Erotic City

"Erotic City ("make love not war Erotic City come alive")" is a song by the musician Prince. It was released as the B-side to the 1984 single "Let's Go Crazy" and the 12" version of the 1986 single "Girls & Boys". The dance mix of "Erotic City" was released as a 3" and 5" CD single in Germany in 1989 and 1990 respectively.^[1] The artwork for the single features the same image of Prince that was used for the cover of "I Would Die 4 U". The extended version of the latter was included as the B-side of "Erotic City".

"Erotic City" was re-released on CD on The Hits/The B-Sides in 1993 and the Girl 6 soundtrack in 1996. The song can be heard in the Spike Lee film Girl 6.

While delivering his speech prior to the induction of the Funk collective known as Parliament-Funkadelic into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in May 1997, Prince explained that "Erotic City" was recorded directly after seeing Parliament-Funkadelic at the Beverly Theatre in Los Angeles in 1983.

The song starts with a guitar string plucked and whammied, before dropping into the drum track. The experimental number relies on a strong bass line and a simple keyboard riff. The song features Prince's voice both sped up and slowed down at various times to sound like different singers. Also featured is Sheila E., in her recording debut (with Prince), who would become a close associate with Prince and work with him extensively over the years. Even though the song was a B-side to a #1 hit, it received significant radio play itself.

The song was quite notable for its sexual references, and the use of the word fuck ("we can fuck until the dawn"), although people especially Sheila E. (who sings the chorus) have claimed the word is actually funk, allowing it to be played on the radio in the late 1980s into the 1990s.^[2] However, since 2004, currently the radio version is edited to repeat part A of the hook and omit the potential obscenity misheard in part B, because the Federal Communications Commission has in the past levied fines against stations that played the song for broadcasting allegedly indecent material, including KLUC-FM in Las Vegas, Nevada;^[3] KTFM in San Antonio, Texas; and KBZR (now KZON) in Phoenix, Arizona.^[4]

Track listing

CD maxi-single: Paisley Park/Warner Bros. Records 21185 (Germany)

1. "Erotic City" (Dance Mix) – 7:24
2. "I Would Die 4 U" (extended version) – 10:15

* also available as a 3" Mini CD

Cover versions

George Clinton covered "Erotic City" for the 1994 film PCU.
DJ Flash The Future MC's Released "Erotic City Rapp" aka "Erotic Rapp" in 1984
DJ Flash MC Fosty & Lovin'C and Captain Rapp of Rappers Rapp Group Released "When Doves Cry Rapp" in 1984
Arto Lindsay recorded a version for his 1996 album, Mundo Civilizado.
Semisonic covered it on its 1998 maxi-single, Singing In My Sleep.
Berlin recorded a version on its 2005 album, 4play.
Yo La Tengo bassist James McNew's sideproject Dump recorded a version on That Skinny Motherfucker with the High Voice? an entire album of Prince covers.
Supafly released a 12-inch single of "Erotic City" in 2004.

Live cover performances

Beck & Chris Whitley have covered the song live.
Josh Clayton-Felt regularly covered this song live on his 1996 tour with Tori Amos

Samples

Diddy sampled the track on "Last Night (The Official Bad Boy Remix)" on his album Press Play (2006).
Ashanti's 2007 single "Hey Baby (After The Club)" uses a sample from the drum beat.

References

↑ "PRINCE". musicline.de. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
↑ "Prince - Erotic City Lyrics". Lyricstime.com. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
↑ "Leykis Leads Counterattack Against FCC Fines : Radio: KFI afternoon drive-time personality says he'll probably dedicate several shows to indecency issue. - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 1989-10-28. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
↑ "Indecent Links". Ruf.rice.edu. Retrieved 2012-01-07.

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Preceded by "No Favors" by Temper	Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single (with "Let's Go Crazy") September 29, 1984	Succeeded by "The Medicine Song" by Stephanie Mills

Prince singles

1970s	"Soft and Wet" "Just as Long as We're Together" "I Wanna Be Your Lover"

1980s	"Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" "Still Waiting" "Sexy Dancer" "Bambi" "Uptown" "Dirty Mind" "Do It All Night" "Controversy" "Let's Work" "Do Me, Baby" "Sexuality" "1999" "Little Red Corvette" "D.M.S.R." "Delirious" "Automatic" "Let's Pretend We're Married" "When Doves Cry" "Let's Go Crazy" "Purple Rain" "I Would Die 4 U" "Take Me with U" "Paisley Park" "Raspberry Beret" "Pop Life" "America" "Kiss" "Mountains" "Anotherloverholenyohead" "Girls & Boys" "Sign "O" the Times" "If I Was Your Girlfriend" "U Got the Look" "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" "Alphabet St." "Glam Slam" "I Wish U Heaven" "Batdance" "Partyman" "The Arms of Orion" "Scandalous!"

