Prince’s Originals released

Originals Prince

Released: June 7, 2019 Recorded: 1981-1991 Peak: 15 US, 9 RB, 21 UK, 66 CN, 18 AU Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US and UK) Genre: R&B/funk

Tracks: Click on individual song titles for more details, including songwriters, recording and release dates, chart peaks, versions recorded by other artists, and basic information about the song. Sex Shooter [3:06] Jungle Love [3:04] Manic Monday [2:51] Noon Rendezvous [3:00] Make-Up [2:27] 100 MPH [3:30] You’re My Love [4:24] Holly Rock [6:38] Baby, You’re a Trip [5:51] The Glamorous Life [4:12] Gigolos Get Lonely Too [4:41] Love…Thy Will Be Done [4:07] Dear Michaelangelo [5:22] Wouldn’t You Love to Love Me? [5:56] Nothing Compares 2 U [4:40] Total Running Time: 63:49

Rating: 4.342 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings)

About the Album: “By the mid-1980s, Prince was dominating the charts” AZ not just as a performer, but “with songs he’d composed and recorded for others.” AZ He “was fiercely protective of his songs – if you ventured to cover his material, it had to be on his terms.” BB “Instead of handing others rough sketches to build on, Prince delivered fully fleshed-out tracks, leaving very little up for interpretation.” BB Sometimes those demos would guide other artists through the recording process, and at other times”Prince’s original demo recordings would be used as master takes on their albums, with only minor alterations to the instrumentation and a replacement of the vocal tracks.” AZ Prince’s posthumous album, Originals, “features his self-recorded versions of 15 songs made famous by others – and startlingly, some of these ‘demos’ sound full-fledged enough to dominate the charts themselves.” BB “Some of these Prince-assisted acts, like Vanity 6, Apollonia 6 and the Time, were curated protégés…Others, like [Sinéad] O’Connor and the Bangles, were formidable artists with or without his songs. But they all share the presence of the fastidious, ultra-prolific Purple One hovering in the background of their legacies.” BB “Originals pulls back the curtain to reveal the origins of these familiar songs, in addition to deeper album cuts such as Vanity 6's Make-Up, Jill Jones’ Baby, You’re a Trip, and Kenny Rogers’ You’re My Love. The album also features Prince's majestic original 1984 version of Nothing Compares 2 U, released in 2018 as a standalone single.” AZ The Songs Here’s a breakdown of each of the individual songs presented in chronological order of when they were recorded.

Make-Up Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: summer 1981 at Kiowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen, MN Released: Originals (2019) Covered by: Vanity 6 for Vanity 6 (1982) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals, instrumentation, arrangement.” BB Prince wrote this song for Vanity 6, “a girl group with Denise Matthews (or ‘Vanity’) at the helm.” BB This “winking list of cosmetic products from blush to base” was what Prince biographer called “the raunchier, female expression of his sensibility.” BB The basic tracking was laid down in the summer of 1981 at Prince’s Kowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The song was a B-side for the group’s singles “He’s So Dull” and “Drive Me Wild.” PV

Wouldn’t You Love to Love Me? Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 1976, 1978 at France Avenue Home Studio in Edina, MN; June 1981 at Hollywood Sound Recorders in Los Angeles Released: Originals (2019) Covered by: Taja Sevelle for Taja Sevelle (1987) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals, production, arrangement.” BB Chronologically, this is the earliest track from this album, PV dating back to 1976, a year before Prince’s debut album For You. BB He made a demo “on a basic cassette recorder, featuring some lyrics that were changed or removed for later recordings.” PV In the summer of 1978, he recorded it twice at his France Avenue Home Studio in Edina, Minnesota – once with himself on vocals and once with Sue Ann Carwell. In June 1981, he recorded the version featured on this album at Hollywood Sound Recorders in Los Angeles, California. PV He started from scratch on the song in April 1982,e ventually submitting it to Michael Jackson to use on his album Bad. PV When it wasn’t used, Prince gave it to Minneapolis singer/songwriter Taja Sevelle. She simply replaced her vocals for his and released it on her 1987 self-titled debut and as a single in early 1988. PV It failed to chart, but Sevelle did have a Hot 100 hit with “Love is Contagious.” BB

Gigolos Get Lonely Too Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 1/11/1982 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, CA Released: Originals (2019) Covered by: The Time for What Time Is It? (single charted 10/5/82, 77 RB) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals.” BB Although this “ballad about a male escort craving true love” BB was solely written by Prince, it was credited to Morris Day when it appeared on The Time’s second album. PV The basic tracking for this completed demo likely occurred at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California, on January 11, 1982 PV and then Day’s vocals were substituted for Prince’s. BB The Time hit #77 on the R&B chart when the song was released as the third single from What Time Is It?

