Sign o' the Times, also written as Sign "☮" the Times, is the ninth studio album by Prince, an American singer, songwriter, producer, and musician. It was first released on March 31, 1987, as a double album by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. This album follows Prince's previous work Parade and is his first solo album after ending his band, the Revolution. Most of the songs were recorded between 1986 and 1987 during sessions for projects Prince later canceled, including Dream Factory, a project under the name Camille, and a triple album called Crystal Ball. Prince worked with label executives to shorten the album to a double album.

Sign o' the Times is very different from Prince's earlier music. It focuses on social issues and spirituality. The album is an R&B record influenced by avant-pop and hip hop, which were becoming popular in the 1980s. Prince used a drum machine called the Linn LM-1 and a synthesizer called the Fairlight CMI to create sounds and replace other instruments. Four songs feature high-pitched vocals to represent Prince's alter ego, Camille. The music includes styles like funk, soul, psychedelic pop, electro, and rock.

Even though this was Prince's fifth album in five years, Sign o' the Times reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart and had three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: the title track and lead single "Sign o' the Times," "U Got the Look," and "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man." Another single, "If I Was Your Girlfriend," was also released. A concert film with the same name was made to promote the album. The album was very well received by critics and received a platinum certification in the United States. After Prince passed away in 2016, the album returned to the Billboard 200 chart and reached number 20.

Sign o' the Times is one of the most highly praised albums in music history. Many critics consider it Prince's best work, even better than his famous album Purple Rain (1984). It was named the best album of 1987 in the Pazz & Jop critics poll and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 30th Grammy Awards. Some critics call it the best album of the 1980s. It is often listed among the greatest albums of all time and was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2017.

Background

Prince's sixth studio album, Purple Rain (1984), was very popular in American pop culture throughout 1984. Prince and the Revolution released the psychedelic album Around The World In A Day (1985) and Parade the next year. Around The World In A Day reached the top of the Billboard 200, and Parade received good reviews. However, Prince's record company and many of his new fans, who benefited from Purple Rain's success, wanted another album similar to Purple Rain. More problems arose because many of Prince's Black fans believed he was becoming too white, and some people were uncomfortable with his bold style and personal choices.

Dream Factory was different from the three earlier band albums because it included ideas from the band members and featured lead vocals by Wendy & Lisa. Prince worried he was losing control, so the project was stopped. For the Camille project, Prince developed an androgynous character who mainly sang in a higher, more feminine voice. After the Revolution was dismissed, Prince combined songs from the two shelved albums and added new songs to create a three-part album called Crystal Ball. Warner Bros. did not want to sell a triple album, so Prince had to shorten it to a double album. He removed seven songs and changed the album to include the new title track.

Recording

This album, like many of Prince's early 1980s recordings, uses the Linn LM-1 drum machine in most songs. Many tracks, such as "If I Was Your Girlfriend," have simple instrument arrangements and use the Fairlight CMI, a modern synthesizer and digital sampler from that time. Unlike other musicians, Prince used the original sounds of the Fairlight to create the album's title track. Four standout songs—"Housequake," "Strange Relationship," "U Got the Look" with Sheena Easton, and "If I Was Your Girlfriend"—use pitch-shifted vocals to create a higher voice, which is believed to represent "Camille," a character Prince used during this period.

Prince often recorded his vocals in the control room of the studio, a space where music is mixed and produced. Usually, vocalists record in a separate booth, away from the control room. To keep his vocals private, Prince often asked his engineer, Susan Rogers, to leave the room during these sessions. Rogers shared that Prince sometimes sang with his back to her. She listened to his vocals through headphones to avoid sound interference. At this time in his career, Prince used a Sennheiser 441 dynamic microphone, suggested by Stevie Nicks. Rogers also noted that Prince worked quickly, creating songs one after another. During the recording of "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker," she noticed a newly installed mixing board produced a sound that matched the song's "underwater dream state."

While some critics thought Sign o' the Times was less polished than Prince's earlier work, he explained that he and his record company invested more time and money into this album than any other. He said, "Much more work went into it."

Two songs on the album—"I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" and "Strange Relationship"—were first recorded in 1979 and 1983. Prince revised both for the Dream Factory project, which included the partnership of Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman. When Dream Factory was canceled, "Strange Relationship" was updated for the Camille project. The rest of the album's tracks were recorded between March and December 1986. Songs from Camille feature playful, high-pitched vocals. "U Got the Look" was also recorded this way, but it was not meant for the Camille album.

Music and lyrics

Described by Rolling Stone as "the most diverse R&B record" of the 1980s, Sign o' the Times includes many different musical styles. Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that Prince used a variety of genres, such as simple electro-funk, smooth soul, fake psychedelic pop, and hard rock, as well as gospel, blues, and folk. Writer and Prince scholar Ben Greenman added that the album includes political R&B with a mysterious feel, powerful psychedelic pop, strong funk, and gentle soul music that feels almost like folk. Music journalist Touré said the album shows Prince’s focus on soul music more than any other style, while writer and composer Paul Grimstad called it an example of avant-pop. Prince’s use of a drum machine throughout the album is described by Yuzima Philip in Observer as "real rock music made with computers." Star Tribune journalist Jon Bream said the album is a "balance of everything" Prince had explored before, including intense funk, catchy pop, powerful rock, and soft ballads. The album also includes hip hop, a style becoming more popular in the mainstream. Nelson George noted that Prince recognized hip hop’s growing influence on music.

Regarding the album’s themes, MTV News writer Hanif Abdurraqib said Sign o’ the Times acts as a "political action" that focuses on survival, not solutions, in the face of challenges. He explained that the album suggests people might dance, love, or imagine a better future even during difficult times. Prince presents these ideas as choices for survival.

Writer George pointed out that both physical desire and spiritual themes are common in the album. For example, the song "Forever in My Life" combines ideas about love and religious devotion. Songs like "Hot Thing" and "It" are described as strongly sexual but also include spiritual themes like human connection and deeper meaning. The title track and lead single, "Sign o’ the Times," discusses gang violence and the crack cocaine crisis. The song "The Cross" stands out as a raw and emotional Christian rock song, where Prince talks about faith in Jesus. This song also has sounds influenced by Eastern music.

Release

Sign o' the Times was released on March 30, 1987, in the United Kingdom, and one day later in the United States and France. It reached number six on the Billboard 200, entered the top 10 in Austria, France, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the UK, and reached number one in Switzerland. The singles "Sign o' the Times," "U Got the Look," and "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" reached number three, two, and ten on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Four months after its release, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After Prince's death in 2016, the album re-entered the Billboard 200 at number 20.

Although Sign o' the Times is considered one of Prince's best albums, it did not sell as well as his three earlier releases. According to a writer from Classic Pop, Prince's commercial success had decreased significantly after the lower sales of Around The World In A Day and Parade, which moved away from the "pulsing electro-rock and soaring anthems" of Purple Rain toward psychedelic pop and "Eurocentric, jazz-inflected funk," respectively. The album's lower sales may also be due to it being Prince's fifth album in five years and the absence of a supporting tour in the US (the UK tour was also canceled, limiting the tour to mainland Europe).

The album cover was photographed by Jeff Katz, who also took photos for Prince's The Family (1985) and Parade (1986) albums. The photoshoot took place in a warehouse near Eden Prairie, Minnesota, where Paisley Park Studios was later built. The cover included a drum set on the front of a 1971 Pontiac Grand Prix, bouquets, a plasma globe, a guitar, and Prince's blurred face in the foreground. The props were taken from Prince's home and studio, and the background was borrowed from a stage production of the musical Guys And Dolls.

The album was reissued in Remastered, Deluxe, and Super Deluxe editions on September 25, 2020. The Super Deluxe edition includes nine discs: a remastered version of the original album, all 13 single, maxi-single, and B-side tracks, 45 previously unreleased tracks, and two complete live recordings of the Sign o' the Times Tour. One audio performance was recorded at Stadion Galgenwaard in Utrecht, Netherlands, on June 20, 1987, and one video performance was filmed at Paisley Park on December 31, 1987. A limited 7" vinyl singles box set, containing remastered audio for all four official 7" singles from 1987, the two official Warner Records promo singles, and a new 7" single with two versions of the previously unreleased track "Witness 4 the Prosecution," was also released.

Critical reception

Sign o' the Times became Prince's most highly praised album. In 1987, Bart Bull from Spin magazine wrote that Prince's songs, though not strictly structured, showed "genius" and that the album's tracks were strong and powerful, even without a song as famous as "Girls & Boys." Don McLeese from the Chicago Sun-Times called the album "a one-person performance, a powerful achievement, and proof that Prince had grown into a mature artist." Robert Christgau from The Village Voice noted that the album was not a major musical innovation but showed Prince's talent and skill as a musician, calling him "the most gifted pop musician of his generation." He praised Prince's ability to play multiple instruments and sing layered vocals, which he said made other artists, like Stevie Wonder, seem less skilled. Christgau also wrote that Prince's songs expressed deep feelings, including love, respect, and admiration for others.

Sign o' the Times was nominated for Album of the Year at the 30th Grammy Awards but lost to U2's The Joshua Tree (1987). It was chosen as the best album of 1987 in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll. Christgau, the poll's creator, said the album was the most successful in the poll's history and proved Prince was the greatest rock and roll musician of his time. The album's title track, "Sign o' the Times," was named the best single of 1987 in the poll, while "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" and "U Got the Look" also ranked in the top 10. The album was ranked second in the NME critics' poll for "Albums of the Year" in 1987, and "Sign o' the Times" was named the best song. In a 1989 interview, Robert Smith of the Cure mentioned Sign o' the Times as one of the best musical works from the 1980s.

Reappraisal and legacy

In the years after its release, Sign o' the Times has been called Prince's best album by many critics and is often described as a masterpiece. Some critics have also said it is the best album of the 1980s. In a later review, John McKie of BBC News called it "one of the most highly praised albums of the second half of the 20th century" and a "masterpiece" that shows all of Prince's musical styles, including a romantic singer, a religious person, a bandleader, a storyteller, and a skilled musician. Simon Price and Michaelangelo Matos both said Sign o' the Times is Prince's best album. Matos also wrote in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) that it is the best example of Prince's wide range of musical talent and possibly the best album of the 1980s. He added that it was the last classic R&B album before hip hop became popular and the last major four-song album made on vinyl.

Journalist Kristen Pyszczyk noted that critics are about evenly split on Prince's best album, with some choosing Purple Rain and others picking Sign o' the Times, which is sometimes called Prince's greatest work. Kenneth Partridge of Billboard said Sign o' the Times proved that Prince did not need the Revolution band to help control his music, and he called it a "masterpiece." In a Pitchfork review, a writer said the creativity in Sign o' the Times was Prince's best work, even though some parts of the production sound old-fashioned. He added that the album's wide range of songs, musical skill, and arrangements make it stand out. He concluded that the album's energy keeps it from feeling repetitive or unoriginal, and that it remains a powerful and lively work from a top artist at his best.

In The Brooklyn Rail, Grimstad compared Sign o' the Times to other great double albums, like the Beatles' White Album, and said it shows Prince's limitless musical abilities. In a BBC Music review, Daryl Easlea compared Sign o' the Times to the Beatles' best work, calling it "Prince's White Album." He also said Prince's time making Sign o' the Times and its related concert film was one of the greatest periods in popular music. Keith Harris of Blender called the album a "masterpiece" and noted that Prince explored many different ideas about relationships in the music. Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine described it as a powerful, two-disc album full of energy and talent.

