, Prince rode his bodyguard piggyback style, causing some
patrons to laugh. Although Rick was not distracted by the antic, his pal, rock star Rod Stewart, was annoyed by the behaviour and
let it be known.
Oct 83
04-10-1983 : ♫ The Time @ 1st Avenue
(0:58)
(A : The Bird-1st Avenue Oct. ’83 – 10/10)
Intro Jam / 777-9311 / Girl / Jungle Love / Wld And Loose
Gigolos Get Lonely Too / Cool / The Walk / The Bird
On October 4th, the new Time line-up, jokingly referred to as half-Time, debuted at First
Avenue. New to the fold were Paul Peterson and Mark Cardenas who replaced Jimmy
Jam and Monte Moir on keyboards. Bass duties were now being handled by Rocky
Harris who took over for the departed Terry Lewis. Jerome Benton ensures the
presentation, assisted by models dressed in bikinis. After introductions, he crosses the
room to get money for a charitable donation. The concert was recorded, and “Jungle
Love" ended up on Ice Cream Castle. At the end of the concert, Morris Day walked off
the stage, ignoring the rest of the band and Prince’s camp, to leave on his own. It was
evident that he was beginning to lose interest in the band. Morris was dissatisfied with
Prince's firm control over the band and the limited creative input he was allowed.
Despite achieving large success with their two albums, he was still seeing very little
money. He stayed on for the subsequent shooting of Purple Rain, but it was clear that
he and Prince would soon be going their separate ways. Things were very tense
between them and they hardly talked with each other during the shooting of the film. Founding members Jesse Johnson and
Jellybean Johnson were unsure of how the new line-up would work, but they wanted to give the group a chance. "The thing about it
was, the new band was very good," said Jesse Johnson. "But when Jam and Lewis left, it was like snatching the heart out of a
person. It just wasn't the same. Morris, Jellybean and I felt like we were onstage by ourselves."
The Bird (1) * - Ice Cream Castle
While reflecting on The Bird’s history on Facebook in 2014, Jesse Johnson wrote "I wrote a 4 track version on 1999 tour, Prince
kinda like the hook, he threw the rest of what I did in the trash can as he commenced to write and performed a straight heater."
Johnson's name was initially included in the credits when submitted for copyright in May, 1984, but after he left the band, his name
was removed from the credits when the track was released. It was co-produced by Morris Day and Prince under the name The
Starr Company. The song also features in the movie Purple Rain. The released recording is a live recording from The Time's
concert at First Avenue on 4 October, 1983, and features no musical input by Prince; it is, in fact, the only track on the album to
feature the entire line-up of The Time, as the studio tracks were recorded almost entirely by Prince and Morris Day.
The Bird
Hold on, hold on, why y'all beatin' on shit, what's that mean ?
Hold up, do y'all wanna learn a new dance ?
Are U qualified 2 learn one ?
Uh huh, that's what I thought, who can dance out there ?
OK, we gonna try a new dance
And if I don't see everybody doin' it,
I don't wanna see U no more
Jellybean, are we ready ? (Yep, 1 2 3 4)
Y'all better do this one
What time is it ?
Alright, y'all got 10 seconds 2 get 2 the dance floor
And... Wawk !
America, have U heard ?
I got a brand new dance and it's called "The Bird"
U don't need no finesse or no personality
U just need 2 arms and an attitude
and everybody sing with me
Come on now !
Wawk ! Hallelujah ! Whoa ! {x2}
Brothers, don't be cool
Women like it sometimes when U act a fool
Sisters, don't be shy
Let your body get loose, U ain't 2 fat 2 fly
Come on now !
Wawk ! Hallelujah ! Whoa !
Y'all sing it with me, goes like this
Wawk ! Hallelujah ! Whoa ! Yes !
Hold on now, this dance ain't 4 everybody,
just the sexy people
White folks, U're much 2 tight
U gotta shake your head like the black folks
U might get some 2night. Look out !
America, have U heard ?
I got a sexy new dance called "The Bird"
U don't need no finesse or no personality
U just need 2 arms and an attitude
and everybody sing with me
Come on now !
Wawk ! Hallelujah ! Whoa !
Well, come on !
Wawk ! Hallelujah ! Whoa !
Everybody
Wawk ! Hallelujah ! Whoa !
Come on, say
Wawk ! Hallelujah ! Whoa !
Alright, when the horns blow, I want everybody on the floor
U know this groove is sexy, U ain't got no excuse no more
Jerome, I wanna show 'em where we live
Siamese twins joined at the suit, fellas,
give me something 2 fly with. Wawk !
The Wright brothers can't fuck with that
Jerome, bring me my hat
Did I mess my hair up ?
Fellas, y'all play something
I'ma go over here and talk 2 this girl
I pledge allegiance 2 The Time
Can y'all sing that ? Sing it !
I said I pledge allegiance 2 The Time
Ha, ha, ha, ha ! Hallelujah ! Whoa !
Wawk ! Hallelujah ! Whoa !
Fellas ? (Yeah !) What's the word ? (Wawk !)
When U wanna get some, what do U do ? (Do "The Bird !")
Fellas ? (Yeah !) What's the word ? (Wawk !)
When U wanna get some, what do U do ? (Do "The Bird !")
America ? (Yeah !) What's the word ? (Wawk !)
When U wanna get some, what do U do ? (Do "The Bird")
Take it home !
Wawk ! {x2}
Chili Sauce
It's the last call 4 alcohol
If U ain't got what U want, U got 2 get the hell out of here !
Thank U
10-10-1983 : Purple Rain script
The final scene was actually being re-written as late as the week prior to the shooting began. In a version of the script dated
October 10, the parents of the Kid, the character to be played by Prince, were dead, the mother murdered by the father, who in turn
killed himself.
14-10-1983 : Purple Rain script
By October 14, the final scene had been re-worked so that everyone lives, though bearing the psychological scars of the past.
10-1983 : St Louis Park Warehouse – Purple Rain sessions
Let’s Go Crazy (Extended) * - Let’s Go Crazy single
Computer Blue (4) (12:01) – Prev. Sunset Sound 08-83 – Purple Rain
Prince records "Let's Go Crazy" for inclusion on Purple Rain. Even if the track had been recorded during the August 3rd concert,
Prince chooses to add a new, funkier section, and re-records the whole track with the band in the warehouse. The full-length
version (later retitled Special Dance Mix) was included as the first track on the 7 November, 1983 and 23 March, 1984
configurations of the album, but this was edited down for the final 14 April, 1984 configuration to make room for the inclusion of
Take Me With U. David Leonard, from Los Angeles, comes to help Susan Rogers, Prince’s sound engineer, for the setting of studio
facilities in the warehouse. With the same recording method, Prince updates “Computer Blue” a few days later. Even if officially
mixed by Leonard and Rogers, the LP version is shortened from the live version.
Let’s Go Crazy
Dearly beloved
We are gathered here today
2 get through this thing called life
Electric word life
It means forever and that's a mighty long time
But I'm here 2 tell u
There's something else
The afterworld
A world of never ending happiness
U can always see the sun, day or night
So when u call up that shrink in Beverly Hills
U know the one - Dr Everything'll Be Alright
Instead of asking him how much of your time is left
Ask him how much of your mind, baby
'Cuz in this life
Things are much harder than in the afterworld
In this life
10-1983 : Home Studio
Let’s Go Crazy (Edit) * - Purple Rain
Computer Blue (5) (7:30) - Purple Rain
Darling Nikki (2) * - Purple Rain
You're on your own
And if de-elevator tries 2 bring u down
Go crazy - punch a higher floor
If u don't like the world you're living in
Take a look around u
At least u got friends
U see I called my old lady
4 a friendly word
She picked up the phone
Dropped it on the floor
(Sex, sex) is all I heard
Are we gonna let de-elevator
Bring us down
Oh, no Let's Go !
