"Adore" is a song by Prince. It is the last track on his 1987 double album Sign o' the Times,[1] following the live track "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" (the crowd noise from which bleeds into the beginning of the song). A long, ornate slow jam featuring Atlanta Bliss and Eric Leeds on horns, it was described by NME reviewer Paolo Hewitt as "a sugar ballad that harks back to the Stylistics but is indelibly Prince's, a lush yet remarkable piece of music, and a fitting climax".[2] It received significant radio play despite never being released as a single,[3] and became an occasional part of Prince's concert repertoire.[4] A 4:39-long edit of the song appears on the 1993 compilation album The Hits/The B-Sides, and the Girl 6 soundtrack album contains the full-length version.[5] Prince's 2002 box set One Nite Alone... Live! includes a solo performance of "Adore" with piano accompaniment.[6]
| "Adore" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Prince | |
| from the album Sign o' the Times | |
| Released | March 31, 1987 |
| Recorded | November 19, 1986 |
| Studio | Sunset Sound, Hollywood, California |
| Genre | R&B, soul |
| Length | 6:29 |
| Label | Paisley Park, Warner Bros. |
| Songwriter(s) | Prince |
| Producer(s) | Prince |
In 2009, Essence magazine included the song in their list of the "25 Best Slow Jams of All Time".[7]
In 2010, users of AOL Radio voted "Adore" #2 on a ranked list of Prince's best songs.[8]
It is ranked number 431 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[9]
Personnel
editCredits from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc and Guitarcloud[10][11][12]
- Prince – lead and backing vocals, Hammond organ, Ensoniq Mirage, Prophet VS, Fairlight CMI, bass guitar, Linn LM-1
- Eric Leeds – saxophone
- Atlanta Bliss – trumpet
- Novi Novog – violin
Cover versions and samples
editOther performers who have recorded "Adore" include Silk, TQ, Julius Papp, and Joe Roberts.
The song "All That" on Carmen Electra's Prince-produced debut album is based on a sample from "Adore".[13]
References
edit- ^ (1987). Sign "O" the Times [CD booklet]. Burbank: Warner Bros. Records.
- ^ "PRINCE IN PRINT". Princetext.tripod.com. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ Leeds, Alan (1993). The Hits/The B-Sides [CD booklet]. Burbank: Warner Bros. Records.
- ^ "Archived copy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2011-11-02. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ (1996). Music from the Motion Picture Girl 6 [CD liner notes]. Burbank: Warner Bros. Records.
- ^ (2002). One Nite Alone... Live! [CD booklet]. Chanhassen: NPG Records.
- ^ "25 Best Slow Jams of All Time". Essence.com. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ [1] Archived 7 April 2013
- ^ "Adore ranked #431 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ Tudahl, Duane (2021). Prince and the Parade and Sign O' The Times Era Studio Sessions 1985 and 1986. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538144527.
- ^ Clerc, Benoît (October 2022). Prince: All the Songs. Octopus. ISBN 9781784728816.
- ^ "Sign O The Times & The Black Album". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
- ^ "Carmen Electra's 'All That' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled.com. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
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