"Sign o' the Times" (stylized as "Sign "☮︎" the Times") is a song from American musician

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

's 1987 album of the same name, released as a single on February 18, 1987. The song was originally intended for two separate Prince studio albums meant to be released in 1986, both shelved: '' Dream Factory'' and ''

Crystal Ball A crystal ball is a crystal or glass ball commonly used in fortune-telling. It is generally associated with the performance of clairvoyance and scrying through crystal gazing. Used since Antiquity, crystal balls have had a broad reputation with ...

''. Prince performed all vocals and instruments on the song. The song proved popular upon release, topping the R&B chart, and reaching number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2010 ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' ranked "Sign o' the Times" at number 304 on their list of the

500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring song ranking compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2 ...

. By July 1987, it sold 200,000 copies in the United States. In 1987, ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...

''s

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...

critics' poll named "Sign o' the Times" the best single of the year, Prince's second recognition in that category. The song is also included in

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

. Cat Glover is pictured on the single hiding her face behind a black heart.

Composition and arrangement

The song was constructed by Prince almost entirely on the

Fairlight CMI The Fairlight CMI (short for Computer Musical Instrument) is a digital synthesizer, music sampler, and digital audio workstation introduced in 1979 by Fairlight. — with links to some Fairlight history and photos It was based on a commerc ...

sampling synthesizer, which provides the primary keyboard riff and sampled electronic bass sounds heard on the track. All of the Fairlight sounds used on the song are factory presets, including the famed "orchestra hit" towards the end of the composition. The single marked a stark shift from Prince's prior albums, with a sparse electronic arrangement and a blues- and funk-influenced lead guitar part (cut from the single edit of the song). The lyrics are more similarly downcast than any of Prince's previous singles, addressing socio-political problems including

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

gang violence A gang is a group or society of associates, friends, or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collecti ...

natural disaster A natural disaster is the very harmful impact on a society or community brought by natural phenomenon or Hazard#Natural hazard, hazard. Some examples of natural hazards include avalanches, droughts, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, landslides ...

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

, the

crack epidemic The crack epidemic was a surge of crack cocaine use in major cities across the United States throughout the entirety of the 1980s and the early 1990s. This resulted in several social consequences, such as increasing crime and violence in Americ ...

, the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster, the

Strategic Defense Initiative The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic nuclear missiles. The program was announced in 1983, by President Ronald Reagan. Reagan called for a ...

, and the threat of

nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a War, military conflict or prepared Policy, political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are Weapon of mass destruction, weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conven ...

Artwork

The single's cover features new band member Cat Glover posing with a large heart covering her face; on the back cover she is seen posing with Prince's guitar. A popular rumor insisted that the front cover showed Prince in drag. All photo images for "Sign o' the Times", including tour book, were photographed by Jeff Katz.

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for "Sign o' the Times" was produced by Jae Flora-Katz, of Flora Films, and supervised at Warner Bros Records by Susan Silverman. This duo picked the director, Bill Konersman, based on his graphic design background. The text animation is considered one of the earliest instances of a

lyric video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to promote the sale of m ...

Track listings

* 7" single : A. "Sign o' the Times" (edit) – 3:42 : B. "La, La, La, He, He, Hee" – 3:21 * 12" single : A. "Sign o' the Times" (LP version) – 4:57 : B. "La, La, La, He, He, Hee" (Highly Explosive) – 10:32

Personnel

Credits from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc and Guitarcloud *

– lead and backing vocals,

, electric guitar,

LinnDrum The LinnDrum, often erroneously referred to as the LM-2, is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics between 1982 and 1985. About 5,000 units were sold. Development The LinnDrum was designed by the American engineer Roger Linn. It was ...

B-side

"La, La, La, He, He, Hee" depicts a chase between a cat and a dog and contains a CMI snare drum sample which sounds like a dog's bark. It features Sheila E. on vocals and percussion and

Eric Leeds Eric Leeds is an American saxophone player, mostly known for his work with Prince (musician), Prince. He has recorded mostly music in the Pop music, pop and funk genres, but is a studied jazz musician.Cole, George.Eric Leeds: Interviews: The Las ...

and

Atlanta Bliss Matthew "Atlanta Bliss" Blistan (born c. 1952) is an American jazz trumpeter. He is best known for his work with Prince from 1985–1991. He won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for the 1986 single "Kiss" by ...

on saxophone and trumpet. The song's edit is featured on ''

The Hits/The B-Sides ''The Hits/The B-Sides'' is a box set by American recording artist Prince. It was released on September 10, 1993, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album is a comprehensive three- disc set consisting of many of his hit sin ...

'' (1993). Per the liner notes of ''The Hits/The B-Sides'',

Sheena Easton Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress who achieved recognition in an episode of the reality television series ''The Big Time (TV series), The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to gain a ...

dared Prince to write a song with the lyrics "la, la, la, he, he, hee', which resulted in a shared writing credit.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control Prince (musician) songs Songs written by Prince (musician) 1987 singles 1987 songs Nina Simone songs Paisley Park Records singles Warner Records singles Song recordings produced by Prince (musician) Political songs Songs about HIV/AIDS