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When Doves Cry is the sixth track on Prince’s sixth album Purple Rain, the first album to be credited to Prince and the Revolution and, five weeks prior to the album’s release, When Doves Cry was released as the album’s first single (credited only to Prince). The track is also featured in the movie Purple Rain.
In 1993, the track was included as the first track on Prince’s first compilation album The Hits 1 (also included as the first disc of The Hits / The B-Sides).
In 1994, Kirk Johnson remixed the track at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota, and the remix, while unreleased, was partially included in the Purple Medley and the Kirk J’s B Sides Remix medley.
In 2001, the track was included as the fourth track on the compilation album The Very Best Of Prince.
In 2006, the track was included as the sixth track on the first disc of the compilation album Ultimate.
Basic tracking took place on 1 March 1984 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California (some days after Traffic Jam and two days after Love And Sex), as the final track recorded for Purple Rain. Of note is that both the track’s ascending synth-string ending and the extended part as it was played on the Purple Rain Tour are both quite reminiscent of Traffic Jam, recorded only days earlier.
It was included as the fifth song on the 23 March 1984 configuration of the album (before Take Me With U was added for the final configuration, compiled on 14 April 1984).
The single version of the track was included as the tenth track on the first disc of an early configuration of the compilation album Ultimate before the album was reworked for release.
The track is included here as credited to Prince and the Revolution due to its inclusion on the Prince and the Revolution album Purple Rain, although the single release When Doves Cry was credited only to Prince, and the credits, on both the single and the Purple Rain album, show that Prince is the only performer on the track.
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Recording Information
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Recording Sessions
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| Date
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Studio
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Additional info
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| 1 March 1984
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Sunset Sound,
Hollywood, CA, USA
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Tracking
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| 2 March 1984
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Sunset Sound,
Hollywood, CA, USA
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Overdubs
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| 3 March 1984
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Sunset Sound,
Hollywood, CA, USA
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Mixing
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| 4 March 1984- 5 March 1984
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Sunset Sound,
Hollywood, CA, USA
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Edits
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| 1994
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Paisley Park Studios,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
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Remix by Kirk Johnson
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Recording Personnel
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- Prince - all vocals and instruments
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Versions
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Released Versions
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| Title
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Length
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Released
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Version
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Additional info
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| When Doves Cry
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5:52
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Purple Rain album
When Doves Cry single
Prince Sampler promotional album
His Majesty’s Pop Life
Sounds O’ The Times promotional album
 Love Prince promotional album
Nothing Compares 2 Him promotional album
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Studio
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a.k.a. When Doves Cry (Long Version) and When Doves Cry (Album Version)
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| When Doves Cry
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5:52
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Purple Rain Deluxe Edition and Deluxe Expanded Edition
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Studio
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Remastered 2015
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| When Doves Cry (Edit)
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3:49
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When Doves Cry single
Strange Tales From The Rain promotional album
Let’s Go Crazy Back To Back Hits re-issue single
The Story So Far... promotional album
The Crown Jewels promotional album
The Hits 1 album
The Hits / The B-Sides album
The Very Best Of Prince album
My Name Was Prince promotional album
Ultimate album
4Ever album
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Edit
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a.k.a. Short Version & 7" Single Edit
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| When Doves Cry (7" Single Edit)
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3:49
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Purple Rain Deluxe Expanded Edition - Single Edits & B-Sides
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Edit
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Remastered 2017
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| When Doves Cry
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9:29
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Prince And The Revolution: Live
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Live
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30 March 1985, Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, USA
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| When Doves Cry
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9:28
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Prince And The Revolution: Live (2022 re-release)
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Live
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30 March 1985, Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, USA. Remastered
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| When Doves Cry
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2:46
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Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition
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Live
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20 June 1987: Stadion de Galgenwaard, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Video Versions
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Broadcasts/streaming (only)
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| Title
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Length
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Released
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Version
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Additional info
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| When Doves Cry
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T.B.C.
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Live concert radio broadcast
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Live
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22 July 1990, Estadio Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain
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| When Doves Cry
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6:04
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Delayed concert TV broadcast
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Live
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31 August 1990, Tokyo Dome (東京ドーム), Tokyo, Japan
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| When Doves Cry
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T.B.C.
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Live concert online stream
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Live
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10 May 2015, Baltimore, MN, USA, Royal Farms Arena; sampler set version
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Sampled, Referred to, Quoted in...
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Unreleased Versions
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| Title
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Version
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Additional Info
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| When Doves Cry
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Studio
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Includes bassline, later removed by Prince
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| When Doves Cry
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Studio
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Instrumental (Edit)
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| When Doves Cry
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Remix
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Remixed version of the track by Kirk Johnson containing new beats and keyboard lines. Remixed in 1994.
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