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The Line is an unreleased song recorded on 22 December 1987 (six days after Dance On, during a stretch of sessions focused on the Lovesexy album). It was written in response to a poem by Ingrid Chavez which Prince had recorded with her earlier in the month, entitled Cross The Line. The Line was included on an early version of the album, compiled on 21 January 1988, but was omitted from an acetate made on 27 January 1987.
The song includes a chanted portion used in live shows since early 1987, "People, people. I’ve got a brand new dance", which mentions Housequake. The track ends with Boni Boyer singing lyrics from Take My Hand, Precious Lord. Interestingly, chants and background vocals from The Line were sampled on remixes for Partyman (1989). A scream by Boni Boyer from this track (as well as the same chants sampled on Partyman remixes) was later used in the opening seconds of Acknowledge Me (credited incorrectly to "Bonni Boyer"), with the liner notes stating that The Line was "2 b released at a later date". The song remains unreleased, however.
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Versions
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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 Line
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Studio
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Recorded 22 December 1987; before percussion, horns and chanted overdubs
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| The Line
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Studio
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Final version after percussion, horns and chanted overdubs
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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, Alphabet St., The Future and chants from Batdance and The Line
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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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| Partyman (The Video Mix)
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6:20
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Partyman single
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Remix
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Remix by Femi Jiya and Prince
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| Partyman (The Video Mix)
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6:11
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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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| Partyman (The Video Mix Edit)
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5:40
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Partyman single
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Remix edit
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As above, contains The Joker’s opening dialogue; earlier fade-out than full version
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| Acknowledge Me
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5:26
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Crystal Ball
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Studio
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| Acknowledge Me
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3:15
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Lip-synch TV broadcast
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Studio, (small differences in mix compared to released version)
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9 April 1994, Soul Train, Paramount Studios, Stage 30, Hollywood, CA, USA
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| Acknowledge Me
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Unreleased
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Original 1993 recording
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Edited for release
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| Acknowledge Me
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Unreleased
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Re-recording
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New Power Generation version; Sonny T. on vocals
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