''Girl 6'' is the

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...

to the

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

film of the same name. All songs were written by

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 ...

. It was released on March 19, 1996, by

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

. The album consists of mostly previously released songs from Prince and related artists such as the Family,

Vanity 6 Vanity 6 was an American female vocal trio that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They were protégées of musician Prince. Led by singer Vanity, they are known for their song " Nasty Girl". Vanity left in 1983 and the band was reformed as ...

, and

the New Power Generation The New Power Generation, also known as the NPG, was the backing band of musician Prince from 1990 to 2013. They were replaced by 3rdeyegirl as his backing band in 2013. In 2015, the New Power Generation reunited as Prince's backing band for ...

. The three previously unreleased tracks are "She Spoke 2 Me" (recorded in 1991–1992), " Don't Talk 2 Strangers" (recorded in 1992, during sessions for the proposed '' I'll Do Anything'' soundtrack) and "Girl 6", which was newly recorded for the soundtrack. The title track was released as a single, backed with " Nasty Girl" by Vanity 6.

Song descriptions

Previously unreleased tracks

"She Spoke 2 Me" is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

y song, recorded with the NPG in 1991–1992, possibly for the ''

Love Symbol ''Love Symbol'' is the fourteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the second of the two that featured his backing band the New Power Generation. It was released on October 13, 1992, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. ...

'' album. The song is delivered in

falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...

vocals and features The NPG

horn section A horn section is a group of musicians playing horns. In an orchestra or concert band, it refers to the musicians who play the "French" horn, and in a British-style brass band it is the tenor horn players. In many popular music genres, the term ...

. An extended version of the song was later released on 1999's '' The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale'' that extends the song with several minutes of jazzy instrumentation. "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" was recorded in 1992 for the proposed '' I'll Do Anything'' soundtrack. Prince was commissioned to write the soundtrack for the film (a musical comedy at that time) and the film's actors were to sing his songs. In an early screening, the film was heavily panned. As a result, the film was re-done as a non-musical and Prince's music was pulled. The track is a gentle song, originally set for a mother to be sung to her daughter. The ballad features little more than piano, and was delivered in falsetto. "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" was later covered by

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...

on her 1998 Prince collaboration '' Come 2 My House''. The newly written "Girl 6" is a poppy song with elements of

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

such as scratching and sampling (bits from the film, as well as Prince hits). The lyrics describe the film's lead character and were delivered by Prince with

Nona Gaye Nona Aisha Gaye (born September 4, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, former fashion model, and retired actress. The daughter of singer Marvin Gaye and maternal granddaughter of jazz musician Slim Gaillard, Gaye began her career as a vocali ...

. The song was credited to The New Power Generation, with music by

Tommy Barbarella Tommy Barbarella (born Thomas Elm) is an American keyboardist. He was a member of The New Power Generation, Prince (musician), Prince's recording and stage band, from 1991 to 1996. Career Barbarella also played on Miley Cyrus's album ''Breakou ...

and lyrics by Prince.

Other tracks

"Pink Cashmere" was a single from ''

The Hits/The B-Sides ''The Hits/The B-Sides'' is a box set by American recording artist Prince. It was released on September 10, 1993, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album is a comprehensive three- disc set consisting of many of his hit sin ...

'' in 1993. " Erotic City" was a '' Purple Rain''-era

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

from 1984, also released on ''The Hits/The B-Sides''. "Hot Thing", " Adore", and "The Cross" were all lifted from 1987's '' Sign o' the Times''. " How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" was a B-side from 1982 and was also collected on ''The Hits/The B-Sides''. " Girls & Boys" came from ''Parade,'' the

for the film ''Under the Cherry Moon''.

Track listing

All songs written and performed by

. Track 13, music written by

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1996 soundtrack albums Albums produced by Prince (musician) Comedy-drama film soundtracks Prince (musician) soundtracks Warner Records soundtracks