Let's go crazy
Let's get nuts
Let's look 4 the purple banana
'Til they put us in the truck, let's go !
Of all the songs on Purple Rain, ‘Computer Blue’ underwent the most changes in its progress from the rehearsal room to the album.
Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman both occasionally feel tormented about the way the song has followed them around, suggesting
that it came into being in what seemed like a fairly improvisational way. What intrigues most listeners, of course, is the exchange
between the two women at the start of the song. Wendy wishes ‘there was something more interesting [behind it], but Prince just
gave us a piece of paper and said, “Say this.”’ The song, she says, came together at rehearsal and was based around Lisa’s lead line.
‘I had a cool sound on my Oberheim that day,’ Lisa tells me. ‘It took us about five minutes and that was the end of it, and here we
are five hundred years later. Miss Haversham … what does it mean ?’ ‘We didn’t even think it was this weird psychosexual lesbian
thing. I had no idea,’ Wendy explains. The version of ‘Computer Blue’ played at the First Avenue show was twice the length of the
album track, but even longer, more complicated versions of the song were also experimented with. Instead of merely containing
extended guitar parts or jamming, the ideas in these longer versions are the seeds of themes and imagery that Prince would pursue
more thoroughly in his later work. There is a description of a house filled with hallways associated with different emotions,
including lust, insecurity, fear and hate. Prince would play with something similar on The Gold Experience, a record that also
emphasised his interest in computers. The song features a battle of wills between Prince and Wendy, in which she suggests that the
‘computer’ of the song should stop thinking of women as ‘butterflies’ and recognise them as computers too. There are also
anguished lyrics about going to church and wanting to see ‘the Dawn’, something that would preoccupy Prince until 1997, and
which he would also make reference to in another song from this era, ‘17 Days’. ‘Computer Blue’ interconnects with another song
from this period, ‘Father’s Song’, which appeared in Purple Rain and which Prince frequently played during the subsequent tour.
This song is co-credited to John L. Nelson, and could be an example of Prince using one of his father’s piano tunes as inspiration for
his own work, something that seemed particularly appropriate to this project, given
Prince’s fictionalisation of his family for dramatic purposes, though Matt Fink told
me categorically that Prince’s father wrote the bridge melody and presented it to
Prince.
24-10-1983 : Wednesday (1) – Purple Rain #1
Wednesday was intended to be sung by Jill Jones in the movie Purple Rain and was
included as the fifth track on a 7 November, 1983, configuration of Purple Rain.
26-10-1983 : Katrina’s Paper Dolls
It is not known if the track was intended for Purple Rain or any other project.
??-10-1983 : Wednesday (2) - Jill Jones overdubs – Purple Rain #1
She’s Crying, It’s Backwards (4:01) – Purple Rain OST
29-10-1983 : Father’s Song (1:21) – Purple Rain #1
Father's Song is an unreleased instrumental recorded on 29 October, 1983 at
Prince's Kiowa Trail Home Studio. It was included as the ninth track on a 7
November, 1983 configuration of Purple Rain. The song appears in the Purple Rain
movie, where Prince's character "The Kid" plays the song on piano after discovering
his father's sheet music for the song. The main melody was then included as a
section in Computer Blue. The
song itself, however, remains
unreleased.
Nov 83
01-11-1983 : Purple Rain shooting begins
Street shooting in Minneapolis began on November 1st and continued until a
few days prior to Christmas. Most of the scenes were filmed in 32 locations in
and around Minneapolis. The film crew raced the weather, hoping to complete
outdoor shooting before winter hit. They didn't make it, so additional scenes
had to be shot in Los Angeles in January 1984. "Most of that film was shot at
about 28 degrees outside," recalls Magnoli, "and in some cases 80 below. We
had crew members coming down with frostbite. Many of those scenes were
shot in the rain." Besides the weather, Magnoli had to contend with an
ensemble of first-time actors. He had to keep them as natural and relaxed as
possible in front of the camera, so he shot quickly with few takes. The only
professional actors were Clarence Williams III and Olga Karlatos who played
the Kid's parents. They preferred to rehearse during the shooting, so their
scenes were shot over and over. Prince was a constant presence during the
shooting, sometimes offering advice to band members and sometimes just
keeping an eye on events. “Prince was sensational to work with" said Williams.
"He has a kind of centre - it’s an Oriental expression; he's very secure in what
he does. And he's open to suggestion."
Rocky Harris, new recruit to The Time, arrives late on the first day of shooting,
to be replaced by Jerry Hubbard, from a musical family of MPLS. Not
cooperative, Morris Day was chronically late to rehearsals and filming. Day and Prince hardly spoke throughout the shoot. It was
obvious that very soon their paths would separate.
Howard Bloom did everything he could to help the film reach a mass audience, his campaign beginning from the moment the film
started shooting. ‘Bob hired an LA film PR firm and hired a standard set publicist. But the set publicist wasn’t doing anything, she
wasn’t writing anything, finding anecdotes or planting them anywhere. One of the things I did for Prince was I felt that my rivals
in publicity felt they’d done a superior job if they got six stories a month; I felt I’d failed if we got less than a hundred and twenty
stories a month. People don’t recognise a name until they’ve seen it six times, they don’t recognise a song until they’ve heard it
fifteen times. So you need hundreds of repetitions to establish an artist. I found all the gossip columns I possibly could and I found
all the items I possibly could and I planted a Prince item every single week. And by the time of the film Prince was gaining
recognition and name value.’ In spite of this, Bloom says Prince’s management was still nervous, which is unsurprising given that,
as Cavallo says, he and Prince had financed the film for the entire shoot.
Shooting started on 1 November, 1983 with a week (from 1 to 5 Nov.) of exterior scenes shots in and around Minneapolis,
Henderson, Eagan, Cedar Lake and Coon Rapids. Amongst other was shot the infamous scene (#29) with Apollonia jumping in the
water on 2 November, 1983 near Henderson. Of note the initial script had Apollonia picked up by a trucker, instead of "The Kid"
coming back to pick her up after he had rode away.
Contactmusic.com (07-10-04)
One of the best kept secrets about the making of Prince movie Purple Rain has been revealed 20 years after the film became a
surprise hit - one cast member almost died. Patricia Kotero, who played Prince's girlfriend Apollonia in the film, almost died from
hypothermia after diving into a freezing lake - during the film's infamous strip scene. Albert Magnoli, who made his feature film
directing debut with the low-budget 1984 musical, reveals shooting sexy scenes at Lake Winnetonka during a fierce Minnesota
winter were not a good idea. He explains, "She (Apollonia) hit the waters and we had divers underneath just in case. But she just
went into shock. We couldn't film her coming out of the water because she was so frozen. The divers grabbed her and immediately
rushed her into a tent full of heaters and it took her 50 minutes to thaw out” ...Everyone was in panic. Both the star, Prince, and
director, Albert Magnoli, ran in to assist. Each dropped to their knees, took an ample Jubbley in their hands, and proceeded to
apply the Kiss of Life to their respective, bulging iced-up nipple. After 30 or 40 minutes of heroic but disturbingly sloppy
tonguework (which Prince would go on to repeat for the cameras just weeks later in a kiss with the starlit which was included in the
film), Apples was pronounced "alive and sen-fucking-sational !" SIDEBAR : Per Neilsen has recently discovered that it was on this
day the song Erotic City was conceived. (the original lyrics having been : "we could suck until the dawn" were removed when Albert
Magnoli's vocals were mixed out and replaced with Sheila E).The remainder of the lake sequence was filmed in Los Angeles,
California.
