"Darling Nikki" is a song produced, arranged, composed, and performed by American musician
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
, originally released on his sixth studio album ''
Purple Rain'' (1984). Though the song was not released as a
single, it gained wide notoriety after
Tipper Gore pointed out its sexual lyricsin particular an explicit reference to female
masturbation
Masturbation is a form of autoeroticism in which a person Sexual stimulation, sexually stimulates their own Sex organ, genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. Stimulation may involve the use of han ...
and was partly responsible for the creation of the infamous
Parental Advisory sticker. The song tells the story of a "sex fiend" named Nikki who seduces the singer.
In the film ''
Purple Rain'', for which the album serves as the soundtrack, the song is directed toward
Apollonia Kotero's character when she decides to work with Prince's character's rival (played by
Morris Day). Compared with the slick production of the other songs on the album, "Darling Nikki" was deliberately engineered to have a raw and live feel. Near the end of the song, the music stops into the sound of rain and wind. There is singing, but it is
played in reverse. Played forward, the vocals are Prince singing:
During the
Purple Rain Tour performances of "Darling Nikki", the recording at the end was played forward. This can be heard in the 1985 live video ''
Prince and the Revolution: Live''.
Parental Advisory sticker
American social issues advocate
Tipper Gore reportedly co-founded the
Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) in 1985 because she witnessed her daughter
Karenna, who was 11 years old at the time, listening to "Darling Nikki". As examples of what they meant, PMRC published a list of
15 popular "filthy" songs, with "Darling Nikki" first. The PMRC would later become known for leading to the use of the well-known
Parental Advisory sticker on album covers.
Personnel
Credits sourced from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc, and Guitarcloud
*
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
– lead and backing vocals,
Oberheim OB-8,
Oberheim OB-Xa, electric guitars, bass guitar, drums,
Linn LM-1,
Simmons SDS-V
Charts
Cover versions
* In 1995,
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band
Whale
Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully Aquatic animal, aquatic placental mammal, placental marine mammals. As an informal and Colloquialism, colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea ...
issued "Darling Nikki" as one of the B-sides to their single "Pay For Me".
* In 2003, alternative rock band
Foo Fighters
The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...
recorded a cover of the song, which they included as a
B-side on their single "
Have It All". Though their version of "Darling Nikki" was never officially released as a single, it found success at American
modern rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
...
radio, peaking at No. 15 on the
Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. This version was later released on the vinyl-only compilation album ''
Medium Rare''. They also performed this song on the
MTV Video Music Awards with
Cee Lo Green guesting on vocals.
References
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1984 songs
American hard rock songs
Prince (musician) songs
Songs written by Prince (musician)
Foo Fighters songs
Female masturbation
Song recordings produced by Prince (musician)
Obscenity controversies in music
Apocalyptic music