Prince – ‘Sign O’ The Times’
Remarkably, before Prince had even turned 30 years old, he had released ten studio albums. If there were even an inkling of doubt that the man was a true musical genius, then his record output ought to put that notion to rest. One of the best of the many excellent Prince records is his ninth, 1987’s Sign O’ The Times, the first he recorded after disbanding his famous Revolution backing band.
Sign O’ The Times opens with the title track and features one of Prince’s most iconic basslines. It tells of the dangers of falling into drug addiction and gives the impression that much of the record will be dour in tone. However, the follow-up track is starkly different in mood.
Just the title ‘Play in the Sunshine’ hints at a shift in theme for Sign O’ the Times, and its sonic textures further show that Prince is still keen on writing the upbeat kind of songs that have previously propelled his career forward into excellence. ‘Play in the Sunshine’ is just about as typically 1980s as it comes. The ultra-danceable ‘Housequake’ follows suit and shows that while Prince is ready to consider social issues on his ninth studio album, he is not ready to give up dancing and partying just yet.
Sex has always been a topic close to Prince’s heart, and Sign O’ the Times is littered with some of the most erotic songs ever written. ‘It’ simply explains that sex is pretty much all Prince wants to do “all the time” and “every day”. ‘Hot Thing’ is a hyper-sexualised ode to his lovers, but Prince doesn’t just want to have mindless sex, as there is always time for ‘Slow Love’ too.
It’s that latter notion of love that also permeates Sign O’ The Times, and Prince reflects on the kind of romances that he truly admires on ‘If I Was Your Girlfriend’ and ‘Forever in My Life’. However, there is also the sense that Prince finds interest in the more illicit notions of relationships, whether it be the temptation to cheat on his own girlfriend in ‘The Ballad of Dorothy Parker’ or with another’s partner in ‘I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man’.
So thematically, Sign O’ The Times concerns itself largely with the twin realms of love and sex. But sonically, Prince shows his versatility and the album shifts from the 1980s funk of ‘Housequake’, and the more chilled-out ‘The Ballad of Dorothy Parker’ and ‘Strange Relationship’ to the piano-led ballad of ‘Starfish and Coffee’. There is even an Eastern and Egyptian influence on ‘The Cross’.
Prince has always been noted for his excellent proficiency on a wide range of instruments, and as well as the genuinely funky basslines on songs like ‘It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night’, we find some of his finest guitar moments on ‘The Cross’ and ‘I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man’, the latter of which features a guitar solo rivalling those on Prince’s self-titled record and even Purple Rain.
Perhaps the crowning moment of Sign O’ The Times arrives at its conclusion, and the Minnesota-born icon has always been admired for his live performances. ‘Adore’ allows us to get as close to Prince as possible through a record and features absolutely spellbinding vocals. It should be stated too that this record shows that Prince has some of the most versatile vocal abilities in the music industry, even sounding feminine on ‘If I Was Your Girlfriend’.
Sign O’ The Times is undoubtedly one of Prince’s greatest albums and ought to sit alongside his self-titled and Purple Rain when fans consider which is their favourite. The tirelessly working music icon proved once again that he could merely sneeze and let hits come out, move his fingers, and everything touched turns to Purple.
