CHECK ME OUT. (A little bit forward, but I’m speaking my mind.)

Thank you for joining me for this #PrinceTwitterThread on the magnificent power ballad ‘Love & Sex’, taken from the recently released ‘Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe’ set.

Let’s begin…
Wonderful Day, Large Room With No Light, A Place In Heaven. To most Prince enthusiasts the 1986 recordings are legendary. Well documented and heavily bootlegged, many of these vault tracks had a reputation prior to the release of SOTT:SD.
Wonderful Day, Large Room With No Light, A Place In Heaven. To most Prince enthusiasts the 1986 recordings are legendary. Well documented and heavily bootlegged, many of these vault tracks had a reputation prior to the release of SOTT:SD.
Wonderful Day, Large Room With No Light, A Place In Heaven. To most Prince enthusiasts the 1986 recordings are legendary. Well documented and heavily bootlegged, many of these vault tracks had a reputation prior to the release of SOTT:SD.
Wonderful Day, Large Room With No Light, A Place In Heaven. To most Prince enthusiasts the 1986 recordings are legendary. Well documented and heavily bootlegged, many of these vault tracks had a reputation prior to the release of SOTT:SD.
Wonderful Day, Large Room With No Light, A Place In Heaven. To most Prince enthusiasts the 1986 recordings are legendary. Well documented and heavily bootlegged, many of these vault tracks had a reputation prior to the release of SOTT:SD.
Despite this, many fans were surprised by the inclusion of ‘Love & Sex’ when the track list for ‘Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe’ finally leaked out. Could this be related to the ‘Love & Sex’ we experienced three years earlier on the ‘Purple Rain Deluxe Edition’?
Despite this, many fans were surprised by the inclusion of ‘Love & Sex’ when the track list for ‘Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe’ finally leaked out. Could this be related to the ‘Love & Sex’ we experienced three years earlier on the ‘Purple Rain Deluxe Edition’?
Despite this, many fans were surprised by the inclusion of ‘Love & Sex’ when the track list for ‘Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe’ finally leaked out. Could this be related to the ‘Love & Sex’ we experienced three years earlier on the ‘Purple Rain Deluxe Edition’?
Although bearer of the same name, this was a completely different ‘Love & Sex’. Rather than the Linn Drum laden synth trip of '84, this was a cool power ballad that was more reminiscent of a 90s Aerosmith track. It also sounds as if it shares some DNA with the song ‘Crucial’.
Given the hundreds of songs Prince recorded over the course of his life it should come as no surprise that he resorted to recycling a title on the odd occasion. More so this title, given that romance and intercourse were such prevalent topics in his writing.
Interestingly, not only had Prince already used this title once in the past, but throughout his career he made several other songs using variations of it. There was ‘Love’ from 2006’s ‘3121’, ‘Sex’ the 1989 B-Side, and of course there was ‘Lovesexy’ from 1988.
Interestingly, not only had Prince already used this title once in the past, but throughout his career he made several other songs using variations of it. There was ‘Love’ from 2006’s ‘3121’, ‘Sex’ the 1989 B-Side, and of course there was ‘Lovesexy’ from 1988.
Interestingly, not only had Prince already used this title once in the past, but throughout his career he made several other songs using variations of it. There was ‘Love’ from 2006’s ‘3121’, ‘Sex’ the 1989 B-Side, and of course there was ‘Lovesexy’ from 1988.
Interestingly, not only had Prince already used this title once in the past, but throughout his career he made several other songs using variations of it. There was ‘Love’ from 2006’s ‘3121’, ‘Sex’ the 1989 B-Side, and of course there was ‘Lovesexy’ from 1988.
This new ‘Love & Sex’ was recorded on 3rd January 1986 and was later offered to Shelia E. Shelia began recording a version of the song on 25th March 1986, however her cut remains unreleased. Both Prince and Shelia's versions were recorded at Sunset Sound Studios.
It is unknown as to whether it was always intended for Shelia when Prince originally recorded it, however there is a gender reference in the lyrics, implying it was intended for a female vocalist. "Look at you, out of control. So in love with a crazy girl"
Shelia's version is very different in tone, with no electric guitar and more focus around horns. It is unknown as to why it wasn't included on her LP, although suspiciously a song with a similar title (Pride & Passion) that was recorded in May 1986 did make the cut.
Compositionally Love & Sex is an unusual piece. Each bar is punctuated with a thunderous power chord, yet Prince isn’t afraid to pull back & allow each chord time to breath. This makes way for subtle percussion instruments, such as the novel inclusion of agogo bells.
The time signature is difficult to pin down. To my untrained ear it sounds like a typical 4/4 pop pace, especially during the chorus. However during the verses Prince allows phrases to overrun between bars, giving the song a playful, staggered and almost drunk feel.
For the vocals, Prince doubles up in a similar vein to how he does on ‘Forever In My Life (Early Vocal Run-Through)’, harmonising in different scales and occasionally out of time with each other. It’s a captivating effect as well as a stunning performance.
Lyrically this isn’t Prince’s strongest work. The chorus contains a lot of romantic cliches such as “my heart just pounds, my legs go weak, it's hard to speak”, plus the use of the word 'hex' to rhyme with 'sex' feels forced. Despite these nitpicks, the lyrics still hold merit.
The words relay the story of two children in a grown up world. The inclusion of innocent / adolescent imagery such as the merry-go-round & ferris wheel paints the picture a coming of age story. A universally relatable tale of a young couple finding love for the first time.
Love & Sex contains some familiar sounds and phrases found on other Prince songs. These include the Linn Claps as heard on '1999', the “baby baby baby ” chant from 'The Beautiful Ones', and his exuberant “Check me out” is reminiscent of an expression later used in 'Wally'.
Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe was always destined to include the Dream Factory / Crystal Ball tracks that we’ve grown to love, but ‘Love & Sex’ came as a huge surprise to most. I’m eternally grateful to the Prince estate for unearthing this hidden gem.
All that remains for me to do is thank out hosts @deejayumb & @edgarKruize for inviting me to cover this incredible record, and thank you all for your time and attention. Have a Merry Christmas, Wonderful New Year, and keep safe. May you live to see the dawn.
You can follow @VaultCurator.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled:
Those who think consciousness raising & movement building are disconnected, or even a distraction from electoral politics have not paid attention to the history of social change.In this thread, we
Read more
The 2020s will be known as the Remote Work decadeA few predictions of what is likely to emerge[ a thread ] Third Space: Office and Working from Home will
Read more
1/29: Have you ever had a concept explained to you that helps frame complex issues you’ve been wrestling with and opens your eyes to new possibilities? A concept that I
Read more
By continuing to use the site, you are consenting to the use of cookies as explained in our Cookie Policy to improve your experience.