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| B-side = Shockadelica
| B-side = Shockadelica
| released = May 6, 1987
| released = May 6, 1987
⚫
| recorded = November 2, 1986; December 23, 1986 (intro segue)
| format = 7" single, [[12-inch single|12" single]], [[Cassette single]], Ltd. edition 7" single /w poster bag (UK)
⚫
| studio = [[Sunset Sound Recorders|Sunset Sound]], Hollywood
⚫
| recorded = November 2, 1986; mid-January 1987 (intro segue)
⚫
| studio = [[Sunset Sound Recorders|Sunset Sound]]
| venue =
| genre = [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[funk]]
| genre = [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[funk]]
| length = 7" edit: 3:46<br />Album/12": 4:54
| length = 3:46 (7" edit)<br />4:54 (album/12" version)
| label = [[Paisley Park Records|Paisley Park]], [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
| label = [[Paisley Park Records|Paisley Park]], [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
| writer = Prince
| writer = Prince
| producer = Prince
| producer = Prince
| prev_title = [[Sign o' the Times (song)|Sign "☮" the Times]]
| prev_title = [[Sign o' the Times (song)|Sign o' the Times]]
| prev_year = 1987
| prev_year = 1987
| next_title = [[U Got the Look]]
| next_title = [[U Got the Look]]
| next_year = 1987
| next_year = 1987
| misc = {{Extra track listing
| misc =
| album = [[Sign o' the Times (album)|Sign "☮" the Times]]
| type = single
}}
}}
"'''If I Was Your Girlfriend'''" is a song by American singer and songwriter [[Prince (musician)|Prince]]. The song serves as the second single from his ninth studio album ''[[Sign o' the Times]]'' (1987). The single was a hit in the UK (#20) but was only a minor hit in [[United States|America]] (#67) but a major hit on black radio in America. It was originally from the ''[[Camille (Prince album)|Camille]]'' album, which was to be released under the guise of Prince's alter ego named Camille.
⚫
}}
{{SpecialChars}}
⚫
"'''If I Was Your Girlfriend'''" was the second single from American musician [[Prince (musician)|Prince]]'s 1987 [[double album]] ''[[Sign o' the Times]]''. The song was a hit in the [[United Kingdom]] but was only a minor hit in [[United States|America]]. It was originally from the ''[[Camille (Prince album)|Camille]]'' project of 1986, which was to be released under the guise of Prince's alter ego named Camille. The song is delivered from an [[androgynous]] male perspective to a woman, wherein Prince explores the possibilities of a more intimate relationship if he were his lover's platonic girlfriend. ''[[Trouser Press]]'' names the song as one of the album's highlights, noting that it "redefines a relationship in a surprisingly mature way."<ref name="trouserpress">{{cite web|url=http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=prince|title=Prince|accessdate=2007-10-10|last=Green|first=Jim|author2=Ira Robbins|work=Trouser Press|publisher=Trouser Press LLC}}</ref> It is believed that "If I Was Your Girlfriend" deals with the jealousy [[Prince (musician)|Prince]] felt at the close bond shared between then girlfriend/fiancée [[Susannah Melvoin]] with her twin sister [[Wendy Melvoin|Wendy]].<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news|title= Prince: Life & Times|author= Jason Draper| publisher=Jawbone Press|date=2008}}</ref>


⚫
The song is delivered from an [[androgynous]] male perspective to a woman, wherein Prince explores the possibilities of a more intimate relationship if he were his lover's platonic girlfriend. ''[[Trouser Press]]'' names the song as one of the album's highlights, noting that it "redefines a relationship in a surprisingly mature way."<ref name="trouserpress">{{cite web|url=http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=prince|title=Prince|access-date=2007-10-10|last=Green|first=Jim|author2=Ira Robbins|work=Trouser Press|publisher=Trouser Press LLC}}</ref> It is believed that "If I Was Your Girlfriend" deals with the jealousy [[Prince (musician)|Prince]] felt at the close bond shared between then girlfriend/fiancée [[Susannah Melvoin]] with her twin sister [[Wendy Melvoin|Wendy]].<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news|title= Prince: Life & Times|author= Jason Draper| publisher=Jawbone Press|date=2008}}</ref>
⚫
Musically, the song features Prince's [[pitch shifting|pitched-up]], androgynous vocals over a sparse [[Bass guitar|bass]] and [[drum machine]] pattern, punctuated by a [[Electronic keyboard|keyboard]] line. The opening seconds include a sound collage that includes an [[orchestra]] tuning up, a salesman and a sample of [[Felix Mendelssohn]]'s "[[Wedding March]]". According to engineer Susan Rogers, a rare technical error on her part led to distortion—albeit only on certain words. As recounted in Alex Hahn's book ''Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince'', Rogers thought Prince "was going to rip my head off" for the mistake. Yet, after hearing the playback, Prince loved the effect, which is featured on the released version.


