Slow Love

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“Slow jam” (no known title)   < < < Non-Prince Songs All Prince Songs Unreleased Songs > > >   Small Bright Light
Slow Love

Sott.jpg
from the album Sign O’ The Times
Song details
Performer: Prince; Mayte
First Released: 30 March 1987 - Sign O’ The Times album
Album(s): Sign O’ The Times

Sign O’ The Times Deluxe Edition and Super Deluxe Edition

Writer(s): Carole Davis (lyrics & music),
(mostly incorrectly) co-credited to Prince
Producer(s): Prince
Live Appearances
First and last live appearance:
Performed regularly on tour:
Performed occasionally in shows:

Slow Love is the seventh track on the first disc of Prince’s ninth album Sign O’ The Times. In 1987, a live version was included as the fifth track of the concert movie Sign O’ The Times.

The song was longtime thought to be co-written by Carole Davis, whom Prince met in 1984, but in fact it is essentially a sole-composition by Davis, who wrote the lyrics and music and did the vocal arrangement. Prince only helped to rewrite and re-arrange the bridge.

This initial version was recorded on 1 July 1984 at his Kiowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

The song was then shelved and taken out again two years later, when Prince worked further on the recording on 3 June 1986 at the Galpin Blvd Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota (the day after a configuration of the Dream Factory album was made, on the same day as Eric Leeds saxophone overdubs on Yah, U Know).

The track was then initially included as the ninth track on the third and final configuration of the Dream Factory album on 18 July 1986. When that album developed into the triple-album Crystal Ball, the song was included as the seventh track on the first disc on its 30 November 1986 configuration, which was eventually pared down and became Sign O’ The Times.

When Prince was planning to release the song, in 1987, He attempted to buy the rights to it.
Davis: “He had his lawyers call me, and they offered me $25,000 to own the song outright, and I refused, and they got back to me about a month later to give me 50 percent of publishing and writers, which I accepted for the opportunity to appear on a Prince record.”

In late 1993, the song was tried out during early sessions for Mayte’s first album at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota, and was included as the eighth track on an early version of the album, which was titled Latino Barbie Doll at the time. The track was removed when the album evolved into Child Of The Sun, however.


Recording Information
Recording Sessions
Date Studio Additional info
1 July 1984 Kiowa Trail Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Tracking
3 June 1986 Galpin Blvd Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Strings overdubs (with Novi Novog and Suzie Katayama) and mix
4 June 1986 Galpin Blvd Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Horn overdubs and mix
12 June 1986 Sunset Sound - Studio 2,
Hollywood, CA, USA
Mix
11 July 1986 One On One Recording,
North Hollywood, CA
Orchestra recording by Clare Fischer
13 July 1986 Sunset Sound - Studio 3,
Hollywood, CA, USA
Overdubs, mix with orchestra
19 July 1986 Sunset Sound,
Hollywood, CA, USA
Mix
Late 1993 Paisley Park Studios,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Vocal overdubs by Mayte
Recording Personnel

Released Prince version

Unreleased Mayte version


Versions
Released Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Slow Love 4:18 Sign O’ The Times Studio
Slow Love 4:18 Sign O’ The Times Deluxe Edition and Super Deluxe Edition Studio Remastered in 2020
Slow Love 4:03 Carole Davis: Heart of Gold (Cd version only) Studio Carole Davis own version
Slow Love 5:05 Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition Live 20 June 1987: Stadion de Galgenwaard, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Video Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Slow Love 6:36 Sign O’ The Times VHS/DVD Live See Sign O’ The Times for details
Slow Love 1:05 Lovesexy Live 2 VHS Live 9 September 1988, Westfallenhalle, Dortmund, West Germany
Slow Love T.B.C. Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition DVD Live 31 December 1987: Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA


Unreleased Versions
Title Version Additional Info
Slow Love Studio Original 1984 recording
Slow Love Studio 1986 updated version with strings by Novi Novog and Suzie Katayama
Slow Love Studio Mayte’s 1993 recording
 
Additional Information

See also Trivia

  • While Carole Davis largely wrote all the music and lyrics and she released her own version of the song (produced by Nile Rodgers) that appeared as a bonus track on the cd version only of her 1989 debut album Heart Of Gold, Prince’s version is not considered a cover as his was released first and he is officially credited as co-author of the song.

References
“Slow jam” (no known title)   < < < All Songs Unreleased Songs > > >   Small Bright Light