Sometimes It Snows In April

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Sometimes It Snows In April

from the album Parade
Song details
Performer: Prince and the Revolution
First Released: 31 March 1986 - Parade album
Album(s): Parade

One Nite Alone... Live!

Writer(s): Prince, Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin (credited to Prince and the Revolution)
Producer(s): Prince (credited to Prince and the Revolution)
Live Appearances
First and last live appearance:
Performed regularly on tour:
Performed occasionally in shows:

Sometimes It Snows In April is the twelfth and final track on Prince’s eighth album Parade, the third to be credited to Prince and the Revolution. In 2002, a live version was included as the fifteenth track on the second disc of Prince’s first live album One Nite Alone... Live! (along with recordings of One Nite Alone..., Free and Starfish & Coffee from the same show). In 2003, a 2002 live version was included as the final track on the Live At The Aladdin Las Vegas DVD, and was included as the fourth and final song on the Live At The Aladdin Las Vegas promo CD available at the same time.

Although Sometimes It Snows In April had existed for years (possibly since 1977) as an unfinished song, basic tracking in the studio only took place on 21 April 1985 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California (the day after Old Friends 4 Sale, Others Here With Us and Tibet, the same day as Life Can Be So Nice, the day before the release of Around The World In A Day and two days before recording Evolsidog). The recording features only Prince, Lisa Coleman (on piano) and Wendy Melvoin (on guitar). Clare Fischer arranged and recorded orchestration for the song at some point in late 1985 at Monterey Sound Studios in Glendale, California, but Prince preferred the song without orchestration, and chose to use the track without orchestration for the final release. The version with Fischer orchestration was used in the movie Under The Cherry Moon. 1 minute and 18 seconds can be heard at the end of the film.


Recording Information
Recording Sessions
Date Studio Additional info
21 April 1985 Sunset Sound - Studio 3,
Hollywood, CA, USA 		Tracking
27 July 1985 Monterey Sound Studios,
Glendale, CA, USA 		Orchestra recording by Clare Fischer
31 July 1985 Washington Avenue Warehouse,
Edina, MN, USA 		Mix with orchestra
14 or 15 November 1985 (estimate) Advision Studios,
London, England 		Additional work by Wendy and Lisa
16 & 17 December 1985 Sunset Sound 0- Studio 3,
Hollywood, CA, USA 		Strings mix (16th); mix (17th)
27 January 1986 Sunset Sound - Studio 3,
Hollywood, CA, USA 		Orchestra only mix for Under The Cherry Moon (Susan Rogers, sans Prince)
Recording Personnel

Parade version


Unreleased version

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


One Nite Alone... Live! version


Versions
Released Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Sometimes It Snows In April 6:50 Parade Studio
Sometimes It Snows In April 2:40 One Nite Alone... Live! Live 29 April 2002, Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA, USA
Sometimes It Snows In April 3:02 Live At The Aladdin Las Vegas promo Live 15 December 2002, Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Video Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Sometimes It Snows In April 1:18 Under The Cherry Moon film Studio Part of the version with Clare Fischer orchestral overdubs. Released on VHS and DVD.
Sometimes It Snows In April ?:?? Live At The Aladdin Las Vegas DVD Live 15 December 2002, Aladdin Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Broadcasts/streaming (only)
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Sometimes It Snows In April ?:?? The Art Of Musicology concert broadcast Live 20 April 2004, Webster Hall, New York, NY, USA
Unreleased Versions
Title Version Additional Info
Sometimes It Snows In April Studio 1985 recording with unused orchestral overdubs
Sometimes It Snows In April Studio Strings only mix
 
Additional Information
See also Trivia
  • When Prince announced he was going to stop touring at the end of the Purple Rain Tour, in a press statement on 1 April 1985, his manager, Steve Fargnoli was quoted: “I asked Prince what he planned to do. He told me, ‘I’m going to look for the ladder.’ So I asked him what that meant. All he said was, ‘Sometimes it snows in April.’”
References
Something U Already Know   < < < All Songs Unreleased Songs > > >   Somewhere Here On Earth
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