Sign o' the Times (song)

For the Harry Styles song of a similar name, see Sign of the Times (Harry Styles song).

"Sign o' the Times" (stylized as "Sign "☮︎" the Times") is the lead single from American musician Prince's 1987 album of the same name. Despite being negative in nature, the song was originally intended for two separate Prince albums meant to be released in 1986, that were both shelved: Dream Factory and Crystal Ball. (Many of the tracks from both of these albums ended up on the album Sign o' the Times.) Prince performed all vocals & instruments on the song. "Sign o' the Times" was reportedly written and composed on a Sunday, when Prince usually wrote his most introspective songs.

"Sign o' the Times"
US 7-inch single sleeve
Single by Prince
from the album Sign o' the Times
B-side	"La, La, La, He, He, Hee"
Released	February 18, 1987
Recorded	July 15, 1986
Studio	Sunset Sound, Los Angeles
Genre	Funk^[1] minimal^[2]
Length	3:44 (7-Inch Version) 5:02 (12-Inch/Album Version)
Label	Paisley Park / Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	Prince
Producer(s)	Prince
Prince singles chronology
"Anotherlover-holenyohead" (1986) "Sign o' the Times" (1987) "If I Was Your Girlfriend" (1987)

The song proved popular upon release, topping the R&B chart, and reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.^[3] In 2010 Rolling Stone ranked "Sign o' the Times" at number 304 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. By July 1987, it sold 200,000 copies in the United States.^[4] In 1987, Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll named "Sign o' the Times" the best single of the year, Prince's third recognition in that category.^[5] The song is also included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.^[6] Cat Glover is pictured on the single hiding her face behind a black heart.

Composition and arrangement

The song was constructed by Prince almost entirely on the Fairlight sampling synthesizer, which provides the primary keyboard riff and sampled electronic bass sounds heard on the track. Unlike some artists, Prince did not program new sounds for this song. He simply used the stock sounds the Fairlight offered, including the famed "orchestra hit" towards the end of the composition. The single marked a shift from those pulled from the albums Parade and Around the World in a Day, with a spare, electronic-based arrangement, simple drum machine hits and minimal stacked synth patterns, as well as a bluesy, funk-rock guitar part (cut from the single edit of the song). The record was noticeably bluesier and more downcast (both melodically and lyrically) than any of Prince's previous singles, addressing various socio-political problems including AIDS, gang violence, natural disasters, poverty, drug abuse, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and impending nuclear holocaust. This record showcased Prince's ability to merge classic and modern rhythm and blues characteristics into one song.

Artwork

The single's cover features new band member Cat Glover posing with a large heart covering her face, and on the back of the cover, posing with Prince's guitar; there was a popular rumor that incorrectly insisted that the front cover showed Prince in drag. All photo images for “Sign O‘ The Times“, including tour book, were photographed by Jeff Katz.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Sign o' the Times" was produced by Jae Flora, of Flora Films, and supervised at Warner Bros Records by Susan Silverman. This duo picked the director, Bill Konersman, based on his graphic design background. The text animation is considered one of the earliest instances of a lyric video^{[citation needed]}.

Track listings

• 7" single

A. "Sign o' the Times" (edit) – 3:42

B. "La, La, La, He, He, Hee" – 3:21

• 12" single

A. "Sign o' the Times" (LP version) – 4:57

B. "La, La, La, He, He, Hee" (Highly Explosive) – 10:32

Personnel

Credits from Duane Tudahl and Guitarcloud^[7][8]

• Prince – vocals, Fairlight CMI, electric guitar, LinnDrum

B-side

La, La, La, He, He, Hee depicts a chase between a cat and a dog and contains a snare drum which sounds like a dog's bark, which is a sample from the Fairlight CMI sample-synthesizer. The song is fast-paced and reminiscent of P-Funk. It features Sheila E. on vocals and percussion and Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss on saxophone and trumpet respectively. The song's edit is featured on The Hits/The B-Sides. Per the liner notes of The Hits/The B-Sides, Sheena Easton dared Prince to write a song with the lyrics "la, la, la, he, he, hee', which resulted in a shared writing credit.

Charts

Weekly charts Initial chart performance for "Sign o' the Times" Chart (1987) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)^[9] 29 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[10] 20 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[10] 8 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[11] 9 Italy (Musica e Dischi)^[12] 11 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[13] 6 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[10] 7 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[10] 4 Norway (VG-lista)^[10] 7 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[10] 14 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[10] 11 UK Singles (OCC)^[14] 10 US Billboard Hot 100^[15] 3 US Hot Black Singles (Billboard)^[16] 1 West Germany (Official German Charts)^[10] 35 Chart performance for "Sign o' the Times" upon Prince's death Chart (2016) Peak position France (SNEP)^[10] 15

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "Sign o' the Times" Chart (1987) Position Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)^[17] 67 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[18] 43 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[19] 48 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[20] 37 US Billboard Hot 100^[21] 60 US Crossover Singles (Billboard)^[22] 14 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[23] 35

References

1. Reid, Graham. "Back to Black: (2014): 12 inch vinyl, a Sign o' The Times". Retrieved July 18, 2016.
2. "25 Essential Prince Songs". rollingstone.com. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 471.
4. Shepherd, Stephanie (July 18, 1987). "Rap's Amazing Sales-Without-Airplay Muscle 12-Inch Marketplace: Surprising Number Of Labels Buck Glut To Rack Up Big Sales" (PDF). Billboard. p. T-8. Retrieved March 12, 2021 – via World Radio History.
5. Robert Christgau (1987). "robertchristgau.com - The 1987 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". Retrieved April 24, 2016.
6. . rockhall.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010.
7. Tudahl, Duane (2021). Prince and the Parade and Sign O' The Times Era Studio Sessions 1985 and 1986. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538144527.
8. "Sign O The Times & The Black Album". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
9. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 239. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
10. "ultratop.be - Prince - Sign "☮" The Times". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
11. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Prince". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 204. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
12. "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved May 28, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Prince".
13. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 15, 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
14. "Prince: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
15. "Prince Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
16. "Prince Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
17. "Jaaroverzichten 1987". Ultratop. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
18. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1987". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
19. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
20. "END OF YEAR CHARTS 1987". Official New Zealand Music Chart. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
21. "1987 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 52. December 26, 1987.
22. "1987 The Year in Music & Video: Top Adult Contemporary Singles". Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 52. December 26, 1987. p. Y-31. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
23. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1987". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2021.