Darling Nikki
| "Darling Nikki" | |
|---|---|
| SongbyPrince | |
| from the albumPurple Rain | |
| Released | June 25, 1984 |
| Recorded | Mid-late July 1983[1] |
| Studio | Kiowa Trail Home Studio (Chanhassen, Minnesota) |
| Genre | Hard rock |
| Length | 4:14 |
| Label | Warner Bros. |
| Songwriter(s) | Prince |
| Producer(s) | Prince |
"Darling Nikki"is a song produced, arranged, composed, and performed by American musicianPrince,originally released on his sixth studio albumPurple Rain(1984). Though the song was not released as asingle,it gained wide notoriety afterTipper Gorepointed out its sexual lyrics—in particular an explicit reference to femalemasturbation—and was partly responsible for the creation of the infamousParental Advisory sticker.The song tells the story of a "sex fiend" named Nikki who seduces the singer.
In the filmPurple Rain,for which the album serves as the soundtrack, the song is directed towardApollonia Kotero's character when she decides to work with Prince's character's rival (played byMorris Day). Compared with the slick production of the other songs on the album, "Darling Nikki" was deliberately engineered to have a raw and live feel. Near the end of the song, the music stops into the sound of rain and wind. There is singing, but it isplayed in reverse.Played forward, the vocals are Prince singing:
Hello, how are you?
Fine, fine, 'cause I know that the Lord is coming soon
Coming, coming soon.[2]
During thePurple Rain Tourperformances of "Darling Nikki", the recording at the end was played forward. This can be heard in the 1985 live videoPrince and the Revolution: Live.
Parental Advisory sticker[edit]
American social issues advocateTipper Gorereportedly co-founded theParents Music Resource Center(PMRC) in 1985 because she witnessed her daughterKarenna,who was 11 years old at the time, listening to "Darling Nikki".[3]As examples of what they meant, PMRC published a list of15 popular "filthy" songs,with "Darling Nikki" first. The PMRC would later become known for leading to the use of the well-knownParental Advisory stickeron album covers.[4][5][6]
Personnel[edit]
Credits sourced from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc, and Guitarcloud[7][8][9]
- Prince– lead and backing vocals,Oberheim OB-8,Oberheim OB-Xa,electric guitars, bass guitar, drums,Linn LM-1,Simmons SDS-V
Charts[edit]
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USDigital Song Sales(Billboard)[10] | 26 |
| USHot Rock & Alternative Songs(Billboard)[11] | 9 |
Cover versions[edit]
- In 1995,alternative rockbandWhaleissued "Darling Nikki" as one of the B-sides to their single "Pay For Me".
- In 2003, alternative rock bandFoo Fightersrecorded a cover of the song, which they included as aB-sideon their single "Have It All".Though their version of" Darling Nikki "was never officially released as a single, it found success at Americanmodern rockradio, peaking at No. 15 on theHot Modern Rock Trackschart. This version was later released on the vinyl-only compilation albumMedium Rare.They also performed this song on theMTV Video Music AwardswithCee Lo Greenguesting on vocals.
References[edit]
- ^"Darling Nikki".Prince Vault.
- ^Poundstone, William(1986).Big Secrets.Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 231.ISBN0-395-45397-6.
- ^Miss Cellania (January 2, 2012)."Tipper vs. Music".Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges into Music.The Bathroom Reader Institute.RetrievedJune 2,2012.
- ^"PMRC".April 6, 2003. Archived fromthe originalon April 6, 2003.RetrievedOctober 3,2011.
- ^"Page 11".Joesapt.net.RetrievedOctober 3,2011.
- ^Cruz, Gilbert (November 2, 2006)."All-Time 100 Albums – Purple Rain".Time.RetrievedNovember 1,2011.
- ^Tudahl, Duane (2018).Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984(Expanded ed.). Rowman & Littlefield.ISBN9781538116432.
- ^Clerc, Benoîtc (October 2022).Prince: All the Songs.Octopus.ISBN9781784728816.
- ^"Purple Rain".guitarcloud.org.RetrievedApril 29,2023.
- ^"Prince Chart History (Digital Song Sales)".Billboard.Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- ^"Prince Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)".Billboard.Retrieved April 25, 2016.
