I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man Single UK (1987)

Released as a 7-inch vinyl single in the UK on November 23, 1987, on Paisley Park Records (catalogue: W8288 / 928 288-7), Prince’s “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” was the fourth and final single from Sign O’ The Times. The A-side was faded to 3:39 (full album version 6:31), backed with “Hot Thing” (edit 3:40). Written, produced, arranged and performed entirely by Prince, peaking at No. 29 on the Official BBC Singles Chart for 6 weeks.

A 12" maxi-single version was also issued in a vinyl picture sleeve, picture disc, and cassette. These typically came out one to two weeks following the 7" version.

Single Overview

Release Details

Label: Paisley Park Records.

Formats: 7" 45 RPM (paper labels, silver/blue injection labels, Damont pressing, promo white label).

℗ & ©: 1987 Paisley Park Records.

Distributed by WEA Records Ltd.

Full Track Listing (all formats)

7" 45 RPM (W8288 / 928 288-7) – all UK pressings

Side A

1. I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (Fade) (3:39)

Side B

1. Hot Thing (Edit) (3:40)

UK Variants

- 7", Paper Labels – Paisley Park W8288 – UK – 1987

- 7", Silver Injection Labels – Paisley Park W8288 – UK – 1987

- 7", Metallic Blue Injection Labels – Paisley Park W8288 – UK – 1987

- 7", Paper Labels, Damont Pressing – Paisley Park W8288 – UK – 1987

- 7", Promo White Label – Paisley Park W8288 – UK – 1987

Production and Context

Written/Produced/Arranged/Performed by Prince. Recorded 1986 at Sunset Sound & Paisley Park. Fourth single from Sign O’ The Times (1987).

Official BBC Singles Chart Data

Peak position: 29

6 weeks – 28/11/1987 to 02/01/1988

36 → 29 (05/12 peak) → 30 → 42 → 56 → 69

Legacy and Collectibility

“I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” is Prince’s heartfelt funk-rock masterpiece. Original UK picture sleeve 7"s fetch £8–£25 on eBay/Discogs (injection labels £15–£40, promo £30–£60). Verify catalogue W8288.

Streams on Spotify via *Sign O’ The Times* reissues preserve the raw energy. This single is a must-have for ‘80s Prince collectors.

Do you have I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man in your vinyl stack? Can anyone replace it? Share in the comments!

Sources

Information is drawn from my personal knowledge and supplemented by web sources, including Prince Vault, Discogs, 45cat, AllMusic, Rate Your Music, Wikipedia, BBC Official Charts Company, Billboard Chart History and YouTube