11- 1983 : Home Studio
Sex Shooter (2) * - Prev. Home Studio sum 83 - Sex Shooter single
Sex Shooter (3) * – edit of #2 – Apollonia 6
I Wonder (1)
When Vanity left the group and decided not to participate in the Purple Rain movie, Prince instead began the group Apollonia 6.
New lead vocals were recorded and Prince worked on the track further.
07-11-1983 : Purple Rain 1st configuration
“The Beautiful Ones" was cut at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles as a solo recording by Prince. With the two last songs recorded in
October, ‘Wednesday” and "Father's Song," work on the soundtrack for the film was completed when the shooting began in
Minneapolis on November 1st 1983. A test pressing was made in early November of a nine-track album. "Father's Song" and
"Wednesday" didn't make the album, but the former is included in the film.
A) Let’s Go Crazy
The Beautiful Ones
Computer Blue
Darling Nikki
Wednesday** - lead vocal by Jill Jones
B) Purple Rain
I Would Die 4 U
Baby I’m A Star
Father’s Song**
Second week (from 7 to 12 Nov.) was dedicated to a few motorcycle takes with Prince and a stunt double, as well as scenes in
Minneapolis and around the 1st Avenue club, including the infamous scene (#25) when Jerome puts 'Beautiful Babe' in a dumpster.
The scene at Mall of America when "The Kid" and Apollonia meet and engage conversation (#27) was also shot.
Third week (from 14 to 19 Nov.) mostly focused on exterior scenes with Morris, Jerome, Prince & Apollonia, except for the two days
dedicated to the rehearsal warehouse where The Time and the Girls group rehearse, including a deleted scene of "The Kid" riding
to the warehouse, entering and fighting with The Time members. 2 days were allocated to exteriors outside of "The Kid"'s house,
on Snelling Avenue, while the last day of the week (day #17) was dedicated to the fight between "The Kid" and Apollonia near the
embankment (#97 & 98).
14-11-1983 : Jet
Film Purple Rain reveals secret side of Prince
Prince, the king of X-rated punk funk, has turned all his attention lately to the production of the movie Purple Rain, an
autobiographical flick that reveals a great deal about the entertainer. Currently being filmed in the musician’s native Minneapolis,
the feature film exposes a lot about Prince’s life that is not commonly known.
15-11-1983 : NME (UK)
Prince – Little Red Corvette
By Francis Rossi
He looks a bit like Little Richard, but I don’t like the poster, with his bum hanging out and all that. I thought this was going to chart
in England’s a while back and then it charted in the States so they’ve put it out again here. There’s lots of little tricks and gimmicks
on it, and when you do that it doesn’t usually work, but this one does. Great record.
16-11-1983 : LET’S PRETEND WE’RE MARRIED Maxi-Single Release
Let’s Pretend We’re Married (7:20) / Irresistible Bitch (4:11)
A remixed version of "Let's Pretend We're Married" is released a week ahead the single, with
"Irresistible Bitch" as a B-side..
23-11-1983 : LET’S PRETEND WE’RE MARRIED
Single Release
Let’s Pretend We’re Married (3:40) / Irresistible Bitch (4:11)
Let's Pretend We're Married was the sixth and final single to be released from Prince's fifth
album 1999, although it was only the fourth single to be released in each territory where it
received release. It was released one year and three weeks after the album, and received a
release in North America, Europe and Japan. Unusually, the 12" single was released a week
prior to the 7" single in the USA. The single reached number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100
Chart, and number 55 on the Billboard Black Singles Chart. The B-side song was originally
recorded for the 1999 album in 1981, but this version is quite different with Wendy and Lisa
as background vocalists (updated on September 1983). The bassline is inspired of "Cloreen
Bacon Skin," recorded with Morris Day in March 1983.
28-11-1983 : Purple Rain 1st Avenue shooting
With outdoor shooting in Minneapolis completed by
November 27th, the next three weeks were devoted to indoor
scenes at First Avenue. Although the film only shows a small
portion of the audience, Prince wanted a full house most
nights. So for the live footage, 600 extras piled in to react as
Prince and the band performed nine numbers. Prince had
told the sound department that he wanted a playback level
equal to an actual performance. The sound level was so high
that the film crew had to buy sound suppressors. Five
cameras covered the concert numbers. Usually only two or
three takes were needed of each number. On some
occasions, the crowd reacted too wildly where the script
called for indifference. Prince kept to himself during the
filming, saving his energy for his performances. Several crew
parties were thrown, often with Prince and band members
playing late into the small hours.
Dec 83
Winter 1983 : Right On
Prince Builds His Kingdom
By Frank Schwartz
As the mystery in Minneapolis grows wider, more and more wonder who's really doing what to earn those gold records which are
accumulating among Prince's entourage. He wears his sexuality just above the knees, where his uni-sex leg-warmers end and his
fleshy thighs begin. His multi-racial politics dart in and out of darkens and light between religious doom-saying and party-hearty
platitudes. Born with a dirty mind, he's learned the music au natural, with no guidance, no lessons, no waiting. Genius, prodigy, boy
wonder, those kind of words used to be the expressions to describe a phenomenon like Prince, now it's just called Killer Crossover
Potential. And even though it might get booed off the stage at Rolling Stones concerts in L.A. and is unwisely deemed too steamy for
the nations pale-faced airwaves, Prince's powers are undeniably responsible for some of the hardest-hitting music ever aimed below
the belt at the feet and above the bedroom eyes at the brain. Prince's five albums tell only part of his story. But on all of them, he's
engineered, produced, arranged written all the songs and played all the instruments by himself. Usually skeptical and jaded critics
both here and abroad have jumped on his funk-wagon. Fans, "Black, White, Puerto Rican"- have marched to his drum and bit on his
beat. Outraged parents have scroffed at his lusty calls to freedom through "dance, music, sex, romance." Those keeping score count
on Prince to fill the holes left by such '60s casualties as Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone. Meantime, his brilliant synthesizer lines
continue to replace the worn horn charts of R&B's old school. And his live performance-somewhere between a claddy strip tease act
and a space age show of new wave tricks-readily recalls all that was ever raw, risqué or just plain 'ol exciting about rock-n-roll, from
Godfather Brown to Pelvic Presley, from Millie Jackson's mouth to Mick Jagger’s sass. Self described as "his mother's favorite
freak," Prince has a grand chance at becoming a King. But to those who first plucked him from obscurity in north Minneapolis at
age 17, he's a "very thorny rose," a five-foot-two Napoleon in drag. He's also super secret. And at 23 years, the handsome kid in his
Frederics of Hollywood underwear and Humphery Bogart's (studded) trenchcoat is quickly becoming the most talked about, least
understood mystery musicmaker on the block. Here in Minneapolis-St. Paul (America's Twin Cities located in the quiet, and often
cold, north country), we simply call him "His Royal Badness," founding father of The Time, master designer behind Vanity 6. The
man-child behind the curtain. Sometimes he plays unannounced with his band in our bars. There're a couple million stories in the
naked cities and a bunch of them are about Prince. The area is small enough so that tall tales are about him, true or false, eventually
rise to the top of the rumor mill. Someday even the demo tapes that he wrote, produced and played on for Sue Ann Carwell (another
of Minnesota's soul siblings who had a minor hit last year with "Let Me Let You Rock Me") will surface and add to his royal
mystique. At the moment, Prince is the baddest northern brother on the street, and anyone hungry for a piece of musical action
knows the kid in high heels can provide it. Those in the power positions here, however, seem less interested. Radio in his own
hometown has steadfastly refused to spin his records until the release of latest single, "1999." Ironic as it is, that sad situation may