1990s	"The Future" "Thieves in the Temple" "New Power Generation" "Gett Off" "Cream" "Diamonds and Pearls" "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" "Insatiable" "Thunder" "Sexy MF" "My Name Is Prince" "7" "Damn U" "The Morning Papers" "Pink Cashmere" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Peach" "Pope" (remix) "Come" "Letitgo" "Space" "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" "P Control" "Dolphin" "Endorphinmachine" "I Hate U" "Gold" "Dinner with Delores" "Betcha by Golly Wow!" "The Holy River" "Somebody's Somebody" "Face Down" "The Truth" "Extraordinary" "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold"

2000s	"U Make My Sun Shine" (with Angie Stone) "When Will We B Paid?" (with Audio Stepchild) "Supercute" "The Work, pt. 1" "Days of Wild" "Musicology" "Cinnamon Girl" "Controversy (Live in Hawaii)" "S.S.T." "Te Amo Corazón" "Black Sweat" "Fury" "Guitar" "F.U.N.K." "Dance 4 Me"

2010s	"Extraloveable" "Rock and Roll Love Affair" "Screwdriver" "Fixurlifeup" "Breakfast Can Wait" "Pretzelbodylogic" "Fallinlove2nite" "Breakdown" "Clouds" "Baltimore" "Hardrocklover" "This Could B Us" "Free Urself"

Promotional singles	"When You Were Mine" "D.M.S.R." "Another Lonely Christmas" "Erotic City" "Hot Thing" "Trust" "Willing and Able" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Pope" "Love Sign" (with Nona Gaye) "Come" "P. Control" "Dolphin" "Endorphinmachine" "Slave" "Somebody's Somebody" "Face Down" "The Rest of My Life" "5 Women" "It's About That Walk" "Baby Knows" "Man'O'War" "She Loves Me 4 Me" "Last December" "One Nite Alone... Live EP" "Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas" "Call My Name" "The Song of the Heart" "Beautiful, Loved & Blessed" (with Tamar Davis) "Chelsea Rodgers" "Future Baby Mama" "The One U Wanna C" "U're Gonna C Me"

Airplay-only songs	"International Lover" "Shhh" "Satisfied" "Better with Time"

Internet downloads	"One Song" "Cybersingle" "Bataclan" "Glass Cutter" "Live from Paisley Park" "Strange Relationship" (Live in Minneapolis) "Guitar (original "demo" version)" "Love" (acoustic version) "Rock and Roll Love Affair" (Remix 7) "Screwdriver" (Remix) "Boyfriend" (Demo) "That Girl Thang" "Live Out Loud" "Ain't Gonna Miss U When U're Gone" "Extraloveable Reloaded" "Menstrual Cycle" "Octopus Heart" "Groovy Potential" "The Sweeter She Is" "Something in the Water" (Paisley Park Rehearsal) "Da Bourgeoisie" "What If" "The X's Face"

Streams	"U're Still the One" "Xylophone" "In a Large Room with No Light" "Purple and Gold" "Cause and Effect" "Hot Summer" "Rich Friends" "Same Page Different Book" "Stare"

EP's	The Scandalous Sex Suite EP New Power Generation Remixes Gett Off Remix EP Cream Remixes My Name Is Prince Remixes 7 Remixes The Beautiful Experience Letitgo Remixes Space Remixes I Hate U Remixes 1999: The New Master The Greatest Romance Ever Sold Remixes Breakfast Can Wait

Other songs	"I Feel for You" "When You Were Mine" "Private Joy" "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" "17 Days" "The Beautiful Ones" "Computer Blue" "Darling Nikki" "Baby I'm a Star" "4 the Tears in Your Eyes" "Sometimes It Snows in April" "Adore" "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" "I Can't Make U Love Me" "La, La, La Means I Love U" "One of Us" "Everyday Is a Winding Road" "A Case of U"

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