If I Was Your Girlfriend

The idea of exploring a relationship from a different perspective is what drives *If I Was Your Girlfriend*. The song is presented from the voice of a man who wonders what it would be like if he could be his partner’s close friend, an idea that seeks to redefine the boundaries of a relationship in a rather mature way. It is believed that this reflection may have stemmed from the jealousy Prince felt toward the strong bond between his then-partner, Susannah Melvoin, and his twin sister, Wendy.

Musically, the piece is built on a rather austere rhythmic and bass foundation, complemented by a keyboard line that evokes a certain melancholy. Prince’s voice, processed to sound higher and more androgynous, moves with palpable emotional intensity. The first few seconds of the song include a sound collage that surprises with an orchestra tuning up, a street vendor, and even a snippet of Felix Mendelssohn’s "Wedding March." Interestingly, a technical error during recording—a distortion in certain words—was something Prince loved, and that effect was kept in the final version.

The song was released on May 6, 1987, as the second single from his ninth studio album, Sign o' the Times. While it performed well in the UK, reaching number 20, in the United States its success was more moderate on the general charts, peaking at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, it fared much better on the US Black music radio charts, where it reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot Black Singles. Originally, this song was part of the Camille project, intended to be released under the name of a Prince alter ego.

The B-side of this single was another track from the Camille project, titled Shockadelica. The backstory behind this song is interesting: it was written in response to an album of the same name by Jesse Johnson, former member of The Time. Prince heard Johnson’s album before its release and commented that a great album deserved a great lead single. In response to the discrepancy with Johnson, Prince recorded his own version and played it on a Minneapolis radio station before Johnson’s album hit the shelves. The public perception was that Johnson was copying Prince’s idea, which created some tension between the two. When the Camille project was canceled in favor of Crystal Ball, Shockadelica remained, but it was removed from the final tracklist when the album was reduced to Sign o' the Times. Ultimately, it saw the light as a B-side and was later included in The Hits/The B-Sides.