prove to be the ideal environment for the one-man sex and music machine. Prince still makes his home here, out of one of
Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes, 20 minutes from the cities. His family, including his divorced father, who leads a musical life of his own,
and one of his sisters, who sings in a local Black gospel choir is scattered across the Twin Cities. One of nine children, Prince Rogers
Nelson can go about his business, recording in his private studio, the one located "somewhere in uptown." Or he can hang out at the
First Avenue club where he has often tested out his latest jams on an unsuspecting dance crowd. Nobody bothers him much, even
when he's in the cool company of his good pal Morris Day from The Time, or Vanity from Vanity 6. If he feels claustrophobic, he can
commute to Los Angeles or New York. Being famous insures a smooth getaway. In the beginning, prior to his first record, For You,
in 1978, Prince kept quiet, out of sight. He played in teenage bands with André Cymone who later became his bass player and
subsequently the first Prince sideman to leave the crimson court for his own solo career. The split was not amicable, even though
Prince lived with the Cymone family prior to his precedent-setting Warner Brothers record contract, "the biggest record deal of
1977," claims his former manager Owen Husney. Upon the release of Cymone's album, Living In The New Wave, Prince sent one of
his gold records to his old friend, but he didn't deliver it in person. Since his Royal Badness has yet to come out and met the press,
his personal and professional life continue to be colored by the kind of gossip you hear at record shops and gas stations (the best
one I've heard lately is that Prince stole "Controversy" from Cymone and that's why relations broke off). But no one's talking. Not
about life with Prince, not about his ribald jams or the album credits that consistently and literally thank God. So far, mum has been
the first and last word about his lyrics that bulge with double-talk all about "the second coming." Musically, Prince has already gone
beyond being "the next big thing" in Black funk and White rock. He's blasted the color line with more credible street sense than a
dozen Rick James come-ons. He warns parents not to let their children watch TV until they know how to read, but in the next
minute, he can be singing praises of blow jobs in the bedroom or inciting everybody to party up ‘cuz "everybody's got the bomb"
and the selective service has got your number. One thing, though is certain - Prince is busy building his Kingdom. In 1980, he took a
floundering local R&B band called Flyte Tyme (one of its former lead singers was Cynthia Johnson of Lipps, Inc. "Funkytown"
fame), redressed its players, realigned its musical grooves and some of its members and created The Time. Depending on whom you
talk to, The Time is either a bad-assed brainchild of Morris Day, a former drummer turned slick Romeo, a Little Richard look-alike
and the group's lead singer and showman. Or The Time is a complete front for Prince, the workaholic wonderkid, who some say
wrote, produced, played and arranged everything on The Time's first album. Son Of A Dirty Mind cried privileged insiders here in
the Twin Cities when the band turned out its first flag-raising anthem, "Get It Up," or dancefloor showpiece and anthem called
"Cool," By the time The Time got around to album number two, What Time Is It ?, few local critic and record moguls believed that
the baggy-trousered funksters weren't just spewing back a Princely script complete with smooth moves and a more accessible Black
pop sound than his own. Ask Alexander O'Neil about the royal court, another Flyte Tyme singer who didn't make the team or didn't
want to keep Time under Prince's decrees, and he'd all but tell you, Morris and the fellas are being kept by you know who. Jamie
Starr, a name that's appeared on Prince's albums as well The Time's, could settle the controversy surrounding the Prince
connection. But finding Jamie Starr is like trying to cop a dip from the invisible man. He doesn't exist. Jamie Starr is Prince's
nowhere man. O'Neil would no doubt love to see that Starr name at the bottom of his own current recording project. It's magical; it
moves records, it opens big doors at major record labels, especially Warner Brothers. Enter Vanity 6, stage left. Vanity 6 is Prince's
female alter ego, three pinup peculiar princesses in lingerie who peddle excessive street eroticism that borders on soft-core porn. On
their debut record (another Warner Bros. product, by the way), the nasty girls work through a blue testament series of sex scenarios
that covers the familiar turf of "Wet Dream" and dull boyfriends. Unlike The Time, these daughters of controversy aren't from
Minnesota's backwoods or alleys. Susan's from the Caribbean, Brenda's from Boston and the beautiful Vanity is a Canadian export
from Toronto. How all three came to be Prince's V- girls is a case Kojak might consider. The babes in lingerie share neither The
Time's hit-hopping party funk or their home addresses. Instead, His Royal Badness has hung a more British brand of syntho-pop
behind the album's best cuts, while snatching a JB lick for workouts like "Nasty Girls." In a live setting, The Time backs Vanity, with
you know who looking over their shoulders. You see, it's family affair. And it's becoming so solidified that even Prince has begun
dropping joke lines about Jamie Starr and his too wild and loose offspring. "Jamie Starr's a thief," he says on the new 1999 album.
"The Time will fix your clock," and "Vanity 6 is so sweet" he mugs during "Dance, Music, Sex, Romance." So what if Prince is
indeed the mystery man pulling the wool over our eyes ? He's pitting people to work and giving the rest of the general population a
proven formula for outrageousness in this year's unending depression. And so far, Prince's potent prescriptions have proven to be
the most satisfying lethal doses of fun any listener on the rock or soul front lines, could ask for. Besides, his low profile, high octane
output and pet projects give people here in the Twin Cities bars something to talk about all winter other than the cold. Did you think
Prince wore those leg-warmers just for show ?
22-12-1983 : End of Purple Rain shooting in MPLS
Meanwhile, the management team had been trying to convince Warner Bros. Films to take on the film and distribute it. Money was
also needed for additional shooting and post-production in Los Angeles. The deal wasn't sealed until the very evening that the cast
and crew were attending the wrap party. The managers were on a conference telephone call in the hotel, receiving news that the
deal had gone through. The "negative pick-up" deal called for Wamer Films to pay the producers $6 million upon delivery of the
film. Once Wamer Films had secured the rights, the film makers showed them a rough assemblage of the footage that had been
shot. Working closely with the producers and Magnoli, Warner Bros. Senior Production Vice President Mark Carton suggested
various segments that could be added and re-shot and helped restructure the film.
Bloomington Holiday Inn party
Shooting in Minneapolis was capped with an all-night wrap party at Holiday Inn in Bloomington after the final scenes were shot on
December 22nd.
27-12-1983 : Purple Rain Shooting @ LA
Sunset Sound – Apollonia 6 sessions
Work on the album continued after shooting in Minneapolis had
been completed. Prince re-located to Los Angeles for recording
sessions at Sunset Sound and to shoot some complimentary
footage for the film. Jill Jones, Wendy & Susannah Melvoin, and
Lisa Coleman are present in the studio. Other guests were David
Coleman, Lisa’s brother, or Jonathan Melvoin, the twins’ older
brother. The Coleman and Melvoin families now have an important
place in Prince’s life. He starts flirting with Susannah and their
friendship will soon become a passionate love. Some of the first
songs Prince recorded for the album from late December 1983 to
mid-April 1984 included "The Glamorous Life,” "In A Spanish Villa,”
“Next Time Wipe The Lipstick Off Your Collar," "Oliver’s House,"
and a song called "Blue Love”. He also revamped the Vanity 6
outtake "Moral Majority” and recorded "17 Days" for possible use by
Apollonia 6, to be sung by Brenda, the group’s smoker (hence the
lyric, "All I’ve got is two cigarettes and this broken heart of mine”).
