"Sex Shooter" is the debut single by

Apollonia 6 Apollonia 6 was an American female singing trio founded in 1983 by Prince, as a successor to his previous group Vanity 6 following the departure of lead singer Vanity. Singers Brenda Bennett and Susan Moonsie continued from the earlier group, wh ...

, released as a single in 1984. It appears on the group's only album. The song reached the top 20 of the US R&B Chart and was written and produced 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 ...

. A version performed by Prince appears on the 2019 posthumous demo album '' Originals''. The song was performed by Apollonia 6 in the 1984 film '' Purple Rain''. It reached No. 19 on the US R&B Chart and No. 32 on the US Dance Chart and has since become a favorite of Prince protégé' fans, while also being received more positively by a wider audience in retrospect. ''Billboard'' magazine ranked the song at No. 93 on their list of the 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time. To promote the song, a music video was made which features the girls rehearsing the song in a dance studio and group members Apollonia and

Brenda Bennett Brenda Bennett (born January 24, 1962) is a recording artist from Warwick, Rhode Island and is best known as a member of the American musical groups Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6. Bennett was married to Prince's lighting and set-designer/director ...

liking the same guy who joined them at rehearsal. The group also performed the song on music programs like ''

TopPop ''TopPop'' was a Dutch television programme. It was the first regular dedicated pop music television series in the Dutch language area. The Netherlands broadcaster AVRO aired the programme weekly from 22 September 1970 to 27 June 1988. Presenter ...

''. The full music video is available on the 20th anniversary DVD and Blu-ray editions of ''Purple Rain''.

Personnel

Credits sourced from Duane Tudahl * Apollonia – lead vocals *

– backing vocals * Susan Moonsie – backing vocals (credited, but unsure of actual participation) *

–

Oberheim OB-8 The Oberheim OB-8 is a subtractive analog synthesizer launched by Oberheim in early 1983 and discontinued in 1985. As the fourth product in the OB-series of polyphonic compact synthesizers, the OB-8 was the successor to the OB-Xa. About 3,000 ...

Linn LM-1 The Linn LM-1 Drum Computer is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics and released in 1980. It was the first drum machine to use samples of acoustic drums, and one of the first programmable drum machines. Its designer, the American en ...

, cymbal

Charts

Other versions

*Firefox released a more

electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

version in 2007 which was signed to Ministry of Sound UK via 3Beat Records UK. *T.H.E.M. Thee Human Ego Maniacs released an electroclash version as a single in 2003 off their album Bang. It was a club hit. * Cahill featuring Nikki Belle released an

electro house Electro house is a genre of electronic dance music and a subgenre of house music characterized by heavy bass and a tempo around 125–135 beats per minute. The term has been used to describe the music of many ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJs, including ...

version of "Sex Shooter" in January 2009 via 3Beat REcords UK featuring sounds and production elements copied from the Firefox version they had signed 2 years earlier. * Shannon also released a version of the song in 198?. * American dance-pop singer

Erika Jayne Erika Girardi (née Chahoy; born July 10, 1971), known professionally as Erika Jayne, is an American singer, television personality and actress. Early life Erika Girardi was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 10, 1971, to single mother Renee Cha ...

has also recorded a version of the song for her debut album '' Pretty Mess''. *Indie band

Of Montreal of Montreal is an American indie pop band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontperson Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance between Barnes and a woman "of Montreal". The band is identified as part of the Elephant 6 collec ...

has performed a cover of the song during multiple live performances. One of which frontman Kevin Barnes performed the song as a duet with

Kid Sister Melissa Lauren Young (born July 3, 1980), known professionally as Kid Sister, is an American rapper and singer based in Chicago. She is known for her single " Pro Nails", which features Kanye West, and for her covert work as a member of the Bri ...

. * In 2019, the demo version by

was released on his posthumous album '' Originals''.

References

{{Authority control 1984 songs 1984 debut singles 2009 singles Apollonia 6 songs Songs written by Prince (musician) Song recordings produced by Prince (musician) Warner Records singles