Wally

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Wally

Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition
from the album
Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition
Song details
Performer: Prince
First Released: 25 September 2020 - Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition album
Album(s): Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition
Writer(s): Prince
Producer(s): Prince
Live Appearances
First and last live appearance:
  • This track is not believed to have been performed live by Prince
Performed regularly on tour:
  • none
Performed occasionally in shows:
  • none

Wally is a song originally recorded on 28 December 1986 at Prince’s Galpin Blvd Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota (two days after finishing a three-month stay in Los Angeles by recording Ponyride).

The song was first recorded as a piano demo titled Babyless and borrows lyrics from the 1983 unreleased track Billy.

After finishing the song, Prince ordered engineer Susan Rogers to erase all channels on the 24-stem recording, against her pleas not to. A new version for which Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss added horns, was then recorded two days afterwards.

The original version was a solo recording dealing with Prince’s break-up with Susannah Melvoin, and thanking Wally Safford for being his friend. Allegedly he felt the song was too personal, however, and kept adding layers of percussion and changing the feel of the track.

The song is not known to have been considered for inclusion on any configuration of Sign O’ The Times or any other project at the time. In September 2020, the re-recorded version was released as the fifth track of Vault Tracks part 3, one of the discs with previously unreleased tracks included with the Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition.


Recording Information
Recording Sessions
Date Studio Additional info
Autumn – Winter 1986 (assumed) Galpin Blvd Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA (assumed)
Tracking (as Babyless)
28 December 1986 Galpin Blvd Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Tracking, overdubs, mix
29/30 December 1986 Galpin Blvd Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Tracking (Version 2), horn overdubs, mix
Recording Personnel

Released version

Unreleased original version

  • Prince - all vocals and instruments, except where noted

Versions
Released Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Wally 4:45 Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition Studio


Unreleased Versions
Title Version Additional Info
Babyless Studio Piano demo
Wally Studio Recorded 28 December 1986, original 24-track stems were fully erased. No longer exists.
Wally Studio Moderately different mix with slightly alternate ending
 
Additional Information

See also Trivia

  • This track is believed to be the only track Prince has ever deliberately erased the 24-track stems in full. Susan Rogers has suggested that a cassette copy might have been made prior to its erasing, but this seems unlikely, as he would have been the only one in a position to make this copy, and she has no recollection of doing so. In 2020, the Estate archivist Michael Howe also stated in an interview that no such cassette was located in the vault.
  • This track is named after Wally Safford.

References
Wall Of Berlin   < < < All Songs Unreleased Songs > > >   Wanderlust