Work on their album continued throughout January and February
1984 alongside sessions for The Time’s Ice Cream Castle and
other recordings.
Sheila and Prince stayed in touch over the years. “He used to come
over to my house and we sat down and did a little playing. We just
jammed.” It was in late 1983 that Prince invited Sheila into the
Sunset Sound studio in Los Angeles where he was working from
late December 1983 until late April 1984, recording songs for his own use and for The Time’s Ice Cream Castle and Apollonia 6.
Sheila played drums on some sessions before singing with Prince on “Erotic City,” which was recorded for a single B-side release.
“Prince said, ‘Come in to the studio. I want you to do something.’ I said OK. I thought I was going to play. He said, ‘Sing.’ I said,
‘What?’ And he said, ‘I just want you to sing this song.’ So I went in and sang it. That was it.” Prince had recorded a number of
songs which he felt might suit Sheila. Many of them had originally been intended for Apollonia 6, including “Next Time Wipe The
Lipstick Off Your Collar,” “Oliver’s House,” and the song that became the title track of Sheila’s album, “The Glamorous Life.” After
singing “Erotic City” together, Prince asked her if she wanted to sing the songs he had set aside for her and do an entire album. “
‘Why don’t you do your own album ?’ And I said, ‘Nah.’ ‘Why not ?’ ‘I don’t want to.’ ‘Don’t you think you have been playing behind
other people long enough ?’ ‘But I like it.’ ‘I’m telling you that you need to be out on your own. You can sing, you can play.’ Although
Sheila had been singing background vocals for George Duke, Herbie Hancock and other musicians, she was not comfortable about
singing, and it took a lot of persuasion by Prince to convince her to step out from
behind the drums and go solo. “I never wanted to sing until Prince asked me to.
Lionel Richie had asked me to sing ‘Endless Love’ on tour. I said, ‘You’re crazy. I’m
not going to do it.’ You know, I get kind of scared when I hear my voice. When
Prince asked me, though, I just had a feeling that he knew what he was talking
about.” A few days after recording “Erotic City,” Sheila went into the studio and
recorded percussion parts and replaced Prince’s scratch vocals on the five songs
and one instrumental they had chosen for her album. Her vocal sessions took five
days, and the album was completed by early April. Prince took the album to his
management company, Cavallo, Ruffalo and Fargnoli, who introduced Sheila to
Warner Bros. Within a few weeks, all was signed and sealed. Although Prince did
incorporate more people into his recording, his habit of recording solo continued.
There were many times when he would bring someone like Sheila, Wendy or Lisa,
or someone from The Time or The Revolution, in to jam and work out a riff for a
song, but more often than not, he would work by himself. In fact, Prince learned as
much as he could from the engineers so he could work completely alone. Often
times, after the drums, bass, and guitars were laid down, the engineer would hang
the microphone over the console, set up the sound that he was looking for and
leave him to record his vocals. If he wanted help, he would just pop his head out to
the lobby and tell them what he needed. When you listen to Prince sing on his
albums, picture the man alone in front of the mixing console, belting out his vocals
with the tape machine, just off to the side, silently recording everything. Odds are
this is exactly how the sessions went down. Prince recorded the remainder of
Controversy and much of 1999 in Sunset Sound’s studio 2, but in mid-1983, left that
behind for studio 3. The reasons were obvious; it was a self-contained building in
which he could cocoon himself in with his engineer and not have any interruptions.
During 1984-86, he would book the room for seven or eight months out of the year.
He would decorate the 24-track studio with scarves, Christmas lights and candles. As the size of his workspace grew, he looked to
also expand his sound. During the recording of the Purple Rain album, Prince decided to add other elements to his music. “All of
the sudden he wanted to add things like strings and I said, ‘Excuse me. We only have 24 tracks. We don’t have enough room,”
Peggy recalls. “And he just said, ‘Make some more.’ That's just the way he worked. So then I had to hook up two machines, which
was a lot of equipment which wasn't the way he was used to working and it didn’t always happen as fast as he was used to and
liked.”
The Glamorous Life (1) – intended for Apollonia 6
The Glamorous Life
She wears a long fur coat of mink
Even in the summertime
Everybody knows from the coy little wink
The girl’s got a lot on her mind
She’s got big thoughts, big dreams
And a big brown Mercedes sedan
What I think this girl, she really wants
Is 2 be in love with a man
She wants 2 lead the glamorous life
She don’t need a man’s touch
She wants 2 lead the glamorous life
Without love, it ain’t much
She saw him standing in the section marked
“If U have 2 ask, U can’t afford it” lingerie
She threw him bread and said “Make me scream”
In the dark, what could he say
Boys with small talk and small minds
Really don’t impress me in bed
She said I need a man’s man baby, diamonds and furs
Love would only conquer my head
She wants 2 lead the glamorous life
She don’t need a man’s touch
She wants 2 lead the glamorous life
Without love, it ain’t much
They made haste in the brown sedan
They drove 2 55 Secret Street
They made love and by the 7th wave
She knew she had a problem
She thought real love is real scary
Money only pays the rent
Love is 4 ever and that's all your life
Love is heaven sent - it's glamorous
Lead the glamorous life
She don't need a man's touch
She's want 2 lead the glamorous life
Without love, it ain't much
CHORUS:
She wants 2 lead the glamorous life
She don't need a man's touch
She wants 2 lead the glamorous life
Without love, it ain't much, it ain't much
Lead the glamorous life
She don't need a man's touch
She wants 2 lead the glamorous life
Without love, it ain't much, it ain't much
28-12-1983 : In A Spanish Villa * - Apollonia 6
Next Time Wipe The Lipstick Off Your Collar (1) – intended for Apollonia 6
The track features only Apollonia on vocals and Prince on muted guitar. The lyrics are in Spanish, marking the first time the
Spanish language was used on a Prince recording.
In A Spanish Villa
Por qué estás sentado tan lejos ? { below}
Ven acá, no te voy a morder
Mi hijo, que no tienes calor ?
Ven acá. Quítate eso
A, ves … te sientes mejor, no ?
Bueno, de qué hablamos ?
A, estás solo ?
Por qué hablamos de cosas tan tristes ?
Yo nunca estoy sola
Bueno, a veces
No, está bien
Por favor, coge mi mano … mm
Bueno, yo sé que un día el hombre de mis sueños
va a venir por mí
Y así será
A sí, sé cocinar muy sabroso
Qué ? Casarme contigo ?
Ni sé cómo te llamas
A ver, dime cómo te llamas ?
Oliver ?
Un nombre muy bonito
Me gusta
Dame un beso, Oliver
Sí, está bien
En mis labios
En donde más
Bueno, adiós Oliver
Fue un placer de haberte conocido
Adiós
English translation
Why are U sitting so far away ?
Come here, I'm not going 2 bite U
Ha ha, honey, aren't U warm ?
Come here Take that off !
Ah, see, U feel better, no ?
Well, what should we talk about ?
Ah, are U lonely ?
Why are we talking about such sad things ?
I'm never lonely
Well, sometimes
No, it's OK
Please, take my hand ... mm
Well, I know that one day the man of my dreams
will come 4 me
That's how it will be
Ah yes, I know how 2 cook real deliciously !
What ? Marry U ?
I don't even know your name
Let's see, tell me what is your name ?
Oliver ?
Huh, mm, a very pretty name !
