I Wanna Be Your Lover band version is an alternate version of a video filmed to promote the I Wanna Be Your Lover single. It was shot with Prince’s band, a few weeks before the solo version. The video with the band was never aired and remains unreleased. Both videos are two separate run-throughs of the song and neither one contains any shots also present in the other.
The video shows Prince and his band lip-syncing the song in a room stage scenery. This version marks the first of a Prince trademark for videos: all his next music videos until When Doves Cry follow the same template: a band lip-syncing a song on a live stage (mostly borrowed from Prince’s tour stages).
While the I Wanna Be Your Lover (solo version) video depicts a clean Prince image, this video shows a more dirty side of him and the band: Prince wears nothing but blue shorts (with suspenders) and legwarmers, while André Cymone wears plastic transparent pants. These outfits were reportedly usually worn during live shows.
Of note, the video features Prince playing an Orr guitar, (named after its luthier Charley Orr), an instrument rarely seen during his career; it was also used in Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad video. In I Like It There video, it’s been included in the lot of suspended guitars above the band.
The video also features the Sardonyx F Bass guitar, which later served as the inspiration for the Cloud guitar, played by Andre Cymone. This bass also appears in Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? My Name is Prince and The Most Beautiful Girl In The World (played by Sonny T.).
|