"Adore" is a song by Prince, and the final track on his 1987 double album Sign o' the Times. It follows the live track "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night," with crowd noise from that track smoothly leading into "Adore." The song is a long, detailed slow jam featuring Atlanta Bliss and Eric Leeds on horns. NME reviewer Paolo Hewitt described it as "a sugar ballad that reminds listeners of the Stylistics but is clearly Prince's, a rich and impressive piece of music, and a fitting ending." Although it was never released as a single, the song received frequent radio play and was sometimes performed during Prince's concerts. A shortened 4-minute version appears on the 1993 compilation The Hits/The B-Sides, while the full version is included on the Girl 6 soundtrack album. Prince's 2002 live album One Nite Alone… Live! features a solo performance of "Adore" with piano accompaniment.
In 2009, Essence magazine listed "Adore" among its "25 Best Slow Jams of All Time." In 2010, AOL Radio users ranked it as the second-best Prince song. The song is also ranked number 431 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Personnel
Credits from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc, and Guitarcloud
- Prince – main and background singing, Hammond organ, Ensoniq Mirage, Prophet VS, Fairlight CMI, bass guitar, Linn LM-1
- Eric Leeds – saxophone
- Atlanta Bliss – trumpet
- Novi Novog – violin
Cover versions and samples
Other artists who have recorded the song "Adore" are Silk, TQ, Julius Papp, and Joe Roberts.
The song "All That" from Carmen Electra's first album, which was produced by Prince, uses a sample from the song "Adore."