Romance 1600
Encyclopedia
Romance 1600 is the second album from singer-drummer-percussionist Sheila E.
. Whilst Prince
wrote and played on the whole album, barring the instrumental "Merci for the Speed of a Mad Clown in Summer", the only track he is credited for openly on the album sleeve itself is "A Love Bizarre
", which was co-written and produced with Sheila E. and is a duet between the pair. The song, a 12-minute epic, became a major hit in its edited radio-friendly form.
This album was highly anticipated. During her hiatus, she had garnered a lot of exposure via the media, including appearing in the movie Krush Groove
, in which she performed "A Love Bizarre
" and "Holly Rock
". She had also performed for a wide audience as an act on Prince and The Revolution
's Purple Rain Tour
.
The video for "Sister Fate
" (the album's lead single) introduced a new image of the performer: a somewhat female-Prince influenced protégée. "Sister Fate"'s B-side featured the cryptic protest song "Save the Children". However, the album itself featured many tracks that were personal and help to support the embodiment of the thematic faux-French Renaissance episodic adventure that the lead single's video and the album art helped to set up for the listening audience.
This concept-theme album became a staple within Prince's camp at the time, which saw Prince inspired by a more glamorous, high fashion stylized image, which included Romance 1600, along with The Family
's self-titled debut album, and his own 1986 release, the soundtrack album Parade. This marked a clear visual departure from the more "street tough" image of the Minneapolis sound
acts from his pre-Purple Rain
success, namely The Time
and Vanity 6
. Although the album received mixed reviews, "A Love Bizarre" was the album's biggest hit single. On January 28, 1986, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Sheila E.
Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American drummer and percussionist, perhaps best known for her work with Prince, George Duke and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...
. Whilst 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...
wrote and played on the whole album, barring the instrumental "Merci for the Speed of a Mad Clown in Summer", the only track he is credited for openly on the album sleeve itself is "A Love Bizarre
A Love Bizarre
"A Love Bizarre" is a song written by Prince and Sheila E.. The song is a duet between both singers and it appears on Sheila E.'s 1985 album Romance 1600. It clocks in at 12:16, but the single version is 3:46 in duration....
", which was co-written and produced with Sheila E. and is a duet between the pair. The song, a 12-minute epic, became a major hit in its edited radio-friendly form.
This album was highly anticipated. During her hiatus, she had garnered a lot of exposure via the media, including appearing in the movie Krush Groove
Krush Groove
Krush Groove is a 1985 Warner Bros. film, written by Ralph Farquhar and directed by Michael Schultz . This film is based on the early days of Def Jam Recordings and up-and-coming record producer Russell Simmons , portrayed by Blair Underwood in his feature film debut...
, in which she performed "A Love Bizarre
A Love Bizarre
"A Love Bizarre" is a song written by Prince and Sheila E.. The song is a duet between both singers and it appears on Sheila E.'s 1985 album Romance 1600. It clocks in at 12:16, but the single version is 3:46 in duration....
" and "Holly Rock
Holly Rock
"Holly Rock" is a song written by Prince and Sheila E. which appeared on the soundtrack of the 1985 film Krush Groove, with Sheila E. also performing the song in the film. It is a high-energy rap number with Sheila E. rapping throughout most of the song. The song did not chart, but it became a fan...
". She had also performed for a wide audience as an act on Prince and The Revolution
The Revolution (band)
The Revolution was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979 by Prince. Although widely associated with rock music, the band's sound incorporated heavy metal, pop, funk, R&B and hard rock elements. Before their official break-up, The Revolution had released one studio album,...
's Purple Rain Tour
Purple Rain Tour
The Purple Rain Tour was a concert tour by Prince following up on the success of his 1984 film Purple Rain. According to Spin the tour sold over 1.7 million tickets.-History:...
.
The video for "Sister Fate
Sister Fate
"Sister Fate" is a song by Sheila E. from the album album Romance 1600. It was released as the first single from the album in 1985. The album version of the song features an organ and percussion intro and has a running time of 3:50; the single version omits the intro and has a running time of...
" (the album's lead single) introduced a new image of the performer: a somewhat female-Prince influenced protégée. "Sister Fate"'s B-side featured the cryptic protest song "Save the Children". However, the album itself featured many tracks that were personal and help to support the embodiment of the thematic faux-French Renaissance episodic adventure that the lead single's video and the album art helped to set up for the listening audience.
This concept-theme album became a staple within Prince's camp at the time, which saw Prince inspired by a more glamorous, high fashion stylized image, which included Romance 1600, along with The Family
The Family (band)
The Family is a band formed by Prince, and one of the first signed to his record label, Paisley Park Records. The band renamed themselves Fdeluxe in 2009.-History:...
's self-titled debut album, and his own 1986 release, the soundtrack album Parade. This marked a clear visual departure from the more "street tough" image of the Minneapolis sound
Minneapolis sound
The Minneapolis sound is a hybrid mixture of funk, rock, pop, R&B and New Wave that was pioneered by Prince in the late 1970s. Its popularity was given a boost throughout the 1980s, thanks to his musical adherents, including The Time, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Morris Day, Vanity 6, Apollonia 6, Ta...
acts from his pre-Purple Rain
Purple Rain (album)
Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by Prince, the first to officially be credited to Prince and The Revolution, and is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film Purple Rain.Purple Rain is regularly ranked among the best albums in pop music history...
success, namely The Time
The Time (band)
The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
and Vanity 6
Vanity 6
Vanity 6 was a female vocal trio assembled by Prince in the early 1980s.They released one studio album, which blended the sounds of pop, New Wave, dance music, R&B, and funk.-Formation:...
. Although the album received mixed reviews, "A Love Bizarre" was the album's biggest hit single. On January 28, 1986, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Sheila E. except where indicated, according to the record sleeve credits, which omit entirely Prince's involvement in the album, except for "A Love Bizarre".- "Sister Fate" – 3:55
- "Dear Michaelangelo" – 4:37
- "A Love BizarreA Love Bizarre"A Love Bizarre" is a song written by Prince and Sheila E.. The song is a duet between both singers and it appears on Sheila E.'s 1985 album Romance 1600. It clocks in at 12:16, but the single version is 3:46 in duration....
"* – 12:16 (PrincePrince (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...
) - "Toy Box" – 5:36
- "Yellow" – 2:10
- "Romance 1600" – 3:56
- "Merci for the Speed of a Mad Clown in Summer" – 2:46
- "Bedtime Story" – 3:41
Personnel
- Sheila E. – lead vocals, percussion, drums, strings, bass guitar, keyboards, arranger, producer, writer
- Juan Escovedo – percussion (track 3, 8)
- Eddie M. – background vocals (tracks 3, 4); saxophone (tracks 1-4; 6-8)
- Ken Grey – organ (track 1)
- Stef Burns – guitar (tracks 2, 8)
- Karl Perazzo – bongos (track 6)
- PrincePrince (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...
– guitar, bass (track 3,4); vocals, arranger, producer, writer; vocals (track 5) - Micheal Weaver – background vocals (track 4)
- Stef Birnbaum – background vocals (tracks 3, 4)
- Sue Davis – background vocals (tracks 2, 3, 6)
- Benny Rietveld – background vocals (track 6)
Chart positions
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
50 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
12 |