By Alien Means is an unreleased track recorded at some point in 1988 at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota (the song was filed for copyright registration on 12 October 1988). Prince submitted the track to Madonna for inclusion on her fourth album Like A Prayer (which featured Prince on other tracks), but she turned it down, and it is unlikely that she ever recorded vocals for the track.
The track is ambitious, alternating between a slow, wistful melody and a monotonous vamp. The lyrics ask young people not to commit suicide, saying "don’t go out by alien means".
The song remains unreleased.
In 1991 Prince re-used its music to update the also unreleased song Crystal City Cry intended for Ingrid Chavez.
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