The Ladder
{{song-2|
|song name = The Ladder
|single image = 
from the album Around The World In A Day
|performer = Prince and the Revolution
|first released = 22 April 1985 - Around The World In A Day
|album(s) = Around The World In A Day
|writer(s) = John L. Nelson and Prince (strings composed by Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin)
|producer(s) = Prince (credited to Prince and the Revolution)
|previous song = La, La, La, He, He, Hee
|next song = Lady Cab Driver
|introduction = The Ladder is the eighth track on Prince's seventh album Around The World In A Day, the second album to be credited to Prince and the Revolution.
Basic tracking was done on 31 October 1984, during the last day of rehearsals for the Purple Rain Tour at the Saint Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, Minnesota. The basic recording was taken to the Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse in Eden Prairie afterwards, where Wendy & Lisa, together with [[Susannah Melvoin and Taja Sevelle (as "Taj") recorded background vocals. The later added string interlude prior to the song was previously used on the unreleased track Our Destiny, and recorded in September 1984. |recording info = |- align="left" |style="border-top:1px dotted #ccc;"|31 October 1984 |style="border-top:1px dotted #ccc;"|Saint Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN, USA |style="border-top:1px dotted #ccc;"|Basic tracking |- align="left" |style="border-top:1px dotted #ccc;"|1 November 1984 (or possibly the next day) |style="border-top:1px dotted #ccc;"|Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse, Eden Prairie, MN, USA |style="border-top:1px dotted #ccc;"|Overdubs & mixing |- align="left" |style="border-top:1px dotted #ccc;"|1 November 1984 (or possibly the next day) |style="border-top:1px dotted #ccc;"|Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse, Eden Prairie, MN, USA |style="border-top:1px dotted #ccc;"|Overdubs & mixing |- align="left" |style="border-top:1px dotted #ccc;"|24 December 1984 |style="border-top:1px dotted #ccc;"|Kiowa Trail Home Studio/Record Plant Remote - Mobile Truck, Chanhassen, MN, USA |style="border-top:1px dotted #ccc;"|Mixing |recording personnel =
- Prince - vocals, bass, guitar, drums, keyboards
- Bobby Z. - drums and percussion
- Brown Mark - bass guitar and background vocals
- Wendy Melvoin - guitars and background vocals
- Lisa Coleman - keyboards and background vocals
- Dr. Fink - keyboards
- Eddie M. - saxophone
- Susannah - background vocals
- Taja Sevelle - background vocals (as "Taj")
- Orchestral Players on string interlude:
- Violins - Sid Page and Marcy Dicterow-Vaj
- Violas - Denyse Buffam and Laury Woods
- Cello - Suzie Katayama and David Coleman
- Stand-up bass - Tim Barr and Annette Atkinson
|released versions =
| Title | Length | Released | Version | Additional info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ladder | 5:26 | Around The World In A Day | Studio |
|video versions =
|broadcasts, streaming =
|unreleased versions =
|sampled in =
|first live appearance = 31 August 1986: Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, Hamburg, West Germany
|performed regularly on = One Nite Alone... Tour |performed occasionally in = 1986, 1988, 2002, 2012, 2016 (solo piano) |trivia = |see also = Around The World In A Day album |references = The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince (2004)
|categories = }}
