# Computer Blue > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Computer_Blue > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Computer_Blue.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Blue > Source revision: 1350006969 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1984 song by Prince and the Revolution "Computer Blue" Song by Prince and the Revolution from the album Purple Rain Released June 25, 1984 Recorded August 8, 1983 The Warehouse, Minneapolis[1] Sunset Sound, Los Angeles[1] Genre Synth-funk[2] Length 3:59 12:18 ("Hallway Speech" version) Label Warner Bros. Songwriters Prince, John L. Nelson, Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Matthew Robert Fink Producers Prince and The Revolution "**Computer Blue**" is a song by [Prince](/source/Prince_(musician)) and [The Revolution](/source/The_Revolution_(band)). Released on June 25, 1984,[1] it is the fourth track on Prince's sixth album, *[Purple Rain](/source/Purple_Rain_(album))*, which also served as the soundtrack to [the film of the same name](/source/Purple_Rain_(film)). In the film, the song represents Prince's character's angst at the budding relationship between the characters played by [Morris Day](/source/Morris_Day) and [Apollonia](/source/Apollonia_Kotero), the latter of whom he desires, and he performs it in front of the two during The Revolution's set at a nightclub with the aim of upsetting them. The song was composed by Prince with credit to his father, [John L. Nelson](/source/John_L._Nelson), for the guitar solo based on a piano instrumental written by Nelson and Prince. He titled the instrumental piece "Father's Song" and recorded it on piano for the film, though onscreen it was portrayed as being played by Prince's character's father, played by [Clarence Williams III](/source/Clarence_Williams_III). On the box-set *Purple Rain Deluxe* (2017), a different and longer recording of "Father's Song" was included. "Computer Blue" was originally recorded at The Warehouse in [Minneapolis](/source/Minneapolis) with The Revolution a day after "[Let's Go Crazy](/source/Let's_Go_Crazy)", and was later overdubbed at [Sunset Sound](/source/Sunset_Sound) in [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles) in August 1983. Prince, along with [Wendy & Lisa](/source/Wendy_%26_Lisa) and sound engineer Susan Rogers, set about doing further work on what would later end up being placed on the album *Purple Rain*, albeit in a very heavily edited form. The song begins with spoken lyrics by Wendy & Lisa which suggest a [dominatrix](/source/Dominatrix)-type relationship.[3] The song then explodes into an [experimental rock](/source/Experimental_rock) number with screaming, heavy synths, distorted guitars, and lyrics about the relationship between humans and computers. The released version has only one verse; the version that debuted at the [First Avenue](/source/First_Avenue_(nightclub)) nightclub had a second verse, as did the song when it was originally recorded, and this original recording (later released as the "Hallway Speech" version) lasts for over 12 minutes. ## Outtake Originally conceived as a 14-minute opus, "Computer Blue" would later be edited down several times for inclusion on *[Purple Rain](/source/Purple_Rain_(album))*. The song was edited from a fully-mastered 7:30 down to its current length when "[Take Me with U](/source/Take_Me_with_U)" was added to the album at the last minute. The full-length version of the song contains extended instrumental solos and additional lyrics. Also present is a repeated synthesizer segment with a sing-a-long chant, which was often played in live versions of the song. The synth part, without the vocals, made it into the film *[Purple Rain](/source/Purple_Rain_(film))* during a scene in which the Revolution rehearses while waiting for Prince to arrive. The track ends with three full minutes of screeching feedback. A shorter version, 12 minutes in length, was the one edited down to the album's version, and the feedback from this version forms the segue into "[Darling Nikki](/source/Darling_Nikki)" on *Purple Rain* itself. Widely regarded by hardcore Prince fans as a masterpiece, the original unedited recording features the infamous "Hallway Speech" (as termed by fans) about emotions likened to different rooms. During the *Purple Rain* performance, at the end of the song before "Darling Nikki" begins, the "Righteous 1" speech spoken by Wendy & Lisa cut from the final version of the track is played. A 12:18 edit of the "Hallway Speech" version was officially released on the 2017 deluxe re-release of *Purple Rain*. ### "Father's Song" The track's middle section stems from a piano piece written by Prince's father, [John L. Nelson](/source/John_L._Nelson). The piece, named "Father's Song", was later recorded by Prince after "Computer Blue" in October of 1983. This first version was filled with piano and synthesizers with drums, but after overdubs were completed, it was dropped and replaced by a solo piano version in February of 1984 for use in the movie. The synthesizer version of "Father's Song" would later appear on the 2017 deluxe re-release of *Purple Rain*, while the solo piano version has seen no release outside of the film. ## Personnel Credits are adapted from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc, Guitarcloud, the Prince Vault[1] and the album's liner notes.[4][5][6][7] - [Prince](/source/Prince_(musician)) – lead and backing vocals, electric lead guitar, [Yamaha CP-80 electric grand piano](/source/Yamaha_CP-70), synthesizers, [Linn LM-1](/source/Linn_LM-1) - [Wendy Melvoin](/source/Wendy_Melvoin) – electric rhythm guitar, spoken intro, backing vocals - [Lisa Coleman](/source/Lisa_Coleman_(musician)) – [Oberheim OB-SX](/source/Oberheim_OB-SX), spoken intro, backing vocals - [Dr. Matt Fink](/source/Doctor_Fink) – [Oberheim OB-Xa](/source/Oberheim_OB-Xa), backing vocals - [Brown Mark](/source/Brownmark) – bass guitar, backing vocals - [Bobby Z.](/source/Bobby_Z.) – [Simmons SDSV](/source/Simmons_SDSV), Linn LM-1, Pearl SY-1 Syncussion, cymbals ## References in other media In a "[Charlie Murphy](/source/Charlie_Murphy_(actor))'s True Hollywood Stories" sketch on *[Chappelle's Show](/source/Chappelle's_Show)*, "Computer Blue" is referenced as the name of a play drawn up by Prince ([Dave Chappelle](/source/Dave_Chappelle)) while playing Murphy in basketball. ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Computerblue_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Computerblue_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Computerblue_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Computerblue_1-3) Prince and The Revolution (December 25, 2018). ["Computer Blue"](https://web.archive.org/web/20201203160848/https://www.princevault.com/index.php?title=Computer_Blue). Prince Vault. Archived from [the original](https://www.princevault.com/index.php?title=Computer_Blue) on December 3, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Partridge, Kenneth (June 24, 2014). ["Prince's 'Purple Rain' at 30: Classic Track-by-Track Album Review"](https://www.billboard.com/articles/review/6128806/prince-purple-rain-at-30-classic-track-by-track-album-review). *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*. Retrieved October 30, 2015. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [12seconds.tv Wendy & Lisa Page](http://12seconds.tv/v/VIJX0) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110721120010/http://12seconds.tv/v/VIJX0) July 21, 2011, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Prince and The Revolution. "Purple Rain" (Album Notes). Warner Bros. Records. 1984. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Tudahl, Duane (2018). *Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984* (Expanded ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781538116432](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781538116432). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Clerc, Benoît (October 2022). *Prince: All the Songs*. Octopus. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781784728816](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781784728816). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Purple Rain"](http://guitarcloud.org/era/purple-rain). *guitarcloud.org*. Retrieved 2023-05-02. v t e Prince and the Revolution · Music from the Motion Picture Purple Rain Side one "Let's Go Crazy" "Take Me with U" "The Beautiful Ones" "Computer Blue" "Darling Nikki" Side two "When Doves Cry" "I Would Die 4 U" "Baby I'm a Star" "Purple Rain" B-sides "17 Days" "Erotic City" Related articles Purple Rain (film) Purple Rain Tour Prince and the Revolution: Live Purplish Rain Prince albums discography Related artists The Time Ice Cream Castle "Jungle Love" "The Bird" Apollonia 6 Apollonia 6 (album) "Sex Shooter" Dez Dickerson v t e Prince singles 1970s "Soft and Wet" "Just as Long as We're Together" "I Wanna Be Your Lover" 1980s "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" "Still Waiting" "Sexy Dancer" "Uptown" "Head" "Dirty Mind" "Do It All Night" "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)" "Controversy" "Let's Work" "Do Me, Baby" "1999" "Little Red Corvette" "Delirious" "Let's Pretend We're Married" "When Doves Cry" "Let's Go Crazy" "Purple Rain" "I Would Die 4 U" "Take Me with U" "Paisley Park" "Raspberry Beret" "Pop Life" "America" "Kiss" "Mountains" "Anotherloverholenyohead" "Girls & Boys" "Sign "O" the Times" "If I Was Your Girlfriend" "U Got the Look" "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" "Alphabet St." "Glam Slam" "I Wish U Heaven" "Batdance" "Partyman" "The Arms of Orion" "Scandalous!" 1990s "The Future" "Thieves in the Temple" "New Power Generation" "Gett Off" "Cream" "Diamonds and Pearls" "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" "Insatiable" "Thunder" "Sexy MF" "My Name Is Prince" "7" "Damn U" "The Morning Papers" "Pink Cashmere" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Peach" "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" "Letitgo" "Space" "Pussy Control" "Purple Medley" " Hate U" "Gold" "Dinner with Delores" "Betcha by Golly Wow!" "The Holy River" "The Truth" "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" 2000s "U Make My Sun Shine" (with Angie Stone) "When Will We B Paid?" (with Audio Stepchild) "Supercute" "The Work, pt. 1" "Days of Wild" "Controversy (Live in Hawaii)" "Musicology" "Cinnamon Girl" "S.S.T." "Te Amo Corazón" "Black Sweat" "Fury" "Guitar" "F.U.N.K." "Dance 4 Me" 2010s "Rocknroll Loveaffair" "Breakfast Can Wait" "Fallinlove2nite" "Breakdown" "This Could B Us" "Free Urself" Promotional singles "When You Were Mine" "Erotic City" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Love Sign" (with Nona Gaye) "Somebody's Somebody" "It's About That Walk" "Call My Name" "The Song of the Heart" Internet downloads "Guitar (original "demo" version)" New Power Generation "Get Wild" "The War" "Come On" EPs The Beautiful Experience NYC 1999: The New Master Other songs "I Feel for You" "Partyup" "Private Joy" "International Lover" "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" "The Beautiful Ones" "Computer Blue" "Darling Nikki" "Baby I'm a Star" "17 Days" "Around the World in a Day" "Sometimes It Snows in April" "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" "Starfish and Coffee" "Adore" " No" "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" " Can't Make U Love Me" "La, La, La Means Love U" "One of Us" "Everyday Is a Winding Road" "A Case of U" "Crimson and Clover" "Moonbeam Levels" Authority control databases MusicBrainz work --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Computer Blue](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Blue) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Blue?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.