⚫
Musically, the song features Prince's [[pitch shifting|pitched-up]], androgynous vocals over a sparse [[Bass guitar|bass]] and [[drum machine]] pattern, punctuated by a [[Electronic keyboard|keyboard]] line. The opening seconds include a sound collage that includes an [[orchestra]] tuning up, a salesman and a sample of [[Felix Mendelssohn]]'s "[[Wedding March]]". According to engineer Susan Rogers, a rare technical error on her part led to distortion—albeit only on certain words. Yet after hearing the playback, Prince loved the effect, which is featured on the released version.
⚫
The song was released on May 6, 1987, and reached number 67 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was more successful in the UK, reaching number 20 on the chart in that country.

⚫
=="Shockadelica"==
⚫
The [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] to the track was another "Camille" track, "'''Shockadelica'''". The track was actually written in response to an album of the same name by former [[The Time (band)|Time]] member, [[Jesse Johnson (musician)|Jesse Johnson]]. Prince heard Johnson's album before its release, and commented that a great album should have a great title track. Johnson disagreed, so Prince recorded the track and had it played on a [[Minneapolis]] radio station before the release of Johnson's album. The public perception would be that Johnson was copying Prince's idea, and this caused tension between Johnson and Prince.


⚫
The song was released on May 6, 1987, and reached number 67 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 but was more successful on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Black Singles reaching number 12. It was little more successful in the UK, reaching number 20.
⚫
When the "Camille" project was scrapped in favor of ''[[Crystal Ball (unreleased album)|Crystal Ball]]'', "Shockadelica" again made the cut, but was deleted from the track list when the set was trimmed to ''Sign "☮" the Times''. The track was released as a B-side, and later on ''[[The Hits/The B-Sides]]''.


==Track listings==
==Track listings==
Line 47: Line 38:
*A. "If I Was Your Girlfriend" – 4:54
*A. "If I Was Your Girlfriend" – 4:54
*B. "Shockadelica" (extended version) – 6:12
*B. "Shockadelica" (extended version) – 6:12

⚫
==Cover versions==
⚫
*"If I Was Your Girlfriend" was covered on the [[TLC (band)|TLC]] album, ''[[CrazySexyCool]]'', released in 1994, and on their [[FanMail Tour]].
⚫
*The song was covered by [[Eels (band)|Eels]] during their tours of 1997 and 1998. Their version was made commercially available on their 2008 rarities compilation ''[[Useless Trinkets: B-Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased 1996–2006]]''.
⚫
*"If I Was Your Girlfriend" was covered by [[Martin Rossiter]], released in 2012 on a cover EP called ''The Defenestration of Prince and Others''.
⚫
* "If I Was Your Girlfriend" was covered by [[B.Slade]], as "Girlfriend", on the 2012 album ''Stunt B%$@H''.


