When You Were Mine
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| “When You Were Mine” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Prince | |||||
| Album | Dirty Mind | ||||
| Released | 1980 | ||||
| Format | Vinyl 12" promo single | ||||
| Recorded | 1980 | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Length | 3:43 | ||||
| Label | Warner Bros. Records | ||||
| Writer | Prince | ||||
| Composer | Prince | ||||
| Producer | Prince | ||||
| Dirty Mind track listing | |||||
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| “When You Were Mine” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Japanese promotional 7" single
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| Single by Cyndi Lauper from the album She's So Unusual |
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| B-side | "I'll Kiss You" | ||||
| Released | 1985 | ||||
| Format | Vinyl (7") |
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| Recorded | 1983 | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Length | 5:00 | ||||
| Label | Epic Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Prince | ||||
| Producer | Rick Chertoff | ||||
| Cyndi Lauper singles chronology | |||||
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"When You Were Mine" is the name of a song written and released by Prince on his 1980 album Dirty Mind. The song, though not released as a single, did receive a promotional 12" release (which included "Gotta Broken Heart Again" and "Uptown") and was later the B-side for "Controversy" in 1981. "When You Were Mine" is often considered to be amongst Prince's best early works, and was one of his most pop-friendly songs at the time of its release. Prince has performed the song many times over the years in concert, one of which was included on his 2002 live set, One Nite Alone... Live!. The studio version was also included on The Hits/The B-Sides in 1993. Prince has mentioned that he was inspired to write the simple but effective rock song while listening to John Lennon. The track is full of guitar licks, and includes a Farfisa-inspired organ sound played on an Oberheim OB-X, showcasing Prince's skill as a musician.
[edit] Cover versions
Iain Matthews (of Fairport Convention, Matthews' Southern Comfort, and Plainsong) and David Surkamp (of Pavlov's Dog) were the first to record a cover version of the song when their Seattle-based band Hi-Fi recorded it for their album "Moods for Mallards" in 1981. The version featured Iain Matthews on lead vocals and received much airplay in the Northwest U.S. upon its release. It was released on cd in 2006 by Blue Rose Records on the compilation Hi-Fi: Complete Works.
In 1983, Mitch Ryder released his remake of "When You Were Mine" as a single. It was also a track on his album Never Kick a Sleeping Dog. The single featured production work by John Mellencamp and was released on his record label, Riva Records. The track received some airplay in the United States and even charted on the Billboard Hot 100. The video starred Kitten Natividad. Ryder's version also appeared in the film Hot Dog... The Movie (1984).
Cyndi Lauper's version is a bit slower and gives her punk edge to the song. It is, arguably, the most well known version. Interestingly, she did not change the pronoun gender in the song lyrics, which gave it an interesting twist, alluding that the lost love to whom she is singing is having a new affair with another man. The single was released in Canada and Japan. Lauper performed the single at the 1985 American Music Awards. In the U.S., Lauper released it as a promo-only single and more recently in 2003 on The Essential Cyndi Lauper.
The Blue Rubies (Susan Maunu and Mitzi Johnson) performed a version of the song accompanied only by a lute. It can be heard on the 1989 compilation, Legacy: A Collection of New Folk Music.
In 1996, Australian singer Penny Flanagan released an acoustic version of the song on her album Seven Flights Up.
Crooked Fingers released a version of the song on their 2002 Reservoir Songs EP.
In 2003 indie rock band Tegan and Sara also did a cover, but did not change the pronoun gender.
The song has also been covered by The Pillows, a Japanese rock band.
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone covered the song for a 2005 release, Young Shields
The song has also been covered by Ani DiFranco as an encore live performance in 1999. She was performing in Minnesota, and she performed the song as a duet with Maceo Parker, who often collaborates with Prince.
Boyracer covered the song on their 2007 release "Jukebox Volume One."
Joshua James covered a version of this song on his 2007 release Joshua James and the Runaway Trains.[1]
