Sign o' the Times (1987)

Sign o' the Times (stylized as Sign "☮︎" the Times) is the ninth studio album by the American singer and songwriter Prince. It was released on March 31, 1987, as a double album by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album is the follow-up to Parade and is Prince's first solo album following his disbanding of the Revolution. The album's songs were largely recorded from 1986 to 1987 in sessions for releases Prince ultimately aborted: Dream Factory, the pseudonymous Camille, and finally the triple album Crystal Ball. Prince eventually compromised with label executives and shortened the length of the release to a double album.

Sign o' the Times is a drastic departure from Prince's previous works, taking inspiration from social issues and spirituality. An R&B album, the album takes influence from avant-pop and hip hop, which was emerging in mainstream music. Many of the drum sounds on the album came from the Linn LM-1 drum machine, and Prince used the Fairlight CMI synthesizer to replace other instruments. Four songs contain higher-pitched vocals to represent Prince's alter ego "Camille". The album's music touches on funk, soul, psychedelic pop, electro, and rock.

Despite being Prince's fifth album in five years, Sign o' the Times reached the top 10 of the Billboard 200 and spawned three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: the title track and lead single "Sign o' the Times", "U Got the Look" and "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man". Besides these three, "If I Was Your Girlfriend" was also released as a single. A concert film of the same name was released to promote the album. The album was a huge critical success and is certified platinum in the US. Following Prince's death in 2016, it re-entered the Billboard 200 at number 20.

Sign o' the Times is one of the most critically acclaimed albums in popular music, widely being regarded as Prince's best album, ahead of Purple Rain (1984). It was voted the best album of 1987 in the Pazz & Jop critics poll and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 30th Grammy Awards. Often regarded as a masterpiece, some critics have praised Sign o' the Times as the best album of the 1980s. It is a frequent inclusion in lists of the greatest albums of all time and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2017.

Background

Prince's sixth studio album, Purple Rain (1984), dominated American pop culture for nearly the entirety of 1984. Prince and the Revolution followed it with the psychedelic album Around The World In A Day (1985) and Parade the following year; the former topped the Billboard 200 whilst the latter was critically well received. However, Prince's record company and most of his newer fans gained from the success of Purple Rain wanted a second Purple Rain. Further issues were that much of his black audience thought he was becoming "too white" and sections of the public were uncomfortable with his prurience and sexual ambiguity.