The song is sung as a duet with Apollonia Kotero, and was originally intended to be performed by Vanity but shortly before filming began on the movie Purple Rain, Vanity famously chose to quit participation in the film altogether when she was offered what appeared to be a lucrative contract with Motown Records exec Berry Gordy and began filming The Last Dragon (An early demo of the song exists with her vocals and has circulated on bootleg recordings by collectors.) and ceased her romantic relationship with Prince. The song was then intended for the Apollonia 6 album to coincide with the film, but was pulled for the Purple Rain soundtrack. As a result of this addition, Prince made cuts to the suite-like original "Computer Blue", which circulates among collectors in an extended version (a portion of this second section of "Computer Blue" can be heard in the film Purple Rain as Prince walks in on the men of The Revolution rehearsing). The original version of the song was about a minute longer.
Reception
Cash Box said that the song has "some beautiful melodies and some well-placed string sections which are proof of Prince’s varied talents."[3]
Chart performance
The single was released with an edit of album track "Baby I'm a Star" as its B-side. In the US, it peaked at number 40 on the Hot Black Singles chart and number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 the weeks of March 23 and 30, 1985.[4][5][6] In the UK, the song was issued as a double A-side single, coupled with "Let's Go Crazy", reaching number 7 in March 1985.[7]
Track listing
7": Paisley Park / 7-29079 (US)
"Take Me with U" (edit) – 3:42
"Baby I'm a Star" (edit) – 2:55
Personnel
Credits sourced from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc, Guitarcloud, Michael Aubrecht, and the album's liner notes[8][9][10][11][12]
^Breihan, Tom (November 15, 2022). "Prince - "When Doves Cry". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. p. 165.
^"Reviews"(PDF). Cash Box. February 9, 1985. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
^Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 471.
