Album: Sign O’ The Times: Difference between revisions

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The album produced four commercially-released singles, [[Single: Sign O’ The Times|Sign O’ The Times]] (which preceded the album), [[Single: If I Was Your Girlfriend|If I Was Your Girlfriend]], [[Single: U Got The Look|U Got The Look]] and [[Single: I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man|I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man]], as well as two promotional releases, [[Single: Hot Thing|Hot Thing]] (in the USA only) and [[Single: The Cross|The Cross]] (in South Africa only).
The album produced four commercially-released singles, [[Single: Sign O’ The Times|Sign O’ The Times]] (which preceded the album), [[Single: If I Was Your Girlfriend|If I Was Your Girlfriend]], [[Single: U Got The Look|U Got The Look]] and [[Single: I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man|I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man]], as well as two promotional releases, [[Single: Hot Thing|Hot Thing]] (in the USA only) and [[Single: The Cross|The Cross]] (in South Africa only).


[[Prince]] supported the album with a major European tour, titled [[Sign O’ The Times Tour]], which focused largely on the album (while missing some of [[Prince]]’s previous hit singles). Two dates on the tour were filmed and the resulting concert film, [[Film: Sign O’ The Times|Sign O’ The Times]] was released worldwide, focused on the territories where the tour did not travel.  
[[Prince]] supported the album with a major European tour, titled [[Sign O’ The Times Tour]], which focused largely on the album (while missing some of [[Prince]]’s previous hit singles). The last four shows on the tour (Three in Rotterdam and one In Antwerp) were filmed and the resulting concert film, [[Film: Sign O’ The Times|Sign O’ The Times]] was released worldwide, focused on the territories where the tour did not travel.  




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{{ChartLine|
{{ChartLine|
| Date            = 11 Apr. 1987
| Date            = 11 Apr. 1987
| Chart (Country) = '''U.K.''': [[UK Albums Chart]]
| Chart (Country) = '''UK''': [[UK Albums Chart]]
| Peak Position  = 4
| Peak Position  = 4
| Weeks in chart  = 32
| Weeks in chart  = 32
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{{AlbumAwards|
{{AlbumAwards|
|Date                = [[Prince_Vault:Selected_anniversaries/May_12|12 May 1988]]
|Date                = [[Prince_Vault:Selected_anniversaries/May_12|12 May 1988]]
|Institution, Country = Minnesota Music Awards, USA
|Institution, Country = 8th Minnesota Music Awards, USA
|Award                = ''Rock/Recording: Mainstream''
|Award                = Rock/Recording: Mainstream
}}
}}
{{AlbumAwards|
{{AlbumAwards|
|Date                = [[Prince_Vault:Selected_anniversaries/May_12|12 May 1988]]
|Date                = [[Prince_Vault:Selected_anniversaries/May_12|12 May 1988]]
|Institution, Country = Minnesota Music Awards, USA
|Institution, Country = 8th Minnesota Music Awards, USA
|Award                = ''Rock/Composition: Mainstream''
|Award                = Rock/Composition: Mainstream
}}
}}
| certifications =
| certifications =

Latest revision as of 17:21, 12 May 2025

1986: Parade ◄ All Prince Albums All Related Artists Albums ► 1988: Lovesexy
Sign O’ The Times

Album details

Released: 30 March 1987 (UK)

31 March 1987 (USA/France)

Length: 79:48
Label(s): Paisley Park Records / Warner Bros.
Studio(s): Kiowa Trail Home Studio, Chanhassen, MN, USA; Galpin Blvd Home Studio, Chanhassen, MN, USA; Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA; Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, CA, USA and Dierks Studio Mobile Trucks (outside Le Zénith, Paris, France)

Charts, Certifications & Awards

Charts
America
Country: Chart Entry Date Peak Position Weeks in Chart
USA: Billboard Top Pop Albums 9 May 1987 6 108
USA: Billboard Top Black Albums 16 May 1987 4 96
USA: The Billboard 200 7 May 2016 20R 54
R indicates re-entry of an album that had already charted.
 
