Songful Style | “When Doves Cry” by Prince & The Revolution & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #281
We have come full circle and all five Songful Style bloggers have chosen their first song. So now we are onto round 2 starting with Suzy’s second song choice.
Suzy chose one of her favorite songs of all time by one of my favorite artists of all time: ”When Doves Cry” by Prince & The Revolution. I have to admit that I was both excited and disappointed by her song choice. Excited because I adore Prince so much that I had convinced my 12 year old self that I was going to marry him. Clearly, I did not marry him. But I have always loved his music and his style. He is one of my favorite fashion icons ever. So why would this song pick disappoint me? Because it is my turn to choose the next song and I was going to pick either “Raspberry Beret” or “Little Red Corvette” and now I have to come up with something different! I don’t want to feature the same artist in consecutive months. That would get boring. And Prince would never approve of making a boring choice so I will choose a different song by a different artist for the next round. But you should definitely expect some more Prince to show up in this Songful Style series.
About Songful Style
Songful Style is an ageless style challenge series hosted by Suzy of The Grey Brunette, Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, Michelle of My Bijou Life, Marsha of Marsha in the Middle, and Anne of Spy Girl.
Each month we will share a song with the lyrics and video and we invite you to use whatever aspect of the song that inspires you to create an outfit.
It is similar to Style Imitating Art where we use artwork to inspire our outfit creations. Except Songful Style gives you lyrics, music, video, and album artwork to inspire your fashion creativity. You may even find inspiration in a memory triggered by the selected song. It is all open to your own personal interpretation and just a fun way to discover new music and get a little bit more creative with your wardrobe.
Anyone is welcome to join us on a permanent basis or you can just play along without any obligation to do anything other than feel inspired. We are flexible and fun and just want to find more ways to play dress up because it’s what we enjoy doing!
We will be posting on the last Monday of each month and will announce our song choice for the following month at the end of each post.
Video Inspiration
The official music video for “When Doves Cry” was directed by Prince and released on MTV in June 1984. It was nominated for Best Choreography at the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards but lost to “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” by Elton John. The sexual nature of Prince’s video sparked controversy among network executives who thought that it was too explicit for television.
The extended version.
Prince performing live in Tokyo, Japan, on August 31, 1990.
The Revivalists cover “When Doves Cry” in 2016. I freaking love this band and really need to see them live. Ooh, maybe I will pick one of their songs for August.
Metallica covers “When Doves Cry” in 2018 and I don’t like it at all. But you might!
And this beautifully talented human who I just discovered on YouTube…Diamond White covers “When Doves Cry”.
The Lyrics
“When Doves Cry”
Dig if you will the picture Of you and I engaged in a kiss The sweat of your body covers me Can you my darling Can you picture this? Dream, if you can, a courtyard An ocean of violets in bloom Animals strike curious poses They feel the heat The heat between me and you How can you just leave me standing Alone in a world that's so cold? (So cold) Maybe I'm just too demanding Maybe I'm just like my father, too bold Maybe you're just like my mother She's never satisfied (she's never satisfied) Why do we scream at each other? This is what it sounds like When doves cry Touch if you will my stomach Feel how it trembles inside You've got the butterflies all tied up Don't make me chase you Even doves have pride How could you just leave me standing Alone in a world so cold? (World so cold) Maybe I'm just too demanding Maybe I'm just like my father, too bold Maybe you're just like my mother She's never satisfied (she's never satisfied) Why do we scream at each other? This is what it sounds like When doves cry How can you just leave me standing Alone in a world that's so cold? (A world that's so cold) Maybe I'm just too demanding (maybe, maybe I'm like my father) Maybe I'm just like my father too bold (you know he's too bold) Maybe you're just like my mother (maybe you're just like my mother) She's never satisfied (she's never, never satisfied) Why do we scream at each other? (Why do we scream, why) This is what it sounds like When doves cry When doves cry (doves cry, doves cry) When doves cry (doves cry, doves cry) Don't cry (don't cry)
About the Song
“When Doves Cry” is the lead single on Prince’s sixth studio album, Purple Rain. Director Albert Magnoli had asked Prince to write a song for a particular segment of the 1984 rock musical drama film Purple Rain that involved intermingled parental difficulties and a love affair. Prince composed two songs the next morning, one of which was “When Doves Cry” which was inspired by his relationship of Susan Moonsie of Vanity 6.
