Darling Nikki
Encyclopedia
"Darling Nikki" is a song produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince
and originally released on his Grammy Award
-winning 1984 album, Purple Rain
. Though the song was not 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. Compared with the slick production of the other songs on the album, Darling Nikki was deliberately engineered to have a raw, live feel.
The song tells the story of a "sex fiend" named Nikki who seduces the singer. In the film Purple Rain
, the song is directed toward Apollonia Kotero
's character when she decides to work with Prince's character's rival, played by Morris Day
.
Near the end of the song, the music stops into the sound of rain and wind. There is singing, but played in reverse
. The vocals, unreversed, are Prince singing,
During the Purple Rain tour performances of "Darling Nikki", the recording at the end was played forward. This can be heard in the live video Prince and the Revolution Live.
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and originally released on his Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning 1984 album, Purple Rain
Purple Rain (album)
Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by Prince, the first to officially be credited to Prince and The Revolution, and is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film Purple Rain.Purple Rain is regularly ranked among the best albums in pop music history...
. Though the song was not released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, it gained wide notoriety for its sexual lyrics. Partly because of the lyrical content of "Darling Nikki", Tipper Gore
Tipper Gore
Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore , née Aitcheson, is an author, photographer, former second lady of the United States, and the estranged wife of Al Gore...
founded the Parents Music Resource Center
Parents Music Resource Center
The Parents Music Resource Center was an American committee formed in 1985 with the goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to be violent, have drug use or be sexual.The committee was founded by four women: Tipper Gore, wife of Senator and later Vice...
, which eventually led to the use of "Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory is a message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America to audio and recordings in the United States containing excessive use of profane language and/or sexual references. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985, after pressure from the Parents...
" stickers and imprints on album covers. Compared with the slick production of the other songs on the album, Darling Nikki was deliberately engineered to have a raw, live feel.
The song tells the story of a "sex fiend" named Nikki who seduces the singer. In the film Purple Rain
Purple Rain (film)
Purple Rain is a 1984 film directed by Albert Magnoli and written by Magnoli and William Blinn. Prince makes his film debut in this movie, which was developed to showcase his particular talents, hence, the film contains several extended concert sequences. The film grossed more than US$80 million at...
, the song is directed toward Apollonia Kotero
Apollonia Kotero
Apollonia Kotero, born Patricia Kotero on August 2, 1959, is an actress, singer, former model and talent manager. Kotero, born in Santa Monica, California, is of Mexican descent...
's character when she decides to work with Prince's character's rival, played by Morris Day
Morris Day
Morris E. Day is an American musician and composer. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.-1970s and 1980s:...
.
Near the end of the song, the music stops into the sound of rain and wind. There is singing, but played in reverse
Backmasking
Backmasking is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward on to a track that is meant to be played forward...
. The vocals, unreversed, are Prince 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 forward. This can be heard in the live video Prince and the Revolution Live.
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.Cover versions and sampling
- RihannaRihannaRobyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
Covered the song on her 2011 Loud TourLoud TourThe Loud Tour is the fourth concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. Performing in over twenty countries in the Americas and Europe, the tour supports Rihanna’s fifth studio album, Loud...
. - In 1995, WhaleWhale (band)Whale was a Swedish pop group in the 1990s, that wrote songs in English.-Career:The group was formed by Henrik Schyffert, Cia Berg – more recently known as Cia Soro – and Gordon Cyrus. The band enjoyed some success, particularly in the European market...
released a cover on their "Pay for Me" single. - In 1996, the band Chum released a cover version on their Century Media release Dead To The World.