Europe
Country: Chart Entry Date Peak Position Weeks in Chart
Germany: Musikmarkt Top 75 Albums 13 Apr. 1987 11 25
The Netherlands: Nationale Totale Top 75 11 Apr. 1987 2 45
Norway: VG-lista Top 40 Album Week 15/1987 3 13
Sweden: Top 60 Album 8 Apr. 1987 6 9
Switzerland: Schweizer Hitparade 12 Apr. 1987 1(1) 21
UK: UK Albums Chart 11 Apr. 1987 4 32
 
Pacific
Country: Chart Entry Date Peak Position Weeks in Chart
Australia: ARIA Top 50 Albums 1 May 1987 20 10
New Zealand: Top 50 Album 26 Apr. 1987 6 25
Certifications
Institution, Country Date Certification
RIAA, USA 2 Jul. 1987 Platinum
(1 million)
BPI, UK 6 Apr. 1987 Silver (60,000)
BPI, UK 24 Apr. 1987 Gold (100,000)
BPI, UK 1 Sep. 1990 Platinum (300,000)
SNEP, France 1987 Gold (100,000)
SNEP, France 18 Oct. 2001 Gold x2 (200,000)
BVMI, Germany 1996 Gold (250,000)
ARIA, Australia 31 May 1999 Gold (35,000)
Awards
Institution, Country Date Award
8th Minnesota Music Awards, USA 12 May 1988 Rock/Recording: Mainstream
8th Minnesota Music Awards, USA 12 May 1988 Rock/Composition: Mainstream

Singles released

Sign O’ The Times
b/w La, La, La, He, He, Hee
If I Was Your Girlfriend
b/w Shockadelica
U Got The Look
b/w Housequake
I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
b/w Hot Thing
Hot Thing (US promo only)
b/w Hot Thing
The Cross (South Africa promo only)
b/w Adore

See also

Sign O’ The Times Tour Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition
(2020 re-issue)

Alternate Album Configuration

  • Side 1 of 11 January 1987 configuration, Attributed to Marx. Bros. - Camille Prince
  • Side 1
  1. Sign O’ The Times (4:56)
  2. Slow Love (4:22)  
  3. It (3:57)
  4. Housequake (4:41)
  5. Strange Relationship (4:01)

* The rest of the songs assumed to be the other eleven titles on the album, albeit possibly with Good Love instead of If I Was Your Girlfriend, as on the tentative next configuration. Adore was possibly before It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night as well, also as on its next rendering, but a sequences for side 2, 3 and 4 is unknown. Track-length above is occasionally different, but also tentative


  • Undated (post 11 January), tentative configuration, attributed to Camille
  • Side 1:
  1. Sign O’ The Times
  2. Play In The Sunshine
  3. Housequake
  4. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker
  • Side 2:
  1. It (assumed)
  2. Starfish And Coffee (assumed)
  3. Slow Love (assumed)
  4. Hot Thing (assumed)
  5. Forever In My Life (assumed)
  • Side 3:
  1. The Look
  2. Good Love
  3. Strange Relationship
  4. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
  • Side 4:
  1. The Cross
  2. Adore
  3. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
Sign O’ The Times (stylized as Sign “☮︎” The Times) is the ninth full-length studio album by Prince, and his ‘solo’ release since 1982’s 1999 (his intervening album’s were credited to Prince and the Revolution). It was released worldwide in March 1987.


Sessions and compiling

Eight of the album’s sixteen tracks were included on various configurations of the Dream Factory album, planned as the fourth album by Prince and the Revolution. When the Revolution was disbanded in October 1986, Prince reworked the album.

In late October 1986, Prince worked on an unrelated album, Camille (to be given the artist credit of Camille), on which Housequake, Strange Relationship and If I Was Your Girlfriend were included, before combining elements of the two projects to create Crystal Ball, a triple album initially also credited to Camille, but possibly also considered to be credited solely to Prince.

Warner Bros. were skeptical about releasing a triple album, and Prince removed seven of the 22 tracks and recorded the radio-friendly U Got The Look, completing the album on 15 January 1987 with the recording of an introductory piece acting as a segue from Sign O’ The Times to Play In The Sunshine.

The album went trough various track-sequences, until as late as the second week of January 1987 before it was finalized with the sixteen tracks ultimately on the release.

