George Boyle
When Doves Cry is a song by American musician Prince, released in 1984. It was the lead single from his sixth studio album, Purple Rain, and became one of his signature songs. The song is known for its unusual absence of a bass line and its emotional lyrics, which touch on themes of love, loss, and family. When Doves Cry has been ranked highly on various lists of the greatest songs of all time and has been covered and sampled by numerous artists. With its unique sound and poignant lyrics, When Doves Cry has become a popular choice for weddings, offering a blend of nostalgia and sentimentality.
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What You'll Learn
- 'When Doves Cry' was written for Prince's film, Purple Rain
- The song is about a crumbling love affair
- It's also about Prince's fear of becoming like his parents
- The song is unusual for an '80s dance track as it has no bass line
- When Doves Cry was ranked No. 37 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time?
'When Doves Cry' was written for Prince's film, Purple Rain
"When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album, Purple Rain. The song was written for his 1984 semi-autobiographical film of the same name, Purple Rain, and was composed to match the theme of a particular segment of the film.
In the film, the song plays during a montage after Prince's character, The Kid, loses his love interest, Apollonia, to his rival. The montage also includes scenes of The Kid's tumultuous relationship with his father, mirroring Prince's own difficult relationship with his dad. The lyrics of the song express Prince's fear of becoming like his parents, with the line "are we becoming my parents?" and the "crying doves" representing two lovers mourning the loss of their relationship.
The song is also said to be inspired by Prince's relationship with Vanity 6 member Susan Moonsie. It is ranked highly on several lists of the greatest songs of all time, including Spin magazine ranking it as the No. 6 song of all time, and Rolling Stone ranking it No. 37 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2021.
"When Doves Cry" is also notable for its unusual absence of a bass line, which was a daring choice by Prince. He felt the song was strong enough to be a hit without it, and the absence of the bass creates a tension and a sense of "something missing" that fits with the song's lyrical theme. The song features a guitar solo intro, a Linn LM-1 drum machine, and a classical music-inspired keyboard piece backed by a synthesizer solo.
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The song is about a crumbling love affair
"When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album, Purple Rain. The song is said to be inspired by his relationship with Vanity 6 member Susan Moonsie.
The song also touches on Prince's fear of becoming too much like his parents, with references to his character's intermingled parental difficulties in the film. The crying doves in the song seem to point to the two lovers mourning the loss of their relationship, with the doves acting as a universal symbol of peace and a hopeful message that the couple can work out their differences.
The music video, directed by Prince himself, premiered on MTV in June 1984 and sparked controversy due to its explicit nature. The song is also notable for its unusual absence of a bass line, creating a sense of tension and "something missing" that fits the lyrical theme. "When Doves Cry" became one of Prince's signature songs, topping the charts for five weeks and receiving various accolades.
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It's also about Prince's fear of becoming like his parents
"When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album, Purple Rain. The song was composed for the soundtrack of his semi-autobiographical film of the same name.
In the film, Purple Rain, Prince's character, The Kid, has a difficult relationship with his parents. This theme of intermingled parental difficulties is reflected in the song "When Doves Cry", which explores Prince's fear of becoming too much like his parents. The song serves as a musical refuge for Prince, with the chorus of keyboards representing the crying doves.
The lyrics of "When Doves Cry" are ethereal and provocative, with a pounding backbeat and an ominous atmosphere. They delve into the introspective question of whether he and his lover are "becoming [his] parents". This fear of repeating the mistakes of his parents is a central theme in the song, mirroring the plot of the movie, which depicts a crumbling love affair.
In the film, Prince's character loses his love interest, Apollonia, to his rival, mirroring the song's theme of a relationship falling apart. The lyrics begin with Prince asking Apollonia to recall happier times in their relationship before transitioning to a more melancholy tone as the relationship deteriorates. This reflects Prince's fear of becoming like his parents and the potential loss of his lover.
The absence of a bass line in the song, a notable choice for an '80s dance song, creates a sense of tension and "something missing", further emphasising the theme of loss and the fear of becoming like his parents. Prince's talent for symbolism is evident in the song, with the crying doves representing the mourning of two lovers for their relationship.
Overall, "When Doves Cry" is a powerful and provocative song that explores Prince's fear of becoming like his parents, while also dealing with the ending of a love affair. The song's success, both critically and commercially, solidifies its place as one of Prince's signature songs.
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The song is unusual for an '80s dance track as it has no bass line
"When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album, Purple Rain. It was also composed for the soundtrack of his semi-autobiographical film of the same name. In the film, the song plays under a montage of his character losing his love interest, Apollonia, to his rival, mirroring the plot of the movie. The song also touches on Prince's fear of becoming too similar to his parents.
The song's texture is notably stark, featuring a guitar solo intro, a pounding backbeat, and a looped guttural vocal. After the lyrics, there is a longer guitar and synthesizer solo, followed by a classical music-inspired keyboard piece backed by another synthesizer solo. The song's unusual structure and absence of bass contributed to its unique sound, making it one of Prince's signature songs.
"When Doves Cry" was ranked number one on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1984 and has been included in various lists of the greatest songs of all time. It has also been sampled by artists such as MC Hammer and covered by Patti Smith, Razorlight, and Damien Rice. The song's success and enduring popularity showcase Prince's musical genius and his ability to create innovative and captivating music.
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When Doves Cry was ranked No. 37 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"When Doves Cry" is a song by the American musician Prince, and the lead single from his 1984 album Purple Rain. It was a worldwide hit and his first American number-one single, topping the charts for five weeks. It was also certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The song was written and composed by Prince after all the other tracks were completed for Purple Rain. In addition to providing vocals, he played all the instruments on the track. The song's texture is notably stark, with no bass line, which is unusual for an '80s dance song.
The music video, directed by Prince, premiered on MTV 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" has been ranked on several lists of the greatest songs of all time. Spin magazine ranked it as the No. 6 song of all time, while VH1's "The 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s" ranked it at No. 5. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked "When Doves Cry" No. 37 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". This list was created by polling over 250 artists, musicians, producers, music industry figures, critics, and journalists, who each submitted a ranked list of their top 50 songs. Nearly 4,000 songs received votes.
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Frequently asked questions
"When Doves Cry" is a song about the ending of a love affair and the fear of becoming too much like one's parents. It is not a happy song and may not be suitable for a wedding. However, it is a popular song that has been ranked highly in various music lists and could be a good choice for a non-traditional wedding.
The crying doves in the song seem to be a metaphor for the two lovers mourning the loss of their relationship. The lyrics "this is what it sounds like when doves cry" could be interpreted as the pain and sadness of the couple as they realise their relationship is falling apart.
"When Doves Cry" was written by Prince for his semi-autobiographical film, "Purple Rain". In the film, the song plays during a montage that reflects the plot of the movie, touching on the crumbling love affair and Prince's difficult relationship with his father.
Notable covers of "When Doves Cry" include Patti Smith's version, which was featured in the film "Lost in Translation", as well as covers by Razorlight and Damien Rice. MC Hammer also sampled the song in his 1990 hit "Pray".