I like it
Give me a kiss, Oliver
Yes, it's OK
On my lips
Where else ? Mm ah
Well, goodbye Oliver
It was a pleasure meeting U
Goodbye
Next Time Wipe The Lipstick Off Your Collar
U don't have 2 send me flowers like U used 2 do
U don't have 2 buy me candy, I'll still be your fool
All I ask is 4 a little decency and class
Next time wipe the lipstick off your collar
U don't have 2 take me dancing, our backyard will do
We don't have 2 eat 2 fancy, hamburgers are cool
I don't care if U stay out until the break of dawn
Next time wipe the lipstick off your collar
Can't U understand I want a true love man ?
Can't U comprehend I want a lover, not a friend ?
I don't care 4 sugar-coated flattery, french kiss will suffice
Blame our sex on your run-down battery, holding U is nice
I know when U're lying baby, there's no need 2 scream
There's no need 2 shout
Next time wipe the lipstick off your collar
If U weren't so tired baby, we'd be on the floor
We'd be makin' love right now, ooh
Next time wipe the lipstick off your collar
30-12-1983 : Sunset Sound
Erotic City (1/2) (6:40 / 6:52)
Erotic City (3) * - Let’s Go Crazy B-side
She’s Always In My Hair * - Raspberry Beret B-side
Basically a celebration of physical love, "Erotic City” also contains a few references to Princely concerns of salvation through sex.
Firstly, the repeated references to fucking to “the dawn" can easily be interpreted as referring to "the Dawn." As in "I Would Die 4
U," where Prince/the Kid would forgive his lover even if she was evil, here Prince does not care if she is a sinner. That all of his
hang-ups are gone attests to his enlightened state of mind, and he hopes that his partner will follow. "Erotic City” is a playful, funky
little number. An effective groove is created by interlocking a simple three-note bass figure with a strict drum machine beat. Prince
spices the concoction with rhythm guitar and brisk synth fills, and by alternately speeding up and down his vocals. Sheila sings with
Prince on the chorus. A second different bass riff is introduced halfway through the tune, providing some variation. It is possible that
Sheila E. added her vocals sometime between 1-4 April, 1984, when Prince and Sheila E. worked on tracks for her album The
Glamorous Life, but this is uncertain.
As good as ‘17 Days’ is, it was ‘Erotic City’ that pointed to the direction Prince would pursue instead. A duet between him and Sheila
E, it would later become the opening song (and frequent highlight) of the Lovesexy tour; in the middle of this heavy-rock period, he
produced this dance track, one of his very best songs, notable not particularly for the lyrics but for the speeded-up vocals, a creative
avenue he would take a while to explore fully.
Erotic City
{Please note : There has been and always will be some debate
over the interchangability of the words 'fuck' & 'funk' in this
song. We leave it up to the listener to hear their preference}
I...I...I...I...
Erotic City
Erotic City
All of my purple life
I've been looking for a dame
That would wanna be my wife
That was my intention, babe
If we cannot make babies, maybe we can make some time
Thoughts of pretty u and me, Erotic City come alive
We can funk until the dawn, making love 'til cherry's gone
Erotic City can't u see, thoughts of pretty u and me
Everytime I comb my hair
Thoughts of u get in my eyes
U're a sinner, I don't care
I just want your creamy thighs
If we cannot make babies, maybe we can make some time
Thoughts of pretty u and me, Erotic City come alive
We can funk until the dawn, making love 'til cherry's gone
Erotic City can't u see, thoughts of pretty u and me
All of my hang-ups r gone
How I wish u felt the same
We can funk until the dawn ('Til the dawn) (Until the dawn)
How I wish u were my dame (Baby won't u call my name)
If we cannot make babies, maybe we can make some time
Thoughts of pretty u and me, Erotic City come alive
We can funk until the dawn, making love 'til cherry's gone
Erotic City can't u see, thoughts of pretty u and me
Baby, u're so creamy
If we cannot make babies, maybe we can make some time
Thoughts of pretty u and me, Erotic City come alive
We can funk until the dawn, making love 'til cherry's gone
('Til the dawn)
Erotic City can't u see, thoughts of pretty u and me
If we cannot make babies, maybe we can make some time
(U and me)
Some time, some time, some time, Erotic City
If we cannot make babies, maybe we can make some time
Thoughts of pretty u and me, Erotic City come alive
We can funk until the dawn, making love 'til cherry's gone
(Come alive)
Erotic City can't u see, thoughts of pretty u and me
We can funk until the dawn, making love 'til cherry's gone
Erotic City
I...I...I,I,I...
Erotic City
She’s Always In My Hair
Whenever I feel like givin' up
Whenever my sunshine turns 2 rain
Whenever my hopes and dreams
Are aimed in the wrong direction
She's always there
Tellin' me how much she cares
She's always in my hair
She's always in my hair
My hair
Whenever I feel like not 2 great at all
Whenever I'm all alone
And even if I hit the wrong notes
She's always in my boat
She's always there
Tellin' me how much she cares
She's always in my hair
She's always in my hair
My hair
Maybe I'll marry her (Maybe I'll marry her)
Maybe I won't (Maybe I won't)
Maybe I will not (Maybe I will not)
Lemme tell ya (Even if I was a gigolo)
If I was a gigolo all my life (All my life)
She'd still be there (She'd still be there)
Tellin' me just how much she really cares (She cares)
She's always in my hair
She's always in my hair
My hair
Listen
Whenever I feel like givin' up
Whenever my sunshine turns 2 rain
Whenever my hopes and dreams
Are aimed in the wrong direction
She's always there
Tellin' me just how much she cares (Tellin' me how much she cares)
Tellin' me...she's always in my hair (Always in my hair)
She's always in my hair
My hair
She's always in my hair
31-12-1983 : We Can Fuck (1) (aka Moral Majority) (3:17 - excerpt) – Graffiti Bridge
As the original title We Can Fuck was considered not suitable to put on the work order sheet, engineer Terry Christian initially
labeled the song as "The Dawn". When Prince finished work on the song the next day he retitled it "Moral Majority" on the working
order, but that was never the actual title of the song. The 1982 Vanity 6 song with the title Moral Majority nor the 1996 song
Welcome 2 The Dawn have anything to do with We Can Funk.
??-??-1983 :  Purple Rain Deleted Scene (0:01)
A number of dramatic scenes and two musical numbers were filmed
for Purple Rain, but deleted from the final cut. These scenes appear in
the various drafts of the screenplay and in the shooting schedule for
the film, which actually lists the exact day each scene was filmed. The
first portion of the film is very similar to the released version, with only
a few differences in dialogue. It is of note that "Let’s Go Crazy" is
referred to as "Let’s Get Crazy” in various drafts of the script. A
considerable amount of footage was deleted from the segment which
contains the performance of “The Beautiful Ones." Prior to the
performance, a brief comical exchange between Dr. Fink, Bobby Z.,
and Jill Jones is deleted, as well as a scene in which Apollonia meets
Billy Sparks, the manager of First Avenue. As in the film, Apollonia is
introduced to Morris Day and they share a glass of champagne.
Instead of their conversation being followed by Prince’s performance
of “The Beautiful Ones," the original version of the scene featured performances of the songs "G-Spot" and "Electric Intercourse"
(both of which were filmed). "G-Spot" was deleted from this scene, and an early edit of the film apparently included "Electric
Intercourse" and "The Beautiful Ones” before being further edited into the final version. After the performance, a humorous scene in
which Jill Jones surprises Prince in his dressing room with a dog (whose hair is groomed to match Prince's), is also deleted.
Beginning with the scene in which Prince seduces Apollonia in his basement bedroom a lengthy portion of the movie was filmed,
but omitted. In the original version, Apollonia wakes in the middle of the night to the sounds of Prince's parents fighting upstairs.
