Prince - When Doves Cry

Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7, 1958), better known as simply Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He has been known under the unpronounceable symbol, which he used between 1993 and 2000. During that period he was frequently referred to in the media as "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince", often abbreviated to "TAFKAP", or simply "The Artist".

Prince has so far produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career, to date.Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of the instruments on his recordings.In addition, Prince has been a "talent promoter" for the careers of Sheila E., Carmen Electra, The Time and Vanity 6, and has written songs for these artists and others (including Chaka Khan, The Bangles, and Sinéad O'Connor).

Prince also has several hundred unreleased songs in his "vault".He has won seven Grammy Awards,a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award.He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the first year he was eligible.

Rolling Stone has ranked Prince #27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Prince's music has been influenced by rock, R&B, soul, funk, rap, blues, New Wave, electronica, disco, psychedelia, folk, jazz, and pop.His artistic influences include Sly & the Family Stone, Parliament-Funkadelic, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Miles Davis, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Duke Ellington, Curtis Mayfield, and Stevie Wonder. Prince pioneered the "Minneapolis sound", a hybrid mixture of funk, rock, pop, R&B and New Wave that has influenced many other musicians.

Prince has a wide vocal range and is known for his flamboyant stage presence and costumes."When Doves Cry" is a song and the lead single from his 1984 album Purple Rain. It was a worldwide hit, and his first American number one single, topping charts for five weeks. According to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year.It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, shipping two-million units in the United States.

The song was #1 in the U.S. for five weeks, from July 7, 1984 to August 4, 1984. It kept the other big hit of that summer, Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark", from reaching the top spot. "When Doves Cry" was voted as the best single of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics' poll.

The B-side was the cult fan favorite "17 Days", which was originally intended for Apollonia 6's self-titled album. A 12-inch single issued in the UK included the album track, "17 Days", and two tracks from Prince's previous album, 1999, namely the title track and "D.M.S.R."