Soft And Wet

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Soft And Wet

For you.jpg
from the album For You
Softandwet single.jpg
single art for Soft And Wet
Song details
Performer: Prince
First Released: 7 April 1978 - For You album
Album(s): For You

The Hits 1
The Hits / The B-Sides
4Ever

Writer(s): Prince and Chris Moon
Producer(s): Prince
Live Appearances
First and last live appearance:
Performed regularly on tour:
Performed occasionally in shows:

Soft And Wet is the third track on the album For You, and, two months after the album’s release, was released as the album’s first single (Prince’s first single).

In 1988, it was included as the b-side on the "Back-to-Back Hits" re-release of Kiss, the first single from Prince’s eighth album Parade.

In 1993, the track was included as the third track on The Hits 1 (also included as the first disc of The Hits / The B-Sides), and it was included as the b-side of the US release of Pink Cashmere, the album’s first single.

The track was one of the earliest professional recordings by Prince, and recordings were made in Summer 1976 at Moon Sound in Minneapolis, Minnesota (during the same set of sessions as Aces, Baby, Diamond Eyes, Don’t Forget, Don’t Hold Back, Fantasy, I’m Yours, Jelly Jam (which was later used as the instrumental portion of Just As Long As We’re Together), Leaving For New York, Love Is Forever (later renamed My Love Is Forever), Make It Through The Storm, Since We’ve Been Together and Surprise). Soft And Wet was included as the second track on Prince’s 1976 demo tape he took to various record companies in New York.

In late 1976 - early 1977, the track was re-recorded at Sound 80 in Minneapolis, Minnesota (during the same set of sessions as re-recordings of Love Is Forever (later renamed My Love Is Forever), Baby, Jelly Jam (which was later used as the instrumental portion of Just As Long As We’re Together), Make It Through The Storm, and recordings of Just As Long As We’re Together, 10:15, Fortune Teller and Got To Be Something Here). A tape with Just As Long As We’re Together and the Jelly Jam portion as first at fifth track with Baby, Soft And Wet, My Love Is Forever and We’ll Make It Through The Storm was made of that session.

Recording dates for the album recording are not known, but the album was recorded at the Record Plant in Sausalito, California, from 1 October 1977 to 22 December 1977, with new lyrics before overdubs and mixing took place, in early January 1978 at Sound Labs in Los Angeles, California.

In a 2013 Minneapolis Star-Tribune interview, Pierre Lewis (lead-singer of the short-lived The Lewis Connection, with whom Prince recorded Got To Be Something Here in late 1976) mentioned that Prince had once borrowed his keyboard, and that this is the keyboard used on Soft And Wet:
“I loaned it to him and had to finally go get it from him. He wouldn’t give it back," Lewis claimed.

Recording Information
Recording Sessions
Date Studio Additional info
1976 (estimate) unknown solo acoustic guitar version
Summer 1976 Moon Sound,
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Tracking
Late 1976 - early 1977 Sound 80,
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Re-recording
October - December 1977 Record Plant,
Sausalito, CA, USA
Re-recording
Early January 1978 Sound Labs,
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Overdubs and mixing (using 1977 recording)
Recording Personnel
  • Prince - all vocals and instruments

Versions
Released Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Soft And Wet 3:01 For You

Soft And Wet single
Strange Tales From The Rain promotional album
Kiss "Back-to-Back Hits" re-release
Pink Cashmere single
The Hits 1
The Hits / The B-Sides
4Ever

Studio
Soft And Wet 3:01 Soft And Wet promo Mono version
Soft And Wet (Disco Mix) 3:02 Just As Long As We’re Together promo Remix Remixed by Jim Burgess
Broadcasts/streaming (only)
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Soft And Wet T.B.C. Live concert TV broadcast Live 7 June 1986, Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI, USA
Unreleased Versions
Title Version Additional Info
Soft And Wet Studio solo acoustic guitar version
Soft And Wet Studio 1976 Moon Sound preliminary version; more disco-oriented sound, alternate lyrics
Soft And Wet Studio 1976-1977 Sound 80 version
Soft And Wet Studio 1977 Record Plant version before Sound Labs Overdubs and mixing
 
Additional Information

See also Trivia

  • Tommy Vicari claimed that the version of Soft And Wet featured on The Hits 1 and The Hits / The B-Sides is an alternate mix he did and different from the one released in 1978. However, the differences, if any, are barely noticeable.
  • Interestingly, Soft And Wet is credited to Percy (Begonia) in a handwritten lyric sheet (1976/1977 album version). This pseudonym was also mentioned on the lyric sheets for I Feel For You (1979) and Go (1985) but never used publicly.
  • A version with just Prince singing and playing acoustic guitar was one of the unreleased songs that was played for VIP attendees of the Celebration event held at Paisley Park Studios in June 2023

References
So Strong   < < < All Songs Unreleased Songs > > >   Solo