"Sign o' the Times" is the lead single from American musician Prince's 1987 album of the same name. Despite being negative in nature, the song was originally intended for two separate Prince albums meant to be released in 1986, that were both shelved: Dream Factory and Crystal Ball. Prince performed all vocals & instruments on the song. "Sign o' the Times" was reportedly written and composed on a Sunday, when Prince usually wrote his most introspective songs. The song proved popular upon release, topping the R&B chart, and reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2010 Rolling Stone ranked "Sign o' the Times" at number 304 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 1987, Village Voices Pazz & Jop critics' poll named "Sign o' the Times" the best single of the year, Prince's third recognition in that category. The song is also included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Cat Glover is pictured on the single hiding her face behind a black heart.
Composition and arrangement
The song was constructed by Prince almost entirely on the Fairlight sampling synthesizer, which provides the primary keyboard riff and sampled electronic bass sounds heard on the track. Unlike some artists, Prince did not program new sounds for this song. He simply used the stock sounds the Fairlight offered, including the famed "orchestra hit" towards the end of the composition. The single marked a shift from those pulled from the albums Parade and Around the World in a Day, with a spare, electronic-based arrangement, simple drum machine hits and minimal stacked synth patterns, as well as a bluesy, funk-rock guitar part. The record was noticeably bluesier and more downcast than any of Prince's previous singles, addressing various socio-political problems including AIDS, gang violence, natural disasters, poverty, drug abuse, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and impending nuclear holocaust. This record showcased Prince's ability to merge classic and modern rhythm and blues characteristics into one song.
Artwork
The single's cover features new band member Cat Glover posing with a large heart covering her face, and on the back of the cover, posing with Prince's guitar; there was a popular rumor that incorrectly insisted that the front cover showed Prince in drag. All photo images for “Sign O‘ The Times“, including tour book, were photographed by Jeff Katz.
Music video
This music video was produced by Jae Flora, of Flora Films. Supervised at Warner Bros Records by Susan Silverman. This duo picked the director, Bill Konersman, based on his graphic design background. The text animation is considered one of the earliest instances of a lyric video.
Track listings
;7" single
A. "Sign o' the Times" – 3:42
B. "La, La, La, He, He, Hee" – 3:21
;12" single
A. "Sign o' the Times" – 4:57
B. "La, La, La, He, He, Hee" – 10:32
Cover versions
Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree covered the song on the fifth release of his Cover Version series in 2008. In 2016, shortly after the death of Prince, Wilson started performing his cover version of the song live at the majority of the concerts on the Hand. Cannot. Erase. tour.
The jazz-fusion drummer Billy Cobham recorded a cover of the song on his album "Picture This" in 1987, featuring saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr.
The Scottish band Simple Minds recorded a version of this song on their EPThe Amsterdam in 1989.
The singer and pianist Nina Simone recorded a version of the song for her final studio album, A Single Woman, in 1993. Her version was cut from the original release but included on the later 2008 CD reissue.
Chaka Khan included a cover of the song on her 2007 album Funk This.
Dubstep producer Kode 9 along with vocalist The Spaceape produced a dark, slow, dub-influenced pseudo cover version of the lyrics, called "Sine", on the album Memories of the Future.
Samples
Derek B included a sample of the opening lyric "Oh, yeah" on his 1988 song "Bad Young Brother".
Young Disciples included a sample of the lyrics "gang called the Disciples" on their 1991 song "Get Yourself Together".
B-side
La, La, La, He, He, Hee depicts a chase between a cat and a dog and contains a snare drum which sounds like a dog's bark, which is a sample from the Fairlight CMI sample-synthesizer. The song is fast-paced and reminiscent of P-Funk. It features Sheila E. on vocals and percussion and Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss on saxophone and trumpet respectively. The song's edit is featured on The Hits/The B-Sides. Per the liner notes of The Hits/The B-Sides, Sheena Easton dared Prince to write a song with the lyrics "la, la, la, he, he, hee', which resulted in a shared writing credit.
