✦ I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man - Maxi Single: Dec.1987

GlamSlamEscape
Dec 19, 1987
2 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

A late‑era Sign O’ The Times single powered by Shep Pettibone’s club‑ready Hot Thing remixes

— SUMMARY

I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man” was released on December 19, 1987 as the fourth and final commercial single from Sign O’ The Times (with “Hot Thing” also issued as a promo‑only single). Arriving seven months after the album, the single received a worldwide release and became one of the era’s most recognisable tracks.

Although the release did not include a non‑album B‑side, it featured two remixes of “Hot Thing,” marking the first time Prince allowed an outside producer — Shep Pettibone, with edits by Junior Vasquez — to remix a single for commercial release. This was a notable shift, signalling Prince’s growing openness to the club‑mix culture of the late 1980s.

The single performed strongly in the United States, reaching No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was later reissued in 2020 as part of the Sign O’ The Times Singles Collection.

— HIGHLIGHTS