Eggplant

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Eggplant

Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition
from the album
Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition
Song details
Performer: Prince
First Released: 25 September 2020 - Sign O’ The Times ‘’Super Deluxe Edition album
Album(s): Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition
Writer(s): Prince
Producer(s): Prince
Live Appearances
First and last live appearance:
  • This track is not believed to have been performed live by Prince
Performed regularly on tour:
  • none
Performed occasionally in shows:
  • none

Eggplant is a song recorded on 7 July 1986 at Prince’s Galpin Blvd Home Studio (on the same day as Train). Inspiration for this song came from Susannah and Wendy Melvoin, as Prince overheard their conversation about vain girls who constantly flip their hair while having a conversation with someone. The song makes an analogy between a shallow girl and an eggplant, presumably the opposite of an egghead (an intellectual). The song is sung as an advise to a friend. Horns overdubs were done to the second instrumental half of the song.

While the sessions that yielded this song concentrated on material for the aborted musical possibly known as Dream Factory, as well as the aborted Dream Factory album, it is unknown if this song was intended for these or any other project.

Prince initally credted a version with only him singing, which Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss recorded a horn arangement for the next day.

Prince then decided he would have Wendy sing lead vocal, as a character named Lucy. Some humorous dialogue between him and Lucy was added, like friends or maybe siblings squabbeling.Prince added a short rap over the beginning of the second half, right after the break. The girls added backing vocals there, too, at some point getting the giggles, which Prince left in the song.

The version with only Prince’s vocal (listed as Eggplant (Original Prince Vocal)) was released in September 2020 as the third track of Vault Tracks part 2, one of the discs with previously unreleased tracks included with the Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition. The version with Wendy on lead vocals remains unreleased.


Recording Information
Recording Sessions
Date Studio Additional info
7 July 1986 Galpin Blvd Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Basic tracking
8 July 1986 Galpin Blvd Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
vocal and horn overdubs
Recording Personnel


unreleased ‘duet’ version


Versions
Released Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Eggplant 5:18 Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition Studio Prince solo vocal version, listed as Eggplant (Original Prince Vocal)


Unreleased Versions
Title Version Additional Info
Eggplant Studio version with Wendy Melvoin on lead vocals
 
Additional Information

See also Trivia

  • The released mix of this track was done by Niko Bolas specifically for the Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition release. It was made to replicate the original mix from the time the song was initially tracked, as much as possible. So even when a slightly different mix of this track might exist, the now released version is not considered a true alternate mix of the track.
  • The vegetable known as 'eggplant' in the United States is known as 'aubergine' elsewhere in the world.

References
Easy Does It   < < < All Songs Unreleased Songs > > >   Eight