Alphabet St.

Alphabet St.

Infobox Single
Name = Alphabet St.


Caption = U.S. 7" single
Artist = Prince
from Album = Lovesexy
B-side = "Alphabet St. (This Is Not Music, This Is a Trip)"
Released = 23 April, 1988
Format = 7" single
12" single
CD single
Recorded = Paisley Park Studios; December 1987–January 1988
Genre = Pop, funk
Length = 7" edit: 2:25
Album/12": 5:39, 2:24 (Video Edit)
Label = Paisley Park Records
Writer = Prince
Producer = Prince
Last single = "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man"
(1987)
This single = "Alphabet St."
(1988)
Next single = "Glam Slam"
(1988)

"Alphabet St." was the first single from the 1988 Prince album, "Lovesexy," and the album's only top-10 single. The song is includes a rap by Cat Glover. The song is full of samples, and generally repeats themes throughout "Lovesexy." The video takes the "alphabet" theme as an opportunity to present several "hidden" messages in a mix of letters, such as "H is 4 punks" and more notably "Don't buy the "Black Album," I'm sorry." The single was a top-10 in both the UK and U.S.. It reached #2 on the United World chart, kept off the #1 spot by George Michael's "One More Try.

The B-side is a remix of "Alphabet St." called "Alphabet St. ("This is not music, this is a trip")". The title and other phrases are repeated at the beginning of the song, but essentially, it's an instrumental with a few minor changes.

"Alphabet St." has the distinction of being the first Prince single to be issued as a CD-single.

Cultural References

Part of the rap section was used in the Ween song "L.M.L.Y.P."

Nine Inch Nails sampled "Alphabet St." for the song "Ringfinger" from the album "Pretty Hate Machine"

90's hip-hop group Arrested Development sampled a line from "Alphabet St." for their breakout song "Tennessee."

The Scottish Noise Pop band, The Jesus and Mary Chain covered this song which appears on their 1994 EP, "Come On".

External links

* "Alphabet St." [http://www.dtt-lyrics.com/albums/lovesexy.html#st lyrics]
* "Alpahbet St." Video [http://www.mtv.co.uk/overdrive/vid/47237/prince__alphabet_st]


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