80’s Medley

80’s Medley

First appeared on: n/a
About the song: As the name indicates, the 80’s Medley is not a true song, but rather a two-part medley of songs, mostly from the eighties era. It was played by Prince and his band on some shows (regular or after-shows) during the Lovesexy Tour in 1988. The medley was not given a title as such and is commonly referred to as 80’s Medley or Eighties Medley.

This fast-paced segment starts with a medley that includes horn riffs from I Don’t Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door, I’ll Get It Myself), Let’s Work, Cold Sweat, The Glamorous Life, a horn line from the 1986 live performance of Controversy and the 1987-1988 live versions of Kiss and other songs. The second part is cued by Prince yelling ‘‘Eighties’’ and contains horn riffs and sometimes sung parts from several songs released as singles by multiple artists :

I Want Your Sex by George Michael (from his album Faith released in 1987),
Wishing Well, written by Terence Trent D’Arby and Sean Oliver and released in 1987 on D’Arby’s debut album
A Love Bizarre,
Addicted To Love by Robert Palmer from his 1985 album Riptide,
Born In The U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen, the title track of his 1984 album,
Material Girl by Madonna (written by Peter Brown and Robert Rans) from her 1984 album Like A Virgin,
Mother Popcorn by James Brown (from 1969),
The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson from his 1987 album Bad.

A chant from Terence Trent D’Arby’s If You Let Me Stay was also occasionnaly included.

It is not known if (but unlikely that) a studio recording of this medley was ever made.

Performed by Prince

First and last known live performance: 8 July 1988: Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris, France

Navigation menu