The Beautiful Ones
Encyclopedia
"The Beautiful Ones" is the third track on Prince
and The Revolution
's soundtrack album
Purple Rain
. Produced, arranged, composed, and performed by Prince, the song was recorded at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles
by Peggy Mac and David Leonard
in early September 1983.
"The Beautiful Ones" is a haunting musical tale of emotional longing and unrequited love. Starting out as a slow falsetto ballad, with Prince's piano and organ-sounding synthesizers providing a lush backdrop, it gradually builds in volume and intensity, and by the end of the song, Prince is screaming out "Do you want him, or do you want me? 'Cause I want you." The song comes to a quiet close, with Prince's keyboards and drum solo serving as the closing instrumentation.
The song replaced "Electric Intercourse" on the Purple Rain album. It was originally written for Susannah Melvoin
(Revolution band member Wendy
's twin sister) to woo her away from her then–boyfriend.
In the film
, Prince sings the song directly from the stage to Apollonia
, who is sitting with his rival Morris Day
. The song is a direct and urgent appeal to Apollonia to choose Prince as her lover — and it is a direct challenge to Day. Ultimately, as the song ends and Prince lies, apparently spent, on the floor of the stage, Apollonia leaves in tears. (Later, she surprises him when he is unlocking his bike to leave.)
The version on the Purple Rain album is slightly cut; a longer version of the song exists.
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...
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 soundtrack album
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
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...
. Produced, arranged, composed, and performed by Prince, the song was recorded at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
by Peggy Mac and David Leonard
David Leonard (producer)
David Leonard is a Grammy Award-winning American record producer and audio engineer.-Production discography:* 1981: Chaka Khan - What Cha' Gonna Do for Me - co-engineer* 1981: The Go-Go's - Beauty and the Beat - mixing assistant...
in early September 1983.
"The Beautiful Ones" is a haunting musical tale of emotional longing and unrequited love. Starting out as a slow falsetto ballad, with Prince's piano and organ-sounding synthesizers providing a lush backdrop, it gradually builds in volume and intensity, and by the end of the song, Prince is screaming out "Do you want him, or do you want me? 'Cause I want you." The song comes to a quiet close, with Prince's keyboards and drum solo serving as the closing instrumentation.
The song replaced "Electric Intercourse" on the Purple Rain album. It was originally written for Susannah Melvoin
Susannah Melvoin
Susannah Melvoin is an American vocalist and songwriter, best known for her association with Prince in the mid-1980s. Coming from a musical family, Melvoin is the twin sister of musician Wendy Melvoin, sister to the late Jonathan Melvoin , and daughter of jazz pianist Michael...
(Revolution band member Wendy
Wendy Melvoin
Wendy Melvoin is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince as part of his backing band The Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo Wendy & Lisa....
's twin sister) to woo her away from her then–boyfriend.
In the film
Purple Rain (film)
Purple Rain is a 1984 film directed by Albert Magnoli and written by Magnoli and William Blinn. Prince makes his film debut in this movie, which was developed to showcase his particular talents, hence, the film contains several extended concert sequences. The film grossed more than US$80 million at...
, Prince sings the song directly from the stage to Apollonia
Apollonia Kotero
Apollonia Kotero, born Patricia Kotero on August 2, 1959, is an actress, singer, former model and talent manager. Kotero, born in Santa Monica, California, is of Mexican descent...
, who is sitting with his rival Morris Day
Morris Day
Morris E. Day is an American musician and composer. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.-1970s and 1980s:...
. The song is a direct and urgent appeal to Apollonia to choose Prince as her lover — and it is a direct challenge to Day. Ultimately, as the song ends and Prince lies, apparently spent, on the floor of the stage, Apollonia leaves in tears. (Later, she surprises him when he is unlocking his bike to leave.)
The version on the Purple Rain album is slightly cut; a longer version of the song exists.
Cover versions
- Mariah CareyMariah CareyMariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
included a cover of the song on her 1997 album Butterfly. - A cover by indie band Fol ChenFol ChenFol Chen is a musical group from Los Angeles signed to Asthmatic Kitty records.The band "maintained utmost secrecy from the start", and frontman Samuel Bing "drew a black mask around his eyes" for a performance on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic in July 2009., while the band wore...
was included on the 2009 tribute compilation, Purplish RainPurplish RainPurplish Rain is a compilation of Prince covers put out by Spin magazine for readers of its July 2009 issue. The album contains cover versions of songs from Prince's 1984 Purple Rain album, in the same track order as the original....
. A free download of the song was offered by SpinSpin (magazine)Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine. - Teena MarieTeena MarieMary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, was an American singer, songwriter and producer...
includes a line from the song ("the beautiful ones always smash the picture, always every time") in her song "Black Rain", from her 2004 album La DoñaLa Doña- Track listing :All songs written by Teena Marie, except where noted.# "La Doña Intro" – 2:15# "I'm Still In Love With You"[Al Green]], Marie, Byron Thomas) – 4:16# "Honey Call" – 4:21# "Baby I'm Your Fiend" – 4:56...
. - Beyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
included a cover of the song on her 2009 Tour in Las Vegas and whilst headlining at the GlastonburyGlastonburyGlastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,784 in the 2001 census...
Music Festival in 2011. - DumpDump (band)Dump is a vehicle for releasing the four-track home recordings of Yo La Tengo bassist James McNew. His recordings occasionally feature guest performers such as Sue Garner and Fontaine Toups...
included of cover of the song on their 2001 album of Prince covers, That Skinny Motherfucker with the High Voice? - Raheem covered the song to make "Most Beautiful Girl In The World"