The Question Of U is the fourth track on Prince’s twelfth album Graffiti Bridge. The song also features in the movie Graffiti Bridge.
In 2004, a live version (as The ? Of U) in a medley with Fallin’ and The One was offered as both audio and video by NPG Music Club for $5.55 for members ($7.77 for non-members).
In 2007, a live version using the lyrics of The One, was included as the 14th track on Prince’s fourth live album Indigo Nights (credited only as The One).
While specific recording dates are not known, basic tracking took place in mid-late July 1985 at the Washington Avenue Warehouse in Edina, Minnesota (during the same set of sessions that produced Girls & Boys, ♥ Or $, Neon Telephone, Do U Lie?, Venus De Milo and (U Got The) Good Drawers), but was not included on any known configurations of Parade, or any other projects during 1985-6.
An instrumental version was recorded on 28 December 1985 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California with Sheila E., Levi Seacer, Jr. and Eric Leeds during the so-called "Paisley Jam" session (that also produced Madrid, Breathless, Slaughterhouse, U Just Can’t Stop, Run Amok High Calonic and Mobile).
Eric Leeds named the track 12 Keys, unaware (as were Sheila E. and Levi Seacer, Jr.) that it was an instrumental version of a track Prince had recorded previously. It is unknown if this version was intended for The Flesh album or any other project.
When Prince began work on Graffiti Bridge in late 1987, he pulled out the original studio version of The Question Of U and recorded additional parts. It was included as the fifth track on the 25 September 1988 configuration of Graffiti Bridge, and remained there for the late 1989 configuration, before switching places with Elephants & Flowers for the 1990 configuration, to become the fourth track, where it remained for release. What appears on the album is in fact an edit. The original version ran about a minute longer.
In March 1990 Clare Fischer recorded string overdubs for the song at Mad Hatter Studios in Los Angeles, California, and while they were not utilized in the released version, parts of it can be heard in the live version of the song as it was played on the Nude Tour.
A single of The Question Of U was also planned, but this was not released.
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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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Mid-late July 1985
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Washington Avenue Warehouse, Edina, MN, USA
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Basic tracking
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28 December 1985
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Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA
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Basic tracking of 12 Keys (instrumental version of The Question Of U)
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December 1985
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Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA
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sax overdubs to 12 Keys (instrumental version of The Question Of U)
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Late 1987
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Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA
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Additional recording
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March 1990
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Mad Hatter Studios, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Orchestra overdubs by Clare Fischer
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Recording Personnel
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The Question Of U
- Prince - all vocals and instruments
12 Keys
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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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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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The Question Of U
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T.B.C.
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Live concert radio broadcast
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Live
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22 July 1990, Estadio Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain; short version during piano medley
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The Question Of U
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T.B.C.
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Live concert radio broadcast
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Live
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22 July 1990, Estadio Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain; incl. Electric Man lyrics
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The Question Of U
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T.B.C.
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Delayed concert TV broadcast
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Live
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29 July 1990, Estadio Santa María del Mar, La Coruña, Spain
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The Question Of U
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T.B.C.
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Delayed concert TV broadcast
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Live
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31 August 1990, Tokyo Dome (東京ドーム), Tokyo, Japan; incl. Electric Man lyrics; edited for The Question Of U promo video
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The Question Of U / The One
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T.B.C.
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Live concert online stream
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Live
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10 May 2015, Baltimore, MN, USA, Royal Farms Arena; incl. Electric Man
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Sampled, Referred to, Quoted in...
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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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The Question Of U
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Studio
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Original 1985 version
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12 Keys
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Studio
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Recorded 28 December 1985; recorded live; instrumental version of The Question Of U
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12 Keys
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Studio
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Same as above, but with sax overdubs
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The Question Of U
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Studio
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longer take of the version as it appeared on the album
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The Question Of U
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Studio
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1990 version with later discarded orchestra overdubs by Clare Fischer
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