==Personnel==
==Personnel==
Credits from Duane Tudahl and Benoît Clerc<ref>{{cite book|last=Tudahl |first=Duane |date=2021 |title=Prince and the Parade and Sign O' The Times Era Studio Sessions 1985 and 1986 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9781538144527}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Clerc |first=Benoît |date=October 2022 |title=Prince: All the Songs |publisher=Octopus |isbn=9781784728816}}</ref>

* [[Prince (musician)|Prince]] – lead and backing vocals, [[Fairlight CMI]], Prophet VS, bass guitar, [[Linn LM-1]], Publison IM90 Infernal Machine
Prince – Composer, Arranger, Producer<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/Prince-If-I-Was-Your-Girlfriend/release/133256 |title=Song Credits |last= |first= |date= |website=[[Discogs.com]] |access-date=June 7, 2016}}</ref>

⚫
==Sampling==
⚫
* [[Mobb Deep]] sampled the song on their 1996 pre-''[[Hell on Earth (Mobb Deep album)|Hell on Earth]]'' song "Young Luv".
⚫
* Chicano rapper [[Lil Rob]] samples "If I Was Your Girlfriend" on his 1997 ''[[Crazy Life]]'' album.
⚫
* In 2003, the [[Jay-Z]]/[[Beyoncé Knowles]] single, "[['03 Bonnie & Clyde]]" (from ''[[The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse]]'') used several lines of "If I Was Your Girlfriend", and Prince was credited as one of the writers.
⚫
* [[Tupac Shakur|2Pac]] sampled a live performance of "If I Was Your Girlfriend" for his song "[[Thugs Get Lonely Too]]"; the title is also a nod to another Prince composition called "Gigolos Get Lonely Too," performed by The Time. The song was recorded in 1993 but did not see official release until 2004, when the Prince samples were removed.
⚫
* [[George Clinton (musician)|George Clinton]] sampled "If I Was Your Girlfriend" for his song, "Heaven", off of his 2008 album ''[[George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love]]''.

⚫
==Appearances in other media==
⚫
*"If I Was Your Girlfriend" and the B-side "Shockadelica" both appear in [[Demi Moore]]'s 1996 film, ''[[Striptease (film)|Striptease]]''.


==Charts==
==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center"
|+Initial chart performance for "If I Was Your Girlfriend"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1987)
! scope="col"| Chart (1987)
! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position
! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position
|-
|-
{{singlechart|Flanders|14|artist=Prince|song=If I Was Your Girlfriend|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 4, 2016}}
{{singlechart|Flanders|14|artist=Prince|song=If I Was Your Girlfriend|rowheader=true|access-date=May 4, 2016}}
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Italy (''[[Musica e Dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=[[Musica e Dischi]]|language=it|access-date=May 28, 2022}} Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Prince".</ref>
⚫
{{singlechart|Dutch100|17|artist=Prince|song=If I Was Your Girlfriend|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 4, 2016}}
| 7
|-
|-
{{singlechart|New Zealand|48|artist=Prince|song=If I Was Your Girlfriend|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 4, 2016}}
{{singlechart|Dutch100|17|artist=Prince|song=If I Was Your Girlfriend|rowheader=true|access-date=May 4, 2016}}
|-
|-
{{singlechart|Switzerland|15|artist=Prince|song=If I Was Your Girlfriend|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 4, 2016}}
{{singlechart|New Zealand|48|artist=Prince|song=If I Was Your Girlfriend|rowheader=true|access-date=May 4, 2016}}
|-
|-
{{singlechart|UKsinglesbyname|20|artist=Prince|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 4, 2016}}
{{singlechart|Switzerland|15|artist=Prince|song=If I Was Your Girlfriend|rowheader=true|access-date=May 4, 2016}}
|-
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardhot100|67|artist=Prince|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 4, 2016}}
{{singlechart|UKsinglesbyname|20|artist=Prince|rowheader=true|access-date=May 4, 2016}}
|-
|-
⚫
{{singlechart|Billboardhot100|67|artist=Prince|rowheader=true|access-date=May 4, 2016}}
⚫
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Chart performance for "If I Was Your Girlfriend" upon Prince's death
! scope="col"| Chart (2016)
! scope="col"| Chart (2016)
! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position
! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position
|-
|-
{{singlechart|France|188|artist=Prince|song=If I Was Your Girlfriend|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 9, 2016}}
{{singlechart|France|188|artist=Prince|song=If I Was Your Girlfriend|rowheader=true|access-date=May 9, 2016}}
|-
|}
|}

