Single sleeve of "When Doves Cry"/"17 Days" single by Prince

"17 Days" is arguably the most famous of musician Prince's B-sides. Appearing on the flipside of his most successful single "When Doves Cry" (1984), the track's full title is "17 Days (the rain will come down and U will have 2 choose. if U believe, look 2 The Dawn and U shall never lose.)". Image File history File links Prince When Doves Cry single 1984 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Prince When Doves Cry single 1984 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Jump to: navigation, search Princes look, circa 1983 Prince (born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, known as from 1993–2000) is a popular and influential singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. ... In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles have been released since the 1950s. ... When Doves Cry is a 1984 song by Prince and the Revolution, and according to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year. ... See also: 1983 in music, other events of 1984, 1985 in music, 1980s in music and the list of years in music // Events January 28 - singer Michael Jacksons hair catches fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial. ...

Written, produced and performed by Prince, the song was originally written and recorded as a demo for the second album by his protégé girl-group Vanity 6. Upon Vanity's departure from the Prince camp in 1983, Prince retained the song for his own use, rather than give it to the newly-formed Apollonia 6 for their debut album. Background vocals on the track were performed by Vanity 6 member Brenda Bennett and remain on the final version of the song (she can clearly be heard as the song fades at the end). A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Brenda Bennett is a singer from Boston, Massachusetts, USA that married Princes set-designer Roy Bennett, and then became Princes wardrobe mistress. Prince gave her a tough-girl, cigarette-smoking persona and enlisted her in a girlgroup that he was attempting to create, Vanity 6 in 1982. ...

The dance-oriented track begins with a psychedelic electric guitar loop and continues with Prince's signature synthesizer and drum machine sound, incorporating funk and R&B elements used throughout his 1999 and Purple Rain albums. The lyrics refer to the number of days that have gone by since Prince's lover left him for someone else, leaving him "with two cigarettes and this broken heart of mine." The word psychedelic is a neologism coined from the Greek words for mind, ψυχη (psyche), and manifest, δηλειν (delein). ... Jump to: navigation, search A classic FM synthesizer, the Yamaha DX7. ... A Boss DR-202 Drum Machine A drum machine is a device designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. ... Jump to: navigation, search Funk is a distinct style of music originated by African-Americans, e. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... The tone of this article is inappropriate for an encyclopedia article. ... Music from the Motion Picture Purple Rain (also called just Purple Rain) was a 1984 album by Prince and the Revolution. ...

Although the track did not chart, it received significant airplay on United States R&B radio at the same time that "When Doves Cry" was at its peak in popularity. "17 Days" appears on the three-disc greatest hits compilation album The Hits/The B-Sides. A compilation album is a musical album featuring songs or tunes with some common characteristics. ... The Hits/The B-Sides is a 1993 (and the first) greatest hits compilation album by Prince. ...