Possessed

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Possessed

Princeandtherevolutiondoublelive vhs.jpg
from the home video Prince And The Revolution: Live

1999 Deluxe.jpg
from the album 1999 Super Deluxe Edition

Purplerain Deluxe.jpg
from the album Purple Rain Deluxe Edition and Deluxe Expanded Edition
Song details
Performer: Prince / Prince and the Revolution
First Released: December 1985 - Prince And The Revolution: Live VHS (live version)
23 June 2017 - Purple Rain Deluxe Edition and Deluxe Expanded Edition album (1984 studio version)

29 November 2019 - 1999 Super Deluxe Edition album (1982 studio version)

Album(s): Purple Rain Deluxe Edition and Deluxe Expanded Edition

1999 Super Deluxe Edition
Prince And The Revolution: Live

Writer(s): Prince
Producer(s): Prince
Live Appearances
First and last live appearance:
Performed regularly on tour:
  • none
Performed occasionally in shows:

Possessed is a song that was cut and worked on in the studio by Prince on many different occasions. Basic tracking of the initial version took place on 15 May 1982 by Prince alone at his Kiowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota and a mix-down of it was done nine days later. This version was then overdubbed somewhere in early-mid 1983, also at the at the Kiowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

A new version, started from scratch, was cut with The Revolution in August 1983 at The Warehouse in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. It was a hot day and they kept running into power outage problems while attempting to record. In the end the session was stopped. But it is likely the song was committed to tape in the same setting at a later date. This version however also remains unreleased.

Yet another new version, recorded from scratch was tracked on 17 March 1984 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California for use in Purple Rain. A short instrumental portion of this version plays in the movie in the background of a scene in which Morris Day tries to seduce Apollonia. It was this 1984 studio version (incorrectly attributed as the 1983 version) that was released as the sixth track (and seventh song) on the From The Vault & Previously Unreleased disc of the Purple Rain Deluxe Edition and Deluxe Expanded Edition album in June 2017.

Until after Prince’s death the song was only released in a live version as the eighth track on the Prince And The Revolution: Live VHS in a double VHS case sometimes referred to as Double Live (later re-released as a single VHS). In the end credits of that release Possessed is dedicated to James Brown.

A studio version of the 1984 recording was released as the sixth track on the From The Vault & Previously Unreleased disc of the Purple Rain Deluxe Edition and Deluxe Expanded Edition album in June 2017. A studio version of the original 1982 recording (sans 1983 overdubs) was released in 2019 as the first track on the Vault Tracks part 2 disc of a Super Deluxe Edition edition of the 1999 album.


Recording Information
Recording Sessions
Date Studio Additional info
15 May 1982 Kiowa Trail Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Tracking
24 May 1982 Kiowa Trail Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA (assumed)
Mixdown
Early 1983 (estimate) Kiowa Trail Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Overdubs
21 June 1983 The Warehouse,
St. Louis Park, MN, USA
rehearsal recording
August 1983 The Warehouse,
St. Louis Park, MN, USA
Tracking, second version (aborted)
August 1983 The Warehouse,
St. Louis Park, MN, USA
New attempt at second version
17 March 1984 Sunset Sound,
Hollywood, CA, USA
Tracking third version
21 March 1984; 25 April 1984 Sunset Sound,
Hollywood, CA, USA
Editing (Instrumental) for use in Purple Rain
Recording Personnel

Initial solo version

  • Prince – All vocals and instruments except where indicated
  • Jill Jones – background vocals


1983 Warehouse version


1984 studio version

  • Prince - all vocals and instruments


Prince and the Revolution: Live version version (1985)



Versions
Released Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Possessed 7:57 Purple Rain Deluxe Edition and Deluxe Expanded Edition (From The Vault & Previously Unreleased)
Studio 1984 version
Possessed 8:47 1999 Super Deluxe Edition
Studio Original 1982 version, sans overdubs
Possessed 4:25 Prince And The Revolution: Live Live 30 March 1985, Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, USA
Possessed 4:24 Prince And The Revolution: Live (2022 re-release) Live 30 March 1985, Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, USA. Remastered
Video Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Possessed 4:24 Prince And The Revolution: Live VHS/laserdisc

Purple Rain Deluxe Expanded Edition – Live at the Carrier Dome (DVD)
Prince And The Revolution: Live (2022 re-release)

Live 30 March 1985, Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, USA
Sampled, Referred to, Quoted in...
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Let’s Go Crazy (Special Dance Mix) 7:35 Let’s Go Crazy Maxi-single
Studio A synth part from the 1984 version of Possessed is used on the Special Dance Mix of Let’s Go Crazy
Unreleased Versions
Title Version Additional Info
Possessed Studio 1983 overdubs version
Possessed Studio August 1983 band recording
Possessed Instrumental Instrumental version of March 1984 re-recording
 
Additional Information

See also Trivia


References
Positivity   < < < All Songs Unreleased Songs > > >   Pour Me A Cup