Prince didn’t write “When Doves Cry” until all the other tracks on his Purple Rain album were complete. Prince provided the vocals as well as playing all other instruments on the track. He says he removed the bass line because it was too conventional which left the song rather stark in texture for a 1980s dance tune. But that certainly didn’t harm the song’s reception. It became Prince’s first Billboard Hot 100 number one single and remained at the top of the chart for 5 weeks. It quickly became a worldwide hit and was the number one selling single of 1984.
Following Prince’s death in 2016, “When Doves Cry” re-charted at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 list, its first appearance in the top 10 since the week ending September 1, 1984. The song is ranked number 37 on Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list and is also included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Acclaimed Music ranks “When Doves Cry” as the 31st most celebrated song in popular music history.
Album Covers
When it comes to anything related to Prince, there is an abundance of sartorial inspiration. I really wish I had a wardrobe as fabulous as his. I have no idea how I am going to style an outfit to adequately represent the 31st most celebrated song in popular music history and the most stylish man in music history, but I am going to give it my best shot!
If you want to join us in styling your own look inspired by this song, we will have a link party on Monday, July 25, 2022, where you can share your post. We would love to see your Songful Style, too!
Featured Favorites
Reader Favorite (Most Clicked): Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish
Fashion Favorite: Mr. B (Jacqui’s husband) of Mummabstylish
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
36 Comments
Kathrine Eldridge
Prince is one my favorist artists of all time! They had a channel dedicated to him on Sirium XM for a little and while and I was in heaven. They shared on ton of his live music which of course was incredible. My fave song of his Let’s Go Crazy. Sorry you can’t pick you fave Prince song now. Maybe next year? Thanks for the link up!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Gahhh, I love this comment so much, Kathrine! I haven’t listened to Prince in a long while but now I am going to need to find a Pandora station with his music! What a brilliant human being he was! I will definitely feature a Prince song at some point in this series.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jennifer
Love this song!
Jennifer
Curated by Jennifer
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Me, too! I was singing along as loud as I could when I was writing this post!
xoxo
Shelbee
jess jannenga
Thanks for the feature! Oh yes, I loved this song and had the Purple Rain album I used to play. He did have a flamboyant wardrobe that was fab! I didn’t know Metallica did this cover! ( They are one of my fav bands) .
Id have to think about this one!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Jess! Prince was definitely fabulous in more ways than one! Did you enjoy the Metallica cover of this song? I really did not like it. But I do like some of Metallica’s stuff.
xoxo
Shelbee
Lizzie
Love this post! You know how much I loveeeee music 🙂 Prince is an icon – got to see a few of his guitars years ago. They were just as stylish and unique as him!
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Lizzie! That is so cool that you got to see Prince’s guitars. I bet they are just as unique as he was! How fun!
xoxo
Shelbee
Laura Bambrick
This is such fun inspiration. I think the look could go so many different ways. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Laura! I hope something brilliantly Prince-worthy comes to me for this one!
xoxo
Shelbee
Christina Morley
It’s fun going down memory lane. Thanks for that! Wishing you a great summer!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Tina! I am glad you enjoyed it. Have a wonderful week!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
I just watched the official video…Land’o’lakes, the man was elegantly sexy! There is this part of me that secretly hopes he’d just had too much of this life and took himself off to live with Elvis. It’s hard to believe he’s been gone so many years already. I do remember all of the controversy about his stage shows and videos. Looking at them through the lens of present times, they were fairly tame. But, geez, I do hope I’m right, and he’s creating some fabulous music somewhere. I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to do for this because so much of my stuff is now packed!!! Thanks for the link party, Shelbee!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
He was an amazingly sexy human, wasn’t he, Marsha?! And it was all just so natural for him. You are so right that the sexiness in his performances was very tame compared to what you see today on TikTok! I think he is definitely creating beautiful music somewhere with all the greats that went before him! I am stumped on styling this one, too. As I am cleaning out my closet, I am looking for things that scream Prince at me, but I’ve got nothing that fabulous! I will brainstorm for a few weeks first while I listen to some old Prince tunes for more inspiration.
xoxo
Shelbee
Cheryl Shops
One of the best songs of all time, but I’m a very biased huge Prince fan 😉 I saw him at Madision Square Garden a few years before he passed, and he was just as good as ever.
