On This Day in 1984, Prince Started a Five-Week Run at No. 1 with One of His Most Iconic Songs

On this day (July 7) in 1984, Prince scored his first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “When Doves Cry.” The song would hold its spot atop the all-genre survey for five consecutive weeks. It also introduced the world to the musical icon’s first album to top the Billboard 200 chart. More than four decades later, “When Doves Cry” remains one of his signature songs.

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Prince wrote “When Doves Cry” and released it on May 16, 1984, as the lead single from Purple Rain. Just days after the album, which served as a soundtrack to the film of the same name, hit record store shelves, the single became the artist’s first to top the Hot 100. However, it wasn’t his first taste of chart success.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1984, Prince Released the Hit Album That Would Impact the Music Industry for Decades to Come]

Before “When Doves Cry” topped the Hot 100, Prince had notched a handful of top 40 hits. A few of those landed within the top 10. Additionally, his 1979 single “I Wanna Be Your Lover” topped the Billboard R&B chart. Likewise, he had seen some success on the Billboard 200 chart. Three of his first five albums were top 40 hits. His 1982 full-length, 1999, was his first to crack the top 10, peaking at No. 7. His next album, Purple Rain, would kick off a string of hit albums.

Prince Made a Daring Decision While Recording “When Doves Cry”

Prince didn’t employ his band for the Purple Rain recording sessions. Instead, he used a drum machine for percussion and played all of the other instruments on the songs, including “When Doves Cry.” However, that wasn’t the only interesting choice he made while recording the song.

“When Doves Cry” has no bass. According to Songfacts, Prince originally recorded a bassline for the song. Then, after hearing the rough mix, he chose to remove the bass, giving the song its unique feel.

“Prince took the bass out and he said, ‘There’s nobody that’s going to have the guts to do this.; And he was smiling from ear to ear. He felt this was the best, and he knew he had a hit song,” recalled Peggy McCreary, who served as engineer on the song. “He decided to do something really daring. That’s what Prince was all about.”

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