Promotion

The album produced four commercially-released singles, Sign O’ The Times (which preceded the album), If I Was Your Girlfriend, U Got The Look and I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man, as well as two promotional releases, Hot Thing (in the USA only) and The Cross (in South Africa only).

Prince supported the album with a major European tour, titled Sign O’ The Times Tour, which focused largely on the album (while missing some of Prince’s previous hit singles). The last four shows on the tour (Three in Rotterdam and one In Antwerp) were filmed and the resulting concert film, Sign O’ The Times was released worldwide, focused on the territories where the tour did not travel.


Charts

The album reached number 6 on the US Billboard Top Pop Albums Chart, and number 4 on the Billboard Top Black Albums Chart.


Certifications

The album was certified platinum by RIAA three months after release, on 2 July 1987.



Track listing
CD LP

The compact disc version is a reissue from the LP.

  • Disc 1:
  1. Sign O’ The Times (4:56)
  2. Play In The Sunshine (5:05)
  3. Housequake (4:41)
  4. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker (4:02)
  5. It (5:10)
  6. Starfish And Coffee (2:50) 1 
  7. Slow Love (4:22) 2 
  8. Hot Thing (5:39)
  9. Forever In My Life (3:30)
  • Disc 2:
  1. U Got The Look (3:47)
  2. If I Was Your Girlfriend (5:01)
  3. Strange Relationship (4:01)
  4. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (6:28)
  5. The Cross (4:46)
  6. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night (9:01) 3 
  7. Adore (6:29)

The vinyl long play format is the initial release.

  • Side 1:
  1. Sign O’ The Times (4:56)
  2. Play In The Sunshine (5:05)
  3. Housequake (4:41)
  4. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker (4:02)
  • Side 2:
  1. It (5:10)
  2. Starfish And Coffee (2:50) 1 
  3. Slow Love (4:22) 2 
  4. Hot Thing (5:39)
  5. Forever In My Life (3:30)
  • Side 3:
  1. U Got The Look (3:47)
  2. If I Was Your Girlfriend (5:01)
  3. Strange Relationship (4:01)
  4. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (6:28)
  • Side 4:
  1. The Cross (4:46)
  2. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night (9:01) 3 
  3. Adore (6:29)

All songs written by Prince, except where noted.

1  Lyrics written by Prince and Susannah Melvoin
2  Music and Lyrics written by Carole Davis, (mostly incorrectly) co-credited to Prince
3  Music written by Prince, Dr. Fink and Eric Leeds



Personnel
Musicians


Production


Thanks



Releases
LP, CD, Cassettes and Other versions
Country Format Cat. Number Comments Front Back Label 1 Label 2
This section is under construction

Variants, Special Editions and Reissues
Country Format Cat. Number Comments Front Back Label 1 Label 2
This section is under construction
 
Additional Information
Promotion (at time of release) Trivia
  • US and UK press ads published in march and april 1987:

US press advert published in Billboard on 21 March 1987   US press advert published in Billboard on 21 March 1987 (flip side)

Press ad published in 1987   UK press advert published on 14 April 1987 in the New Musical Express   UK press advert published in Smash Hits

  • A postcard was included in the vinyl issue of the album.
  • Warner Bros. Records had to blur the side of the "Golden Dragon Inc." fortune cookies box in the back on their request on all commercial material, including the Sheet Music book cover, after a first batch of records and promotional items were shipped to retailers. This copyright issue concerned commercial copies of the album in LP, Cassette and CD format, for the USA territory only.
  • The album got 3 award nominations for the 30th Grammy Award ceremony, including "Album Of The Year", but won none of them.
  • At the Minnesota Music Awards, on 12 May 1988, Prince received several awards for Sign O’ The Times and U Got The Look singles:
Rock/Individuals: Male
R&B/Individuals: Male Vocalist
R&B/Individuals: Guitarist
R&B/Bands: Performing Band
R&B/Bands: Recording
R&B/Bands: R&B Composition
As well as for Sign O’ The Times movie:
Production/Movie/Theatrical
Production/Multi Media Scores
References
1986
Parade 		All Albums All Related Artists Albums 1988
Lovesexy
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