You’re My Love Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: March 1982 at Kiowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen, MN Released: Originals (2019) Covered by: Kenny Rogers for They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To (1986) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals, production, instrumentation.” BB Country singer Kenny Rogers was looking for material for his new album and Prince gave him this “scrap from his vaults” BB which he’d recorded in March 1982 at his Kiowa Trail Home Studio. PV “While Rogers’ band played it in an adult-contempo style fitting his voice, it hews strongly to Prince’s demo.” BB The song, which was credited to the Prince pseudonym of “Joey Coco,” was released as the B-side of Rogers’ “Make No Mistake, She’s Mine” single with Ronnie Milsap.

Baby, You’re a Trip Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 7/8/1982 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, CA Released: Originals (2019) Covered by: Jill Jones for Jill Jones (1987) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals.” BB Prince recorded the song on July 8, 1982, at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California. PV When Jill Jones signed to Prince’s label, Paisley Park Records, she added this song to her eponymous album, overdubbing her vocals alongside Prince’s guide vocals. PV It was also released as the B-side of her single “For Love.”

Jungle Love Prince

Writer(s): Prince, Morris Day, Jesse Johnson Recorded: 3/25/1983 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, CA Released: Originals (2019) Covered by: The Time for Ice Cream Castle (single charted 9/22/84, 20 BB, 21 CB) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals. The Time, a crack combo of Minneapolis soul, pop and funk musicians, was another Prince-curated band that appeared in Purple Rain.” BB Prince wrote the song with Jesse Johnson, although it is credited to Morris Day, who sang lead. Prince recorded it on March 26, 1983 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California. PV Time members’ Jesse Johnson, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis were all in the studio, but it isn’t clear if they contributed to the recording. PV The Time’s “version of ‘Jungle Love,’ a four-on-the-floor joint that hit No. 20” BB and spent a whopping 57 weeks AZ “on the Billboard Hot 100.

Sex Shooter Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 4/30/1983 at Kiowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen, MN Released: Originals (2019) Covered by: Apollonia 6 on the album Apollonia 6 (single charted 8/31/84, 85 BB, 7 RB) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals. A carnal rocker from the 1984 classic Purple Rain, ‘Sex Shooter’ was recorded almost solely by Prince under the alias The Starr Company.” BB He recorded it on April 30, 1983 at his Kiowa Trail Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. PV Plans to include it on Vanity 6’s second album were scrapped when Vanity left the Prince party and his Purple Rain co-star Patricia “Apollonia” Kotero stepped in to front the newly-christened Apollonia 6. Prince seems to have recorded all this himself and simply replaced his vocals with hers. BB

The Glamorous Life Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: December 27-28, 1983 and 1/6/1984 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, CA Released: Originals (2019) Covered by: Sheila E. for The Glamorous Life (single charted 6/2/84, 7 US, 9 CB, 9 RB, 96 UK, 3 CN, 11 AU) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals, extra instrumentation.” BB Prince recorded it at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California, on December 27, 1983. PV Like “Manic Monday,” it was intended for Apollonia 6, until Prince “swiped it away – this time, for his lover and collaborator Sheila E. Its two versions begin with a saxophone wail from Larry Williams; the ensuing music is roughly identical, too, except for some extra rimshot percussion from E.” BB She released her version as the lead single for her debut album of the same name and it hit #7 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the dance charts.

Manic Monday Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: February 4-5, 1984 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, CA Released: Originals (2019), 6/7/2019 as a single Covered by: the Bangles on Different Light (single charted 1/25/86, 2 US, 3 CB, 10 AC, 43 AR, 2 UK, 2 CN, 3 AU) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals, instrumentation, production.” BB Prince recorded this “gorgeous, ‘60s-tinted pop gem” BB on February 4, 1984 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California. It was initially intended for Apollonia 6, but Prince sent it to the Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs after catching them at an early Los Angeles show. PV They stayed close to Prince’s original arrangement, BB but re-recorded most of the song – although Brenda Bennett and Jill Jones’ backing vocals can still be heard on it. PV The Bangles reached #2 on the Hot 100 and its parent album also hit the runner-up slot.

Noon Rendezvous Prince

Writer(s): Prince, Sheila E. Recorded: 2/13/1984 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, CA Released: Originals (2019) Covered by: Sheila E. for The Glamorous Life (1984) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals, instrumentation, production. Prince and drum legend Sheila E. co-wrote this song about their relationship at the time.” BB He initially recorded it on February 13, 1984 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California. PV Sheila E’s version “is full of squelchy period synths; Prince’s piano-led demo is more intimate and restrained, a ballad for the wee small hours.” BB Her version was released as the third single from her debut album, but didn’t chart.

