Sign 'O' The Times

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Sign 'O' The Times

Album by Prince
Released	July 6, 1987
Recorded	March to December 1986
Genre	Pop, Rock, Funk
Length	79:51
Record label	Paisley Park
Producer	Prince
Lyrics	External link
Chart positions
Reviews
* Stylus (Favorable) [1]	* Rolling Stone [2]	* Robert Christgau (A+) [3]
Prince album chronology
Parade 1986	Sign 'O' the Times 1987	Lovesexy 1988

Sign 'O' The Times was Prince's 1987 release and his second double album, following 1982's 1999. It is considered by many to be Prince's finest moment. The sheer breadth of musical styles on Sign 'O' The Times is nothing short of evocative and dazzling. All 16 tracks have an element of charm and sparkle with Prince's colorful imagination. The title track is arguably the most raw and atmospheric Prince single of his career. Sparse drum machines and spooky synths are the backdrop to Prince's chronicle of 80s news stories, painting a picture of poverty, aids, nuclear weapons, depression, corruption, gang violence, drug abuse and natural disasters amongst other themes. "Housequake" and "Hot Thing" are hot funk workouts which translated well to live stage numbers. "It" is a dark, spooky funk song, with Prince wailing about his carnal urges. "Starfish and Coffee" is a sweet psychedelic song, with an almost nursery rhyme lyric.

The album also excels in soulful ballads, the highlight of which being "Adore"; it is considered one of Prince's most impressive soul numbers. The trilogy of singles which followed "Sign 'O' the Times" were pop classics. The kooky "If I Was Your Girlfriend" did not chart successfully in America, but was a hit in Europe. "U Got The Look", a raunchy duet with Sheena Easton, was a #2 hit Stateside and blends rock and funk in equal measure. "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" is a 60s influenced rock number and managed #10 in America.

Prince would appear to have peaked with Sign 'O' The Times; there were glimmers of past glory after this, but nothing to rival the multi-layered styles and imagination present here. The album was Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic and a major hit in mainland Europe. Prince would not see this level of success again until 2004's Musicology.

Prince was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards for Album of the Year (Sign 'O' The Times), Best R&B Song (awarded to songriter) Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ("U Got The Look") with Sheena Easton). [4]

In 1998 Q magazine readers voted it the 50th greatest album of all time; in 2003 the TV network VH1 placed it at number 35. In 2003, Rolling Stone named the album as #93 on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2004, Rolling Stone named the title track as #299 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.