Prince – U Got The Look
(Warner Bros Records 1987 W8289T)
Matrix No’s: A1/B1 – UK Pressing
Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
Sleeve in Nr MINT condition
Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), known by his stage name Prince, was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actor. Prince was renowned as an innovator and was widely known for his eclectic work, flamboyant stage presence, and wide vocal range. He was widely regarded as the pioneer of Minneapolis sound. His music combined rock, R&B, soul, funk, hip hop, disco, psychedelia, jazz, and pop.
Prince was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and developed an interest in music at an early age, writing his first song at age seven. After recording songs with his cousin’s band 94 East, 19-year-old Prince recorded several unsuccessful demo tapes before releasing his debut album For You in 1978, under the guidance of manager Owen Husney. His 1979 album Prince went platinum due to the success of the singles “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” and “I Wanna Be Your Lover”. His next three records—Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982)—continued his success, showcasing Prince’s trademark of prominently sexual lyrics and incorporation of elements of funk, dance, and rock music. In 1984, he began referring to his backup band as The Revolution and released Purple Rain, which served as the soundtrack to his film debut of the same name. A prolific songwriter, Prince in the 1980s wrote songs for and produced work by many other acts, often under pseudonyms.
After releasing the albums Around the World in a Day (1985) and Parade (1986), The Revolution disbanded and Prince released the critically acclaimed double album Sign “O” the Times (1987) as a solo artist. He released three more solo albums before debuting The New Power Generation band in 1991. He changed his stage name in 1993 to an unpronounceable symbol (
), also known as the “Love Symbol”. He then began releasing new albums at a faster pace to remove himself from contractual obligations to Warner Bros.; he released five records between 1994 and 1996 before signing with Arista Records in 1998. In 2000, he began referring to himself as “Prince” again. He released 15 albums since then, including his latest, HITnRUN Phase One, which was first released exclusively on the Tidal streaming service on September 7, 2015 before being released on CD on September 15, 2015 by NPG Records.
Prince sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the first year of his eligibility.[14] Rolling Stone has ranked Prince at number 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
He died at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Chanhassen, Minnesota, near Minneapolis, on April 21, 2016, after suffering flu-like symptoms for several weeks.
“U Got the Look” is a song by Prince. It opens the second disc of Prince’s 1987 double album Sign “☮” the Times, and became the album’s highest charting single. Musically, the song is standard 12-bar blues number with emphasis on live drumming by Sheila E., and a crunchy guitar sound. Although not credited on the single release, the song also features Sheena Easton, who sings co-lead with Prince. Prince sings in his sped-up “Camille” voice, although the song was not intended for the Camille album. The lyrics recite the familiar “boy versus girl in the World Series of love.”
The music video for the song now featuring Sheena Easton was filmed in Paris, France, and was directed by American music video director David Hogan. It was included in the Sign “☮” the Times film, and features the intro from the extended version of the song. The entire video is portrayed to be as a dream sequence by Prince, dozing off in his dressing room. In the U.S., the single went to the #2 position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles tally, the week of October 17, 1987. The single stayed in the Top 10 of the charts for six weeks.
The extended version of the song (called the “Long Look”) is similar to the video but has an additional musical section in the middle of the song with Sheena Easton’s vocal, and continues for a few more seconds instead of fading out at the end. The “Long Look” was included on the Ultimate compilation album in 2006.
The B-side of the single was the P-Funk-influenced album track, “Housequake“. The song was considered for release as the first single from the unreleased “Camille” album, and therefore, arguably holds a place of importance in Prince’s album history, considering the events that followed the creation of the track. The 12″ also included an extension of the song called “7 Minutes Mo’Quake“, which was a mostly instrumental version with the end of the album version tacked on. The remix is noteworthy for some of Atlanta Bliss’s trumpet solos, which often were included in live versions of the song. Leaked versions of an unedited “original version” (often called “Camille’s Mix”) are attainable on the internet. Upon listening to them it is clear that the track required significant changes in the composition before arriving at the album version, which is now a fan favorite, and was often considered one of the standout tracks on the album.
Both songs are occasionally still performed in concert by Prince.
12″: Warner Bros. / W8289T (UK)
- “U Got the Look” (Long Look) – 6:45
- “Housequake” (7 Minutes MoQuake) – 7:15
- “U Got the Look” (Single Cut) – 3:46
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