Top Ten Songs of the Summer
#5 – Prince – ‘When Doves Cry’ (1984)
The 80s is my favorite musical decade, so it follows that it’s also the decade that produced the best Songs of the Summer. Three of my top five SotS came from that great period.
1984 was a particularly good year. I’ll get to Prince in a second, but the runners-up that year included Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark,’ Billy Idol’s ‘Eyes Without a Face,’ Lionel Richie’s ‘Stuck On You,’ and Duran Duran’s ‘The Reflex.’ Also in the running were the two songs I blogged about yesterday, Tina Turner’s ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’ and John Waite’s ‘Missing You.’
Nobody really stood a chance against Prince and his biggest hit, ‘When Doves Cry.’ This track, the first single from the smash album Purple Rain, stayed at #1 for five weeks on its way to becoming the top-selling single of 1984.
‘When Doves Cry’ was an unlikely hit, with its lack of bass line, classical synth solos, and vocal distortion. But Prince made a career out of churning out unlikely masterpieces, so its fitting that this one earned its place in history.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
[Verse 1]
Dig, if you will, the picture
Of you and I engaged in a kiss
The sweat of your body covers me
Can you, my darling, can you picture this?
[Verse 2]
Dream, if you can, a courtyard
An ocean of violets in bloom
Animals strike curious poses
They feel the heat, the heat between me and you
[Chorus]
How can you just leave me standing
Alone in a world that’s so cold? (So cold)
Maybe I’m just too demanding
Maybe I’m just like my father, too bold
Maybe you’re just like my mother
She’s never satisfied (She’s never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other?
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry
[Verse 3]
Touch, if you will, my stomach (Hmm)
Feel how it trembles inside (Mhm)
You’ve got the butterflies all tied up
Don’t make me chase you, even doves have pride
[Chorus]
How can you just leave me standing
Alone in a world so cold? (World so cold)
Maybe I’m just too demanding
Maybe I’m just like my father, too bold
Maybe you’re just like my mother
She’s never satisfied (She’s never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other?
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry
[Bridge]
Yeah, yeah
Doo-doo, woah-oh
(Yeah, yeah)
[Chorus]
How can you just leave me standing
Alone in a world that’s so cold? (World that’s so cold)
Maybe I’m just too demanding (Maybe, maybe)
Maybe I’m just like my father, too bold (My father, you know he’s cruel)
Maybe you’re just like my mother (Maybe you’re just like my mother)
She’s never satisfied (Never, never satisfied, why scream?)
Why do we scream at each other? (Why?)
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry
[Break]
When doves cry (When doves cry, when doves cry)
When doves cry (When doves cry, they cry)
Oh, no, oh
Oh, no, yeah
Oh, oh, yeah
Oh, oh, yeah
Oh, oh, yeah
When doves cry
When doves cry (Hoo)
When doves cry (Hoo)
Baby, baby, baby, yeah
[Outro]
When doves cry (When doves cry, when doves cry)
Don’t cry
Darling, don’t cry
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t, don’t cry
Meet Me In Montauk 
I can’t say I disagree about the 80s being a favorite decade for music, but what is interesting is that, at the time, critics and people generally, whose formative music years were in the past, derided the decade as lacking the greatness, creativity and importance of the Beatles-led 60s or the singer/songwriter 70s. Indeed, I recall that there was a sense that the 90s, with the Seattle based grunge sound somehow, saved music from the drivel and banality of the 80s.
Perhaps the perception of 80s music changed when the majority of critics, and people like us, had their formative years in that decade – colored by a dose of nostalgia. I know that I now have a tolerance if not an outright fondness for some 80s songs that found insipid at the time.
Anyway, none of the above really applies to Prince, as he was critically praised and adored in the 80s – as well he should have been!
you had me at Dancing in the dark! I do love this song too ❤️