100 MPH Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 6/24/1984 at Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse in Eden Prairie, MN Released: Originals (2019) Covered by: Mazarati for Mazarati (single charted 5/17/86, 19 RB) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals. Led by Prince and the Revolution bassist Brownmark, Mazarati wasn’t a wholesale creation of Prince like others on this list. Still, their sole charting song, ‘100 MPH,’ was written and almost completely recorded by him. Sans lead vocals by Sir Casey Terry and backing vocals by the rest of Mazarati, the two versions are virtually identical.” BB Prince initially recorded it at Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse in Eden Prairie, Minnesota in June 1984. PV

Nothing Compares 2 U Prince

Writer(s): Prince Recorded: 7/15/1984 and 7/18/1984 at the Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse in Eden Prairie, MN; 1984 at Monterey Sound Studios in Glendale, CA; 1/27/1992 at Paisley Park in Chanhassen, MN Released: 1984 version: 4/19/2018 as a single, Originals (2019); 1992 version: 10/4/1993 as the B-side of “Peach,” The Hits 1 (1993) (1993), Ultimate (2006), 4Ever (2016) Covered by: The Family for The Family (1985), Sinéad O’Connor for I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (single charted 1/20/90, 1 US, 1 UK, 23 AR, 1 MR, sales: 1 million) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals, production, arrangement. This ode to Prince’s housekeeper had many lives: as an obscurity by the Family, a No. 1 hit by Sinéad O’Connor, and here, the 1984 demo that started it all. Play all three chronologically, and you hear a clear progression: from Prince’s stripped-down ballad to the Family’s warbling, synthesized take to O’Connor’s emotive hit version. After O’Connor made ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ a hit, Prince made an about-face. He introduced it to his live sets for the first time – and performed it over 400 times until his death.” BB He recorded it on July 15, 1984 at the Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. PV A live version with shared lead vocals with Rosie Gaines was released on The Hits 1 in 1993. The original 1984 version that appears on this album was released as a single in April 2018. PV Read more about the song here.

Dear Michaelangelo Prince

Writer(s): Prince, Sheila E. Recorded: January 4-6, 1985 at Master Sound Studios in Atlanta, GA; January 1985 at the Summit (Le Mobile Studio) in Houston, TX Released: Originals (2019) Covered by: Sheila E. for Romance 1600 (1985) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals, production, arrangement. Recorded in between dates on the 1985 leg of the Purple Rain tour with Prince on all instruments, ‘Dear Michaelangelo’ is a highlight of Sheila E.’s Romance 1600. Prince’s original demo sounds drier and funkier; befitting a song about the gardens of Florence and the colors of dreams.” BB He recorded it in January 1985 at Master Sound in Atlanta Georgia while there for the Purple Rain tour. PV “E.’s version of ‘Dear Michelangelo’ is ethereal and mellow without dampening Prince’s hook.” BB

Holly Rock Prince

Writer(s): Prince, Sheila E. Recorded: April 24-25, 1985 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, CA Released: Originals (2019), 6/7/2019 as a single Covered by: Sheila E. for the Krush Groove soundtrack (1985) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals. It doesn’t get more 1985 than this.” BB “Holly Rock” is “a high-energy rap…plucked from an aborted song by the Family” BB (“Feline”) PV “to soundtrack the film Krush Groove, a loose dramatization of the story of Russell Simmons and Def Jam Recordings. Sheila E. was cast in the movie as a love interest for Simmons; in the original scene, the music is identical to Prince’s version, but the lovably dated pep is all her.” BB Prince recorded his version on April 24, 1985 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California “amid the highly productive sessions that yielded a lot of songs for Parade. PV

Love…Thy Will Be Done Prince

Writer(s): Prince, Martika Recorded: January 1991 at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, MN Released: Originals (2019) Covered by: Martika for Martika’s Kitchen (single charted 7/25/91, 10 US, 10 CB, 10 RR, 40 AC, 9 UK, 7 CN, 11 AU) About the Song: “What’s different? Vocals. This spare, emotive ballad is a clear highlight of Originals. Besides Martika’s lead vocals, the two versions are about flush with each other.” BB Prince recorded it in January 1991 at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. PV Her version was “a top 10 hit in France, Australia, the UK and the USA.” AZ

References: AZ Amazon review BB Billboard (6/25/2019). “Prince’s Originals Album: Comparing Each Demo With Its Well-Known Cover Version” by Morgan Enos BC Benoit Clerc (2022). Prince: All the Songs – The Story Behind Every Track. Octopus Publishing Group Ltd.: Great Britain PV PrinceVault.com: Originals Related DMDB Pages: First posted 6/28/2019; last updated 7/29/2025.