Housequake

When Prince dove into the creation of Housequake, he did so with a very particular intention: to explore a sound that deviated from the conventional, something he felt other artists didn't dare to tackle. In fact, he himself commented that, while he could replicate the type of music that won awards like the Grammys, he wouldn't dare to do something like Housequake. This piece, with its 4:42 duration, became the third track on the first disc of Sign o' the Times, his ninth album, released in 1987. Originally, many of the ideas that ended up here came from a previous project, an album called Camille, conceived under a female alter ego.

The recording of Housequake took place at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California. The instrumental base was recorded on October 18, 1986, just after the separation of The Revolution was announced. A few days later, on October 26, additional layers were added, including those festive vocals that give it a celebratory feel. Several artists collaborated at this stage of overdubs, including Eric Leeds on saxophone and Atlanta Bliss on trumpet. Additionally, additional vocals to recreate the party atmosphere were handled by Gilbert Davison, Coke Johnson, Todd Herreman, Susan Rogers, Mike Soltys, and Brad Marsh. The sound engineering was handled by Coke Johnson and Susan Rogers. Interestingly, Housequake also appeared as the B-side of the single U Got The Look.