It shouldn't work. Honestly, if a music student brought a demo into a production class today that lacked a bassline, the teacher would probably tell them they forgot a tracks. But in 1984, Prince Rogers Nelson decided to delete the electric bass from what would become his biggest hit. When you play When Doves Cry by Prince, you aren't just listening to a pop song; you are hearing a radical act of sonic subtraction. It was the lead single for Purple Rain, and it stayed at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks. It’s a weird, claustrophobic, and brilliant masterpiece that redefined what a "hit" could sound like.
Most people remember the iconic guitar shredding at the beginning. That frantic, floral flourish is classic Prince—pure virtuosity. But then the LinnLM-1 drum machine kicks in, and the world shifts. It’s cold. It’s dry. By the time that haunting synthesizer melody creeps in, you realize something is missing. There’s a giant, gaping hole where the low end should be. Prince reportedly had a bass part recorded but felt it made the song too conventional. He wanted something that felt more like a raw nerve. He was right.
The Secret Geometry of the Mix
If you’re a musician trying to play When Doves Cry by Prince on guitar or keys, you quickly realize the song is built on a series of contradictions. It’s in the key of A minor, mostly, but it shifts and breathes in a way that feels almost classical. The main keyboard riff is actually a series of layered synthesizers—specifically the Oberheim OB-Xa. It’s that thick, brassy 80s sound, but Prince uses it to play these almost Baroque-style counterpoints.
The drum pattern is the real MVP here. Most pop songs use a standard 4/4 backbeat with a heavy emphasis on the two and the four. Prince programmed the LM-1 to do something much more syncopated. It’s jerky. It’s nervous. When you listen closely, you can hear how the kick drum is doing the heavy lifting that a bass guitar usually would. Because the kick is tuned a certain way, it provides the "thump" that keeps your head nodding, even though there isn't a single bass note in the entire five-minute and fifty-two-second track. It’s a lesson in "less is more" that few artists have had the guts to replicate since.
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Why the Vocals Feel Like a Conversation
Prince didn't just sing; he acted. On this track, he’s playing multiple characters. You have the deep, almost spoken-word delivery of the verses, and then that soaring, multi-tracked harmony in the chorus. He recorded most of this himself at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles. He was a notorious workaholic. He’d stay up for 24 hours straight, engineering his own sessions, punching in his own vocals.
The lyrics are famously semi-autobiographical. When he mentions a father who is "too bold" and a mother who is "never satisfied," he’s leaning into the mythology of the Purple Rain film, but he’s also tapping into his real-life friction with his parents, John L. Nelson and Mattie Della Shaw. It’s heavy stuff for a dance floor. People were crying and dancing at the same time in 1984, and honestly, they still are.
The Gear Behind the Magic
To truly understand how to play When Doves Cry by Prince, you have to look at his rig. He wasn't using the most expensive stuff in the world; he was just using it better than anyone else.
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- The Guitar: His Hohner Madcat telecaster-style guitar. It had a unique brightness that cut through those thick synth pads.
- The Pedals: He loved Boss pedals. The "shimmer" and the "grit" came from standard stompboxes like the DS-1 Distortion and the BF-2 Flanger.
- The Synth: The OB-Xa gave it that "royal" Purple Army sound.
The solo at the end is a chaotic mess of pentatonic runs and chromatic screams. It’s not "clean" playing. It’s emotional playing. If you try to cover this song and you play it too perfectly, you’ve failed. It needs to feel like it’s about to fall apart.
How to Master the "Prince Feel" in Your Own Playing
Whether you are a bedroom producer or a gigging guitarist, there are specific takeaways from this track that can change how you approach music. First, stop over-arranging. We have a tendency to fill every frequency. We want big sub-bass, sparkly highs, and a million vocal layers. Prince showed us that if the melody and the rhythm are strong enough, you can remove the "foundation" (the bass) and the house will still stand.
Secondly, focus on the "pocket." The "pocket" in this song isn't a steady groove; it’s a push-and-pull. The synthesizers are slightly behind the beat, while the guitar flourishes are often slightly ahead. This creates tension. That tension is exactly what makes the listener feel the "screams" of the doves.
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Actionable Steps for Musicians and Fans
- Strip the Bass: If you’re producing a track, try muting the bass during the most emotional section. Does it make the vocals stand out more? Often, the answer is yes.
- Study the LinnLM-1: Even if you don't have the hardware, use a VST that emulates the LM-1. Pay attention to how Prince tuned the "congas" and "claps" to fill the melodic space.
- Analyze the Harmonies: Prince’s vocal stacks are usually in thirds and fifths, but he often adds a low octave for "weight." Try layering your own vocals with a pitch-shifted version of yourself to get that eerie, "androgynous" tone he was famous for.
- Learn the Ending Solo: It’s a masterclass in using a flanger pedal. Don't just play the notes; play the feedback.
The impact of this song cannot be overstated. It was the top-selling single of 1984. It beat out "Like a Virgin" and "What's Love Got to Do with It." It proved that the public was ready for something challenging and avant-garde, provided it had a hook you could whistle.
When you sit down to play When Doves Cry by Prince, remember that you are participating in a piece of history that broke all the rules of the recording studio. It’s a song about a broken home, a broken heart, and a musical landscape that Prince was about to rule for the rest of the decade. Turn the bass down, turn the emotion up, and just listen to what happens when you let the doves scream.
To truly capture the essence of the track in a live setting, focus on the dynamics of the final two minutes. The song doesn't fade out traditionally; it devolves into a keyboard and guitar duel that feels like a physical manifestation of the lyrics' internal conflict. If you're a keyboardist, work on the "filter sweep" of your synth to get that evolving, nasal tone. If you're a singer, don't worry about hitting the high notes perfectly—worry about the grit in your throat. Prince was a perfectionist, but his best work always sounded human.
Next time you hear that opening drum crack, don't just let it be background noise. Analyze the space between the notes. That's where the genius lives.