Racked by fear, she runs outside as Prince sleeps peacefully. She runs into Morris, who is inexplicably sneaking around in the
yard, and they ride off with Jerome Benton in his Cadillac. The dialogue in the car exactly follows Morris’ "seduction routine" that
ended up in the song "Chili Sauce" on The Time's Ice Cream Castle album (complete with restaurant ambiance played over the car
stereo). Morris propositions Apollonia to audition for his girl group and drops her off in from of her hotel. Unbeknownst to her, Prince
is standing in an alley across the street. Apollonia goes inside her room and a few minutes later there is a knock at the door. She
thinks it is Morris, but she opens the door and Prince is there. He confronts her as to how she got home, but she says she took a
cab. Prince says "lets ride" and the next scene shows the two whipping down the highway on Prince's motorcycle as the sun begins
to rise. They ride into the courtryside and stop at a small stream. Like the scene earlier in the film, Apollonia asks Prince to
reconsider helping her with her career, but he refuses once again. Apollonia begins yelling and cursing at Prince as he walks off
and disappears around some trees. Two hikers pass Prince as she continues to yell. Moments later, Apollonia is at his side
apologizing. The next scene shows the two riding down a path to a dilapidated bam as it begins to rain. They go inside, Prince
retrieves some blankets from a stall, and they begin to make love. The combination of the purple dawn light and the rain creates the
illusion of "purple rain." The next scene which shows Prince dropping Apollonia off in front of her hotel was left intact in the film. In
the movie, this part is included right after the scene in Prince’s basement room. Therefore, the previous deleted scenes were not
part of the storyline, and Apollonia had spent the entire night with Prince. In the original story, Apollonia walks to her hotel and
notices a carnation on the sidewalk, then follows a trail of flowers up the stairs to her room. Once she's inside her room, two men
deliver two bouquets of flowers. Surprised, she looks out the window and sees Morris and Jerome leaning against a flower truck.
The film proceeds from there mach like the released version until the scene in which Billy Sparks warns Prince at First Avenue that
he had better shape up his act. This is followed by a very interesting deleted scene, which shows Apollonia 6 rehearsing with The
Time. The band is playing "Sex Shooter" as Prince storms into the rehearsal hall. Morris stops the music and Prince tells Apollonia
that he wants to talk to her, but she refuses. Prince grabs her and pulls her toward the door, but she pulls away savagely. Morris is
outraged and sics big Jellybean Johnson on Prince. They scuffle, and Prince punches Jellybean (this is seen briefly in the original
theatrical trailer for the film). The band members surround Prince as Jellybean throws him to the ground. They grab him and force
him toward the door. Prince breaks free and faces the band, but he backs off and heads out the door, slamming it behind him.
Prince angrily rides his motorcycle down an access road on a train track after the confrontation at the rehearsal hall. The blast of a
train whistle interrupts Prince's concentration, and he momentarily loses control of his cycle. Frightened and confused, Prince looks
back at the freight train that is roaring down the track toward him. The train engineer makes an obscene gesture at Prince, as the
horn continues to bellow. Infuriated, Prince guns the engine on the cycle and blazes around a bend, neck to neck with the train.
Suddenly, a brick wall blocks Prince's path on the access road. As the engineer continues to make rude gestures, Prince violently
cuts into the path of the train to avoid the wall. He barely makes it across the track as the train roars past him. Prince then rides
home and finds his battered mother sitting outside. In the final cut of the film, the deleted scenes at the rehearsal hall and the
railroad tracks were replaced by a collage of footage accompanied by the music of "When Doves Cry." There are only a few minor
differences in the film from there until the scene in
which Apollonia 6 performs at The Taste. Before the
performance, a clown approaches Jerome and hands
him a flower. Jerome is preoccupied with nervousness
about the performance, but the clown continues
handing him flowers, going into a routine. Suddenly,
Jerome grabs the clown and shoves him down the
hallway. Morris joins Jerome and they discuss their
apprehension, it’s obvious they think Apollonia 6's
performance will be a failure. After their successful
performance, the girls all rush into the dressing room
to congratulate each other. The rest of the film is very
similar to the released version. In early 1984, MTV
reported that Purple Rain had been submitted to the
MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and
was given an X rating (prohibited to persons under
18), primarily due to the sexual content of the film. The
film was subsequently edited and some of the
superfluous scenes were deleted, which probably
helped the pace of the film also. When the film was resubmitted, it received an R rating (restricted to
persons under 18 unless accompanied by an adult),
which would allow a mach larger audience. Although
fans and collectors would like to see the deleted
footage restored to the film, the removal of these
scenes probably contributed to making Purple Rain, in
the words of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, one of
“the best rock concert films ever made."
Inside The Purple Reign
By Jon Bream
It was a rainy November afternoon on Hennepin Avenue, and Purple Rain was rolling in amid a cloud of secrecy. Winter is not a
smart time to begin filming a major motion picture in Minneapolis unless, of course, snow is intended to be part of the scenery. But
Purple Rain just had to be different. A first-time director, first-time producers, a cast of musicians who had never acted before, let
alone made a movie. Time was running out - the film had to wrap by Christmas in order to make the projected spring release date,
so the weather didn’t matter. Hennepin Avenue was cordoned off so the streetwalkers, gays, street people, and just ordinary
business folks who customarily walk on the avenue wouldn’t end up as walk-ons in the movie. Morris Day; Mr. Cool, and Apollonia,
the new woman in town, were the subjects of the dramatic scene. Four cops were stationed at the roadblocks to keep unwanted
photographers away. Press embargo was the word. The unit publicist muttered something about first-time actors being nervous
with outsiders around. And the word had been delivered (and a signature required acknowledging such) to any and everyone on the
payroll: Don’t talk to the media or you lose your job. One brave - or naïve - soul who served as Prince’s stand-in for camera and
lighting checks made the mistake of talking about his job to City Pages, one of the Twin Cities arts weeklies; he was pink-slipped.
One extra in a concert crowd scene was overheard talking about his job as a radio disc jockey; he was immediately given his
paycheck and ushered to the door. Some reporters sneaked in by signing up with a local modeling agency as extras for the concert
crowd scenes and found they had to show up at 7 AM., sit around in an unheated movie theater across from First Avenue, and wait
to be called for action. Twelve hours of duty for $35 and a box lunch from a local deli. Of course, the reporters eventually got
bounced from the set, too. Things just had to be done Prince’s way - in secrecy. Prince had been thinking about making a movie for
years. And his managers - Bob Cavallo, Joe Ruffalo, and Steve Fargnoli - had wanted to expand their activities beyond recordings
and concerts into film. The rock star intentionally confined his videos to staged concert footage, waiting to make his dramatic debut
on the silver screen. There had been offers, including a chance for the title role in the Little Richard story. But the plan wasn’t just to
make a movie, but to make this movie. The first step was to bring a little Hollywood credibility and know-how to this crew of
cinematic neophytes, someone who could help draft a screenplay based on Prince’s vision. Enter William Blinn. The forty-six-yearold Ohio native had won Emmys for his work on a segment of “Roots” and Brian’s Song, a made-for-TV movie. He’d worked on
“Starsky and Hutch” and other TV shows; at the moment he had a break in his schedule as executive producer for TV’s “Fame.”
