When Doves Cry

When Prince set out to create the music for the film _Purple Rain_ in 1984, director Albert Magnoli asked him for a piece that reflected the complexities of his character, The Kid, grappling with family issues and an incipient romance. The next morning, Prince had already shaped two compositions, one of which would become _When Doves Cry_. What makes this song so distinctive is its stripped-down sound. Surprisingly, it lacks a bass line, something very uncommon in 1980s dance music. Prince commented that, after a conversation with singer Jill Jones, he decided the song sounded too conventional with that element and opted to remove it. The piece opens with a guitar solo and a Linn LM-1 drum machine, followed by a guttural vocal loop. After the lyrics, a more extensive guitar and synthesizer solo unfolds. The song’s closing features a section inspired by classical music, accompanied by another synthesizer solo. Keyboardist Matt Fink revealed in 2014 that this baroque synthesizer solo was recorded by Prince at half speed and an octave lower, over a track also played at half speed, before being sped up to achieve the final version.

_When Doves Cry_ became Prince’s first single to top the Billboard Hot 100, staying there for five weeks. It was a global hit and, according to Billboard, the best-selling single of 1984. It earned Platinum certification in the United States and was the last solo artist’s single to achieve this distinction before certification requirements were relaxed in 1989. The song topped the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 chart for 1984. Following Prince’s passing in 2016, _When Doves Cry_ re-entered the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number eight, its highest position in the top 10 since September 1984. The music video, directed by Prince himself and released in June 1984, sparked controversy for its explicit content deemed unsuitable for television. The song ranks at number 37 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is part of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.