Cheryl Shops | http://www.cherylshops.net
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Cheryl, that is so awesome that you got to see Prince perform live! I never had that opportunity but I am sure that it was a memorable experience!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
While I definitely remember this song and many of Prince’s other songs; I didn’t remember that MTV music video at all!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh I remember this video very well! I also remember how much my father hated MTV! He would get so mad about “all the noise” coming out of the television and basically prohibited us from watching it when he was home!
xoxo
Shelbee
Kellyann Rohr
That song evokes so many memories for me – gosh that is what I love about music! It really is so powerful and so much like a time machine. Just hearing certain songs brings me back to days long goneby!
xo,
Kellyann
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Kellyann, this is one of the best comments ever on a music post! Music really is so powerful in so many ways. I don’t think I have met a human being who said they don’t like music. Everyone loves music! It is a universal language that brings us together in the most beautiful ways.
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Prince was a genius and a true artist. My favorite Prince song is “The Arms of Orion” which is a duet with him and Sheena Easton from the Batman soundtrack. I still have my LP’s of his from the 80’s.
About ten years ago I got see some of his stuff at the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas.
Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
How awesome, Patrick! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Prince! He really was one of the greats! I am not familiar with that song so I am going to have to look it up and have a listen!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
Prince is simply amazing! I agree with you about his wardrobe. This is going to sound strange, but because of his wardrobe and his big musical productions, the fabulous lyrics, I was just not aware of what an incredible guitar player he was. Then I saw him jamming with a bunch of other big name musicians on a YouTube video, doing Hendrix. Holy crap! Just when I thought I couldn’t hold him in any higher esteem.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I agree with you completely, Michelle! I was aware, however, of Prince’s incredible guitar skills. He has been ranked by Rolling Stone Magazine as the 33rd best guitar player of all time behind musicians like Frank Zappa, Carlos Santana, Les Paul, Stevie Ray Vaughan, George Harrison, Pete Townsend, Eddie Van Halen, Chuck Berry, B.B. King, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix. He was most definitely one of the greatest players of all time, in my opinion as well as in the opinion of the music experts. As for styling this song, I am stumped but will do my best to create some worthy of Prince’s iconic status as a musician and a fashion trailblazer!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
I have an idea. It’s nothing spectacular, but hopefully I can make it work.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I have no ideas! I did find a ruffly shirt during my closet clean out that I might style before ditching it. But it’s not quite frilly enough for Prince. I am stumped!
xoxo
Shelbee
Suzy Turner
I love Metallica but I had turn that song off, it was terrible! What a racket! I love the young woman’s version though. Nobody can beat Prince’s version though, it’s amazing! There are some amazing sartorial refs in the video…but I’ve still no idea what I’m going to do lol!
Hugs
Suzy xx
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Hahaha, Suzy, that Metallica version is a terrible racket! And you are right, nobody does it quite like Prince himself! I have no clue how to style this song either…although I did just toss a blouse into the donation bin that looks like it has doves all over it. But they might just be sparrows and it’s kind of a boring blouse. I will not donate it though until I finish this outfit just in case I need to rely on the bird print blouse. But I really would rather some purple velvet and a poofy ruffly top! I am looking forward to seeing what we all come up with for this one! Great song choice, by the way!
xoxo
Shelbee
Maureen
I love Prince! His music are some of the best and one of my favorites is Thieves in the Temple. So catchy!
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Maureen, thanks so much for sharing! I don’t think I am familiar with that Prince song. I will have to go listen!
xoxo
Shelbee
Carol
Purple Rain was one of the most powerful and memorable movies I ever saw (and, yes, I saw it in a movie theatre when it first came out — ha, ha). I miss Prince. What a supremely talented performer and gentle soul.
Thanks for hosting the link-up.
Carol
http://www.scribblingboomer.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Carol, it really is an incredibly powerful movie. I remember watching it as a young teen (so maybe 3 or 4 years after its release) and it was my first real exposure to domestic abuse and the reality that it exists. I am blessed to have grown up in a safe and loving environment but was sheltered from the existence of many real world things. This is part of why film and books are so important. They expose us to things outside of our real life experiences and knowledge and help us grow and understand and expand our world views. I also recall this film being the first time that a movie moved me to choking tears. It was one of my first real life growth experiences. That is a pretty powerful testament to the artist behind it all!
xoxo
Shelbee
Daenel T.
Prince is my favorite artist. In fact, my very first email address was from one of his songs… I still have the email address because, well, Prince.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my gosh, Daenel, I love that! Prince definitely had a huge impact on many of us from that generation! I mean, I was really convinced that I was going to marry him. Can you imagine our shared wardrobe if I had?! LOL
I hope you have a fabulous weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Alexandra
Oohh, love this song!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
It is a great one! Thanks for stopping by, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee