"When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince. It was the first single from his sixth studio album, Purple Rain. According to the DVD commentary for the film Purple Rain (1984), Prince's director, Albert Magnoli, asked him to write a song that matched a scene in the movie. This scene showed Prince's character, The Kid, dealing with problems involving his father, Francis L. (Clarence Williams III), his mother (Olga Karlatos), and his relationship with Apollonia (Apollonia Kotero). The next day, Prince wrote two songs, one of which was "When Doves Cry." Prince's biographer, Per Nilsen, said the song was inspired by Prince's relationship with Susan Moonsie, a member of the group Vanity 6.
"When Doves Cry" became Prince's first song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It stayed at the top for five weeks and was a hit worldwide. Billboard reported that it was the top-selling single of 1984. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the song as Platinum, meaning it sold a large number of copies. It was the last single by a solo artist to earn a Platinum certification before the requirements for certification were changed in 1989. The song was ranked number one on Billboard's list of the top songs of 1984. After Prince passed away in 2016, the song returned to the Billboard Hot 100 chart and reached number eight, its first appearance in the top 10 since September 1, 1984.
The music video for "When Doves Cry," directed by Prince, first aired on MTV in June 1984. It begins with white doves flying out of double doors, revealing Prince in a bathtub. The video then shows Prince performing the song in different scenes. Some television executives found the video's content too explicit for broadcast. "When Doves Cry" is listed at number 37 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is also included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.
Background and composition
Prince wrote and composed "When Doves Cry" after completing all other songs on the Purple Rain album. He performed all vocals and played every instrument on the track. The song's sound is very simple. It does not include a bass line, which is unusual for an '80s dance song. Prince originally included a bass line, but after talking to singer Jill Jones, he removed it because he felt the song sounded too common with it. The song begins with a guitar solo, a Linn LM-1 drum machine, and a repeated deep, rough vocal. After the lyrics, there is a long guitar and synthesizer solo. The song ends with a keyboard piece inspired by classical music, accompanied by another synthesizer solo. Keyboardist Matt Fink said in 2014 that Prince recorded the synthesizer solo by playing it slower and lower in pitch, then sped it up to create the final version. Fink later learned and performed the solo at the album's original speed.
On radio versions of the song, the long guitar and synthesizer solo is either faded out or completely removed, and the song skips to the ending with Prince's harmonizing and classical-style finish.
During live performances on the Purple Rain Tour, Prince's bass player, Brown Mark, added bass lines to the song and other tracks that originally had no bass.
The song is written in the key of A minor.
Reception
In a recent review, Cash Box described the song as having "dreamy lyrics, a strong beat, and a sometimes dark musical mood," noting that it shows Prince is one of the most creative and complex artists in the music industry.
The song "When Doves Cry" reached number one on the U.S. charts for five weeks, from July 7, 1984, to August 4, 1984. It prevented Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" from becoming number one. Due to differences in how chart data was counted, the song was named the second most popular single of 1984 on American Top 40. Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson's "Say Say Say" was ranked number one for the year. The song was also chosen as the best single of 1984 by critics in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll. Billboard listed it as the top single of 1984. In 2016, after Prince passed away, "When Doves Cry" returned to the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 20 and later peaking at number 8. It also held the top spot on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart for eight weeks, from June 30 to August 18, 1984, and kept Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do With It" from reaching number one for five weeks.
The B-side of the single was "17 Days," a song that fans greatly admired. It was originally planned for Apollonia 6's self-titled album. A 12-inch single released in the UK included "17 Days" and two songs from Prince's earlier album 1999: its title track and "D.M.S.R." The full title of "17 Days" is now the longest title of a song that was a flip side to a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It has 85 letters and numbers.
"When Doves Cry" became one of Prince's most famous songs. Spin magazine listed it as the sixth greatest song of all time. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked it number 37 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time." In 2006, VH1 placed it at number five on its list of "The 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s." On October 13, 2008, it was voted number two on VH1's list of "Top 10 Number One Pop Songs" in Australia. The podcast 80 of the 80s ranked it as the 59th greatest song of the 1980s. In 2016, Paste magazine listed it as the third greatest Prince song, and in 2022, American Songwriter ranked it as the second greatest Prince song.
The song was used in MC Hammer's 1990 hit "Pray" from his album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, one of the few times Prince officially allowed his music to be sampled.
In 2025, "When Doves Cry" was first used in a movie or TV show. It appeared in the final episode of the Netflix series Stranger Things.
Music video
The music video, directed by Prince, was shown on MTV in June 1984. It begins with white doves flying out of double doors, revealing Prince in a bathtub. The video includes scenes from the movie Purple Rain mixed with footage of The Revolution performing and dancing in a white room. The ending uses a mirror on the left side of the screen, creating a doubling effect. The video was nominated for Best Choreography at the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards. Some network executives found the video’s content too explicit for television and caused controversy.
Awards and nominations
- American Music Awards – 1985 – Best Single by a Black Artist (won)
- Pazz & Jop poll by music critics – 1984 – Best Single of the Year (won)
Track listings
- 7-inch single: Paisley Park / 0-20170 (US)
- "When Doves Cry" – 3:47
- "17 Days (The rain will come down, then you will have to choose. If you believe, look to the dawn and you shall never lose.)" – 3:54
- 12-inch single: Warner Bros. / W9286T (UK)
- "When Doves Cry" – 5:52
- "17 Days (The rain will come down, then you will have to choose. If you believe, look to the dawn and you shall never lose.)" – 3:54
- "1999" – 6:22
- "D.M.S.R." – 8:05
- 2×12-inch pack
- CD single 1989
- "When Doves Cry"
- "Purple Rain" (album version)
Personnel
Credits are based on work by Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc, and Guitarcloud.
- Prince – lead and backing vocals, electric guitar, Yamaha DX7, Oberheim OB-Xa, Linn LM-1
Quindon Tarver version
American singer Quindon Tarver recorded a version of "When Doves Cry" (spelled as "When Dove's Cry") for the second volume of the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack. The song was released as a single in June 1997. Tarver's version reached the top three in Australia, reaching number three on the ARIA Singles Chart in July of that year. It also appeared on the charts in New Zealand, where it reached number 34 on the RIANZ Singles Chart the following month.
Ginuwine version
An American singer named Ginuwine released a cover version of the song, which was produced by Timbaland. This version came out a month after Tarver's version on July 25, 1997, and was included on Ginuwine's album titled The Bachelor. The cover version includes real dove sounds as part of the song's audio. The official music video for this version was created by director Michael Lucero.