"Automatic" is a song by Prince

Prince (musician)

Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

 from his 1982 album, 1999

1999 (album)

1999 is the fifth studio album by Prince, released on October 27, 1982. It was his first top ten album on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and became the fifth best-selling album of 1983. 1999 was Prince's breakthrough album, but his next album Purple Rain would become his most...

. It was released as a 7" single only in Australia, with the B-side

A-side and B-side

A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

 of "Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)".

A promotional music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 directed by Bruce Gowers

Bruce Gowers

Bruce Gowers is an English television director and producer, best known for work on large-scale live music and event productions. He started his career in his native England where his landmark music video for Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" brought him international recognition leading to his...

, who previously directed the "1999

1999 (song)

"1999" is a song by Prince, the title track from his 1982 album of the same name. The song is one of Prince's best-known, and a defining moment in his rise to superstar status....

" video as well as videos from Queen

Queen (band)

Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

, Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart

Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....

 and John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...

, was produced for the song, which features band mates Lisa Coleman

Lisa Coleman (musician)

Lisa Coleman is an American Emmy® Award winning musician and composer. Coleman plays piano and keyboards. She was a member of Prince's backing band The Revolution from 1980-1986. She is currently one half of the musical duo Wendy & Lisa, formed with Wendy Melvoin in 1986.-Early life:Coleman's...

 and Jill Jones

Jill Jones

Jill Jones is an American singer and songwriter, who was a backing vocalist for Teena Marie and Prince in the 1980s.-Biography:...

 whipping Prince in a simulated S&M session. The video was not released through conventional outlets (It was only released as a promotional video for Dance Clubs.) but circulates amongst collectors.

"Automatic" was first played during the 1999 Tour. Later it was a featured number during Prince's 1986 Parade tour. The song was part of a mini-1999 medley consisting of a short instrumental segment of "Lady Cab Driver", "Automatic", and a very brief "D.M.S.R.". The song reappeared in 2002 at some aftershows in a medley with the Graffiti Bridge

Graffiti Bridge

Graffiti Bridge is the title of two related items:*Graffiti Bridge , a 1990 film starring Prince*Graffiti Bridge , a 1990 album by Prince...

song "Shake!".