Givin Em What They Love

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Givin Em What They Love

Theelectriclady album.jpg
from the album The Electric Lady
Song details
Performer: Janelle Monáe
First Released: 10 September 2013 - The Electric Lady album (announced release date)
Album(s): The Electric Lady
Writer(s): Charles Joseph II, Janelle Monáe, Nathaniel Irvin III, Terrence L. Brown, Chuck Lightning, Nate "Rocket" Wonder and Prince (lyrics)
Producer(s): Janelle Monáe, Nate "Rocket" Wonder and Chuck Lightning, co-produced by Roman GianArthur
Live Appearances
First and last live appearance:
Performed regularly on tour:
  • none
Performed occasionally in shows:

Givin Em What They Love is the second track (first song) on Janelle Monáe’s second studio album The Electric Lady. Prince appears on the track, providing co-lead vocals, guitar and bass guitar, as well as co-writing the lyrics (most likely writing lyrics for his own vocal section). The track is written by Charles Joseph II, Janelle Monáe, Nathaniel Irvin III, Terrence L. Brown, Chuck Lightning, Nate "Rocket" Wonder and Prince, and produced by Janelle Monáe, Nate "Rocket" Wonder and Chuck Lightning (the latter pair as "Wonder & Lightning"), with co-production by Roman GianArthur.

While specific recording dates are not known, it is assumed to have been recorded in mid-to-late 2012 (Janelle Monáe first performed the song during the 27 September 2012 (a.m.): House Of Blues Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA Prince one-off show, albeit without Prince), with the main portion of the track recorded at Wondaland Recording Studios, Atlanta, Georgia. While credits do not indicate Prince’s contributions were recorded separately, it is likely that he recorded his contributions at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

The track is the only known studio collaboration between Prince and Janelle Monáe, though they publicly shared their mutual respect following her debut album The ArchAndroid released in 2010, and she appeared on stage with Prince multiple times. Of note also is that the track features additional bass guitar by Esperanza Spalding, who shares a similar relationship with Prince. She and Prince also worked together on We Are America, released two months after Janelle Monáe’s album.

The album booklet states the song is "inspired by Hiddencolors1&Two and the burning big house in Django Unchained" (a 2012 Quentin Tarantino film); since the film was released in late December 2012, it is not known if this "inspiration" was attributed after the fact, or if Janelle Monáe had access to footage of the film before recording the track.


Recording Information
Recording Sessions
Date Studio Additional info
Mid-to-late 2012 (assumed) Wondaland Recording Studios,
Atlanta, GA, USA
Tracking (no Prince input)
Mid-to-late 2012 (assumed) Paisley Park Studios,
Chanhassen, MN, USA (assumed)
Vocal and instrumental overdubs by Prince
Recording Personnel
  • Janelle Monáe - vocals (credited for "lead howls"), background vocals (credited for "background acrobatics")
  • Prince - co-lead vocals (credited for "lead howls"), background vocals (credited for "background acrobatics"), bass guitar (credited for "additional bass guitar shotgun blasts"), guitar (credited for "magical guitar")
  • Nate "Rocket" Wonder - drums, bass guitar (credited for "bass guitar boogie"), additional guitar, piano (credited for "magic piano"), percussion and background vocals (credited for "background acrobatics")
  • Esperanza Spalding - bass guitar (credited for "additional bass guitar shotgun blasts")
  • Kellindo Parker - rhythm guitar
  • Terrence L. Brown - organ (credited as "Terrence L. Brown of All Cows Eat Grass")
  • Kebbi Williams - tenor saxophone and flute (credited as "Hornz Unlimited")
  • Christopher Burns - trombone (credited as "Hornz Unlimited")
  • Jason P. Freeman - trumpet and flugelhorn (credited as "Hornz Unlimited")
  • Lance Powlis - trumpet
  • Roman GianArthur Irvin - percussion and background vocals (credited for "background acrobatics")
  • Alexander Page - violin and viola (credited for "Wild West strings" as "The Wondaland ArchOrchestra")
  • Grace Shim - cello (credited for "Wild West strings" as "The Wondaland ArchOrchestra")

Versions
Released Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Givin Em What They Love 4:26 The Electric Lady Studio



 
Additional Information

See also Trivia

  • In 2018, when Janelle Monáe released the song "Make Me Feel", Lenka Paris, who was a DJ at parties hosted by Prince at Paisley Park, posted the following message on Facebook : "Roughly 2 and a half years ago I played this little party for Prince, and at one point he goes: Stop the music, I wanna play something. .... He opens his computer and plays a groove. Then this heavy synth hits and my 2 friends and I go simultaneously "oh shit!", He heard us and laughed. It was futuristic and so so good. Last night I heard Janelle Monáe’s new song. As soon as the synth came in, I went "oh shit! That’s it!". He gave that to her. " This post suggests that Prince was involved in "Make Me Feel" which indeed sounds like a song he could have written (it also borrows a guitar part from Kiss and similar screams). But the characteristic synth sound that is found on this song was actually already present on the original version of Janelle Monáe’song Q.U.E.E.N. (featuring Erykah Badu) and its remix made by Prince and Joshua Welton. "Make Me Feel" was composed by Janelle Monáe, Julia Michaels, Mattias Larsson, Robin Fredriksson and Justin Tranter. Although Monáe has stated that "Prince actually was working on the album with [her] before he passed on to another frequency, and helped [her] come up with sounds", it is still unknown if his ideas or instrumental contributions, if any, were kept for her album Dirty Computer. To this day, no information confirms that Prince was involved in "Make Me Feel". Beside Givin Em What They Love, the only other known song with Janelle Monáe to feature a Prince contribution is Q.U.E.E.N..

References
Girls Will Be Girls   < < < All Songs Unreleased Songs > > >   Glam Slam