17 Days (full title as copyrighted 17 Days (The Rain Will Come Down, Then U Will Have 2 Choose If U Believe. Look 2 The Dawn And U Shall Never Lose)) was released as the b-side of the single When Doves Cry, the first single to be released from Purple Rain, released worldwide. In 1993, it was included as the 15th track on The B-Sides compilation (included as the third and final disc on The Hits / The B-Sides).
While specific recording dates for 17 Days are not known, it was initially recorded during the summer of 1983 with Brenda Bennett on vocals, with the intention of placing it on the second album by Vanity 6 (which later became the Apollonia 6 album). It was re-recorded on 8 January 1984 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA (three days after Oliver's House and The Belle Of St. Mark), with Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman providing some background vocals. While the When Doves Cry single was credited only to Prince, 17 Days was credited to Prince and the Revolution, marking it the earliest release of a track containing this credit.
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