Possessed

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Possessed

from the home video Prince And The Revolution: Live from the album 1999 Super Deluxe Edition from the album Purple Rain Super Deluxe Edition Song details Performer: Prince / Prince and the Revolution First Released: December 1985 - Prince And The Revolution: Live VHS (live version) 23 June 2017 - Purple Rain Super Deluxe Edition album (1984 studio version) 29 November 2019 - 1999 Super Deluxe Edition album (1982 studio version) Album(s): Purple Rain Super Deluxe Edition 1999 Super Deluxe Edition Prince And The Revolution: Live Writer(s): Prince Producer(s): Prince Live Appearances First and last live appearance: 10 December 1982: Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL, USA (lyrics only in How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore); 21 May 1984: Carlton Celebrity Room, Bloomington, MN, USA (first full performance) 7 June 1985: Prom Center, Saint Paul, MN, USA Performed regularly on tour: none Performed occasionally in shows: 1982 (lyrical clip included in How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore), 1984, 1985

Possessed is a song that was cut and worked on in the studio by Prince on many different occasions. Basic tracking of the initial version took place on 15 May 1982 by Prince alone at his Kiowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. This version was overdubbed a year later, on 24 May 1983, also at the at the Kiowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. A new version, started from scratch, was cut with The Revolution in August 1983 at The Warehouse in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. It was a hot day and they kept running into power outage problems while attempting to record. In the end the session was stopped. But it is likely the song was committed to tape in the same setting at a later date. This version however also remains unreleased. Yet another new version, recorded from scratch was tracked on 17 March 1984 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California for use in Purple Rain. A short instrumental portion of this version plays in the movie in the background of a scene in which Morris Day tries to seduce Apollonia. It was this 1984 studio version (incorrectly attributed as the 1983 version) that was released as the sixth track (and seventh song) on the From The Vault & Previously Unreleased disc of the Purple Rain Super Deluxe Edition album in June 2017. Until after Prince’s death the song was only released in a live version as the eighth track on the Prince And The Revolution: Live VHS in a double VHS case sometimes referred to as Double Live (later re-released as a single VHS). A studio version of the 1984 recording was released as the sixth track on the From The Vault & Previously Unreleased disc of the Purple Rain Super Deluxe Edition album in June 2017. A studio version of the original 1982 recording (sans 1983 overdubs) was released in 2019 as the first track on the Vault Tracks part 2 disc of a Super Deluxe Edition edition of the 1999 album. Recording Information Recording Sessions Date Studio Additional info 15 May 1982 Kiowa Trail Home Studio, Chanhassen, MN, USA Basic tracking 24 May 1983 Kiowa Trail Home Studio, Chanhassen, MN, USA Overdubs 21 June 1983 The Warehouse, St. Louis Park, MN, USA rehearsal recording August 1983 The Warehouse, St. Louis Park, MN, USA Basic tracking, second version (aborted) August 1983 The Warehouse, St. Louis Park, MN, USA New attempt at second version 17 March 1984 Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA Basic tracking third version 21 March 1984; 25 April 1984 Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA Editing (Instrumental) for use in Purple Rain) Recording Personnel Initial solo version Prince – All vocals and instruments except where indicated Jill Jones – background vocals Don Batts - engineer 1983 Warehouse version Prince – vocals Bobby Z. - drums Brown Mark - bass guitar Wendy Melvoin - guitar Lisa Coleman - keyboards Dr. Fink - keyboards 1984 studio version Prince - all vocals and instruments Prince and the Revolution: Live version version (1985) Prince - vocals and guitar Bobby Z. - drums Brown Mark - bass guitar Wendy Melvoin - guitar Lisa Coleman - keyboards Dr. Fink - keyboards Eric Leeds - saxophone Versions Released Versions Title Length Released Version Additional info Possessed 7:57 Purple Rain Deluxe (Expanded) Edition (From The Vault & Previously Unreleased) Studio 1984 version Possessed 8:47 1999 Super Deluxe Edition Studio Original 1982 version, sans overdubs Possessed 4:25 Prince And The Revolution: Live Live 30 March 1985, Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, USA Video Versions Title Length Released Version Additional info Possessed 4:24 Prince And The Revolution: Live VHS/laserdisc Purple Rain Super Deluxe Edition – Live at the Carrier Dome (DVD) Live 30 March 1985, Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, USA Sampled, Referred to, Quoted in... Title Length Released Version Additional info Let’s Go Crazy (Special Dance Mix) 7:35 Let’s Go Crazy Maxi-single Studio A synth part from 1984 version of Possessed is also used on the Special Dance Mix of Let’s Go Crazy Unreleased Versions Title Version Additional Info Possessed Studio May 1983 overdubs version Possessed Studio August 1983 band recording Possessed Instrumental Instrumental version of March 1984 re-recording

Additional Information See also Trivia Prince And The Revolution: Live home video Played live (in 1985) the song often contained some lyrics form James Brown’s Licking Stick - Licking Stick including Sister out in the backyard, doin’ the [outside] dance. References The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince (2004) Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions 1983 and 1984 (Expanded Edition, paperback), Duane Tudahl (2018)

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