Sign O' The Times (song)
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"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 ''
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'' 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, ''
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''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
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,
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,
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s,
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, the
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, the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster, the
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, and the threat of
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.


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 *
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 ...
– lead and backing vocals,
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 ...
, 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