- In 1998, as part of the compilation Do Me Baby: Austin Does Prince, the Asylum Street SpankersAsylum Street SpankersThe Asylum Street Spankers, formed in Austin, Texas in 1994, was a band whose music was rooted in early 20th century American musical forms. In fall 2006, the band's anti-war satire video "Stick Magnetic Ribbons on Your SUV", directed by Morgan Higby Night garnered 1,054,743 views on YouTube within...
released an acoustic version of this song. - Chicago punk-band Apocalypse HobokenApocalypse HobokenApocalypse Hoboken was an American punk rock band hailing from Chicago, Illinois which toured the US and Europe and released seven albums on various labels, including Rocco Records and Dyslexic Records...
recorded a cover of the song, which appeared on their 2000 album Microstars. - In 2003, the alternative rockAlternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Foo FightersFoo FightersFoo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
recorded a cover of the song, which they included as a B-sideA-side and B-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
on their single "Have It All". Though their version of "Darling Nikki" was never officially released as a single, it found success at American modern rockModern rockModern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
radio, peaking at number 15 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. This version was performed on the MTV Video Music AwardsMTV Video Music AwardsAn MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
with Cee-lo Green guesting on vocals. This version was later released on the vinyl-only compilation album Medium RareMedium Rare (Foo Fighters album)Medium Rare is a covers album by Foo Fighters. The album was released on April 16, 2011 as a limited-edition vinyl for Record Store Day, an event that celebrates independent record stores...
. - Tech N9neTech N9neAaron Dontez Yates , better known by his stage name Tech N9ne , is an American rapper from Kansas City, Missouri. In 1999, Yates and Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. Throughout his career, Yates has sold over one million albums and has had his music featured in film,...
's song "Freaky", on his 2005 album Vintage TechVintage TechVintage Tech is compilation album released by rapper Tech N9ne. It brings together a mixture of unreleased material with material that was previously released on Compilations as well as from his earlier albums.-Track listing:-Samples:Freaky...
, interpolates "Darling Nikki". - Model/actress Rebecca RomijnRebecca RomijnRebecca Alie Romijn is an American actress and former fashion model. She is best known for her role as Mystique in the X-Men films, and for her recurring role as Alexis Meade on the television series Ugly Betty.-Early life:...
recorded a cover of "Darling Nikki" for the 2006 compilation album, Electro Goth Tribute to Prince. - In 2008, Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter Chris Comarato recorded a cover of "Darling Nikki" which remains unreleased.
- A cover by electro music group ChairliftChairlift (band)Chairlift is an American electronic pop Duo.Based in Brooklyn, New York, Chairlift consists of members Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wimberly .-History:...
was included on the 2009 tribute compilation Purplish RainPurplish RainPurplish Rain is a compilation of Prince covers put out by Spin magazine for readers of its July 2009 issue. The album contains cover versions of songs from Prince's 1984 Purple Rain album, in the same track order as the original....
. A free download of the song was offered by SpinSpin (magazine)Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine. - In the Fresh Prince of Bel-AirThe Fresh Prince of Bel-AirThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
episode "Did the Earth Move for You?", Will SmithWill SmithWillard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
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." - West Coast rapper TupacTupacTupac is a relatively uncommon male name. Notable people with the name include:*Túpac Inca Yupanqui , tenth Sapa Inca of the Incan Empire*Túpac Amaru , last indigenous leader of the Inca people in Peru...
used a sample of "Darling Nikki" for the song "Heartz of Men" on his 1996 album All Eyez on MeAll Eyez on MeAll Eyez on Me is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac, released February 13, 1996 on Death Row Records and Interscope Records....
. - The song "Blow Ya Mind," appearing on the album Pink FridayPink FridayPink Friday is the debut studio album by hip hop recording artist Nicki Minaj. It was released on November 19, 2010 in both standard and deluxe editions through Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Motown. The intended lead single from the album, "Massive Attack", flopped...
by QueensQueensQueens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
-based rapper Nicki MinajNicki MinajOnika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
, contains an interpolation of "Darling Nikki." - Hard Rock band TalismanTalismanTalisman have several meanings:*TalismanBooks and novels* The Talisman , a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott* The Talisman , a novel by Stephen King and Peter Straub...
recorded a version for their 1998 album TruthTruthTruth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
.