Head is the sixth track on Prince's third album Dirty Mind, and, in late 1980, Head was released as the album's second single (only available in the Philippines; in the USA it was released only on a promo acting more as an album sampler than a promo for this particular song).
In 1993, the track was included as the fourth track on Prince's compilation album The Hits 2 (also included as the second disc of The Hits / The B-Sides).
While specific recording dates are not known, the album sessions took place from May to June 1980, in Prince's North Arm Drive Home Studio in Orono, Minnesota (credited as "Somewhere in Uptown"), and completed in June 1980 at Hollywood Sound Recorders in Los Angeles, California.
The song introduced new band member Lisa Coleman who contributed a spoken word segment after Gayle Chapman objected to the song's lyrics and left the band.
Some of the lyrics are seemingly inspired by Darlene, a girl from San Francisco, CA that Prince was seeing and the protagonist for the song Darlene Marie. At the time they first met in September 1978, she was engaged to be married. The line " ...when I met you, baby, you were on you're way to be wed" was about, or inspired by her.
In 1994, Kirk Johnson remixed the track at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota, and the remix, while unreleased, was partially included in the Kirk J's B Sides Remix medley.
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Recording Information
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Recording Sessions
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Date
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Studio
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Additional info
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May-June 1980
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North Arm Drive Home Studio, Orono, MN, USA
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Basic tracking
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June 1980
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Hollywood Sound Recorders, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Overdubs, mixing
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19 January 1983
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Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland FL
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Tour Demo version
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1994
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Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA
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Remix by Kirk Johnson
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Recording Personnel
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Versions
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Released Versions
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Video Versions
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Broadcasts/streaming (only)
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Sampled, Referred to, Quoted in...
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Title
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Length
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Released
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Version
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Additional info
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Partyman (The Purple Party Mix)
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6:02
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Partyman single
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Remix
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Remix by Femi Jiya and Prince; Includes sampled clips of Sexy Dancer, I Wanna Be Your Lover, Head, Partyup, Let's Work, 1999, Raspberry Beret, Erotic City, Kiss, U Got The Look, Housequake and Alphabet St.
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Partyman (The Purple Party Mix)
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5:58
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The Scandalous Sex Suite EP
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Remix edit
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As above, missing The Joker's opening dialogue
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Kirk J's B Sides Remix
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7:00
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Purple Medley single
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Studio medley
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See Kirk J's B Sides Remix for more details
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Unreleased Versions
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Title
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Version
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Additional Info
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Head
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Remix
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Remixed 1994 version of the track by Kirk Johnson containing new beats and keyboard lines
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