Song by Song: "When Doves Cry" Quiz

Answer: Purple Rain

Rolling Stone magazine (in "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time," 2004) reports that Prince added the song "at the very last minute," after the "Purple Rain" album and movie were completed. Then, he made a bold move: "he decided to erase the bass track from the final mix." The song, which belongs to the avant-garde pop genre, was released in June of 1984 as the album's first single.

The magazine ranked the song number 52 on its list.

Answer: Dancing in the Dark

Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, having been beaten out for the top spot by Prince's "When Dove's Cry." Prince's song also peaked at number one on the Dance Club Songs Billboard chart and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Billboard chart. "When Doves Cry" also reached the top ten on the singles charts in the UK, Norway, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Ireland, Canada, and Australia.

Answer: Vanity 6

Susan Moonsie and Prince had an on-and-off relationship over a five-year period from 1980 to 1985. Prince assembled the trio Vanity 6, which consisted of Brenda Bennett, Vanity, and Susan Moonsie. The group dressed in lingerie and high heels and Prince wrote sexually provocative songs for them, including "Nasty Girl," which became a top ten R&B hit in the United States.

Answer: MTV

The video premiered on MTV, which was founded in 1981. At the start of the video, a pair of double doors swing open and white doves fly out. The camera then zooms in on Prince in a bathtub. According to IMDB, the video inspired controversy among network executives because of what they regarded as its "too frank" sexual nature.

Answer: a kiss

"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?"

Rolling Stone magazine ranked "When Doves Cry" number 52 on its 2004 list of "The Greatest Songs of All Time." The record was certified platinum in the United States by RIAA with over two million copies sold.

Answer: violets

"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."

"When Doves Cry" was written and produced by Prince and recorded at Sunset Sound studio in Los Angeles, California. The single was released with "17 Days" on the B-side in the U.S. ("17 Days" was the A-side in the UK.)

Answer: Demanding and bold

"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)"

"When Doves Cry" was covered on "The Voice Australia" in the seventh season in 2018. Sam Perry, who went on to win the show, sang it for his audition.

Answer: The couple in the song screaming at each other

"Why do we scream at each other?
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry."

Patti Smith included a cover of "When Doves Cry" on her two-disc compilation album "Land (1975-2002)," which was released in March of 2002. Texas singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz also recorded a cover of the song on mandolin.

Answer: stomach

"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."

English Indie band Razorlight covered "When Doves Cry" on their self-titled album in 2006. The song was released on the B-side of the single "I Can't Stop This Feeling I've Got."

Answer: Ginuwine

"Ginuwine...the Bachelor" was released on October 8, 1996 in the U.S. The album rose to number 26 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart, while the single "When Doves Cry," released July 25, 1977, peaked at number 16 on the U.S. Billboard Rhythmic chart.