You know the vibe. That sharp, synthesized drum crack starts, a bassline thick enough to chew on kicks in, and then you hear it. "What time is it?" It’s a question that has only one correct answer if you grew up anywhere near a radio in the 80s.
Honestly, Morris Day and The Time hits aren't just old-school funk tracks. They are blueprints for swagger. While everyone was busy debating if Prince was the greatest musician of all time, Morris Day was busy being the guy who actually made people move without needing a philosophical reason to do so. He was the "cool" to Prince’s "complex."
But there is a weird tension in the history of this band. Most people think of them as Prince’s side project, a group of guys he threw together to act as his rivals in Purple Rain. That’s partly true. Prince did assemble them. He played most of the instruments on the early records. He even wrote a huge chunk of the material. But if you think The Time was just a puppet show, you’ve never seen them live. You’ve never felt the sheer, unadulterated power of a band that was so good it allegedly made Prince nervous enough to kick them off tours.
The Anatomy of the Minneapolis Sound
To understand why these songs still work, you have to look at the gear. We’re talking about the Linn LM-1 drum machine. It gave tracks like "777-9311" that stiff, almost robotic funk that feels like a heartbeat from the future.
That specific track? It’s legendary. The drum programming on "777-9311" is so complex that most human drummers spent decades trying to figure out how to play it live. It’s got these sixteenth-note hi-hat patterns that shouldn't work in a dance song, but they do. It’s frantic and laid back all at once.
Then you have the synths. The Minneapolis sound replaced the traditional horn sections of James Brown or Earth, Wind & Fire with Oberheim synthesizers. It made the music colder, sharper, and much more modern. It was "digital funk."
The Biggest Hits That Defined an Era
If you’re making a playlist, you basically have to start with the "Big Three." These are the songs that define the legacy:
✨ Don't miss: Cuba Gooding Jr OJ: Why the Performance Everyone Hated Was Actually Genius
- Jungle Love: Released in 1984, this is the one everyone knows. It’s the anthem of Purple Rain. The "O-O-E-O-E-O" chant is basically a Pavlovian trigger for Gen X to start dancing. It reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100, which is impressive, but its cultural footprint is way bigger than that chart position suggests.
- The Bird: If "Jungle Love" is the anthem, "The Bird" is the workout. It’s a seven-minute masterclass in call-and-response. When Morris tells the crowd to flap their wings, they do it. It’s ridiculous, it’s campy, and it’s incredibly funky.
- Jerk Out: This came much later, in 1990, during the Pandemonium reunion. It actually became their highest-charting single, hitting #9 on the Hot 100. It proved that the chemistry between Day and his "valet" Jerome Benton wasn't just a 1984 fluke.
The Secret Weapon: The Band Behind the Frontman
Here is what most people get wrong. They think The Time was just Morris and a mirror.
In reality, the lineup was a literal "Who’s Who" of future music moguls. You had Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on keyboards and bass. Before they became the architects of Janet Jackson’s career and won a dozen Grammys, they were just two guys in zoot suits taking orders from Morris (and Prince).
Prince actually fired them from The Time because they got stranded in an Atlanta blizzard while producing for another artist (S.O.S. Band) and missed a show. He was a perfectionist and a control freak, and he didn't want his "employees" having side hustles.
Then you have Jesse Johnson. The man is a guitar god. His solos on tracks like "Get It Up" are searing. He brought a rock edge to the funk that kept it from feeling too "pop." When the original seven members reunited as The Original 7ven in 2011, it was Jesse’s guitar work that reminded everyone why this band was a threat to Prince’s throne back in the day.
Why "Cool" is the Most Important Track
If you want to understand the DNA of Morris Day and The Time hits, go back to 1981’s "Cool." It’s over seven minutes long. It’s arrogant. It’s about being better than everyone else because you have better clothes and a better car.
"I got a penthouse in Manhattan / Two-thousand-dollar shoes."
🔗 Read more: Greatest Rock and Roll Singers of All Time: Why the Legends Still Own the Mic
Morris Day wasn't trying to save the world. He wasn't singing about "When Doves Cry" or "Purple Rain." He was singing about being the flyest guy in the room. In a decade defined by excess and Reagan-era materialism, The Time was the perfect musical avatar. They were the guys you wanted to be at the club.
The Friction with Prince
It wasn't all dance steps and mirrors. The relationship between Prince and Morris Day was... complicated.
Prince was the architect. He played the drums, the bass, and the keys on the first two albums (The Time and What Time Is It?). Morris would come in and lay down the vocals, often imitating Prince’s guide tracks almost note-for-note.
But as the band started playing live, they developed their own identity. They were tight. They were funny. They had a stage presence that was arguably more accessible than Prince’s enigmatic, high-concept shows.
During the 1999 tour, The Time was the opening act. Rumor has it they were blowing Prince off the stage so consistently that he started messing with their sound mix or shortening their sets. It was a sibling rivalry played out in front of 20,000 people every night.
By the time Purple Rain was being filmed, the tension was at a breaking point. Morris Day’s performance in the movie is iconic—he basically steals every scene he's in—but the band broke up shortly after the movie's release.
💡 You might also like: Ted Nugent State of Shock: Why This 1979 Album Divides Fans Today
The Solo Years and the Legacy of "Fishnet"
After the split, Morris Day didn't just disappear. He went solo and dropped "Fishnet" in 1987.
Produced by his old bandmates Jam and Lewis, "Fishnet" hit #1 on the R&B charts. It’s a heavy, New Jack Swing-adjacent track that felt entirely different from the Minneapolis sound of the early 80s. It proved that Morris wasn't just a Prince creation; he had the charisma to lead a hit record on his own terms.
Still, the magic always seems to come back to the group. Whether it’s their appearance in the movie Graffiti Bridge or their legendary performance at the 2008 Grammys with Rihanna, the world keeps coming back to those original grooves.
How to Experience The Time Today
If you’re looking to get into the catalog, don't just stick to the radio edits. The "hits" are great, but the extended versions are where the real funk lives.
- Listen to the "Extended Version" of 777-9311. The bridge is a masterclass in rhythm.
- Watch the "Jungle Love" performance from Purple Rain. Notice the choreography between Morris and Jerome. It’s not just dancing; it’s comedy. It’s "the mirror."
- Check out Jesse Johnson’s solo work. If you like the guitar work in The Time, his album Shockadelica is essential listening.
The reality of Morris Day and The Time hits is that they are timeless because they don't take themselves too seriously. In a world of "important" music, sometimes you just need a guy in a gold suit to ask you what time it is.
Next Steps for Your Playlist:
To truly capture the vibe, look for the 12-inch remixes of "The Bird" and "Cool." These versions feature extended instrumental breaks that showcase the interplay between the drum machines and the live basslines. If you're a musician, try to deconstruct the drum pattern of "777-9311"—it remains one of the most studied pieces of percussion in R&B history. Finally, if you haven't seen the 2022 album Last Call, give it a spin; it serves as a modern bookend to a career built on pure, unadulterated swagger.