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Black Muse is a song first performed live on 15 December 2010 during the first night of the Welcome 2 America Tour. Vocals for the song were performed by Shelby J., Liv Warfield and Elisa Dease.
A studio version featuring lead vocals by Prince, was recorded on 10 March 2010, presumably at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. A tape photographed in Paisley Park Studios, has that date. Another tape box has the date of 19 March 2010, listing it as Black Muse instr. (with Stand Up And B Strong also appearing on that tape), alluding the song was worked on more at that date.
In 2011 it was slated for release on a Welcome 2 America album that remains unreleased.
Prince had told model/dancer Damaris Lewis (whom he first met while on the Welcome 2 America Tour) that he wrote the song for her, which is fitting as around that time Lewis was credited in Prince’s work as ’muse'. In December 2015 the song appeared as tenth track on the album Hitnrun Phase Two.
The last 3:05 minutes of the track as released on Hitnrun Phase Two were in fact another unreleased track from 2010 1,000 Light Years From Here, slated for inclusion, likely as separate track on the never released Welcome 2 America album.
The 1,000 Light Years From Here song was also recorded on 10 March 2010, presumably at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Check The Record, as well as a song called seemingly called Wud are also listed on the tape box.
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