Blinn's mission was to help the film producers reach an audience beyond Prince's musical following; they wanted him to deliver a
script with linear structure, story involvement, and room for music. So the Hollywood veteran came to Minneapolis in March of ‘83
to watch Prince in concert. The only real thing they found in common was an admiration for Debbie Allen, one of the stars of
“Fame.” Nevertheless, they talked about concepts for this movie called Dreams. Prince knew the background of his character and
the general feel of the film. In Blinn's words : “Prince wanted a picture that would shock you, I guess, without being The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre.” There were more conversations and a draft, more conversations and another draft. Blinn came up with what
he considers an “emotional biography" - in other words, what happens in the film did not necessarily happen to Prince in real life,
but the emotional result had a common denominator with his life. But it was time for Blinn to return to Hollywood for another
season of “Fame.” Enter Al Magnoli. Bob Cavallo had been especially impressed with the film Reckless, a young adult romance set
in a mill town. He contacted the movie’s director, James Foley, who was booked but suggested his film editor, Magnoli. The
producers scrutinized Magnoli’s award-winning college film Jazz and then arranged a breakfast meeting. In ten minutes, the thirtyyear-old would-be director came up with a storyline and a style - he wanted the film to reflect the energy of rock ‘n’ roll by
employing quick, elliptical editing - moving forward, backward, anything out of the ordinary. His style was to come in the side door
if he could. Magnoli met with Prince and discussed concepts. They never really talked about Prince’s life, and all the director knew
about the rock star was what he had read in a Rolling Stone magazine profile that spring. Anyway, Magnoli wasn’t pleased with
Blinn’s script; it was too interior and darkly psychological, with lots of flashbacks. So he hung out with Prince and the Royal Court
for a month and then holed up in the Marquette Inn -a short two-block walk from First Avenue - for three weeks in June and
developed a new screenplay. Meanwhile, Prince and the members of his Royal Court were busy preparing for the movie. Blinn had
encountered actor Don Amendolia at commencement exercises for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. In his
talk, Amendolia had mentioned that he’d appeared in a play in Minneapolis, and Blinn later picked up on the cue and told the actor
about this Minneapolis film project. Would he like to be the drama coach for these neophyte actors ? Amendolia, who that fall went
on to costar in TV’s “Mama Malone," set up shop at a warehouse in St. Louis Park, a Minneapolis suburb. For three days a week for
three months, he conducted acting classes as Blinn worked on the script. Actually, they were improvisational exercises and theater
games - ask one student to mimic the voice of another, ask one student to mimic the actions of another, memorize and present
monologues from such obscure plays as True West, Streets of New York, and Cloud Nine (the play that had brought Amendolia to
Minneapolis’s Cricket Theatre). The coach was pleased with his students. He realized that not all of these musicians were excited
about doing the film and thus their attitudes varied. “Jerome [Benton] was a hard worker. Morris [Day] wasn’t as interested as
some others, but he had natural abilities that others didn’t have. Vanity was lazy. She’s so beautiful and she’s good. I think she
didn’t like to work hard. Prince was very, very good. He had the ability to be absolutely focused on what he was doing with little
trouble. He’d flip right out of his persona and be whatever character he had to be. He’s very shy, as most actors are to a degree.
But he was always willing to shed his shyness. He took direction very well, probably the best. He asked a lot of questions and he’d
get it right away. He absorbed everything handed to him. He was very serious about it. Whenever anybody didn’t work, it
bothered him. He’s a perfectionist.” Concurrent with the acting classes were dance workouts conducted by John Command at the
Minnesota Dance Theatre. Actually the dance sessions began in April of ‘83 and continued until the wrap in December. Command,
a teacher and performer in local musicals, had been contacted by Prince’s personal secretary to give the musical troupe “six years of
dance training condensed into six months.” The sessions were long and grueling - advanced Jane Fonda or Chippendale workouts
for two to three hours at a time in an oppressively hot downtown dance studio (two blocks from First Avenue). The turnout varied
from zero to twenty-five. The women seemed to be more into it than the men, except for Benton, who was the hardest worker and
seldom missed a class. Command found Prince a remarkable raw talent. “He’s always extremely limber, very agile and real good
in the air. He would be able to suspend himself in the air like a ballet dancer. We did a tremendous amount of work on his
pirouette turning.” Some people say Prince had been watching old films of James Brown, others speculate he just wanted to perfect
some macho moves that would set him apart from the electric boogie style of Michael Jackson. By autumn, a revolt was threatening
Prince’s Court. Vanity, the former First Lady in his life who was slated to be the female lead in the film, was inexplicably out of the
picture. Rumors were that she’d demanded too much money. Magnoli said it was because she received a better offer from director
Martin Scorsese for The Last Testament of Christ. Coproducer Fargnoli said she dropped out for “business reasons,” but he
wouldn’t elaborate. In any event, the casting call went out. More than 750 young women auditioned for director Magnoli in New
York and Los Angeles. Time was tight - the filming was going to begin in two weeks in Minneapolis. Enter Apollonia. Patricia Kotero
(she swears her middle name is Apollonia), a would-be singer, would-be dancer, would-be actress, and Vanity look-alike from Santa
Monica, California. Vanity’s of Scottish and Eurasian descent, and Apollonia is a “Latin-German Jew.” After an audition in L.A., it
was off to Minneapolis to meet Prince. She was in a hotel room, improvising a scene with Magnoli, and in walked His Purpleness.
“He asked about my experience - singing, dancing, and acting. And he looked at me very seriously and said, ‘Do you believe in
God ?’” Then they retired to a deli and talked about life, the movie, and children. Next was a drive in his purple limousine and she
sang along with a cassette tape. The final stop was First Avenue to see her dance. She got the part. The only professional actors in
the cast were Clarence Williams III, best known as Linc on TV’s “Mod Squad,” and Olga Karlatos, who had worked opposite
Marcello Mastroianni, Gregory Peck, John Gielgud, and Robert De Niro ; they would play Prince’s parents. Their scenes were filmed
in Los Angeles. “Prince was sensational to work with,” said Williams. “He has a kind of center - it’s an Oriental expression ; he’s
very secure in what he does. And he’s open to suggestion.” Most of the rest of the scenes were filmed in thirty-two locations in and
around Minneapolis. Apollonia went skinny-dipping in near-freezing weather in a lake near Henderson, Minnesota. Some interior
scenes were shot on a soundstage in the Twin Cities and others in Los Angeles. A few outdoor scenes also had to be filmed in L.A.,
after the snow fell in Minnesota. Besides the weather, first-time director Magnoli had to contend with an ensemble of first-time
actors. He had to keep them as natural and relaxed as possible in front of the camera. So he shot quickly with few takes. By contrast,
professional actors Williams and Karlatos preferred to rehearse during the shooting, so their scenes were shot over and over.
Meanwhile, back in California, producers Cavallo, Ruffalo, and Fargnoli were trying to arrange for a distributor for their $7 million
production. Having initially worked with theirs and Prince’s money, they didn’t actually seal the deal with Warner Bros. film
division until after the shooting began in November. Of course, the one question everybody has about the movie is: What is the
significance of the title Purple Rain ? Blinn doesn’t have the faintest idea. One of the last notes he received from Prince said
something about finding a way to work “Purple” into the title. Co-screenwriter Magnoli says it’s the title of the climactic song during
which the protagonist encounters the women he loved. Purple is clearly Prince’s color. It stands for royalty; it represents sexual
liberation. Although he didn’t show a public propensity for the color until 1982, he has long been fascinated with it. In 1976, he
wrote out the lyrics for the recording of “Soft and Wet” with a purple felt-tip pen. And he penned a song that year called “Leaving for
New York” whose first line referred to “purple lawns.” Wendy Melvoin, guitarist in Prince’s Revolution, has her own interpretation.
“I think the song represents a change in someone’s life, a good change” she says. “It means freedom to me. The whole idea of
‘Purple Rain’ is that it’s mystical.” Maybe the question should be put to Prince. But, then, he’s not talking.