Sign o' the Times has been listed on many "greatest albums" rankings. In 1989, Time Out magazine ranked it the greatest album of all time. It was ranked number 16 on New Musical Express's All Time Top 100 Albums, number 3 on Hot Press magazine's list of the 100 Best Albums of All Time, and number 35 on VH1's 100 Greatest Albums. It was also placed 8th on Nieuwe Revu's Top 100 Albums of All Time and 29th on The Times list of the greatest albums. In 2000, it was ranked number 19 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked it number 93 on its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and it stayed at that rank in 2012 before moving to number 45 in 2020. In 2006, Q magazine placed it number 12 on its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s." In 2012, Slant Magazine ranked it number 11 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s," calling it Prince's most varied and artist-driven album. In 2024, it was ranked number 51 on Apple Music's 100 Best Albums and number 4 on Paste magazine's list of the greatest albums of all time. In 2017, Sign o' the Times was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2020, Kirk Johnson asked Prince's fans on social media which song could be re-recorded by his former band members, and "The Cross" was chosen.

Track listing

All songs were written by Prince, except where noted.

The Remastered edition includes an improved version of the original album (discs one and two). The Deluxe edition includes the improved version and a third disc with all the single and maxi-single mixes, as well as B-sides. The Super Deluxe edition includes six additional discs: Three discs contain 45 previously unreleased studio recordings. Two discs include live audio recordings from the Sign o' the Times Tour concert at stadium Galgenwaard in Utrecht, Netherlands. The sixth disc is a DVD featuring live video recordings from the New Year's Eve show at Paisley Park, which had been shared unofficially before this release.

The albums were also released on vinyl in a 2 LP set, a 2 LP peach vinyl set, a 4 LP set, and a 13 LP + DVD set. They are available on all digital download and streaming platforms. The video content on the DVD is only included in the physical Super Deluxe Edition and is not available on digital versions. The Super Deluxe Edition was released on September 25, 2020. Pitchfork gave the Super Deluxe version the highest score of 10 out of 10 and called it the Best New Reissue.

All songs were written by Prince, except where noted.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc and Guitarcloud.

• Prince – lead and backing vocals, guitars, bass guitar, piano, synthesizers, Fairlight CMI (tracks 1;1–6, 1;8, 2;1–5, 2;7), Hammond organ (tracks 1;4, 2;7), Linn LM-1, LinnDrum, acoustic drums (tracks 1;2, 1;6–7, 2;5), percussion, Publison IM90 Infernal Machine (tracks 1;3, 2;1–3)
• Wendy Melvoin – backing vocals (tracks 1;7, 2;6), electric guitar (tracks 1;7, 2;3, 2;6), tambourine and Fairlight CMI (track 2;3)
• Lisa Coleman – backing vocals (track 1;7), Fairlight CMI (track 2;3), keyboards and backing vocals (track 2;6)
• Sheila E. – Linn LM-1, cymbals, hi-hat, cowbells and timbales (track 2;1), congas (track 2;3), percussion and transmississippirap (track 2;6)
• Dr. Fink – keyboards (track 2;6)
• Miko Weaver – electric guitar (track 2;6)
• Brown Mark – bass guitar (track 2;6)
• Bobby Z. – Simmons SDS-V (track 2;6)
• Eric Leeds – saxophone (tracks 1;3, 1;7–8, 2;6–7)
• Atlanta Bliss – trumpet (tracks 1;3, 1;7, 2;6–7)
• Susannah Melvoin – backing vocals (tracks 1;2, 1;4, 1;6), vocals (track 2;6)
• Jill Jones – vocals (track 2;6)
• Gilbert Davison, Coke Johnson, Todd Herreman, Susan Rogers, Mike Slotts, Brad Marsh – party voices (track 1;3)
• Novi Novog – violin (track 2;7)
• Sheena Easton – lead vocals (track 2;1)
• Clare Fischer – string arrangements

The live audience on "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" is credited for backing vocals under the name of "6,000 wonderful Parisians" and was recorded during a Parade Tour show in Paris on 25 August 1986, while vocals, Sheila E.'s rap and instrumental overdubs were recorded at Sunset Sound on 22 November.