Schoolyard is an unreleased track recorded in June 1990 in London, England (during the same set of sessions that produced Daddy Pop, Walk Don’t Walk and Oobey Doop, but mostly focused on Rosie Gaines' first solo album, recording My Tender Heart, Hold Me, Pain, Streetwalker, In The Name Of Love and Turn Your Lights Down Low). Schoolyard was the title track of what later became the Diamonds And Pearls album. It was included as the fifth track on a November 1990, and as the third track on a December 1990, configuration before being discarded on later configurations once further songs were recorded for the album.
The song includes a narrative about a 16-year-old boy seducing a 14-year-old girl. The lyrics mention Squib Cakes by Tower Of Power (written by Chester Thompson, from their 1974 album Back To Oakland), which was sampled on both Release It (recorded prior to this track) and Sleep Around (recorded later). Although no official artist credit has been given to the track, its inclusion on (what became) Diamonds And Pearls would have resulted in this track being credited to Prince and the New Power Generation, which is how it is listed here. The track remains unreleased.
In December 1992 the song was updated with saxophone and an extended mix was made.
|