"When Doves Cry" is a song by 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. Th ...

, and the lead single from his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain''. According to the DVD commentary of the film '' Purple Rain'' (1984), Prince was asked by director

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to write a song to match the theme of a particular segment of the film that involved intermingled parental difficulties and a love affair. The next morning, Prince had composed two songs, one of which was "When Doves Cry". According to Prince's biographer

Per Nilsen Per Nilsen (born April 8 1960) is a Swedish professor and author. He grew up in Täby, north of Stockholm. Nilsen graduated in economics at the Stockholm School of Economics in 1985. He has written substantially within the field of Implementation ...

, the song was inspired by his relationship with

Vanity 6 Vanity 6 was a short lived American female vocal trio that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They were protégés of musician Prince (musician), Prince. Led by singer Vanity (singer), Vanity, they are known for their song "Nasty Girl (Vanity ...

member

Susan Moonsie Susan Moonsie-Mohan (born January 21, 1964) is a Trinidadian-born American singer. She is best known as a member of the 1980s musical groups Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6 that were associated with recording artist Prince. Life and career Susan V ...

. "When Doves Cry" was Prince's first ''Billboard'' Hot 100 No. 1 single, staying there for five weeks, and was also a worldwide hit. According to ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', it was the top-selling single of 1984. It is certified

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). It was the last single released by a solo artist to receive a Platinum certification before the certification requirements were lowered in 1989. "When Doves Cry" was ranked number one on the ''Billboard'' Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1984. Following Prince's death, the song re-charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at number eight, its first appearance in the top 10 since the week ending September 1, 1984. The music video, directed by Prince, premiered on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

in June 1984. It opens with white doves emerging from double doors to reveal Prince in a bathtub, then shows him performing the song in various scenes. The video sparked controversy among network executives, who thought that its sexual nature was too explicit for television. "When Doves Cry" is ranked number 37 on ''

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

'''s list of the

500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey 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 2004 in ...

and is included in

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. According to

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, it is the 31st most celebrated song in

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history.

Background and composition

Prince wrote and composed "When Doves Cry" after all the other tracks were complete on ''Purple Rain''. In addition to providing vocals, he played all instruments on the track. The song's texture is remarkably stark. There is no

bass line Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, dub and electronic, traditional, or classical music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played (in jazz and some f ...

, which is very unusual for an '80s dance song; Prince said that there originally was a bass line but, after a conversation with singer

Jill Jones Jill Jones (born July 11, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress, who performed as a backing vocalist for Teena Marie and Prince in the 1980s. Overview Jones was born in Lebanon, Ohio on July 11, 1962. Her mother, a fashion model ...

, he decided that the song was too conventional with it included. The song features an intro of a

guitar solo A guitar solo is a melodic passage, instrumental section, or entire piece of music, pre-written (or improvised) to be played on a classical guitar, electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. In 20th and 21st century traditional music and popular m ...

and a

Linn LM-1 The Linn LM-1 Drum Computer is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics and released in 1980. It was the first drum machine to use samples of acoustic drums, and one of the first programmable drum machines. Its designer, the American en ...

drum machine, followed by a

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ed guttural vocal. After the lyrics, there is another, much longer, guitar and

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

. The song ends on a

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

-inspired

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

piece backed by another synthesizer solo. Keyboardist Matt Fink revealed in 2014 that the baroque synthesizer solo was recorded by Prince at half speed and an octave lower against a half-speed backing track, then sped up to create the final version. Fink was then tasked to learn and perform the solo at the album's speed. On versions edited for radio, either the song fades out as the long guitar and synthesizer solo begins, or the solo is eliminated altogether and the song skips to the ending with Prince's harmonizing and classical finish. During live performances of the song on the Purple Rain Tour, Prince's bass player

Brown Mark Mark Brown (born March 8, 1962), better known by the stage name Brown Mark, also styled Brownmark and BrownMark, is an American musician, bassist and record producer. Life and career Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, Brown's early ...

added bass lines to the song as well as to other songs without bass lines. The song is in the key of

A minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats and no sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major. The A natural minor scale is: : Changes ...

Reception

In its contemporary review of the song, ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that "featuring ethereal lyrics, a pounding backbeat and a sometimes ominous musical atmosphere, this single again proves Prince to be one of the most provocative and sophisticated artists in the business. ." "When Doves Cry" was No. 1 in the US for five weeks, from July 7, 1984, to August 4, 1984, keeping

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

's " Dancing in the Dark" from reaching the top spot. Because of tabulation differences, the song was announced as the year's No. 2 single on the ''

American Top 40 ''American Top 40'' (previously abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally syndicated, independent song countdown radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs. The program is currently hosted by Ryan Seacr ...

'' year-end countdown (with "

Say Say Say "Say Say Say" is a song written and performed by English musician Paul McCartney and American musician Michael Jackson, released in October 1983 as the lead single to McCartney's 1983 album ''Pipes of Peace''. Produced by George Martin, the son ...

" at No. 1). The song was voted as the best single of the year in ''

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critics' poll. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the No. 1 year-end single of 1984. In 2016, after Prince's death, "When Doves Cry" re-entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at No. 20, peaking at No. 8. It also ranked No. 1 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Black Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart for eight weeks (from June 30, to August 18, 1984), preventing Tina Turner's "

What's Love Got to Do With It What's Love Got to Do with It may refer to: *Tina Turner: ** "What's Love Got to Do with It" (song), a 1984 song by Tina Turner ** ''What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993 film), a biographical film about Tina Turner ** ''What's Love Got to Do with ...

