Prince’s ‘Sign O’ The Times’ Underrated Songs That You’ll Adore

Source: IMAX Entertainment / EPK TV

Prince fans are getting an opportunity to “Play In The Sunshine” and relive the renowned album Sign O’ The Times like they’ve never seen it before.

For the first time ever, the Artist Forever Known As Brillance’s legendary concert film, Prince– Sign O’ The Times, will be appearing in IMAX theatres across the globe in a special limited release the weekend of August 29.

Related: Prince – Sign O’ The Times Hitting IMAX Screens for the First Time

Sign O’ The Times was originally released in 1987. Released as a double album under Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records, it was the artist’s ninth studio album. The album peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the Recording Academy months after its release. Though many say it is not iconic as the legendary Purple Rain, Sign O’ The Times was revered as one of Prince’s best albums.

“Sign o’ the Times, made after the Revolution’s breakup, remains his best album, the most complete example of his artistry’s breadth, and arguably the finest album of the 1980s,” said Michaelangelo Matos with Rolling Stone Album Guide in 2004.

Recording of this album took place for over a year between March ’86 to early ’87 (with some songs being recorded years prior). During this time, Prince was hungry for redefining his musical genius even further and keeping himself busy. He was working on an album with the band the Revolution, but then later the group broke up, and was recording tracks for an album under his alter ego, Camille, along with creating music for other albums. 

The release of Sign O’ The Times was radical, with cultural messages and tracks vastly different than the next. The album covered topics such as the AIDs epidemic, the war on drugs and poverty. But the album’s cultural undertones also had a seamless balance with the upbeat tunes of popular songs such as “Housequake” and “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man,” showing that sometimes in tragedy, you still should get up and dance.

Many fans of music could tell you some of the greatest singles that came from this album, including “If I Was Your Girlfriend” and “U Got The Look.” However, die-hard fans would argue with you that some of the songs hidden from the spotlight are some of the best songs on the album.

So, in honor of the IMAX release, we had devised a playlist of the album’s hidden gems for all the audiophiles out there.