Wouldn’t You Love To Love Me? is the second track on Taja Sevelle’s first album Taja Sevelle, and, in early 1988, the song was released as the album’s second single.
It was written and produced by Prince (with production credited to the album’s main producer, Chico Bennett), with uncredited saxophone by Eric Leeds.
While specific recording dates are not known, the track was initially recorded in 1976 as a home recording on a basic cassette recorder (during the same set of recordings as For You, Nightingale, I Spend My Time Loving You, Rock Me, Lover and Don’t You Wanna Ride?), featuring some lyrics that were changed or removed for later recordings.
The track was then re-recorded possibly in 1977 at the Loring Park Rehearsal Room in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This version features a drum machine that Prince used in Neurotic Lover’s Bedroom, also recorded there.
In the summer of 1978 Prince did another take of it in his France Avenue Home Studio in Edina, Minnesota for a short-lived project with her (renamed Suzie Stone for the occasion). This was a simple 4-track recording with Sue Ann Carwell on vocals, André Cymone on bass and Prince on drums and acoustic guitar.
It was re-recorded again in June 1981 at Hollywood Sound Recorders in Los Angeles, California, which is the version that ended up on as the fourteenth track on the posthumous album Originals in 2019. Presumably another version was started from scratch on 1 April 1982 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California.
This version was worked on further in 1986 (either at Sunset Sound or at Prince’s Galpin Blvd Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota), and was submitted to Michael Jackson for use on his album Bad (producer Quincy Jones had called Prince to ask him to duet on the song Bad, and when Prince declined, he submitted this song instead). It is unlikely Michael Jackson recorded a version of the song, however.
Prince then submitted the song to Taja Sevelle, who simply replaced Prince’s own vocals, and the track was edited slightly for its release.
Remixes for the single release took place in late 1987 at a variety of studios.
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