⚫
=="Shockadelica"==
⚫
The [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] to the track was another "Camille" track, "'''Shockadelica'''". The track was actually written in response to an album of the same name by former [[The Time (band)|Time]] member, [[Jesse Johnson (musician)|Jesse Johnson]]. Prince heard Johnson's album before its release, and commented that a great album should have a great title track. Johnson disagreed, so Prince recorded the track and had it played on a [[Minneapolis]] radio station before the release of Johnson's album. The public perception would be that Johnson was copying Prince's idea, and this caused tension between Johnson and Prince.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

⚫
When the "Camille" project was scrapped in favor of ''[[Crystal Ball (unreleased album)|Crystal Ball]]'', "Shockadelica" again made the cut, but was deleted from the track list when the set was trimmed to ''Sign o' the Times''. The track was released as a B-side, and later on ''[[The Hits/The B-Sides]]''.

== Other uses ==
{{unsourced section|date=July 2023}}
⚫
===Cover versions===
⚫
*"If I Was Your Girlfriend" was covered on the [[TLC (band)|TLC]] album, ''[[CrazySexyCool]]'', released in 1994, and on their [[FanMail Tour]].
⚫
*The song was covered by [[Eels (band)|Eels]] during their tours of 1997 and 1998. Their version was made commercially available on their 2008 rarities compilation ''[[Useless Trinkets: B-Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased 1996–2006]]''.
⚫
*"If I Was Your Girlfriend" was covered by [[Martin Rossiter]], released in 2012 on a cover EP called ''The Defenestration of Prince and Others''.
⚫
*"If I Was Your Girlfriend" was covered by [[B.Slade]], as "Girlfriend", on the 2012 album ''Stunt B%$@H''.
*B-side "Shockadelica" was interpolated by [[Ween]] in their track "L.M.L.Y.P.", released in 1990 on their debut album, ''[[GodWeenSatan: The Oneness]]''.

⚫
===Sampling===
⚫
* [[Mobb Deep]] sampled the song on their 1996 pre-''[[Hell on Earth (Mobb Deep album)|Hell on Earth]]'' song "Young Luv".
⚫
* Chicano rapper [[Lil Rob]] samples "If I Was Your Girlfriend" on his 1997 ''[[Crazy Life (Lil Rob album)|Crazy Life]]'' album.
⚫
* In 2003, the [[Jay-Z]]/[[Beyoncé Knowles]] single, "[['03 Bonnie & Clyde]]" (from ''[[The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse]]'') used several lines of "If I Was Your Girlfriend", and Prince was credited as one of the writers.
⚫
* [[Tupac Shakur|2Pac]] sampled a live performance of "If I Was Your Girlfriend" for his song "[[Thugs Get Lonely Too]]"; the title is also a nod to another Prince composition called "Gigolos Get Lonely Too," performed by The Time. The song was recorded in 1993 but did not see official release until 2004, when the Prince samples were removed.
⚫
* [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]] sampled "If I Was Your Girlfriend" for his song, "Heaven", off of his 2008 album ''[[George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love]]''.

⚫
===Appearances in other media===
⚫
*"If I Was Your Girlfriend" and the B-side "Shockadelica" both appear in [[Demi Moore]]'s 1996 film, ''[[Striptease (film)|Striptease]]''.


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|40em}}
{{reflist|40em}}

==External links==
* {{MetroLyrics song|prince|if-i-was-your-girlfriend}}<!-- Licensed lyrics provider -->


{{Prince singles}}
{{Prince singles}}
{{TLC songs}}
{{TLC songs}}

{{authority control}}


[[Category:1987 songs]]
[[Category:1987 songs]]
Line 107: Line 109:
[[Category:Eels (band) songs]]
[[Category:Eels (band) songs]]
[[Category:Paisley Park Records singles]]
[[Category:Paisley Park Records singles]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Records singles]]
[[Category:Warner Records singles]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Prince (musician)]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Prince (musician)]]

Latest revision as of 07:23, 16 July 2024

"If I Was Your Girlfriend"
US 7" single
Single by Prince
from the album Sign o' the Times
B-side"Shockadelica"
ReleasedMay 6, 1987
RecordedNovember 2, 1986; December 23, 1986 (intro segue)
StudioSunset Sound, Hollywood
GenreR&B, funk
Length3:46 (7" edit)
4:54 (album/12" version)
LabelPaisley Park, Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Prince
Producer(s)Prince
Prince singles chronology
"Sign o' the Times"
(1987) 		"If I Was Your Girlfriend"
(1987) 		"U Got the Look"
(1987)

"If I Was Your Girlfriend" is a song by American singer and songwriter Prince. The song serves as the second single from his ninth studio album Sign o' the Times (1987). The single was a hit in the UK (#20) but was only a minor hit in America (#67) but a major hit on black radio in America. It was originally from the Camille album, which was to be released under the guise of Prince's alter ego named Camille.

