Difference between revisions of "I Wonder U"

• 3 March 1986: First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA
  
• 9 September 1986: Yokohama Stadium (横浜スタジアム), Yokohama, Japan

• Parade Tour

• 1986

I Wonder U is the third track on Prince's eighth album Parade, the third to be credited to Prince and the Revolution. The track also is also played in Prince's second feature film, Under The Cherry Moon. Lead vocals are sung by Wendy Melvoin, marking the first time lead vocals were not sung by Prince on a Prince/Prince and the Revolution album.

Initial tracking of the track took place on 17 April 1985 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA, with Prince recording the drum track in sequence of Wendy's Parade, New Position, I Wonder U and Under The Cherry Moon, all in one take. He then layered other instruments over all four tracks. The song was initially recorded with Prince and Wendy Melvoin both singing lead and Lisa Coleman doing a harmony background vocal. That version was placed on an early configuration of Parade (before it even had that title), compiled on 1 May 1985. The song was sent to Clare Fischer in June 1985 for his input. Fischer did two different orchestral arrangements; one with full orchestration and, after a later request of Prince, one with only 'flute family' orchestration, much like the finally released version. These versions had Prince's lead vocal mixed in loudest, mostly obscuring Wendy's vocals. Before release Prince then omitted his own voice, so that Wendy was now singing the lead. Clare Fischer's full orchestration arrangement remains unreleased although Prince did use some of it as incidental music in Under The Cherry Moon.

• Wendy Melvoin - lead vocals
• Prince - all instruments, except where noted
• Lisa Coleman - background vocals

Orchestral Players:

• Violins - Isabelle Daskoff, Francine Walsh, Mari Botnik, Pam Gates, Janice Gower, Karen Jones, Betty Moor, Irma Neumann, Assa Drori, Bill Hymanson, Oscar Chasow, Ron Clark, Henry Ferber, Erne Granat, Ed Green, Bill Hybel, Reggie Hill, Pat Johnson, Don Palmer, Sheldon Sanov, Joe Schonbrun, Terry Schonbrun and Harold Wolf
• Violas - Pam Goldsmith, Margot Maclaine, Carol Mukagawa, Myer Bello, Alan Deverich, Norman Forrest, Alan Harshman, Jorge Moraga and David Stock
• Cellos - Jim Arkatoff, Ray Kelley, Ray Kramer and Fred Seykora
• Basses - Chuck Dominico and Arni Egilsson.
• Woodwinds - Gene Cipriano, Don Ashworth, John Clarke, Dave Edwards, Gary Foster, Jim Kanter, John Lowe, Dick Mitchell, Jack Nimitz, Joe Soldo and Bob Tricarico
• Trumpets - Ray Brown, Rich Cooper, Bob Findley, Larry Ford, Bob O'Donnell and Al Vizutti
• Trombones - Garnett Brown, Charles Loper, Morris Repass and Bill Watrous
• French Horns - Marni Johnson, David Duke, Joe Myer, Brian O'Connor, Calvin Smith and Jim Thatcher
• Tuba - Tommy Johnson
• Tympani and percussion - Brent Fischer

• Parade album
• Under The Cherry Moon movie

• This song marks the first time lead vocals were not sung by Prince on a Prince/Prince and the Revolution album.

• The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince (2004)