When Eye Lay My Hands On U (later known as When Lay My Hands On U) was released as a free mp3 download concurrently with NPGMC Commercial (free mp3 audio file) and NPGMC Intro (free .mov video file), as promotion for the concurrently-released NPG Music Club Edition # 1 (consisting of NPG Ahdio Show # 1, Mad, Funky Design, Splash, Peace (all mp3 audio files), and When Eye Lay My Hands On U and U Make My Sun Shine (both .mov video files)). In 2004, the track (now known as When Lay My Hands On U) was included as the first track on Prince's 29th full-length studio album The Chocolate Invasion, the first compilation album of NPG Music Club downloads.
Specific recording dates for the track are not known, but it is assumed to have been recorded in early-mid 2000 at Paisley Park Studios. It was initially included as the tenth and final track on the High album, announced as completed (as a "rough draft") on NPGOnlineLtd.com on 8 August, 2000, before the album was abandoned. On 16 September, 2000, NPGOnlineLtd.com announced that Prince had been filming "clips of songs (not fully produced videos)" for an upcoming online project - it is likely, therefore, that the 1:09 video released concurrently with the song through the NPG Music Club is all that was recorded.
The discrepancy in the use of Eye/ in the track name is likely due to the limits of the website coding used on the NPG Music Club at the time of the track's release rather than any deliberate choice, but it is reflected here nonetheless.
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