The song is delivered from an androgynous male perspective to a woman, wherein Prince explores the possibilities of a more intimate relationship if he were his lover's platonic girlfriend. Trouser Press names the song as one of the album's highlights, noting that it "redefines a relationship in a surprisingly mature way."[1] It is believed that "If I Was Your Girlfriend" deals with the jealousy Prince felt at the close bond shared between then girlfriend/fiancée Susannah Melvoin with her twin sister Wendy.[2]

Musically, the song features Prince's pitched-up, androgynous vocals over a sparse bass and drum machine pattern, punctuated by a keyboard line. The opening seconds include a sound collage that includes an orchestra tuning up, a salesman and a sample of Felix Mendelssohn's "Wedding March". According to engineer Susan Rogers, a rare technical error on her part led to distortion—albeit only on certain words. Yet after hearing the playback, Prince loved the effect, which is featured on the released version.

The song was released on May 6, 1987, and reached number 67 on the US Billboard Hot 100 but was more successful on the US Billboard Hot Black Singles reaching number 12. It was little more successful in the UK, reaching number 20.

Track listings

[edit]

7" single

  • A. "If I Was Your Girlfriend" (edit) – 3:46
  • B. "Shockadelica" – 3:30

12" single

  • A. "If I Was Your Girlfriend" – 4:54
  • B. "Shockadelica" (extended version) – 6:12

Personnel

[edit]

Credits from Duane Tudahl and Benoît Clerc[3][4]

Charts

[edit]
Initial chart performance for "If I Was Your Girlfriend"
Chart (1987) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 14
Italy (Musica e Dischi)[6] 7
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 17
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] 48
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[9] 15
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 20
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 67
Chart performance for "If I Was Your Girlfriend" upon Prince's death
Chart (2016) Peak
position
France (SNEP)[12] 188

"Shockadelica"

[edit]

The B-side to the track was another "Camille" track, "Shockadelica". The track was actually written in response to an album of the same name by former Time member, Jesse Johnson. Prince heard Johnson's album before its release, and commented that a great album should have a great title track. Johnson disagreed, so Prince recorded the track and had it played on a Minneapolis radio station before the release of Johnson's album. The public perception would be that Johnson was copying Prince's idea, and this caused tension between Johnson and Prince.[citation needed]

When the "Camille" project was scrapped in favor of Crystal Ball, "Shockadelica" again made the cut, but was deleted from the track list when the set was trimmed to Sign o' the Times. The track was released as a B-side, and later on The Hits/The B-Sides.

Other uses

[edit]

Cover versions

[edit]

Sampling

[edit]

Appearances in other media

[edit]
  • "If I Was Your Girlfriend" and the B-side "Shockadelica" both appear in Demi Moore's 1996 film, Striptease.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Green, Jim; Ira Robbins. "Prince". Trouser Press. Trouser Press LLC. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  2. ^ Jason Draper (2008). "Prince: Life & Times". Jawbone Press.
  3. ^ Tudahl, Duane (2021). Prince and the Parade and Sign O' The Times Era Studio Sessions 1985 and 1986. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538144527.
  4. ^ Clerc, Benoît (October 2022). Prince: All the Songs. Octopus. ISBN 9781784728816.
  5. ^ "Prince – If I Was Your Girlfriend" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  6. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved May 28, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Prince".
  7. ^ "Prince – If I Was Your Girlfriend" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "Prince – If I Was Your Girlfriend". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  9. ^ "Prince – If I Was Your Girlfriend". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  10. ^ "Prince: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  11. ^ "Prince Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  12. ^ "Prince – If I Was Your Girlfriend" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
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