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Prince · S5 E3
When Doves Cry
No bass line. The most radical production decision on the biggest hit of 1984. Five weeks at number one
Spring 1984, a studio in Minneapolis. Prince listens to the final mix of a new song, walks over to the console, and pulls out the bass line entirely. The track that remains will become the biggest single of the year.
"Mountains" (Prince and the Revolution, 1986). From the Parade album, another track where Prince tears up the production rulebook. After "When Doves Cry" proved that removing instruments could make a song bigger, Prince kept pushing: "Mountains" builds from a drum machine into a full orchestral climax.
Mountains, Prince and the Revolution (1986)
"Mountains" starts spare and builds relentlessly, layering instruments until the arrangement sounds massive. The Revolution plays as a full band here, with Wendy and Lisa's contributions giving the track a cinematic quality that Prince's earlier solo productions never had. Listen for how the production adds elements without ever cluttering the mix: every new layer opens the song up instead of weighing it down. It's the opposite of subtraction, but the same production philosophy: serve the song, not your ego.
Sources
Thorne, Matt. "Prince: The Man and His Music." Faber & Faber, 2012.
Hahn, Alex. "Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince." Billboard Books, 2003.
The Missing Bass Line
"When Doves Cry" has a bass line. Prince plays it, records it, mixes it. Then he takes it out. In a genre built on bass, funk, R&B, pop, removing the low end is an act of sabotage. But without the bass, the song sounds like nothing else on radio, and that's the whole point.
Sources
Hahn, Alex. "Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince." Billboard Books, 2003.
Thorne, Matt. "Prince: The Man and His Music." Faber & Faber, 2012.
TAP TO REVEAL: What did the original mix of "When Doves Cry" sound like?
Number One
"When Doves Cry" is released on May 16, 1984, as the lead single from Purple Rain. It enters the Billboard Hot 100, climbs to #1, and stays there for five weeks. It becomes the best-selling single of 1984. A song with no bass line, built on a drum machine and a scream, is the biggest pop record in America.
Sources
Hahn, Alex. "Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince." Billboard Books, 2003.
Thorne, Matt. "Prince: The Man and His Music." Faber & Faber, 2012.
The Gamble That Paid Off
Removing the bass line from a funk song is like removing the engine from a car: it shouldn't work. But "When Doves Cry" proves that what you leave out can be more powerful than what you put in. The empty space where the bass should be creates a tension that hooks the listener. Prince bets his biggest single on an absence, and wins.
Sources
Thorne, Matt. "Prince: The Man and His Music." Faber & Faber, 2012.
When Doves Cry: The File
Around the World in a Day, Prince and the Revolution (1985)
The title track of the album Prince released as his follow-up to Purple Rain. After "When Doves Cry" conquered pop radio, Prince went in the opposite direction: psychedelic, uncommercial, and deliberately strange. This track opens with Middle Eastern percussion, cello, and finger cymbals. It was Prince's way of saying: I can have the biggest single in America, and I can also walk away from the formula that made it.
Around the World in a Day, Prince and the Revolution (1985)
The lyrics are a psychedelic invitation: open your heart, take a trip, leave the material world behind. After the raw ambition of Purple Rain, these words sound like an escape plan. Prince made the biggest record of 1984 and immediately started running from the sound that got him there.
What did the original mix of "When Doves Cry" contain that Prince removed for the final version?
"When Doves Cry" proves Prince can break every rule and still win. Next episode: a track called "Let's Go Crazy" that opens with a sermon about the afterlife, and the moment Prince turns a rock song into a religious experience.
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