LISTENING GUIDE

An appreciation of infl uential and current popular music that discusses and defi nes a song’s elements in real time. BY ROB KEMP HEAR THE MUSIC Listen to “Why Doves Cry” at musicalive.com/hear-the-music-october-2016 PRINCE’S URING A 38-YEAR CAREER that request of director Albert Magnoli to match the fi lm’s concluded with his death this past April, themes of parental drama and romantic struggle. And, Prince Rogers Nelson produced count- in a highly uncharacteristic decision for any pop song, “When less hits that have since established Prince stripped “When Doves Cry” of one crucial ele- him as one of the most infl uential pop ment: a bass part. Like many of his songs, each sound artistsD of our time. His 1984 album Purple Rain—the was recorded and produced by Prince himself, and Doves Cry” soundtrack to the fi lm by the same name—contained originally, a bass part was created for the track. But in several of his best-known hits, including the No. 1 lead a move that worked out in his favor, it ended up on the Avant-Garde Meets Pop single, “When Doves Cry.” The song was created at the cutting room fl oor. in the Biggest Hit of 1984 PHOTO: RICHARDPHOTO: AARON/REDFERNS E.

2:04 The second chorus repeats 0:00 4:53 An aggressive, heavily 0:18 0:56 the instrumentation of the 1:34 3:20 The syncopated kick distorted guitar solo A snare sound At the end of the fi rst. Prince echos the lyrics drum leads into four begins the recording, introduces the beat fi rst verse, Prince’s The initial keyboard fi gure ”So cold” and “She’s never The beat returns to the returns, followed by stripped-down kick drum bars of a three-part followed by a slightly of the song, followed vocals are doubled satisfi ed.” The chorus ends vocal harmony, followed syncopated kick drum by the main melodic on “Animals.” A faint Prince’s wordless falsetto with a series of improvised of the song’s intro. Prince in a style reminiscent of his repeatedly sings “When doves by a rapid, sixteenth- pattern created with theme played on high harmony is vocal melodies, doubled on note solo played on an a Linn LM-1 Drum a Yamaha DX-7 heard on the lyric contemporary and fellow the fi nal phrase. cry” in eight overlapping, 5:54 pop giant, Michael Jackson. dramatic phrases. Oberheim synthesizer in Computer. NOTkeyboard. FOR“They feel the heat.” NOT FORa Baroque-inspired style. End DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION FIRST SECOND SOLO INTRO VERSE CHORUS VERSE CHORUS CHORUS BREAK 00m 01m 02m 03m 04m 05m

5:45 1:49 A fi nal, The second verse features 2:50 3:35 4:14 0:33 1:04 A repetition of the Prince launches into Prince’s vocal infl ections rising synth 0:12 Prince sings a variety of subtle vocal melody Prince’s voice is heard Beginning with “How could infl ections and harmonies. A chorus follows, this a guitar solo as the become anguished the fi rst verse you,” the chorus is sung in time with a quiet synth main beat resumes. His screams as sharp brings the for the fi rst time in the with no musical synthesized pizzicato (plucked) song to a form of electronically an octave harmony, with an string sound repeats an eighth- pad in the background. ongoing vocal ornaments exhales are added in the accompaniment additional harmony heard Prince continues with and infl ections build in background, accenting close. modifi ed “yeah”s. other than the note melody before switching They repeat fi fteen on “Alone in a world.” A high- to a chromatic pattern at “Don’t improvised vocal intensity. every other beat. sparse drum pitched keyboard melody phrases. times before fading in programming. make me chase you.” the next section. enters the mix.

18 ✤ MUSIC ALIVE! ✤ October 2016 musicalive.com musicalive.com October 2016 ✤ MUSIC ALIVE! ✤ 19