The Dance Electric

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The Dance Electric


from the album A.C.

from the album Purple Rain Deluxe Expanded Edition

single art for The Dance Electric
Song details
Performer: André Cymone; Prince & The Revolution
First Released: 16 July 1985 - The Dance Electric single (André Cymone version)
23 June 2017 (Prince & The Revolution version)
Album(s): A.C.
Purple Rain Deluxe Expanded Edition
Writer(s): Prince
Producer(s): Prince and André Cymone (André Cymone version); Prince (Purple Rain Deluxe Expanded Edition)
Live Appearances
First and last live appearance:
Performed regularly on tour:
Performed occasionally in shows:

The Dance Electric is the first track on André Cymone’s third studio album A.C., and, four weeks before the album’s release, The Dance Electric was released as the album’s first single. This track is the only studio collaboration between Prince and André Cymone during Cymone’s solo career following his departure from Prince’s band. In 2011, an expanded edition of the album was released on CD, including the Edited Version a.k.a. Single Version of the song. In 2013, a long and mostly instrumental version was included on a re-release of the album.

Basic tracking for Prince’s initial version took place on 17 August 1984 (a days before The Screams Of Passion) at the Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse in Eden Prairie, Minnesota (listed on the album as "Paisley Park Recording, Somewhere in Minnesota"). Lisa Coleman, Wendy Melvoin and Jill Jones recorded overdubs the following day, also at the Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse.

Rumors claimed that Bernadette Anderson asked Prince to give a song to her son André because he would have been too proud to ask for it himself. Cymone denied this rumor in a 2024 interview saying:
"My mother wouldn’t do that. (…). He asked me if I wanted to do the song. He said he had a song that he thought would be great for me (…). I was a little afraid to want to get into all that but it was really more my label than me."

André Cymone recorded lead vocal overdubs at Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, CA, USA, with Prince and his dad John L. Nelson present.

Prince also referred to "the dance electric" in the song God, recorded three days later (see Trivia).

In 2001, a 1986 live version by Prince and the Revolution was included on NPG Ahdio Show # 7, but the track was not available separately.

In 2012, a mostly-instrumental rehearsal version by Prince and the New Power Generation, likely recorded in mid-April 2012, was streamed on drfunkenberry.com to promote the forthcoming Welcome 2 Australia Tour; the site stated that "To begin every week of rehearsal, to get the rust off, Prince and the band jam one song for 30-45 minutes."

In 2017 Prince’s own version (before overdubs by Lisa, Wendy & Jill) was released as the first track on the From The Vault & Previously Unreleased disc of a Deluxe release of Purple Rain.


Recording Information
Recording Sessions
Date Studio Additional info
17 August 1984 Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse,
Eden Prairie, MN, USA
Tracking
18 August 1984 Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse,
Eden Prairie, MN, USA
Overdubs by Lisa, Wendy & Jill
15 May 1985 Ocean Way Recording,
Hollywood, CA, USA
Lead vocal overdubs by André Cymone
15 May 1985 Sunset Sound - Studio 3,
Hollywood, CA, USA
Mix
17 May 1985 Sunset Sound - Studio 3,
Hollywood, CA, USA
Mix
Recording Personnel

André Cymone version


Prince version

  • Prince - all vocals and instruments

Versions
Released Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
The Dance Electric 5:44 A.C. Studio
The Dance Electric 5:44 A.C. 2011 re-issue

A.C. 2013 re-issue

Studio Remastered version
The Dance Electric (Long Version) 5:31 The Dance Electric single
Edit Shorter than the album version despite its title
The Dance Electric (Long Version) 5:36 A.C. 2011 re-issue

A.C. 2013 re-issue

Edit Shorter than the album version despite its title. Remastered version.
The Dance Electric (Edited Version) 3:59 The Dance Electric single Edit a.k.a. The Dance Electric (Single Version)
The Dance Electric (Single Version) 4:09 A.C. 2011 re-issue

A.C. 2013 re-issue

Edit a.k.a. The Dance Electric (Edited Version). Remastered version.
The Dance Electric (Extended Version) 10:21 A.C. 2013 re-issue Edit Almost instrumental version, lacking vocals by André Cymone; possibly the full backing track given to André Cymone before his lead vocals were recorded
The Dance Electric (Prince and the Revolution) 2:31 NPG Ahdio Show # 7 mp3 (not available as a separate track) Live 30 May 1986, Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, California; part of medley with Automatic / D.M.S.R. / The Dance Electric
The Dance Electric (Prince) 11:29 Purple Rain Deluxe (Expanded) Edition (From The Vault & Previously Unreleased)
Studio
Video Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
The Dance Electric 4:20 Promotional release only Promo video Official music video
Broadcasts/streaming (only)
Title Length Released Version Additional info
The Dance Electric (André Cymone) 11:49 drfunkenberry Soundcloud stream (deleted) Studio Full-length recording after vocal overdubs by André Cymone, included on unreleased acetate of The Dance Electric single (with record skipping)
The Dance Electric (Prince & The NPG) 8:37 drfunkenberry.com stream Rehearsal a.k.a. Jam The DancElectric; recorded mid-April 2012, Paisley Park, Chanhassen, Minnesota (assumed)
The Dance Electric (Prince & The NPG) ?:?? Delayed TV performance Live 23 October 2012, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, (Behind) El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood, CA, USA
Sampled, Referred to, Quoted in...
Title Length Released Version Additional info
I’m So Confused Unreleased Studio Contains background vocals samples from The Dance Electric
Unreleased Versions
Title Version Additional Info
The Dance Electric Studio Original full-length 1984 recording by Prince w/ Lisa, Wendy & and Jill overdubs
The Dance Electric Studio Full-length recording after vocal overdubs by André Cymone with different intro and mix
 
Additional Information

See also Trivia

  • The intro of The Dance Electric ("Good morning children / Take a look out your window / Our world is falling / It's almost time to go / Dance the Dance Electric / The rhythm is love and love is blind / Love your enemies / There isn't much time, there isn't much time") will be more or less taken up on for the outro of the "vocal version" of God recorded shortly afterwards ("Wake up, children, dance the electric dance, there's not much time"). A variation of this phrase will be used for Rosario: 1999 ("Open your mind, there’s not much time) recorded in 1998 and released in 1999.
  • Promotional image by Jordan Strauss posted with 2012 rehearsal stream:

References
Dance 4 Me   < < < All Songs Unreleased Songs > > >   Dance Of Desperation