Darling Nikki
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| “Darling Nikki” | |||||
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| Song by Prince | |||||
| Album | Purple Rain | ||||
| Released | 25 June 1984 | ||||
| Recorded | Sunset Sound, 1983 | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 4:13 | ||||
| Label | Warner Bros. Records | ||||
| Writer | Prince | ||||
| Composer | Prince | ||||
| Producer | Prince | ||||
| Purple Rain track listing | |||||
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"Darling Nikki" is a song produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince and originally released on his Grammy Award-winning album Purple Rain (1984). Though the song was not originally released as a single, it gained wide notoriety for its sexual lyrics. Partly because of the lyrical content of "Darling Nikki", Tipper Gore founded the Parents Music Resource Center, which eventually led to the use of "Parental Advisory" stickers and imprints on album covers. Trinity Broadcasting Network and Jimmy Swaggart both attacked the song as being 'pornographic' and 'satanic'.
The song is a guitar-driven rocker, telling the story of a "sex-fiend" named Nikki who seduces Prince. The song was directed toward Apollonia Kotero in the Purple Rain film when she decided to work with Prince's rival, Morris Day. The song has the appearance of being recorded live in a single take, because of the gritty nature of the guitar and to the live drum kit, though Purple Rain's liner notes state the entire song was performed by Prince.
The ending of the song contains a short segment recorded backwards over a rain sound effect, to contain a hidden message. The segment, when played in reverse, is a sharp contrast to the profane song, with a chorus singing, "Hello, how are you? I'm fine, 'cause I know that the Lord is coming soon. Coming, coming soon." During the Purple Rain tour performances of "Darling Nikki", the recording at the end was played, but not in reverse.
[edit] Outtake
A circulating outtake of "Darling Nikki" contains an instrumental subdued section in the middle of keyboard onslaught at the end of the song. Also, it does not have the backmasking segment tacked on to the end, instead Prince performs an extended hard guitar solo devoid of any other instruments.
[edit] Cover versions
In 2003, the alternative rock band Foo Fighters recorded a cover of the song, which they included as a B-side on their 2004 single "Have It All". Though their version of "Darling Nikki" was never officially released as a single, it surprisingly found success at American Modern Rock radio, peaking at #15. This version was recently performed on the MTV Video Music Awards with Cee-lo guesting on vocals. Prince covered their song "Best of You" at Super Bowl XLI; this may have been in retaliation (Prince objected to having "Darling Nikki" covered by the Foo Fighters, and he would not allow them to release it as a single in the US). The Chicago punk-band Apocalypse Hoboken also recorded a cover of the song, which appeared on their 2000 album Microstars. British rock band Drinkme covered the song, titled "Nikki" on their 2004 album Circular. A jazz instrumental version appears on the first album (MTO vol.1) by Steve Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra.
In the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episode "Did The Earth Move For You?" Will does his own version of the song with his lyrics saying "I'm stuck in a basement, sittin' on a tricycle, girl gettin' on my nerves/Goin' outta my mind, I thought she was fine, don't know if her body is hers."
Rebecca Romijn, not known as a singer, also recorded a cover of "Darling Nikki", which can be found on the album, 'Electro Goth Tribute to Prince', released in 2006.
[edit] In popular culture
The song is referenced as "Darling Picky," a play drawn up by Prince (Dave Chappelle) when playing Charlie Murphy in basketball in a popular Chappelle's Show sketch.
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