I Need A Man

From Prince Vault
Revision as of 19:00, 24 September 2020 by Chakib (Talk | contribs)

Jump to: navigation, search
I Met A Virgin Queen   < < < Non-Prince Songs All Prince Songs Unreleased Songs > > >   Eye88.png No
I Need A Man

Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe
from the album
Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe
Song details
Performer: Prince; The Hookers; Bonnie Raitt
First Released: 17 September 2020 - Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe pre-release download
Album(s): Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe
Writer(s): Prince
Producer(s): Prince
Live Appearances
First and last live appearance:
Performed regularly on tour:
  • none
Performed occasionally in shows:
  • none

I Need A Man is a track released posthumously on the Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe set. A week earlier, it was released as the album’s sixth and final pre-release download.

While the released version is from (with overdubs in 1987), the song was originally recorded in Summer 1981 at Prince’s Kiowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota (during the same set of sessions that produced Make-Up, Wet Dream and Drive Me Wild). The track contained lead vocals by Jamie Shoop, and was intended for an album by The Hookers, but was abandoned when The Hookers developed into Vanity 6.

The track was then re-recorded in late 1986 or early 1987, Prince’s Galpin Blvd Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota, when it was revamped to be offered to American blues singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt. The track was worked on further in 1987 with horn overdubs by Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss recorded on 22 January 1987 at Prince’s Galpin Blvd Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Prince approached her about recording some songs together and signing to his Paisley Park Records label in December 1986 after seeing her perform at The Beverly Theater, Los Angeles, CA, USA. He offered four songs to work on (I Need A Man, Jealous Girl, Promise 2 Be True and There’s Something I Like About Being Your Fool). Raitt recorded her vocals on only two of them (I Need A Man and There’s Something I Like About Being Your Fool).

No further work was done as Prince was busy preparing for his next tour (Sign O’ The Times Tour). Bonnie Raitt commented on the tracks by saying "I appreciated the enthusiasm, but they were not in my key. The topics were not things I was comfortable singing.". Raitt also wanted to cut tie with Warner Bros. after the failure of her 1986 album Nine Lives. None of the songs offered by Prince ended up on her 1989 acclaimed album Nick Of Time, released on Capitol Records which included I Can’t Make U Love Me later covered by Prince.

Prince worked on the track again on 31 May 1988, at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. the resulting version after those overdubs remains unreleased


Recording Information
Recording Sessions
Date Studio Additional info
1981 (assumed) Kiowa Trail Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Basic tracking ( The Hookers version)
Late '86/Early 1987 Galpin Blvd Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Basic tracking of new version
22 January 1987 Galpin Blvd Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Saxophone overdubs by Eric Leeds
April 1987 Galpin Blvd Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
vocal overdubs by Bonnie Raitt
31 May 1988 Paisley Park Studios,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
overdubs on 1987 version
Recording Personnel

Released version

  • Prince - lead vocals and all instruments, except where noted
  • Bonnie Raitt - credited for vocals and slide guitar; contribution unconfirmed
  • Eric Leeds - saxophone (uncredited)

The Hookers version

Bonnie Raitt version



Versions
Released Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
I Need A Man 5:33 Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Studio 1986/1987 recording; see notes above


Unreleased Versions
Title Version Additional Info
I Need A Man Studio Recorded 1981; The Hookers version
I Need A Man Studio Re-recorded 1986/1987; before saxophone overdubs
I Need A Man Studio 1987 version with Bonnie Raitt vocal overdubs
I Need A Man Studio Overdubbed 1988 (Prince) version
 
Additional Information

See also Trivia


References
I Met A Virgin Queen   < < < All Songs Unreleased Songs > > >   Eye88.png No