" from reaching the top spot for five of those weeks. The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

was the cult fan favorite " 17 Days", which was originally intended for

Apollonia 6 Apollonia 6 was a 1980s American female singing trio. Origin Apollonia 6 was created by recording artist Prince, who had also created the group Vanity 6 one year prior in 1982, but the groups did not exist simultaneously. After a number of disp ...

's self-titled album. A

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

issued in the UK included "17 Days" and two tracks from Prince's previous album, ''

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:'' its

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...

and "D.M.S.R.". The entire title of "17 Days (the rain will come down, then U will have 2 choose, if U believe, look 2 the dawn and U shall never lose)" is now the longest-titled flip side of a Hot 100 No. 1, with 85 letters and/or numbers. "When Doves Cry" became one of Prince's

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

s. ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' magazine ranked "When Doves" the No. 6 song of all time. In 2021, ''

'' ranked "When Doves Cry" No. 37 on its list of "

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey 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 2004 in ...

". In 2006, VH1's "The 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s" ranked the song at No. 5. On October 13, 2008, the song was voted No. 2 on Australian VH1's Top 10 Number One Pop Songs countdown. The "80 of the 80s" podcast ranks it as the No. 59 song of the decade. In 2016, '' Paste'' ranked the song number three on their list of the 50 greatest Prince songs, and in 2022, ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'' ranked the song number two on their list of the 10 greatest Prince songs. According to

, it is the 31st most celebrated song in popular music history. "When Doves Cry" was

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

for use in

MC Hammer Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur. He is known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit" ...

's 1990 hit song, "

Pray Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified an ...

", one of the few samples of his songs legally sanctioned by Prince.

Music video

The

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

(directed by Prince himself) was released on

in June 1984. It opens with white

dove Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

s emerging from double doors to reveal Prince in a bathtub. It also includes scenes from the ''Purple Rain'' film interspersed with shots of The Revolution performing and dancing in a white room. The final portion of the video incorporates a mirrored frame of the left half of the picture, creating a doubling effect. The video was nominated for Best Choreography at 1985's

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

. The video sparked controversy among network executives, who thought that its sexual nature was too explicit for television.

Track listing

* 7-inch single: Paisley Park / 0-20170 (US) # "When Doves Cry" – 3:47 # " 17 Days (The rain will come down, then U will have 2 choose. If U believe, look 2 the dawn and U shall never lose.)" – 3:54 * 12-inch single: Warner Bros. / W9286T (UK) # "When Doves Cry" – 5:52 # "17 Days (The rain will come down, then U will have 2 choose. If U believe, look 2 the dawn and U shall never lose.)" – 3:54 # "1999" – 6:22 # "D.M.S.R." – 8:05 * 2×12" pack * CD single 1989 # "When Doves Cry" # "Purple Rain" (album version)

Personnel

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

s, synthesizer solo,

drum machine

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produc ...

– 1985 – Favorite Black Single (won) *

critics' poll: best single of the year, 1984 (won)

Ginuwine version

A cover version by American singer

Ginuwine Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (born October 15, 1970), better known by his stage name Ginuwine, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. He began his career as a member of Swing Mob in the early 1990s. Signing to Epic R ...

was produced by

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

and released on July 25, 1997, for Ginuwine's album '' The Bachelor''; Ginuwine's cover uses actual dove sound effects as texture for the song. The official

for this version was directed by

Michael Lucero Michael John Lucero (September 26, 1963 – May 8, 1998) was an American music video director. He died in a car accident in Nevada on May 8, 1998. Xzibit dedicated his 1998 video for “What U See Is What U Get” to Lucero. Videograp ...

Charts

Year-end charts

Notable cover versions

* As a child, American actor and singer

Quindon Tarver Quindon Dan Tarver (August 4, 1982 – April 1, 2021) was an American singer. He was best known for his covers of Prince's "When Doves Cry" and Rozalla's " Everybody's Free" for the 1996 film ''William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet''. Life and ca ...

covered the song for the 1996 film ''

Romeo + Juliet Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy '' Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a pr ...

''. It was included on the soundtrack album ''William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet: Music from the Motion Picture, Volume 2'', and became a number 3 hit in Australia in July 1997. *After Prince's death in 2016, Choir! Choir! Choir! covered "When Doves Cry" with 1999 people, a tribute to the ''1999'' album. It was recorded and filmed in Toronto's

Massey Hall Massey Hall is a performing arts theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1894, it is known for its outstanding acoustics and was the long-time hall of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. An intimate theatre, it was originally designed to sea ...

. *Nonpoint held an online voting bracket competition in 2020 where fans voted for their next cover song, in which "When Doves Cry" by Prince was the winner. The band released the cover song in September 2021. *UK comedian and actor,

Lenny Henry Sir Lenworth George Henry (born 29 August 1958) is a British actor, comedian, singer, television presenter and writer. Henry gained success as a stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in ''The Lenn ...

, made a parody video of the song back in the 1980s.

Notes

References

;Sources * Uptown: ''The Vault – The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince'': Nilsen Publishing 2004, {{Authority control 1984 singles 1997 singles Prince (musician) songs Songs written by Prince (musician) Music videos directed by Prince (musician) Ginuwine songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Funk songs Music videos directed by Michael Lucero Number-one singles in Australia RPM Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Timbaland Guy Sebastian songs Warner Records singles Epic Records singles Song recordings produced by Prince (musician) 1984 songs Songs written for films Songs about fathers Music video controversies Experimental pop songs Neo-psychedelia songs Avant-pop songs American soul songs

Background and composition

Reception

Music video

Track listing

Personnel

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Awards and nominations

Ginuwine version

Charts

Year-end charts

Notable cover versions

See also

Notes

References